Some Christians believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit found in I Corinthians 12, and the ministry offices of apostle and prophet ceased in the first century AD. People who hold this view are referred to as cessationists. People who believe that they haven’t ceased are called continuationists or non-cessationists (or just Pentecostals and Charismatics). The debate between the two viewpoints has been going on now for over a century. On this page I will present them both with my explanations for why the latter view is best supported by the Bible.
The first passage generally referenced in the discussion is I Corinthians 13:8-10 which says:
“Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.“
Cessationists pounce on the first verse, insisting that we were told that these gifts would cease. They claim that that happened when either the last book of the New Testament was written, or when the last apostle died, or at the latest when the New Testament canon was established in the 4th century AD. Nothing is said in this passage about any books or canon, however. Paul just said that when perfection comes, “that which is in part” will end. What was the perfection he was referring to? He tells us in verses 11-13
“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
Our pilgrimage through this life is like childhood. Our arrival in heaven is like spiritual adulthood when we will see Jesus face to face, and have full understanding of spiritual things without having to overcome the flesh and the world. Until that happens though, our understanding and our knowledge are limited, so we need spiritual gifts to help us do the work of God. Paul said that he would know fully when perfection comes. He couldn’t have been referring to the writing of the last book of the New Testament, because that occurred decades after his death. He couldn’t have been referring to the completion of the New Testament canon because that didn’t happen for another 300 years. Besides, even with the completion of the New Testament canon and all of the resources we have today to study the Bible, we still struggle to understand parts of it. Clearly Paul was talking about the perfection of heaven where neither moth nor rust will corrupt (Mat. 6:20), and where nothing that defiles will enter in (Rev. 21:27).
The point that Paul was making in this passage wasn’t about when the gifts of the Spirit will cease. The point was the eternality of love. Love exists now and it will exist in heaven for all of eternity. Spiritual gifts are only temporal while we’re in this world. Faith and hope are temporal, because there will be no need for them in heaven when we’re in the presence of God. Therefore, he encourages believers to put more emphasis on love than on spiritual gifts. By linking the temporary nature of faith and hope with the temporary nature of spiritual gifts, Paul shows us when the gifts will cease – when faith and hope cease. We walk by faith, and not by sight (II Cor. 5:7). Once we’re in heaven we will walk by sight, and faith won’t be necessary. Likewise with the gifts.
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A second point made by cessationists is that the miraculous gifts were only provided for the apostles. They base this view primarily on three verses.
- Acts 5:12 – “And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch.”
- 2 Cor 12:12 – “ Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds.”
- Heb 2:3-4 – “how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?“
As you can see these verses do reference the apostles, and there is certainly no question that the original apostles and Paul held unique positions among the early church. However, the belief that they alone received miraculous ability isn’t supported by scripture.
- In Mark 9:38-39 the disciples and Jesus discuss a man who casts out devils in Jesus’ name.
- In Luke 10:1-9 Jesus sent out seventy other disciples to preach and to heal.
- In Acts 6:8 a non-apostle named Stephen performed signs and wonders.
- In Acts 9:10-18 a non-apostle named Ananias saw a vision and healed Paul’s blindness.
- In I Corinthians 12:8-10 we read that gifts of healing and miracles were manifested in the Corinthian church, but none of the original apostles were present there.
- In Galatians 3:5 Paul said that the Holy Spirit worked miracles among the churches, and there was no apostle present there, either.
- In I Thessalonians 5:20 Paul tells the Thessalonians not to despise the prophetic gift.
Probably the best support for the belief that regular disciples can minister in miraculous power is seen in Mark 16:17,18.
“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Jesus offered no qualifier as to the requirement of apostleship. He simply said “those who believe”, which would apply to all believers around the world throughout church history.
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A third argument for cessation is the lack of historical accounts of gifts of the Spirit in manifestation throughout church history. This one is simply wrong from a factual standpoint.
- 2nd Century – The Didache was written, instructing ministers to allow prophetic ministries in their churches and providing guidelines on how to test prophetic utterances. Justin Martyr wrote a letter wherein he referred to believers ministering healing and casting out devils. Irenaeus and Ignatius also recorded cases of believers speaking in foreign tongues, prophecy, healing, visions, and even raising of the dead.
- 3rd Century – Origen wrote of signs and wonders confirming the gospel.
- 4th & 5th Century – Latin theologian Hilary of Poitiers wrote about gifts of the Spirit in operation “bearing witness to His grace”. Ambrose taught that the gifts listed in I Corinthians 12 were part of the normal Christian experience. Augustine wrote about miraculous healings that occurred in Hippo in his book City of God.
- Middle Ages (500-1500 AD) – Biographers recorded that St. Hildegarde of Bingen wrote numerous books on the Christian faith in Latin, despite the fact that she had never learned the language. She was also said to have seen visions, sung in unknown tongues, and prophesied. St. Dominic is said to have spoken German on one occasion with no prior study. St. Antony of Padua spoke in tongues and once reportedly preached in foreign tongues. St. Francis Xavier spoke in tongues and ministered healing.
- 16th Century – The Anabaptists had frequent manifestations of tongues. Louis Bertrand had tongues, prophecy, and miracles occur in his ministry.
- 17th Century – The Ranters and the Quakers recorded instances of the power of the Lord coming upon them and speaking through them.
- 18th Century – Speaking in tongues was seen among the Moravians, the Methodists, and in the meetings of Jonathan Edwards during the Great Awakening.
- 19th Century – Gifts of the Spirit continued to be seen among members of the Holiness movement birthed by Methodism. The Faith Cure and Higher Life movements saw an emphasis on divine healing.
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Cessationists also insist that supernatural signs are sought by wicked people (like the Scribes and Pharisees) according to Matthew 16:14, so we shouldn’t care about producing them along with the preaching of the gospel. They’re right about the first point, but wrong about the second. While wicked may seek signs, the lost respond to signs as we can see throughout the four gospels and the book of Acts. In fact, in Acts 4:30 the believers prayed for signs and wonders to occur. Why would they pray that way if signs served no purpose other than satisfying the demands of the wicked?
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A fifth point made by cessationists is that Jesus warned us about false miracles in Matthew 24:24, and false miracles (or “lying wonders” in II Thes. 2:9) will be performed by the false prophet during the reign of the Antichrist. The conclusion is that there are false miracles done by the powers of the enemy, and so there’s no point in producing legitimate miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit. By that logic there’s also no need to teach doctrine since there are false teachers producing false doctrines. In the Old Testament the Egyptian sorcerers produced serpents from their rods just as Moses had done with his. Did Moses conclude that genuine miracles serve no purpose? Of course not! His serpent ended up devouring the serpents of the sorcerers. In fact, the miracles God did through Moses preserved the nation of Israel and provided the foundation for all of the belief system of the Judeo-Christian world.
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A Lutheran’s Response to a Question about Gifts of the Spirit