Gifts of Service, Teaching, and Exhortation

March 27th, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Romans 12:6-8a Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation…

After prophecy, Paul lists service (Gr. diakonia) as a spiritual gift, from which the English words “deacon” and “ministry” are derived. The root of this term was originally used to denote the act of waiting on tables. Its use in v. 7 is not the same as how Paul uses it for the office of deacon (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8,12), but the root is the same, namely, service, and service in the church can be wide-ranging from the mundane to the more visible (Acts 6:1, 4). Godet says that service in Romans 12:7 is “an activity of a practical nature exerted in action, not in word.” Since service is distinguished from prophecy and the other gifts, all of which could be regarded as service, perhaps Paul has in mind a more practical form of behind-the-scenes ministry separate from that of prophetic utterances or any of the other gifts listed in Romans 12:6-8.

“Service” (Gr. diakonia) mostly appears in the NT in connection with helping members of the local church. However, it is used for Martha’s serving food (Luke 10:40), for angelic service (Heb. 1:14), and in reference to the ministry of the Mosaic Law which was a “ministry” of death (2 Cor. 3:7) since the Law could not be kept. The word has two basic meanings. First, of service in general, including all forms of Christian care in tending to the good of other Christians (1 Cor. 12:5; Eph. 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:11). Secondly, service refers to the apostolic office and their task in laying the foundation of truth (Acts 20:24; 2 Cor. 4:1; 1 Tim. 1:12). This apostolic task entailed a service, or ministry, of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18; Acts 6:4; 2 Cor. 3:8-9)—uniting unbelievers with God through faith in the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Service, therefore, includes both caring for the physical needs of Christians as well as preaching Christ to unbelievers.

The third gift Paul mentions in v. 7 is teaching (cf. 1 Cor. 12:28-29; Eph. 4:11). Prophecy and teaching are indeed distinguishable even though they are very similar in that they entail the proclamation of God’s words. Prophecy has revelatory nature to it in that God’s words are put into the mouths of the prophets, and they speak those words. Teaching, on the other hand, has more to do with passing those revelatory words onward and explaining what they mean. Whereas prophecy was done in proportion to one’s faith—insofar as what was revealed to the prophet was believed by the prophet—in teaching, the teacher is to teach that which he understands.

A fourth gift mentioned by Paul is that of exhortation, or encouragement (NIV). Since this gift follows the gift of teaching, it likely denotes the practice of urging Christians to live the truths they are taught (cf. 12:1). Like prophecy to teaching, teaching to exhortation varies only slightly. Whereas teaching instructs, explains, and imparts information to Christians, exhortation urges hearers of truth to grow in faith and to walk genuinely with Christ. This gift would include counseling, comforting, warning, advising, and holding others accountable to right behavior.

Food For Thought
The first four gifts of the Spirit in Romans 12:6-8 have to do with giving and explaining God’s word. How utterly vital to the local church these gifts are! Yet knowledge without exhortation is only half of the equation. Knowledge in and of itself is great, but when times get tough, we need exhortation. We have to put the knowledge given to us through prophecy into motion by serving our brothers and sisters in Christ, teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded, and to exhort them to action and obedience. Although some like to pass the buck onto teachers when folks need to know something, or to an encourager when one is depressed, it doesn’t matter if we’re gifted or not in these; God compels Christians to take part in all of them.