Delighted by Charisma

When you hear the word “charisma,” what comes to mind? I suspect for most people, it evokes images of exuberance, enchantment, or magnetism. As a politician, he sure has a tremendous amount of charisma! For some, it represents the activities of those who identify with the charismatic element in Christianity.

I’ll grant that words change meaning over time, and it is that reality that brings me to an investigation of the term “charisma” for this week’s blog posting. Biblically speaking, what is charisma?

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
– Colossians 3:16, ESV

If you look at the verse above in a variety of translations, you’ll find that a handful of them translate the last phrase, “with grace in your heats to God,” while most translations opt for “thankfulness,” as does the English Standard Version, quoted above. I’m not suggesting that “thankfulness” is inaccurate, but in truth, “grace” is the more literal, base reading here.

Thankfulness and Grace

Some of my recent blog postings have been a bit heavy, so we’re lightening things up a bit this week. We’re going to do some word study, and I hope it is fun for you, because this sort of thing is candy to me.

The root of the term used by the apostle Paul in the letter quoted above is χάρις (kar-ees). It literally means “grace” or “favor.” We sing, “Amazing grace…” to speak of God’s astonishing favor shown toward us. A little further down, in the same letter, Paul says this:

Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
– Colossians 4:6, WBT

If we combine χάρις with another term, εὖ (yew), meaning “well” or “good,” we come up with something like εὐχαριστία (yew-karees-tee-ah), “good grace.” You might see in that the word “eucharist,” which is a way of offering thanks. During the fifties and sixties, it was common to hear someone to ask, “Tom, would you say grace for us, please,” asking Tom to pray with thanksgiving over the meal about to be shared.

The term εὐχάριστος (yew-karees-toss) is an adjective form, meaning “thankful” or “grateful” and, by extension, χάρις came to mean “gratitude”—χάριν ἔχω (kareen eko) “I thank you.” And to really drive this home, we see both usages of this word in a single verse in Corinthians.

And if I partake by grace, why am I defamed for what I give thanks?
– 1 Corinthians 10:30, SLT

In context, Paul was discussing being judged for eating something to which someone else objected. He’s saying that his actions should not be regulated by someone elses conscience. In the statement above, he uses forms of both karees and yewkarees, grace and thankfulness.

So far, biblically speaking, charisma is not exuberant magnetism or flamboyant worship, but grace and thankfulness. Yet, our word study is about to take another, unexpected, turn.

The Gift

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
– Romans 6:23, ESV

You probably guessed it. The word translated “free gift” above is χάρις—grace. The grace of God is eternal life in Christ.

Here, Paul has set wages, or earnings, against a gift, something fully unearned. Where the “payoff” of sin is something horrifying to even consider, the grace/gift of God, the χάρις, is life eternal in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Wrap Up

In the original verse quoted above, the Colossian church was encouraged to sign with grace in their hearts. I see no reason this same instruction should not apply to us. Grace in our hearts will bring about grace in our speech, grace in our actions, grace in our relationships. That is charisma! The truly charismatic man and woman is a person of grace, one to whom God can make all grace abound.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
– 2 Corinthians 9:8, ESV

“Grace be with you. Amen” (v. 18).
– Colossians 4:18b, ESV

Blessings upon you, my friends.

Victoriously in Christ!

– damon

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