Knowing God

What are spiritual gifts, and how do I know mine?

Spiritual gifts are Spirit-given abilities distributed to believers to build up the church, discovered through serving, prayerful reflection, and the confirmation of a faith community.

Published 2026-09-13 · Updated 2026-09-27

Written and reviewed by the Word Oasis Editorial Team. Read our editorial policy.

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Holy Spirit

Biblical explanation

Paul describes a variety of spiritual gifts — teaching, encouragement, service, leadership, generosity, and more — given by the same Spirit to different people for the common good, like parts of one body serving a shared purpose. No believer receives every gift, and no gift is more “spiritual” than another when it is used to serve rather than to gain status. Discovering a gift usually happens through practice rather than abstract guessing: trying different forms of service, noticing where genuine fruit and encouragement follow, and listening to trusted believers who can recognize gifts that may be harder to see in oneself.

In brief

Paul describes a variety of spiritual gifts — teaching, encouragement, service, leadership, generosity, and more — given by the same Spirit to different people for the common good, like parts of one body serving a shared purpose.

Bible references

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Editorial note

This answer is written and reviewed by the Word Oasis Editorial Team, and is presented with supporting references so you can examine each passage in context. If you notice an error or unclear statement, please suggest a correction.