Do people have the gift of God before they are saved?
I assume you are speaking of “spiritual gifts” and not “natural talents” when referring to “the gift of God.” I believe people are born with “natural talents” but one must be “born again” to receive a “spiritual gift.” Let’s look at several verses that support this view.
In Ephesians 1:13 we read, “ In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (NKJV). We learn here that once a person believes the gospel of Jesus Christ (which means they believe the Jesus Christ is their personal Savior), they receive the Holy Spirit.
Now let’s look at 1st Corinthians 12:1-7, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord, and there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all, But THE MANIFESTATION OF THE SPIRIT IS GIVEN TO EACH ONE FOR THE PROFIT OF ALL.” This whole chapter deals specifically with “spiritual gifts” and it clearly teaches us that once someone is saved and able to call Jesus “Lord” by the indwelling Holy Spirit, they are also given a spiritual gift. Notice that is says, “for the profit of all.” This is so important to see, for this chapter also reveals to us that each believer has become a MEMBER OF THE BODY OF CHRIST and just as the human body has many members that all work together for the good of the body, so the members of the Body of Christ all work together (with the GIFTS they’ve been given) for the good (i.e. profit) of the whole body.
You had mentioned the “gift of God,” but we are also saw in verse 4 that there are “diversities of gifts.” It is not the “gift of God,” but the “GIFTS of God” that are given by the Holy Spirit to benefit the whole body. If you read verses 8-10 and verses 28-30 you will see examples of SOME of the gifts that are imparted to believers by the Spirit. I would encourage you to read Romans 12:6-8 and Ephesians 4:11 for even more examples.
Let me close by asking my fellow-believers a challenging question, “Are you using the gift(s) that the Holy Spirit has given you? As we saw, a spiritual gift is given for a very specific purpose, “for the profit of all.” If we don’t use our gift, other believers will be missing out on what you have to offer; in other words, the Body of Christ will be adversely affected by a lack of spiritual growth. The Body needs each believer to function in order for the Body to grow (see Ephesians 4:11-16). And when it comes to the gift of being an “evangelist” (which is mentioned in Ephesians 4:11), one must be using this gift in order for others to be brought into the Body of Christ. An “evangelist” is one who preaches the good news of Jesus Christ to sinners so that they can “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.” The moment they are saved, they become a member of the body of Christ, as we see in Acts 2:47, “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” May the love and grace of God compel us to use the gift He has given us, first and foremost for the glory of God, but also for “the profit of all.” (279.5) (DO)