I have become aware that there is considerable internet blogging about the cessation of spiritual gifts -- especially with regard to the idea that everyone is really a cessationist in some form. I do not wish to get pulled into this debate (it is endless) but I want to offer a few thoughts.
Most of all, as I read what is out there I find a remarkable lack of definition -- what do we mean by gift? office? the beginning of the church age? apostolic? So we are not really discussing the same subjects. Until we define, a skill C S Lewis showed repeatedly, we will not clarify anything.
1. I believe there was a unique band of men who were the 12 apostles. I use the term office for them. yes, there were ceratin makrs of their ministry. Their number is a given throughout the NT and even the book of revelation honors them in the new Jerusalem. Their qualifications (See Acts 1) mean they cannot be replicated and no one ever again holds their position. They were "sent ones" of Jesus Christ and called apostles. To say that believing in their cessation means the apostolic gift no longer exists is like saying that because I believe Moses was unique and no one took his place means then there is no such thing as a prophet afterwards. Nor do I think being a non-cessationist means that there would be a continuation of the cloud on the top of Sinai.
2. The term "apostolos" is not a technical term for one of the twelve -- it has wider usage. There are technical terms in the NT -- graphe, gegraptai, hilasterion, etc. When you look up a technical term in the dictionary it has one meaning underneath it. When you look up non-tecnical terms, they have two or more meanings. "apostolos" has two or more meanings and the term is used for someone other than the 12. The fact that the 12 were so gifted does not mean the gift has ceased. Paul was also a preacher and a teacher and I tdo not hink those gifts ceased. The term "prophet" in the OT has much wider usage than we like too -- when Saul prophesied why wasn't someone writing it down to put it into the Canon of Scripture? How can we have schools of the prophets? what was that all about?
3. Theologically, cessationism is asking me to redefine the very nature of the body of Christ after the apostolic era. That the Spirit of God gifts members of the body to minister to each other is clear in the NT. If he does not, then the analogy is turned on its head.
4. That certain people abuse gifts does not argue for anything -- I have heard far more abuse of teaching gift than I have seen anything else. Everything is abused in the hands of sinners. Out of 100 churches today, how many are experiencing an abuse of the office of pastor? what does that prove? How many Christian books are an abuse of an office or gift?
5. To argue that, if we believe in the gifts still existing, then we will end up with new revelation competing with Scripture is equally illogical. The domino theory does not work anywhere. I have been told over the years that if we have senior pastors, they will inevitably become dictators; that if we have plural elders we will inevitably become unable to lead.
6. I have been most struck by this reality -- having been part of 8 churches as a member or pastor, most of which were cessationist -- I saw the workings of the Spirit in all of them even when people would not use certain terms to describe it. And I saw gifts in operation that many of the members would say had ceased. This was part of my movement away from cessationism.
Yes, it must all go back to Scripture and there is no place for certain pronouncements apart from the text -- anything else is at best humble speculation. If someone cannot give me a text or the best they can give me is a possible implication or inference of the text then I must assume that God did not see fit to be clear on this and that he is wiser than I.
But there are some things the Scriptures seem to repeat endlessly and those are where my focus is to rest. God determines both what he says and the empahsis given to it. It is for such a reason that I have ceased speculation about eschatology. There are only so many hours of the day and I am called to steward them wisely. Let us fight error only as necessary. Error wars are fascinating and I have rarely seen anyone get off on fighting a particular error where his soul was not warped in the process. We can spend so much time chasing crows that we never plant the corn.
After thirty years of studying the Bible I agree with Charles Simeon -- let's quit forcing the text into our theology. God oversaw the writing of the Scriptures and the words were selected under his direction -- the fact that Paul sometimes writes like an Arminian and at others like a Calvinist probably says more about my stupidity than anything else. No system of soteriology, ecclesiology, spiritual gifts and pneumatology, or eschatology explains everything. They all have texts that are difficult for them to explain and they all resort to the adage "let the unclear be interpreted by the clear".
John Newton wrote these words:
Men are born, educated, and called under a variety of circumstances.
Habits of life, local customs, and even bodily constitution, have more or less
influence in forming their characters, and in giving a turn to their manner of
thinking. The result is this: in whatever is essential to their peace and
holiness, they are led by the same Spirit and think the same things. But in
matters of a secondary nature their sentiments may, and often do, differ, as
much as the features on their faces. A uniformity of judgment among them is not
to be expected while the wisest are defective in knowledge, the best are
defiled with sin, and while the weaknesses of human nature are common to them
all. They might maintain a unity of spirit, and live in mutual love, were it
not that everyone believes that they are bound in conscience to prescribe their
own line of conduct as the standard to which all others must conform. Their
little differences form them into so many separate interests. They defend their
own plans and oppose all who cannot agree with them in a small matter. This
makes them forget they are children in the same family and servants of the same
master.
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