What We Believe

Introduction: Why the continuation of the gifts of the Spirit?

First of all, it is important to acknowledge the constant, persistent, universal, and totally affirmative presence of all spiritual gifts throughout the New Testament (NT. )

Furthermore, starting from Pentecost and continuing throughout the book of Acts, every time the Spirit is poured out on new believers, they experience the manifestation of the Spirit’s gifts. There is no biblical evidence to indicate that these phenomena were restricted to them alone or to that particular time. On the contrary, this is recorded continuously and commonly in the 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 (Galatians 3) experienced the gifts of the Spirit. Storms (2014) states that it is hard to think that there was any clearer way in which the New Testament authors could have said that this is how the New Testament Christianity is supposed to be.

Also, the extensive evidence in the New Testament of the work of miraculous gifts among Christians who are not apostles should be noted. Numerous men and women (not in the apostolic ministry), young and old, throughout the Roman Empire consistently exercised these gifts of the Spirit. Some biblical examples of people (without the apostolic ministry) who exercised gifts are:

1. The 70 who were commissioned in Luke 10: 9,19-20;
2. At least 108 people among the 120 who gathered in the upper chamber on the day of Pentecost;
3. Stephen (Acts 6-7);
4. Philip (Acts 8);
5. Ananias (Acts 9);
6. Members of the church in Antioch (Acts 13);
7. Anonymous converts in Ephesus (Acts 19:6);
8. Women at Caesarea (Acts 21:8-9);
9. Galatians unnamed brothers. 3:5; 3:5;
10. Believers in Rome (Rom. 12:6-8);
11. Believers in Corinth (1 Cor. 12-14);
12. Christians in Thessalonica (1 Thess. 5:19-20).

Therefore, the Christian who defends the cessation of the gifts (cessationist) is the one who must justify the arguments for their position. This means, it is their own responsibility to biblically prove if certain gifts of a special kind have ceased.

On the foundation of the Apostles:

There is a fundamental continuity or spiritually organic relationship between the Church in Acts and the Church in later centuries. There is no denying that there was a time or period in the early church that we might call “apostolic.” We must recognize the importance of the personal physical presence of the apostles and their unique and unrepeatable role in laying the foundation for the early Church.

However, nowhere in the New Testament does it suggest that certain spiritual gifts were linked solely and exclusively to the apostles, or that with their death, these gifts ceased. The universal Church that was established and gifted through the ministry of the apostles is the same universal Church that exists today. We are together with Paul, Peter, Silas, Lydia, Priscilla, and Luke as members of the same body of Christ. Peter, in Acts 2, writes about the action of the miraculous gifts as characteristic of the New Covenant era of the Church.

“The coming of the Spirit is not associated simply with the dawning of the new age but with his presence, not only with Pentecost but with the entire period from Pentecost to the return of Jesus the Messiah” (Manifestations of the Spirit, DA Carson, p. 155).

The gifts of prophecy and tongues (Acts 2) are not simply represented as the inauguration of the New Covenant Age, but as the characterization of the Church of this period.

In 1 Corinthians 13:8-12, Paul clearly states that spiritual gifts will not “pass away” (v.8-10) until the “completeness” comes. If the “completeness” is indeed the consummation of God’s redemptive purposes, as expressed in the New Heaven and New Earth after Christ’s return, we can safely expect that he will continue to bless and empower his Church with the gifts until that moment.

There is an explicit and repeated purpose of the gifts which is the edification of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:7; 14:3,26). There is nothing in the New Testament, or in the condition of the church at any age, past or present, that would lead us to believe that we have progressed beyond the need for edification. Therefore, the need for the gifts’ contributions remains. It is valid to say that spiritual gifts were essential to the birth of the Church, so why would they be less important or necessary for its continuous growth?

Ephesians 4:11-13 speaks of a similar matter, Paul describes the conferment of spiritual gifts (along with the apostle ministry) and in particular the prophecy, evangelism, pastor and teacher ministries, which add to the church’s edification:

“13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13 KJV)

Since the Church has not yet achieved the latter, we can confidently anticipate the presence and power of such gifts and offices until that day comes.

On the use of the gifts in the congregation

There is an absence of an explicit or implicit notion that indicates we should view spiritual gifts differently than we do any other New Testament practices and ministries, which are presented as essential to the life and well-being of the Church. Reading the New Testament, it is evident that the disciplines of the Church are to be practiced in our congregations today. Among these guidelines on how life should develop in the Church are: celebrating the Lord’s table, baptism in water, the requirements for the presbytery ministry/occupation according to the pastoral epistles, just to mention a few. What exegetical or theological reasons can be used to claim that we should treat the existence and use of spiritual gifts differently?

