Lexicon
charisma: Gift, grace-gift, spiritual gift
Original Word:χάρισμα
Part of Speech:Noun, Neuter
Transliteration:charisma
Pronunciation:khar'-is-mah
Phonetic Spelling:(khar'-is-mah)
Definition:Gift, grace-gift, spiritual gift
Meaning:a gift of grace, an undeserved favor.
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
free gift.
Fromcharizomai; a (divine) gratuity, i.e. Deliverance (from danger or passion); (specially), a (spiritual) endowment, i.e. (subjectively) religious qualification, or (objectively) miraculous faculty -- (free) gift.
see GREEKcharizomai
HELPS Word-studies
Cognate: 5486xárisma (from "grace,"5485/xáris) – properly, the operation ofgrace (divinefavor), i.e. agrace-endowment to edify the Church (note the-ma suffix, focusing on theend-result of the endowment of grace).
5486/xárisma ("grace-gift") divinely empowers a believer to share God's work with others, i.e.Spirit-empowered service to the Church tocarry out His plan for His people.
[5486/xárisma (but not limited to) "spiritual gifts."xarismata (theplural form) literally means "grace-endowments."]
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
charizomaiDefinitiona gift of grace, a free gift
NASB Translationfavor (1), free gift (3), gift (5), gifts (7), spiritual gift (1).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 5486: χάρισμαχάρισμα,
χαρίσματος,
τό (
χαρίζομαι),
a gift of grace; a favor which one receives without any merit of his own; in the N. T. (where (except
1 Peter 4:10) used only by Paul)
the gift of divine grace (so also in
Philo de alleg. legg. iii. § 24 at the end
δωρεάκαίεὐεργεσίακαίχάρισμαΘεοῦτάπάνταὅσαἐνκόσμῳκαίαὐτόςὁκόσμοςἐστιν); used of the natural gift of continence, due to the grace of God as creator,
1 Corinthians 7:7; deliverance from great peril to life,
τόεἰςἡμᾶςχάρισμα bestowed upon us,
2 Corinthians 1:11; the gift of
faith, knowledge, holiness, virtue,Romans 1:11; the economy of divine grace, by which the pardon of sin and eternal salvation is appointed to sinners in consideration of the merits of Christ laid hold of by faith,
Romans 5:15;
Romans 6:23; plural of the several blessings of the Christian salvation,
Romans 11:29; in the technical Pauline sense
χαρίσματα (
A. V.gifts) denote "extraordinary powers, distinguishing certain Christians and enabling them to serve the church of Christ, the reception of which is due to the power of divine grace operating in their souls by the Holy Spirit" (cf.
Cremer in
Herzog edition 2 vol. v. 10ff, under the word Geistesgaben):
Romans 12:6;
1 Corinthians 1:7;
1 Corinthians 12:4, 31;
1 Peter 4:10;
χαρίσματαἰαμάτων,
1 Corinthians 12:9, 28, 30; specifically,
the sum of those powers requisite for the discharge of the office of an evangelist:
1 Timothy 4:14;
2 Timothy 1:6. ((Of temporal blessings, '
Teaching 1, 5 [ET] (cf.
δώρημα in
Hermas, mand. 2, 4 [ET])); ecclesiastical writings.)
Topical Lexicon
Word Origin:Derived from χάρις (charis), meaning "grace" or "favor."Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries:While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent for χάρισμα, the concept of gifts and grace can be related to Hebrew terms such as חֵן (chen, Strong's 2580) meaning "grace" or "favor," and מַתָּנָה (mattanah, Strong's 4976) meaning "gift." These terms capture the essence of divine favor and the giving of gifts, which are foundational to the understanding of χάρισμα in the New Testament.
Usage:The term χάρισμα is used in the New Testament to describe various spiritual gifts given to believers. These gifts are manifestations of God's grace and are intended for the common good and the building up of the body of Christ.
Context:The concept of χάρισμα is central to the New Testament's teaching on spiritual gifts. It emphasizes that these gifts are not earned or merited but are freely given by God through the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul discusses χάρισμα extensively in his epistles, particularly inRomans 12,1 Corinthians 12, andEphesians 4, where he outlines different types of spiritual gifts and their purposes.
InRomans 12:6, Paul writes, "We have different gifts according to the grace given to us." Here, χάρισμα is linked directly to the grace (χάρις) of God, highlighting the unmerited nature of these gifts. In1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Paul elaborates on the diversity of spiritual gifts, stating, "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them." This passage underscores the unity and diversity within the body of Christ, as each believer is equipped with unique gifts for the common good.
The purpose of χάρισμα is further explained inEphesians 4:12, where Paul notes that these gifts are "to equip the saints for works of ministry, to build up the body of Christ." This indicates that spiritual gifts are not for personal glorification but for serving others and strengthening the church.
Theologically, χάρισμα reflects the transformative power of God's grace in the life of a believer, enabling them to participate in the mission of the church. It also serves as a reminder of the communal nature of the Christian faith, where each member contributes to the whole through their God-given abilities.
Forms and Transliterations
χαρισμα χάρισμα χαρισματα χαρίσματα χαρισματι χαρίσματι χαρισματος χαρίσματος χαρισματων χαρισμάτων charisma chárisma charismata charísmata charismati charísmati charismaton charismatōn charismáton charismátōn charismatos charísmatosLinks
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