169 Lesson #24: Miraculous Spiritual Gifts Purpose of Miracles in the Bible Exodus 4:1-3, “Then Moses answered and said, ‘But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’’ So the Lord said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’ He said, ‘A rod.’ 3 And He said, ‘Cast it on the ground.’ So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.” Matthew 11:2-5, “And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.’” John 20:30-31, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” Acts 2:22, ““Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know.” Acts 8:6, “And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.” Acts 14:3, “Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.” Hebrews 2:3-4, “how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?” Mark 16:20, “And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.”
Transcript
169
Lesson #24: Miraculous Spiritual Gifts
Purpose of Miracles in the Bible
Exodus 4:1-3, “Then Moses answered and said, ‘But suppose they will not believe
me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’’ So
the Lord said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’ He said, ‘A rod.’ 3 And He said,
‘Cast it on the ground.’ So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and
Moses fled from it.”
Matthew 11:2-5, “And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he
sent two of his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look
for another?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which
you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the
deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.’”
John 20:30-31, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His
disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life
in His name.”
Acts 2:22, ““Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by
God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your
midst, as you yourselves also know.”
Acts 8:6, “And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip,
hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.”
Acts 14:3, “Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord,
who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be
done by their hands.”
Hebrews 2:3-4, “how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the
first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard
Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles,
and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?”
Mark 16:20, “And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with
them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.”
170
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:8-13
When Would Miracles Cease?
The question is not whether miracles (such as tongues and knowledge) would cease. It’s clear from verse 8 that there would be a time when they would cease. The question then is when they would cease. Verse 10 gives us an idea of the timeframe: “But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.” So, the central question becomes: To what is “that which is perfect has come” is referring? Two main possible answers:
The complete revelation of the Word of God. o If it is the complete revelation of the Word of God, then miraculous spiritual gifts have
already ceased.
The second coming of Christ. o If it is the second coming of Christ, then the age of miraculous spiritual gifts continues
Introduction In this lesson, let us consider the characteristics of New Testament miracles. Our study will show that the miracles of the Bible were undeniable, instantaneous, complete, diverse, unstaged, and open to investigation. They supported truth, and not error. Furthermore, the victims were not blamed in the case of failure. The miracles of Jesus are genuine, assuring us that He is the Son of God. The miracles of the apostles and prophets are authentic, confirming their message and ministry. All this stands in stark contrast with the so-called miracles of modern-day faith healers. The miracles of contemporary “slap-em in the head, slay the Spirit, cure Aunt Sally of consumption” Charismatics are bogus. An examination of the evidence reveals that the Leroy Jenkins, Peter Popoffs, Ernest Angleys, and Oral Roberts of this world are impious frauds. Their ministries cannot withstand open scrutiny. Their alleged miracles are but a pale imitation, a fraudulent replica, and a counterfeit reproduction of what we read of in the Bible.
They Were Undeniable New Testament miracles were undeniable. Open minded individuals could clearly see the hand of God at work (John 3:1-2). Even the enemies of truth were forced to acknowledge the reality of these signs. This was evident when Jesus healed the blind man (John 9:16), when he raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:46-47), and also when Peter and John healed the lame man (Acts 4:14-16). In contrast, contemporary miracles are often questionable, doubtful, and dubious. Independent examination frequently exposes the fraudulent claims of faith healers.
They Were Instantaneous New Testament miracles of healing were instantaneous. Included were the miraculous healing of blindness (Matt. 20:30-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43), deformity (Luke 13:11-13), leprosy (Matt. 8:1-3; Mark 1:40-42; Luke 5:12-13), hemorrhaging (Matt. 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-29;
Luke 8:40-47), lameness/ paralysis (Luke 5:17-25; John 5:1-9), sickness (Luke 4:38-39), and even death (Mark 5:35-42; Luke 8:49-55). The only possible exception to this pattern was the blind man at Bethsaida, but even here, complete healing was accomplished in a matter of minutes (Mark 8:22-25). New Testament miracles did not require time for nature to take its course; rather, the effects were immediate. In contrast, modern-day faith healers often say, “You should expect gradual recovery.”
