Likewise, these well-meaning Christians have reasons that sound
scriptural as to why they believe that God doesn’t speak outside of the
Bible today. Actually their reasons come from tradition and experience,
and not from the Bible. Eventually truth won out over a long-held flat
earth tradition —and so will God’s voice.
If you believe that God speaks to His own today (John 10:27) then you
probably are not a cessationist, and vice-versa. A person who is not a
cessationist is usually referred to as a continuationist, or
non-cessationist.
The view that I am presenting here states that “the Holy Spirit era” (or
church age) started on the day of Pentecost and will continue without
change until the Second Coming of Jesus.
The cessationist view states that God became silent and all miracles
ceased when the last apostle died, and that we are now in “the Bible era”
(so to speak). This view says: “Scripture alone speaks to us today.”
I am sure that there are fine Christians on both sides of this issue.
However, I feel that many have accepted the “cessationist” view simply
because the “Holy Spirit era” teaching has not been presented to them as
clearly as it is presented here. And, if you already believe as I do, the
following presentation will arm you with a scriptural basis for your
faith.
John W. Kennedy presents the cessationist view in his book on church
history “The Torch of the Testimony.” This is his entire
statement:
“The Church and the Scriptures developed together, and the church
ultimately recognized in the truth of the written revelation her
complete foundation. The Bible [I think he means the New Testament]
is the expression of the divine Word, at one time spoken directly from
the lips of Christ, and then through the apostles. The New Testament
embodies the continuance of the apostolic ministry, the revelation of
Christ that was completed with the committal to Paul of the mystery of
the church (Col. 1:24-27). From this, it follows that the ministry of
apostleship and prophecy as embodied in particular people was but a
temporary expedient. It was vitally necessary during the transition
period when the written Word was being formulated and was gaining
acceptance among believers, but when the written Word was completed, the
particular ministry of the apostle and the prophet became redundant,
just as the observation of the Old Testament sacrifices had to give way
to their fulfillment in Christ. The principle came into operation, “But
when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done
away” (1 Cor. 13:10). The function of the apostle and the prophet still
exist, but embodied in the written Word, not in any man.”
John Kennedy indicates he believes that miracles and prophecy disappeared
along with the apostles and prophets. Dr. Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Th.D.,
Ph.D., continues this line of thought in his Bible commentary on 1
Corinthians 13:11.
“After the church began, there was a period of immaturity, during
which spectacular gifts were needed for growth and authentication (Heb.
2:3-4). With the completion of the New Testament and the growing
maturity of the church, the need for such gifts disappeared.”
When Dr. Ryrie speaks of a period of immaturity, he is referring to
the high water mark, the glory days of the church. To refer to this period
as “immature” is to insinuate that the apostles and the authors of the New
Testament were immature. Dr. Ryrie catches himself in a contradiction. By
this logic, he should be able to pen for us a much more mature Scripture
and doctrine than the writers of the New Testament gave us.
I ask a rhetorical question: Could the mature New Testament come out of an
immature church?
John W. Kennedy used the cessationists’ favorite proof text found in
context at 1 Corinthians 13: 8-12, which says:
8. Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be
done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge,
it will be done away.
9. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;
10. But when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.
11. When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child,
reason as a child; when I became a man I did away with 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 fully just as I also have been fully
known.
The notion that “the perfect” in verse 10 is the Bible doesn’t work
because we cannot meet face to face with the Bible, or some nebulous idea
or event. We can only meet a person face to face, and that person can only
be Jesus—when every eye will see Him—at the Second Coming!
In the Old Testament, the expression “face to face” meant to see God
personally. For example, Jacob saw God face to face as he wrestled with
the angel of the Lord (the pre-incarnate Christ)
Paul implies that he is speaking of a great truth that is hard to see, or
perplexing; and that it takes spiritual eyes to “see” this insight by
inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
There are several Greek words for the English word “glass,” but in this
Scripture, it clearly means a looking glass . . . a mirror. [Strong’s:
Esoptron: looking glass (1 Cor. 13:12; James 1:23)]
In the natural, we would see our own reflection when we look into a
mirror, but spiritually we are to reflect Jesus because God is conforming
us to His image. Yet, all we can see is a poor reflection of
Jesus through our Adamic eyes, until we see Jesus face to face—beyond the
veil of flesh.
Then we shall know Him fully, just as He has fully known us!
This statement also can only refer to the Lord’s return. Paul is not
saying that when the Lord returns, believers will be omniscient like the
Lord. Rather, we will know Jesus accurately without any misinformation, or
lack of information, or misconceptions because we will be mature—we will
have our glorified, eternal bodies.
Perhaps our faith boils down to the simplest of issues. For instance, do
you believe the Bible, or do you prefer the traditions of the elders? If
God gives you a better understanding of a Scripture, are you free to bring
the required change into your life, or are you in bondage?
Jim Cymbala, pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle, concludes the theme of this
article this way:
“Unfortunately, I have learned firsthand that many Christians who pound
the Bible the hardest and most strongly defend the verbal inspiration of
Scripture are the most unbelieving and cynical about God ever doing a
new thing in His church. They seem so intent on preserving tradition
that any spontaneity is spurned as “emotionalism.” My question is: If
Jesus is the same today as He was in the Bible we defend, why shouldn’t
we believe Him to do great things among us and through us, so we can
touch people’s lives in powerful ways as did the first-century apostles?
Peter was no perfect saint, as evidenced by his denial of Christ; many
churches today would hardly allow such a failure to stand in their
pulpits. But God chose him on the Day of Pentecost and used him
mightily—and God can do the same with us if we look to Him with
childlike faith in our hearts.”
Shalom
Kenneth
Uptegrove
