Did All Christians in the First Century Possess Miraculous Gifts?

First, no evidence shows that anyone other than the apostles received the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. They had been promised that blessing (see Acts 1:5, 8). The only other exception was to the household of Cornelius, in fulfillment of Joel's prophecy, as a divine token that Gentiles were to be admitted into the church (Joel 2:28ff; cf. Acts 2:17ff; 10:44; 11:15; 15:8).

Second, no testimony indicates that anyone other than the apostles possessed miraculous gifts for some time following Pentecost. If someone claims that the expression "gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38) reflects this, we would insist that this point must be proven, not merely asserted. The expression "gift of the Holy Spirit" does not determine the nature of the gift. In fact, Luke's subsequent record testifies otherwise.

Note the following:

• "[W]onders and signs were done through the apostles" (Acts 2:43).
• The Sadducees observed that a "notable miracle" was performed by "these men," namely Peter and John. The language hardly reflects that thousands of Christians were performing miracles (Acts 4:16-17). They then threatened them so that it spread no further among the people.
• "[B]y the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought" (5:12).
• The community carried their sick to places so that, as "Peter came by, at the least his shadow might overshadow some one of them," and they would be healed (5:15).

These passages are puzzling if all early Christians were performing miracles.

As far as the inspired narrative reveals, the first people to receive supernatural gifts, besides the apostles, were the seven special church servants chosen in Acts 6:1ff. Of them the record says: "[A]nd when they [the apostles] had prayed, they laid their hands upon them . . . . And Stephen, full of grace and power, wrought great signs among the people" (vv. 6, 8).

Third, no, the Ethiopian eunuch did not possess a miraculous gift. For the eunuch to have possessed a supernatural gift, an apostle would have had to lay hands on him (Acts 6:6; 8:18; 19:6). But the Ethiopian had contact with no one but Philip, who was not an apostle. The Philip mentioned in Acts 8 was Philip the evangelist (21:8), not Philip the apostle (Matthew 10:3).

Philip could not bestow miraculous gifts because, after he converted many Samaritans, the apostles Peter and John had to be sent to Samaria to give miraculous gifts to the disciples there (8:14ff).

Further, in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul frames a series of questions regarding supernatural gifts:

Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? do all have the gifts of healings? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? (vv. 29-30).

In the Greek Testament, each of these questions is prefaced with the negative particle me, which is designed to elicit a negative answer to the queries.

The word "miracles" (dunamis [v. 29]) is a broad term for any supernatural gift, emphasizing the divine power behind it. The implication in these questions is clear: not everyone in the first-century church possessed a miraculous gift.

The evidence is conclusive. Miraculous gifts in the early church were limited to select persons. They were not available universally to all saints.

For a more detailed study, see What Does the Bible Say About Miracles?