They Were Complete New Testament miracles of healing were complete. Whatever the malady, no matter how serious the illness or infirmity, the person that was healed was made whole (Matt. 12:9-13; Acts 3:6-10, 16). Yet, today those who are “healed” often manifest only a slight momentary improvement, and frequently experience serious relapses. Consider the case of Ernest Angley, a faith healer from Akron, Ohio. Angley, a flamboyant actor with a flair for the dramatic, normally puts on a good show, but even the best performers have off nights. On one occasion, Angley was trying to heal a man who was hard of hearing. He stuck his fingers in the man’s ears, twisted them around a few times, and then prayed that the man’s hearing might be restored. When Ernest was finished, the man’s wife whispered, “Honey?” into one of his ears. The man said, “Yes.” Then she whispered in his other ear, “Baby?” Once again, the man replied, “Yes.” Filled with amazement and bliss, Ernest Angley lifted his eyes toward heaven, and cried with a loud voice, “Hallelujah!” The man then looked at Ernest with a quizzical expression and replied, “Not bad, How are you?”
They Were Diverse In the New Testament, all kinds of miracles were performed (Matt. 4:24; 8:16; 9:35; 15:30). Jesus and the apostles healed those who were blind, deaf, and mute. They cured deformity, paralysis, lameness, leprosy, all manner of sickness, disease and even death. Jesus demonstrated His power over every sphere of nature. Compare His accomplishments to those of modern-day miracle workers. Can they calm the winds or walk on
water? Can they feed 5,000 with 5 loaves and 2 fishes? Can they heal all manner of sickness? Can they raise the dead? Of course not! The current crop of faith healers limit their practice to internal maladies, headaches, sinus trouble, and psychosomatic illnesses that respond to suggestion, etc. Several years ago, Lewis Grizzard, the well-known syndicated newspaper columnist, wrote an article entitled “Miracles Are Few, But Laughs Are Many” in which he poked fun at today’s faith healers. i Grizzard said, “The first time I became suspicious of faith healers was when Brother Roy Dodd Hembree came to my hometown with his faith healing tent ministry. One year, Miss Inez Pickett, an old maid school-teacher who had been plagued with kidney problems her entire life, decided to see if Brother Roy Dodd could help her.” “Brother Roy Dodd grabbed Miss Inez, proceeded to beseech the Almighty to try and remove her malady. With a great, joyous cry he proclaimed Miss Inez healed, and she commenced to jump around on the platform in her newly found healthy state. She became so excited, however, that she fell off the platform and broke her leg.” “Somebody call an ambulance,” said the first one to reach her. “No need for that,” someone cried, “just get Brother Roy Dodd to heal her.” However, Brother Roy Dodd declined. “I don’t do broken bones,” he said, “Just vital organs.”
They Were Unstaged New Testament miracles were unstaged. Those healed were well known to the audience (Acts 3:1-10). Their illness was a matter of public record (Mark 5:25-29). Today it is not the same. Sometimes the sick show up in town about the same times as the healers. If you pay close attention to some groups, you will find that some of those healed ride the bus out of town with the healing evangelist. They travel with him to the next town, where the so-called “miracle” is repeated. O.J. Willis of Groveton, Texas told the story of an old-time faith-healer who came to town, promising to raise the dead. At the front of the big tent, the “deceased” was stretched-out in a coffin, pale and gray, looking bereft of life, and asleep in Jesus. Before the services, crowds passed by the coffin, quietly viewing the body, until the unexpected happened. It seems some of the local boys were determined to follow 1 John 4:1, which says, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” As one of these young whippersnappers passed by the casket, he produced a long straight-pin, which he proceeded to poke in the side
of the prostrate body. Commotion and bedlam ensued, as the lifeless man was prematurely, unexpectedly, and violently raised from the dead! (Another variation of this story says that the man who welded the pin was one John O’Doud, a gospel preacher of yesteryear.) Peter Popoff, a squeaky-voiced TV faith healer from Upland, California, was able to fool millions, until foiled by debunker James Randi. This particular charlatan was noted for “calling out” members of the audience and then healing them. While on stage, Popoff would call out the names and addresses of individuals to whom he had not spoken, identify their specific ailments, and then allegedly heal them. How was he able to know such details? Was this the voice of God? Not hardly. Investigators discovered that prior to the show, Popoff’s staff subtly and shrewdly would gather information (names, address, ailments) on individuals in the audience. Popoff wore a tiny hearing aid in his left ear, connected to a high-frequency receiver tuned to 39.17 megahertz, a short-wave band. His wife, Elizabeth, broadcasting to Peter from backstage, transmitted the needed information to Popoff, and directed him to the right people. Thus he was able to exercise the “gift of knowledge,” identifying them by name and affliction.
