The Gospel Age and Continuationism

Just now God brought to mind another reason why I ceased to be a cessationist.

Place this one in the esoteric category of Realized Eschatology.  That clarifies it doesn't it?!  Let me explain.

It all has to do with God's time-line of history. 

There is Creation -- the beginning of time and space.

There is the Fall of man and the resulting disorder of the cosmos -- all is subject to death, corruption and vanity.  The whole creation groans in the pains of childbirth.  See Romans 8:18-25.

In the midst of these, God gives a promise of the reversal of the curse of sin -- of a new creation -- of the earth being filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.  Few sections of Scripture speak more clearly of this than Isaiah 61-66.  This reversal will take place through his anointed -- the Messiah.

For years I was taught that the focus of all these promises was in a future millennium.  But I think the focus is in the cross and the empty tomb.  By man came death, by man comes the resurrection of the dead.  Jesus triumphant sacrifice and resurrection begins the new age.  He is exalted to God's right hand in fulfillment of Psalm 110.  The latter portion of Scripture is the most frequently quoted from the OT.

Where does that leave us today?  It places us in the last chapter of the old order of sin.  No one knows how long that chapter is -- but the next event will be its completion.  It also places us in the first chapter of the new age.  We are tasting of the powers of the age to come.  We have already stood before the final judgment and been declared righteous.  We died with Christ and we are risen.  The old order is dying off and the new order is dawning (Romans 13:11-14).  This is called "realized eschatology." 

Realized eschatology is the conclusion scholars have reached when they string together the many NT texts that speak of a present enjoyment of a future reality. Essentially, the conclusion is simple: when Jesus died and rose again he brought an end to the old order, and began the new.  We live between the ages -- with one foot in both kingdoms. 

Here is how this ties into cessation-ism.  The new age, according to Joel and Peter's quoting of him at Pentecost, is the age of the pouring out of the Spirit.  Paul speaks to this in 2 Corinthians 3 and in multiple other places -- the earnest of the Spirit, the sealing of the Spirit, the mark of the Spirit on the believer.  The end of the former age and the beginning of the new took place at the resurrection.  Christ is risen, the first-fruits of those who sleep. 

Classical cessation-ism theorizes that there is an apostolic era, a transitional time in the beginning of the age, after which certain gifts fade.  But this is to place the transition at the wrong point in time.  It is not the apostles presence that marks the age.  It is the empty tomb. 

I cannot find one NT passage that gives any sense of any other transition -- we live in the new age, the new covenant, the age of the Spirit.  This is because Christ is risen.  The pouring forth of the Spirit is the mark of this age -- thus Peter explains in Acts 2 and Paul assumes in 1 Cor 12:13 and Gal 3:1-14. The use of 1 Corinthians 13 is unfortunate for it actually underscores this point -- the perfect that will come and cause the gifts to cease is the consummation at the coming of Jesus.

This age is NOT like the month of March -- coming in like a lion but going out like a Lamb. It has no transitions to lesser activity of the Spirit within it.   It is entirely characterized by the abundant work of the Spirit in bringing to reality what the Savior died to accomplish -- the church.  He does so through the members of the body.  He uses them to build up each other and gives them gifts to do so.

Please note -- all this is under the ruling purpose of the cross.  There is no place for the free-lance expression of the gifts for whatever purpose we dream up.  They are given by the Spirit and He is poured forth by the Risen Christ for his purposes in this age.