Are All Spiritual Gifts for Today?
Now concerning spiritual gifts brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. – 1 Corinthians 12:1
When a person repents and believes the gospel, they are filled with the Spirit of God. This is not for nothing but rather for the purpose of leading, guiding, and empowering the believer for service to the glory of God. As it relates to this service, the Holy Spirit endows us with abilities and talents that we can use in the context of the Church to build up, edify, and encourage its members. Such abilities are called spiritual gifts. This is what Paul is referring to as he writes to the Corinthian Church. The doctrine of spiritual gifts is not without its debate. Are all of the gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12 (and other passages) still in use today, or have some of them ceased? In this article, I will explain which of the spiritual gifts are in question and why some believe there are certain gifts that are not in use today, and I will offer what I believe Scripture teaches us on the matter.
Sign Gifts Explained
Certain spiritual gifts, called sign gifts, are miraculous works such as supernatural healing, prophecy, and tongues (1 Corinthians 12: 9-10). Such workings were a significant part of how the early Church was established. Since there was no completed canon of Scripture, miraculous works were the means through which the message of the gospel was legitimized (John 10:37-38). Jesus worked many miracles throughout His earthly ministry such as raising the dead and healing the sick. His apostles also did miraculous works. For example, in Acts 2, the disciples begin speaking in tongues at Pentecost after the Holy Spirit fills them, leading to the mass conversion of 3,000 people following Peter’s sermon. Peter heals a man born lame on his way into the temple in Acts 3, once again leading to many more joining the Church. In Acts 11, Agabus foretells Paul’s arrest in Rome, which we know ultimately came true. In using these gifts, the legitimacy of the gospel message was proven to those who saw them.
Have Some Gifts Ceased?
As it relates to whether or not all spiritual gifts are for today, there are two viewpoints we need to explore, cessationism and continuationism. These views are opposing in nature, but both views have biblical merit. As with any topic where there is openness to debate, we must strive as the Church to have such debate in a manner that is respectful and gracious. Having said this, let’s examine each view and its biblical basis.
Cessationism
The cessationist view says that sign gifts ceased with the establishment of the Church and the completion of the canon of Scripture. With the Church established and the apostolic witness confirmed, there is no longer a need for authenticating, miraculous works. The biblical basis for this view is taken from 1 Corinthians 13:8, “As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.” The cessationist takes this to mean that Paul foresaw tongues and prophecy coming to an end at the end of the apostolic age.
The rationale for cessationism is a good one, especially in modern evangelicalism where “miracles” are performed by charlatan prosperity gospel teachers in exchange for money. Men such as Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, and others like them will break out in “tongues,” share prophecies and claim to miraculously heal people on live TV. Of course, such things occur only to those who have enough faith or sow a financial seed with the ministry that performs the miracles. This is nothing more than taking advantage of hurting and/or weak people for financial gain. Additionally, there are many self-proclaimed “prophets,” who will say they have had dreams and visions (all of which are incredibly vague), know when Jesus is going to return (they were all wrong), and will imply that God gave them a special message to share with people. Cessasstionism does away with this since they hold that such sign gifts are out of use.
Continuationism
Continuationists would argue that all gifts, including sign gifts, are for use in the Church today. The biblical rationale for continuationism is simple. The gifts listed in Scripture were to be used by the original audience and remain in use today, and it is the responsibility of the cessationists to prove their view from Scripture.
The continuationsist rationale is fairly straightforward in that their argument would be that the sign gifts were used by people outside of the apostles in the apostolic age (Luke 10, Acts 6-7). If this were the case, then sign gifts were, and still are, in practice for today and there is no biblical merit to claim otherwise. It should be noted that the continuationist view is typically held by charismatic churches and denominations while the cessationist view is typically found in reformed circles.
So, Which One is Right?
I am not writing this article to say that one view is right and another wrong since I believe each has biblical merit, though each also has its flaws. However, despite being reformed in my theology, I would argue for continuationism based on (1) The listing of the gifts in the New Testament and (2) the use of the gifts outside of the apostles. I would also point out that the scriptures cited in defense of cessationism appear to be vague. Yes, Paul said that tongues, prophecy, and knowledge would all pass away in 1 Corinthians 13:8, but a good argument could be made he was referring to the eternal state since in verse 10 he says, “When the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.” I think we can all agree, the Church is by no means perfect, so it is easy to conclude that he refers to the eternal state here. Additionally, I would point out that we have not ceased to grow in knowledge. To the contrary, Paul prays that the Colossian Church would be, “Filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:9-10). I find it difficult to believe that Paul would say knowledge would cease, only to tell the Colossians to increase in it. Once we meet Jesus however, we will have attained knowledge to the fullest extent, knowing Him fully even as we are fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12).
Cautious Continuationist
Just as cessationism has its shortcomings, so too does continuationism. We mentioned earlier the easy abuse of the sign gifts. It is a sad reality that as long as we are in this world, we will have to contend with those who would pervert a good gift that God has given to His Church in His grace. A dose of healthy skepticism should be used when encountering the use of sign gifts, and in the Spirit of Sola Scriptura, all things need to be run through the filter of Scripture. If it fails that litmus test, it is not a proper use of the spiritual gift. In aid of the cautious use of the sign gifts, I think it would be good to briefly explain the proper use of such gifts in the Church of today.