They Were Open To Investigation New Testament miracles were verifiable. Their legitimacy was confirmed and substantiated by the evidence. Jesus made the dumb to speak, the blind to see, and the lame to walk. The effects were manifest to all. In contrast with the New Testament example, today faith healers will not submit to verification, certification, or testing. They refuse to submit their ministries to public scrutiny, and become indignant when questioned, examined or interrogated. In contrast with such stonewalling techniques, the Bible affirms the value of open investigation (Acts 17:11; Rom. 16:17-19; 1 Thess. 5:21-22; 1 John 4:1; Rev. 2:1-3). Furthermore, neither Jesus nor his apostles ever said it was impossible to perform a miracle because unbelievers were present. However, this dodge is often used by modern-day faith healers who know that critics are in the audience. Jesus was not swayed just because his opponents were watching. In fact, he relished the opportunity to prove his message (Mark 3:1-5).
They Supported Truth, Not Error New Testament miracles supported truth, not error (Mark 16:17-20; Heb. 2:1-4). Even the inspired message
174
of the apostle Paul was compared to previously revealed truth (Acts 17:11). We must study to present ourselves approved unto God (2 Tim. 2:15), examining everything carefully, and holding fast to that which is good (1 Thess. 5:21). In the Old Testament, the apparent miracles and message of prophets were to be tested. If their message was false, they were to be rejected, despite their apparent miraculous power (Deut. 13:1-5). In like manner, saints of the New Testament era are warned against the lying wonders of lawless men (2 Thess. 2:7-12). We must test the spirits because many false prophets have gone forth into the world (1 John 4:1). God would never empower false teachers who teach destructive heresies (2 Pet. 2:1-2).
They Didn’t Blame The Victim For Failure When modern-day faith healers are unsuccessful, they typically blame the sick person for not having enough faith. However, in the New Testament, the ability to perform miracles was dependent upon the faith of those who possessed the gifts of the Spirit. In the New Testament, failure to perform a miracle demonstrated a lack of faith on the part of the healer (Matt. 17:14-21). Faith was often manifested by those who sought healing. In a few cases, it is specifically mentioned as playing a significant role (Matt. 9:20-22; Mark 10:51-52). Sometimes a lack of faith caused Jesus to limit His ministry in certain areas (Matt. 13:58; Mark 6:5). However, in other cases the person healed demonstrated no faith at all. This is certainly true of the lame man whom Peter and John healed in the Temple. Notice, that it was the faith of Peter and John, not the lame man, that brought about the miracle. The lame man was simply asking for money from the apostles, not realizing who they were (Acts 3:1-6). As J. W. McGarvey says, “He showed no faith either in Jesus, or in the healing power of the apostles, until he found himself able to stand and walk. The faith, then, was that of Peter; and this accords with what we learn in the Gospels, that the working of a miracle by those possessed of spiritual gifts was always dependent on their faith.”