Historically and contrary to popular belief, there are consistent signs throughout most of the Church history regarding the work of the Spirit’s gifts. . It is simply not the case that the gifts ceased or disappeared from the early Church’s life after the death of the last apostle.

On the cessationist argument:

Cessationists often state that the signs and wonders, as well as certain spiritual gifts, only served to confirm or authenticate the original entity of the apostles, and that when the apostles passed away, so did the gifts. The fact is that no biblical text (not even Heb. 2:4 or 2 Cor. 12:12) indicates that the signs and wonders or a particular type of spiritual gifts were exclusive to the apostles. The signs and wonders authenticated Jesus and the apostolic message about Him. If the signs and wonders were designed exclusively to authenticate the apostles, we have no explanation why non-apostolic believers (such as Philip and Stephen) were empowered to have and use them. In 1st Cor. 12:8-12 evidences that the gifts are given to average believers, not necessarily apostles.

So, only if one can show that the authentication or certification of the apostolic message was the sole and exclusive purpose of such displays of divine power, the above is a good reason to be a cessationist. However, nowhere in the New Testament the purpose or role of the miraculous or of the gifts is reduced to confirmation of the ministry. The miraculous, in whatever form it appeared, had several different purposes:

• – doxological (to glorify God – John 11:4 and 11:40; John 2:11 and 9:3; Matthew 15:29-31);
• – evangelistic (to prepare the path for the gospel to be made known – Acts 9:32-43);
• – pastoral (as an expression of compassion, love and care for the sheep – Matthew 14:14; Mark 1:40-41);
• – edification (to edify and strengthen believers – 1 Cor. 12:7 and the “common good”; 1 Cor. 14:3,4,5,26).

Storms (2014) points out that all the gifts of the Spirit, whether it be tongues or teachings, whether it be prophecy or mercy, whether it be healing or aid, were given for the edification, motivation, instruction, comfort and sanctification of the body of Christ. Therefore, even if the ministry of the miraculous gifts had ceased to attest and confirm the ministry, such gifts would continue to function in the Church for the other reasons cited.

Another argument used by cessationists is about Paul’s correction to the Corinthian church. The problems that arose in Corinth were not due to spiritual gifts, but to their misuse by immature people. The reason was the ambitious and proud distortion of the gifts by some members of that church, this explains Paul’s exhortation in his letters. The misuse of a gift does not invalidate its existence. If a group of people preaches incorrectly, this does not invalidate the gift of preaching, but rather warrants correction.

The objection most often used by cessationists is due to the fear that acknowledging the validity of revelatory gifts, such as prophecy and the word of knowledge, would necessarily jeopardize the adequacy of the Bible. However, this argument is based on the false assumption that these gifts provide us with infallible truths that are equal in authority to the biblical text.

Another widely used text is Ephesians 2:20:

“And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;“ (Ephesians 2:20, KJV)

This text does not describe the totality of the prophetic ministry according to the Bible. The argument is that revelatory gifts, like prophecy, were uniquely linked to the apostles, therefore designed to function only during the foundational period in the early Church, that is fundamentally wrong. A detailed exegesis of the biblical evidence on the nature of the prophetic gift, as well as its widespread distribution among Christians, clearly indicates that there was much more to this gift than reducing it to use by the apostles to lay the foundation of the church. Therefore, neither the passing of the apostles nor the movement of the Church beyond its founding years has any bearing on the validity of today’s prophecy.

Also, there is the so-called argument of the group or “cluster”, according to which supernatural phenomena, wonders, and miracles were supposedly concentrated or clustered in single periods of redemptive history. The record of periods where a large number of miracles manifested is evident. This proves that God is pleased to manifest his miraculous work more frequently in some periods than in others. The Old Testament shows that the norm was the manifestation of God’s power at all times, using different forms and periodicity. But, this instead of proving the cessation of the gifts, proves that they never ceased.

Conclusion:

Finally, although technically it is not a reason or argument to validate the continuity of the gifts, the experience we have had as a congregation cannot be underestimated or ignored. In years of ministry, we have witnessed proper work, proved, confirmed and experienced firsthand countless times. As mentioned above, this is not a reason to be continuationist, but rather a confirmation (although not infallible) of the validity of that position. As mentioned above, this is not a reason to be continuationist, but rather a confirmation (although not infallible) of the validity of that position. However, the experience must be taken into account as confirmation of a correct exegesis, especially if it illustrates what we see in the biblical text as exposed by this study.

References Used

• Carson, D.A. (2000). Manifestations of the Spirit. Ed. Scaffolding. Ed. Andamio.
• Chandler, M. (2017). The Gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Village Church Resources. The Village Church Resources.
• Storms, S. (2014). Why I am a continuationist? http://samstorms.org