Tongues
The biggest issue with tongues is knowing what it looks like when used properly. A brief survey of Scripture will give us the answer. The gift of tongues is not an unknown, otherworldly language that Spirit-filled people randomly break into. Charismatic Christians will cite 1 Corinthians 13:1 as proof to the contrary, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” This is not to be taken literally, however. Paul is purposely exaggerating to make his point, which is something everyone does. It would be like me saying, “There were a million people in line at Dunkin today.” I don’t mean that literally. I’m exaggerating to make the point there were a lot of people who wanted coffee. This is what Paul is doing, so it should not be taken literally.
What is the proper use of tongues then? Tongues is when a person who does not speak a language natively is temporarily able to speak it. In Acts 2 at Pentecost, the disciples begin speaking in languages that are not their own, talking about the works of God The crowds hear this, and they recognize that men who are not from their region are speaking their language. Acts 2:5-12:
Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
Back to 1 Corinthians. Paul says that tongues are for unbelievers while prophecy is for believers, “Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers” ( 1 Corinthians 14:22). We’ll look at prophecy next. For now, let’s ask how it is possible that unknown “tongues of angels” would be helpful to an unbeliever. How do they benefit? In the charismatic view of tongues, they don’t. In fact, they are more likely to run away. However, if you filter this through Acts 2:5-12, it makes perfect sense. These people heard their own language spoken by those who did not speak it natively and it got their attention, leading to their repentance. This is the proper use of tongues, and it is possible for it to be rightly used in this way.
Prophecy
Paul says that prophecy is for the believer. It is key to note that the office of the prophet is no longer in existence as it has been fulfilled by Christ. If someone claims that they are a prophet, then, you need to know that they are lying, deceived, or both. Hebrews 1:1-2 says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…”. The role of the prophet was to speak to the people on behalf of God. This is why the prophetic books begin with phrases like, “The word of the Lord came to ____.” Or “An oracle of the Lord to _____.” They were speaking what God wanted the people to hear. Now that we have the completed Scriptures and the Word made flesh, we no longer have the need for the office of the prophet.
That being the case, how would the gift of prophecy be exercised today? I will briefly offer two ways. First and simplest, the preached word. When a pastor, elder, missionary, etc. gives a sermon that is true to the text with a heart that seeks to glorify God, the hearer may receive this as hearing from God because the whole message is based off the word of God. The Reformers held that preaching was the primary means of experiencing God’s grace. On a side note, this is why it is important that you attend Sunday worship. It is an opportunity to hear God speak to you. For this reason, elders, teaching is a lofty responsibility. Hold your pastors and those who preach accountable to the Scriptures they preach from.
Secondly, the word shared is an exercise of the gift of prophecy. For example, if I am praying for someone who is suffering or who has a decision to make, the Lord may bring a passage of Scripture to mind that He wants me to share with them in regard to their situation. It may be the very thing they need to hear. In doing this, I am simply reminding them of what God has already spoken as a means of encouragement or aiding them in their decision. Either way, I am not sharing an independent “revelation” of my own. I am simply sharing Scripture. Scripture is the final and full revelation from God. Any new message, vision, or revelation outside of the Bible is to be rejected.
Healing
This one is particularly difficult since it hard to quantify. People will cite their experiences. I have seen or personally experienced miraculous healing, so it’s a valid gift for today. I don’t seek to downplay anyone’s experience here, but experience should never be what we base our beliefs on, since experience is subjective. We have to put all experiences through the lens of Scripture. Therefore, it will have to be enough to cite James 5:14-15 here, “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.” James says that the sick should seek the elders for the purpose of prayer. As a continuationist, I take this literally. If someone ins my church is physically sick, I would encourage them to contact the elders and ask for prayer and anointing with oil as a symbol of the Spirit’s covering over them.
A final note on this, we have to be prepared to not be healed. By this I mean that we may ask God to heal our sicknesses, we may seek the elders for prayer, we may do everything right, and God still does not heal us. This is a very real possibility. We often talk about the faith we need to be healed, but we rarely talk about the faith we need to be sick after we have asked to be healed and have not been. As the father of a son who has special and potentially fatal medical needs and who has prayed for his healing to no avail, I understand this all too well. This in no way means that I, my wife, or my son have done something wrong or lack the necessary faith to see him healed. It simply means that this is not God’s will for him, and we are content to know that God knows what our son needs and loves him more than we do. It takes great faith to be content in affliction, yet through such experiences, God makes us more like Christ.
Summary
Each view of sign gifts (cessationism and continuationism) has biblical merit, but it is my view that continuationism is the best interpretation of the Scriptures. With this, however, comes the need to be cautious. Sign gifts are regularly abused and/or faked for shameful, personal gain. As with everything in life, we have to run what we see and experience through the lens of Scripture as our final authority. The proper use of tongues is an earthly language temporarily spoken by someone who does not speak that language natively. It is not an unknown language of angels as some would claim. Prophecy is exercised in the preaching and the sharing of the word which is God’s final and full revelation. There is no new revelation, and there are no prophets today. Healing is something we may seek as Christians, but we must also be content to know that God’s answer may be no, and He is still good and still loves us.
Soli Deo Gloria