Conclusion As we have seen, the miracles of the Bible were undeniable, instantaneous, complete, diverse, unstaged,
and open to investigation. They supported truth, and not error. Finally, the victims were not blamed in the case of failure. All of this stands in stark contrast with the work of modern-day faith healers. Their miracles are dubious and doubtful. Long periods of time are often necessary to affect a complete recovery. Modern-day miracle workers perform only a select few types of miracles, and the vast majority of their healings cannot be perceived by the senses. Preliminary inquiries are often used to weed out the hard cases. Most healings are psychosomatic in nature. Success requires a highly-emotional, almost hysterical atmosphere that exerts a powerful psychological effect upon those seeking a miracle. Services are often staged. Charismatic leaders avoid the light of open, unbiased investigation. False doctrines are commonly taught. Failure is common. Tragically, if the faith healer is unsuccessful, he often blames the sick person for not having enough faith. What an unmitigated travesty! In January of 1978, Ernest Angley was holding a “miracle and healing rally” in North Carolina. He announced that he would pray for everyone with heart problems. One woman with chronic heart trouble had come to seek Angley’s blessing. During the services, she slumped to the floor. The ushers, who believed the woman was simply overcome with spiritual ecstasy, turned away offers of help for about 20 minutes. Afterwards, the victim was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead. How did the great faith healer respond to this tragic news? Said Mr. Angley: “Church is a wonderful place to go to heaven from.” Compare this cop-out to the example of Paul at Troas. On the first day of the week, the saints assembled in an upper room, where the apostle preached until midnight. A young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, fell asleep as Paul spoke, and fell down from the third floor and was picked up dead. Did the apostle Paul say, “Church is a wonderful place to go to heaven from.” No. The text says, Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, “Do not be troubled, for his life is in him.” Afterwards they took away the boy alive, and were greatly comforted (Acts 20:7-12).
175
Can You Speak In Tongues? http://www.churches-of-christ.net/tracts/job030u.htm 11/15/14
The subject of speaking in miraculous tongues has become a subject of keen interest among religious people of the world. This claim has been made by various Pentecostal groups for over one hundred years, but in the past ten years, many groups are claiming the modern practice of the New Testament feat and are claiming to possess such power by means of the Holy Spirit. An investigation of these claims is the purpose of this tract. We need to prove every spirit or doctrine (I John 4:1), and are told to prove all things in order to hold fast to the good (I Thessalonians 5:21). Let us therefore try this doctrine held by so many lately and see if it can be approved by the Word of God.
Is Man's Word Enough? Let us say in the beginning that no claim of miraculous power to speak in tongues, heal the sick, or perform any other supernatural act should be accepted at face value. Just hearsay or some isolated case where I heard cannot be accepted as a factual happening. Human claims are not absolute facts in religion. There must be an absolute standard by which all men evaluate and consider these claims. That standard is the New Testament. This great Book of God must sit in judgment upon human actions--not the other way, where human actions sit in judgment of the Bible. Not that man is not honest and sincere when he makes a claim like this, but he could be honestly mistaken. Many millions imagine in their heart that they have cancer, or some other disease they have read about and may become sick over worry about that very disease. The feelings of one about these diseases can either be verified or denied only after a careful examination by a qualified doctor. We claim that the Bible is the place to check these claims to verify or deny this mania. Feelings alone will not suffice. An examination is necessary.
There Have Been Miraculous Tongues! There is no evidence that the gift of miraculous tongues was ever associated with the worship of God in the Old Testament period. There are several references to this great miracle in the New Testament. They are: 1. On the first Pentecost following the resurrection of Christ, the Holy Spirit came upon the twelve apostles in a baptismal measure. These men had been told to wait for the promised power in Jerusalem after the Lord's ascension; and in Acts 2:4 we read, "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." This was from God and fulfilled his promise to guide them into all truth (John 14:26; 16:13). After inspiring these men with divine truth through the power of the Holy Spirit, an effective way of communication had to be provided. Since the group of people assembled were from many nations (Acts 2:5) and spoke different languages, some miracle had to make possible their understanding in their own language. They heard these apostles, who were all Galileans, speak in their own tongue or language (Acts 2:8). The apostles then spoke in other languages in order to teach the truth and it was to give understanding. It was not ecstatic gibberish (which came from emotions) that no one could understand. It was not an unknown tongue. The word unknown in the King James translation appears in italics, which means that this word is not found in the original Greek, but the translators added this word. Paul later deals with people speaking in a tongue or language where no one understood and he commanded that they were to keep silent, unless there were an interpreter who could give the meaning (I Corinthians 14:27). Every tongue than had to (1) be from God for the purpose of teaching the truth and (2) be in some language that people could understand. As a result the Jews believed and were baptized and were added to the church (Acts 2:47).
