D&C 46 — Instruction on the Gifts of the Spirit and the Discerning of Spirits
I have a shelf in the garage where the tools I rarely use end up. Not because they are bad tools. The biscuit joiner works fine and the lathe is a good one, but I reach for them maybe twice a year. The rest of the time they sit there taking up space that a chisel plane or a marking gauge could use every week.
The tools I actually use have handles worn smooth from my hands. The ones on that shelf still look new.
I thought about that shelf reading D&C 46, which is the revelation on spiritual gifts. This section came right after the instructions on the signs of the Second Coming in D&C 45. What struck me this time was not the list of gifts but how the Lord frames them. He does not say some gifts are better than others. He says they are distributed differently on purpose so that everyone in the church needs everyone else.
What Are the Spiritual Gifts Listed in D&C 46
The section gives a straightforward inventory. The Lord says that some receive the knowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, and others receive the word of wisdom or the word of knowledge. Faith to be healed and faith to heal are distinct gifts. Working of miracles, and prophecy along with discerning of spirits. Tongues and the interpretation of tongues.
It is a practical list, not an exotic one. Most of these gifts sound like things you would hope for in a congregation, not things that would embarrass anyone if they admitted to having them.
The Lord also says something I keep coming back to.
To every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.
Every person gets at least one, from the quiet sister in the third row who always knows exactly what to say when someone is hurting to the young man who can see through a bad argument before anyone else catches on. The gifts are not reserved for the people at the pulpit.
Purpose of Spiritual Gifts in the Church
Here is what I keep coming back to. The Lord says these gifts are given for the benefit of those who love God and keep His commandments. But then He adds a warning. Do not seek for a sign to satisfy your own desires.
That changes how I think about the whole chapter. The gifts are not decorations. They are not there to make anyone look holy. They are functional, like the tools on my bench. You do not buy a No. 4 smoothing plane to hang it on the wall. You buy it because it leaves a surface that needs almost no sanding. The gift exists for the work, not for the one holding it.
The same chapter also says something about meetings. The elders are supposed to conduct them as they are guided by the Holy Spirit. And they are told not to cast anyone out of public meetings or sacrament meetings, especially those who are earnestly seeking the kingdom even if they are not members yet.
I like that the Lord spells it out. The meeting is not for the members alone but for everyone who shows up, and you do not get to decide who belongs there.
Meaning of Discerning of Spirits in LDS Scripture
The gift of discerning of spirits is listed alongside all the others, but it gets a special mention later. The Lord says the bishop and those ordained to watch over the church are given this gift specifically.
It makes sense. If people are going to stand up in a meeting and say they have received revelation or a prophecy, someone needs to be able to tell whether it is actually from God. Not every spiritual-sounding thing is spiritual. There are doctrines of devils and commandments of men that can sound convincing.
The discerning of spirits is a protection. It is not a dramatic gift. It is not the kind of thing that gets talked about in testimony meeting. But it might be the most important gift a congregation can have because it keeps everything else honest. Without it, the flashy gifts can do real damage.
I have known people who operated under what they thought was inspiration who were actually following their own ambition. It rarely ends well. The gift of discernment is the guardrail.
How to Know Which Spiritual Gift I Have
The chapter does not leave you guessing about how to receive a gift.
The chapter lists the process of asking God liberally, walking uprightly, doing all things with prayer and thanksgiving, and practicing virtue and holiness. That is not a formula but a way of living. You ask and keep asking, and you try to live in a way that does not shut down the channel. The gift shows up in what you are able to do for other people.
I think most people already have their gift and do not recognize it because it feels natural to them. The thing you can do without thinking about it, the thing people come to you for, the thing that drains you less than it drains other people. That is probably the gift. You just did not call it that because it does not feel supernatural.
But the chapter says that is exactly what it is. Every good thing that comes through you to help someone else is a gift of the Spirit.
Difference Between Word of Wisdom and Word of Knowledge
These two are often confused because they sound like the same thing. The chapter lists them separately, which means the Lord sees a difference.
The word of wisdom is knowing what to do with what you know. The word of knowledge is having the information in the first place.
You might have knowledge about a doctrine or a principle. You studied it and understood it, and that is a gift. But wisdom is knowing the right moment to speak it and how to apply it, along with whether the person in front of you needs doctrine or just needs to be heard.
They work together but are not the same, and not everyone who has one has the other. I have known people with deep knowledge who had no idea how to share it in a way that helped anyone. And I have known people with little formal study who had a steady wisdom that cut straight to the heart of a problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who receives spiritual gifts in the Church?
D&C 46 says every person is given at least one gift by the Spirit of God. The distribution is intentional. Not everyone has every gift, and that is the point. The diversity means every member of the church has something to contribute and something to receive from others.
Why is the gift of discerning of spirits important?
Because not every spiritual manifestation is from God. There are doctrines of devils and commandments of men that can deceive even sincere people. The gift of discernment lets leaders and members recognize what is genuine and what is not. It is a protection for the whole congregation.
How do I receive a spiritual gift?
The chapter says to ask God liberally, walk uprightly, do all things with prayer and thanksgiving, and practice virtue and holiness. The gift is not earned. It is received through a life that stays open to the Spirit. You ask, you live the way you are supposed to live, and you trust the Lord to give what is needed.
What is the most important spiritual gift?
The chapter does not rank them. Every gift is for the benefit of the whole church. The most important gift for you is the one the Lord knows your family needs you to have.
Can someone have more than one spiritual gift?
Yes. The chapter mentions that some people are given many gifts and some are given all of them, but the pattern is that the gifts are about the work rather than the person. Having more gifts means more responsibility, not more status.
I put the biscuit joiner back on the shelf after I finished reading. I will use it again eventually. But the tools that matter are the ones I reach for by instinct, the ones whose weight I know without looking.
The chapter reminded me that the gifts I take for granted are the ones I should pay attention to. If something comes naturally to me and it helps someone else, that is not a coincidence. That is the Spirit working through what I already have.
— D.