The Doctrine of the The Doctrine of the Holy SpiritHoly Spirit

The Doctrine of the The Doctrine of the Holy SpiritHoly Spirit

The Cessationist debate The Cessationist debate

Intro: initial points to clarify

• The issue is NOT:– Whether God is able to work miracles today

(e.g., someone healed in response to prayer)– Whether the gifts as a whole have ceased. – Whether God performed signs & wonders in

the 1st century church. • The issue is about…

– whether the sign gifts are for today or not.– Sign gifts: tongues, prophecy, miracles,

healings

Comparison of views Cessationist vs Non-cessationist• 1. The event of

Pentecost is a unique & non-repeatable event (Gaffin)

• You can accept this & still argue that the sign gifts continue today.

Cessationist vs Non-cessationist

• 2. Luke tends to connect signs & wonders with the special ministry of the apostles:– Acts 2:43– Acts 5: 12– Acts 14:3 – Acts 15: 12

• (a) Miracles were done by others who were not apostles: – Acts 6:8, “And

Stephen…was performing great wonders and signs among the people”

– Acts 8: 6-7

• (b) 1 Cor 12: 28 lists “apostles” + workers of miracles.

Cessationist vs Non-cessationist

• 3. Other NT texts also associate signs & wonders with the ministry of the apostles.– 2 Cor 12: 12– Heb 2: 3-4

• Gal 3:5 assumes God is working miracles among them.

• 1 Cor 12: 28, lists “workers of miracles” as one of the gifts.

Cessationist vs Non-cessationist

• 4a. Argument from the closing of the canon. – The NT canon is

closed.– No more

authoritative prophetic words

• Argument only works if you assume NT prophecy has the same level of authority as OT prophecy.

Cessationist vs Non-cessationist

• 4b. There are problems with the view that accepts “errant prophecy” in the NT: – (1) a pragmatic

problem: if such prophecy is mixed with error, then it gives the recipient little confidence.

• Prophecy needs to be evaluated just as teaching needs to be evaluated.

Cessationist vs Non-cessationist• 4b (cont’d)

– (2) Eph 2:20 says the church is built on the foundation of “apostles and prophets” but this creates a problem if prophecy is mixed with error.

• Grudem: the case can be made that this refers to one group – “apostles – prophets”

Cessationist vs Non-cessationist

• 5. There is discontinuity between the sign gifts as practiced in the NT and how they are practiced today.

• (a) We don’t have a lot of information about how such gifts were practiced in the early Church.

• (b) Even if less powerful/intense they would still be legitimate.

Cessationist vs Non-cessationist

• 6. James 5: 14f gives indirect confirmation that at least some of the sign gifts were not associated with the apostles.

• It’s an argument from silence and such arguments are not very strong.

Cessationist vs Non-cessationist

• 7. Just because the NT does NOT say that the sign gifts have ceased is not enough to argue that they continue because the NT does not explicitly say that “apostles” have ceased but we believe there are no longer any authoritative apostles.

• (a) the NT does present the qualifications of an apostle & based on this we know there are no longer any authoritative apostles.

• (b) The NT assumes the gifts will continue until the coming of Christ (I Cor 13).

Mediating view: “Open but cautious” (Saucy)

• Times of continuous miracles are associated with key periods…– Moses & the Exodus – Elijah & Elisha – Christ & the apostles

• Purpose of such “signs” were to foster belief & confirm the message– Cf. Ex 4:5; 1 Ki 17:24; 18:36; Lk 7:22; Acts

2:22)

Open but cautious • There is the tendency in the NT that

miraculous activity is associated with either the apostles or those close to them (see above for texts)

• Saucy: the quality & extent of miracles associated with Christ & the apostles is less in the later history of the church.