2. Cornelius and his household. In Acts 10 we find the next instance of miraculous tongues. Cornelius was a great moral man who was devout (Acts 10: 1,2), but was still in his sins (Acts 11:14). After Peter was sent to him to guide him into truth, he began to "speak with tongues and magnify God." This occurred when the Holy Spirit fell on all of them that heard the word (Acts 10:44-48). The Jews who had accompanied Peter to Cornelius ". . . were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon the Gentiles also" (Acts 10:45). The purpose of this gift of tongues was to convince Jewish Christians that ". . . God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life" (Acts 11:18). God wanted all men to be saved. The gospel was to be for every creature (Mark 16:15). It was ". . . for the Jew first and also for the Greek" (Romans 1:16). Therefore, God brought the Gentiles into His great family by the same sort of miracle he had used for the Jews on the day of Pentecost, about ten years before. As a result of Peter's preaching and this great miracle to convince the Jews that God would accept Gentiles, Cornelius and his household were baptized into Christ (Acts 10:47, 48). They became Christians, and now all nations (Jews and Gentiles) were brought to a knowledge of truth. 3. The next miraculous tongue speaking took place in Ephesus. Paul was on his journeys and entered the city and preached to certain men who had been baptized with John's baptism. "They said, 'We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit."' Upon hearing Paul's message about Christ ". . . they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. . ." (Acts 19:1-7). It should be noticed that this occasion differs from the first two in that the Holy Spirit's power was given through the laying on of the apostle's hands. On the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), the Jews (apostles) received the gift of tongues directly from heaven. At the household of Cornelius (Acts 10), the tongues were given directly from heaven. But now these men at Ephesus received this gift indirectly. The first two times tongues were given without human hands. The third time the gift was bestowed by the laying on of hands. As a result of Paul's teaching, and this miracle, they were baptized with the baptism which the Jews and Gentiles had experienced. It was in the name of Christ (Acts 19:5). 4. The miraculous tongue gift was also given to certain members of the church at Corinth. I Corinthians 12:8-10 lists nine spiritual gifts, which were, evidently, given to these Corinthian Christians. Not every Christian had all nine gifts (I Corinthians 12:30). Also, there was no single gift (like tongues) that all possessed. He compared these gifts to different parts of the body (I Corinthians 12:19). The purpose of these gifts was to edify and build up these Christians; so teaching in other tongues or languages is mentioned as one of these nine gifts. Paul goes into much detail in the Corinthian letter to make sure that these Christians used this gift of tongues for teaching with understanding. He said, "Let all things be done for edification" (I Corinthians 14:26). Remember that the word unknown in this chapter is added every time by the translators and means not understood (never means jabbering or not any language). In every case of tongue speaking, it was for man's benefit that he might (intelligently) understand, what was said. It was associated with teaching people how to be saved and be built up spiritually.
Never Intended to Be Permanent! These miraculous works of the Spirit (nine gifts of I Corinthians 12:8-10) were never intended to be permanent in the church. They were to be given in part. "But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away" (I Corinthians 13: 10). This new and perfect thing would be a much more excellent way (I Corinthians 13:13). All of the gifts mentioned in the Corinthian church were to pass away, or cease. He said in I Corinthian 13:8 that prophesies would fail, tongues would cease, and divine knowledge would be done away. Now, when would these gifts cease? When that perfect thing (the complete will of God) should come (I Corinthians 13: 10).
177
But What About Claims of Tongues Today? Their claims must be false. There are at least four reasons we come to this conclusion: 1. There is no Holy Spirit baptism available today. The apostles and household of Cornelius were given this gift of tongues directly from heaven in baptismal measure. But each was for a specific purpose. And there was never another single case of Holy Spirit baptism referred to in the entire New Testament! These were special cases and for special reasons, and were never promised or intended for all men in all ages. The apostle Paul says, "There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5). What was this one baptism? Is it water baptism or Holy Spirit baptism? The apostle commanded and administered water baptism in fulfillment of the Lord's commission given in Matthew 28:18-10. They were to do this unto the end of the world. On both Pentecost (Acts 2) and at Cornelius' house, two baptisms were administered--Holy Spirit and water baptism! But by the time Paul wrote the Ephesian letter there was only one baptism. Which baptism had ceased? Which one was to be administered to every creature until the end of the world? Water baptism was used in every case of conversion in the book of Acts; whereas the Holy Spirit baptism was used only twice once on the Jews at Pentecost and then on the Gentiles when Cornelius was converted. Thus all flesh (Jews and Gentiles) had been given the gospel by a special miracle from God. Since all people had been given a chance, the need for the baptismal measure of the Holy Spirit ceased, and the baptism of water for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16; I Peter 3:21) continued. 2. Apostles can no longer lay hands on people and impart this special gift. Of all the people who had these special miraculous gifts, only the laying on of the apostles' hands would give them these special powers. Philip was a spirit-filled evangelist from Jerusalem who could work miracles. But when Philip went to Samaria, because he was not an apostle, he had to wait for the apostles Peter and John to come and lay hands on certain people (Acts 8:14-19). Since the death of the apostle John at the close of the first century there has been no possibility of men receiving miraculous spiritual gifts through these means. When the last man on whom the apostles had laid their hands died, miraculous gifts in special measure by the hands of men (like healing incurable disease, cleansing lepers, restoring sight to the blind, drinking poison, raising the dead or speaking in a tongue or language they had never heard or known so that people could understand) cease to exist. 3. Paul said by inspiration that miraculous gifts would cease when the Perfect thing was revealed unto men. Paul plainly taught all nine of those spiritual gifts would be done away when "that which is perfect is come" (I Corinthians 13:8-10). The purpose for these gifts was to confirm and establish the gospel and to edify the Christian until such time as (1) the revelation of the gospel was complete (2) the church was growing strong within, and (3) church leaders could be developed by normal means. Once the New Testament was completed and circulated, the need for these special gifts, such as tongues, ceased. God does for us through his inspired word what he once did through miracles before the truth was written down for us to know. Now we have in the Bible the "perfect law of liberty" (James 1:25) which will give us "all that pertains to life and godliness" (II Timothy 3:16, 17). 4. What purpose could tongues serve now in the plan of God? Spiritual gifts were helping hands to an infant church. Just as parents give support and special assistance to a baby to teach him to walk, the Heavenly Father gave special direct help to the first century Christians as they learned to walk. But when a baby begins to learn to walk, the parent gradually withdraws direct support and encourages his child to develop more strength and skill. To keep on holding the child's hand directly would stop his growth. So it is with God's dealings with His church. He has removed the miraculous, direct helps from her grasp and walks by our side, giving us direction and aid and warning in His word. We do not need special miraculous helps, for our Lord is not a respecter of persons and has given every Christian adequate instruction in His wonderful word, the Bible.
178
Why I Am a Continuationist So, why am I a continuationist? My reasons follow. (Please note that I've written several articles that provide more extensive evidence for the points I make, but space limitations permit me only to mention them by name. All of them are found at my website.) Let me begin with the consistent, indeed pervasive, and altogether positive presence throughout the New Testament (NT) of all spiritual gifts. The problems that emerged in the church at Corinth were not due to spiritual gifts, but to immature people. It wasn't the gifts of God but the childish, ambitious, and prideful distortion of gifts on the part of some that accounts for Paul's corrective comments. Furthermore, beginning with Pentecost and continuing throughout the book of Acts, whenever the Spirit is poured out on new believers they experience his charismata. There is nothing to indicate these phenomena were restricted to them and then. Such appear to be both widespread and common in the NT church. Christians in Rome (Rom. 12), Corinth (1 Cor. 12-14), Samaria (Acts 8), Caesarea (Acts 10), Antioch (Acts 13), Ephesus (Acts 19), Thessalonica (1 Thess. 5), and Galatia (Gal. 3) experience the miraculous and revelatory gifts. It's difficult to imagine how the NT authors could have spoken any more clearly about what new covenant Christianity is supposed to look like. In other words, the burden of proof rests with the cessationist. If certain gifts of a special class have ceased, the responsibility is his or hers to prove it.
Extensive Evidence I'd also point to the extensive NT evidence of so-called miraculous gifts among Christians who are not apostles. In other words, numerous non-apostolic men and women, young and old, across the breadth of the Roman Empire consistently exercised these gifts of the Spirit (and Stephen and Philip ministered in the power of signs and wonders). Others aside from the apostles who exercised miraculous gifts include (1) the 70 who were commissioned in Luke 10:9, 19-20; (2) at least 108 people among the 120 who were gathered in the upper room on the day of Pentecost; (3) Stephen (Acts 6-7); (4) Philip (Acts 8); (5) Ananias (Acts 9); (6) church members in
Antioch (Acts 13); (7) anonymous converts in Ephesus (Acts 19:6); (8) women at Caesarea (Acts 21:8-9); (9) the unnamed brethren of Galatians 3:5; (10) believers in Rome (Rom. 12:6-8); (11) believers in Corinth (1 Cor. 12-14); and (12) Christians in Thessalonica (1 Thess. 5:19-20). We must also give room to the explicit and oft-repeated purpose of the charismata: namely, the edification of Christ's body (1 Cor. 12:7; 14:3, 26). Nothing I read in the NT or see in the condition of the church in any age, past or present, leads me to believe we've progressed beyond the need for edification—and therefore beyond the need for the contribution of the charismata. I freely admit that spiritual gifts were essential for the birth of the church, but why would they be any less important or needful for its continued growth and maturation? There is also the fundamental continuity or spiritually organic relationship between the church in Acts and the church in subsequent centuries. No one denies there was an era or period in the early church that we might call "apostolic." We must acknowledge the significance of the personal, physical presence of the apostles and their unique role in laying the foundation for the early church. But nowhere does the NT ever suggest that certain spiritual gifts were uniquely and exclusively tied to them or that the gifts passed with their passing. The universal church or body of Christ that was established and gifted through the ministry of the apostles is the same universal church and body of Christ today. We are together with Paul and Peter and Silas and Lydia and Priscilla and Luke members of the same one body of Christ. Very much related to the previous point is what Peter says in Acts 2 concerning so-called miraculous gifts as characteristic of the new covenant age of the church. As D. A. Carson has said, "The coming of the Spirit is not associated merely with the dawning of the new age but with its presence, not merely with Pentecost but with the entire period from Pentecost to the return of Jesus the Messiah" (Showing the Spirit, 155). Or again, the gifts of prophecy and tongues (Acts 2) are not portrayed as merely inaugurating the new covenant age but as characterizing it (and let us not forget that the present church age = the "last days").
179
We must also take note of 1 Corinthians 13:8-12. Here Paul asserts that spiritual gifts will not "pass away" (vv. 8-10) until the coming of the "perfect." If the "perfect" is indeed the consummation of God's redemptive purposes as expressed in the new heaven and new earth following Christ's return, we can confidently expect him to continue blessing and empowering his church with the gifts until that time. A similar point is made in Ephesians 4:11-13. There Paul speaks of spiritual gifts (together with the office of apostle)—and in particular the gifts of prophecy, evangelism, pastor, and teacher—as building up of the church "until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (v. 13; italics mine). Since the latter most assuredly has not yet been attained by the church, we can confidently anticipate the presence and power of such gifts until that day arrives. I'd also point to the absence of any explicit or implicit notion that we should view spiritual gifts any differently than we do other NT practices and ministries portrayed as essential for the life and wellbeing of the church. When we read the NT, it seems evident that church discipline should be practiced in our assemblies today and that we should celebrate the Lord's Table and water baptism, and that the requirements for the office of elder as set forth in the pastoral epistles still determine how life in the church should be pursued, just to mention a few. What good exegetical or theological reasons can be given for why we should treat the presence and operation of spiritual gifts any differently?
Consistent Testimony Contrary to popular belief, there is consistent testimony throughout most of church history concerning the operation of the miraculous gifts of the Spirit. It simply isn't the case that the gifts ceased or disappeared from early church life following the death of the last apostle. Space doesn't permit me to cite the massive evidence in this regard, so I refer you to four articles I wrote with extensive documentation (see "Spiritual Gifts in Church History"). Cessationists often argue that signs and wonders as well as certain spiritual gifts served only to confirm or authenticate the original company of apostles and that when the apostles passed away so also did the gifts. The fact is no biblical text (not even Heb. 2:4 or 2 Cor. 12:12,
two texts I explain in articles here) ever says signs and wonders or spiritual gifts of a particular sort authenticated the apostles. Signs and wonders authenticated Jesus and the apostolic message about him. If signs and wonders were designed exclusively to authenticate apostles, we have no explanation why non-apostolic believers (such as Philip and Stephen) were empowered to perform them (see especially 1 Cor. 12:8-10, where the "gift" of "miracles," among others, was given to average, non-apostolic believers). Therefore, this is a good reason for being a cessationist only if you can demonstrate that authentication or attestation of the apostolic message was the sole and exclusive purpose of such displays of divine power. However, nowhere in the NT is the purpose or function of the miraculous or the charismata reduced to attestation. The miraculous, in whatever form, served several other distinct purposes: doxological (to glorify God: John 2:11; 9:3; 11:4; 11:40; and Matt. 15:29-31); evangelistic (to prepare the way for the gospel to be made known: see Acts 9:32-43); pastoral (as an expression of compassion and love and care for the sheep: Matt. 14:14; Mark 1:40-41); and edifying (to build up and strengthen believers: 1 Cor. 12:7 and the "common good"; 1 Cor. 14:3-5, 26). All the gifts of the Spirit, whether tongues or teaching, prophecy or mercy, healing or helping, were given (among other reasons) for the edification, building up, encouraging, instructing, consoling, and sanctifying of the body of Christ. Therefore, even if the ministry of the miraculous gifts to attest and authenticate has ceased, a point I concede only for the sake of argument, such gifts would continue to function in the church for the other reasons cited.
Still Final and Sufficient Perhaps the most frequently heard objection from cessationists is that acknowledging the validity of revelatory gifts such as prophecy and word of knowledge would necessarily undermine the finality and sufficiency of Holy Scripture. But this argument is based on the false assumption that these gifts provide us with infallible truths equal in authority to the biblical text itself (see my article "Why NT Prophecy Does NOT Result in 'Scripture-Quality' Revelatory Words"). One also hears the cessationist appeal to Ephesians 2:20, as if this text describes all possible prophetic ministry. The argument is that revelatory gifts such as prophecy
180
were uniquely linked to the apostles and therefore designed to function only during the so-called foundational period in the early church. I address this fundamentally misguided view at length here. A close examination of the biblical evidence concerning both the nature of the prophetic gift as well as its widespread distribution among Christians indicates there was far more to this gift than simply the apostles laying the foundation of the church. Therefore, neither the passing of the apostles nor the movement of the church beyond its foundational years has any bearing whatsoever on the validity of prophecy today. One also hears often of the so-called cluster argument, according to which supernatural and miraculous phenomena were
supposedly concentrated or clustered at unique periods in redemptive history. I've addressed this argument elsewhere and demonstrated that it's altogether false. Finally, although it's technically not a reason or argument for being a continuationist, I cannot ignore experience. The fact is I've seen all spiritual gifts in operation, tested and confirmed them, and experienced them firsthand on countless occasions. As stated, this is less a reason to become a continuationist and more a confirmation (although not an infallible one) of the validity of that decision. Experience, in isolation from the biblical text, proves little. But experience must be noted, especially if it illustrates or embodies what we see in God's Word.
