Twentieth century Pentecostal movements challenged the theology of many denominations. This gave rise to debates about spiritual gifts. Extremes occurred at both ends: those who were obsessed with supernatural gifts and those who are obsessed with denying them.[1] Overtime these positions developed into a spectrum of four views: cessationist (the gifts have ceased), open but cautious (the gifts are available but secondary), Third Wave (the gifts are active and available for the evangelisation of the world) and Pentecostal/Charismatic (the gifts are active and available for all to seek).[2]Although these groups are divided, they are united around one common question, ‘Are spiritual gifts for today?’ This paper seeks to answer that question by exploring two views (the cessationist and continuationist view) with special attention given to three distinct spiritual gifts (tongues, prophecy and healing). First, the definition and rationale for cessationism will be offered. Second, the definition and rationale for continuationism will be provided. Finally, cessationist and continuationist views on the gift of tongues, prophecy and healing will be investigated and concluding thoughts will be given.
Cessationism
Definition
The doctrine of cessationism argues that all or some of the spiritual gifts ceased with or soon after the New Testament apostolic era.[3] Ruthven’s defines a cessationist as “one who believes that miraculous spiritual…ceased when either the apostles died (first century) or the New Testament was written (forth century)”.[4] However, within broad definitions, there are a variety of views. Grady divides them into four categories: (1) full (all gifts have ceased), (2) classical (most gifts have ceased but God can still work in unnatural ways), (3) consistent (with the passing of the apostles the gifts also ceased) and (4) concentric (gifts exist but only in unevangelised areas of the world.[5] Despite the differing views, most agree that cessationism is the historic position of the post-Reformation Calvinist era.[6] Ruthven argues that “an early form of cessationism was directed at Jesus…when he violated the commands of Deuteronomy 13 and 18, which forbid performing a sign or a wonder”.[7] However, more recently, Warfield’s 1918 lectures published as Counterfeit Miracles,[8] written to oppose the heterodoxical openness of Roman Catholics to miraculous gifts, are considered to be the catalyst for modern cessationism.[9]
Rationale
There are several arguments for cessationism. First, interpretation of 1 Corinthians 13:8-12 shows that “prophecy…tongues…will cease…when the perfect comes”.[10] McDougall receives this as “a statement concerning the cessation of miraculous gifts” that occurs after ‘the perfect’ time (understood by cessationists to represent the completion of the written biblical canon).[11] Therefore, pointing to the cessation of miraculous gifts occurring when the writing of the New Testament canon was complete.[12] However, non-cessationists (or continuationists) believe that ‘the perfect’ time is an eschatological period.[13] Therefore, the cessation of gifts occurs when the Lord returns (not when scripture is completed). Second, interpretation of Ephesians 2:20 suggests that because the church was “built on the foundation of the apostles”,[14] ‘foundational gifts’ were given exclusively to them for the building of the New Testament Church and to confirm their apostolic ministry (revelation and authentication).[15] However, Ruthven argues that ‘foundational gifts’ serve as prototypes for others to imitate and asserts that “the metaphor of apostles as foundational to the church does not support the cessation of miraculous spiritual gifts”.[16] Third, cessationists suggest that “history shows that miraculous gifts have ceased” and ask “if they had continued, why aren’t they widespread today?”.[17] Keener addresses this by observing that “the church throughout history continued to believe that supernatural gifts did persist…and those who deny that these gifts continue today must also find other explanations for charismatic phenomena among genuine fellow Christians”.[18] Fourth, cessationists observe that post-apostolic revelatory gifts (such as prophecy and tongues) can be seen as an attempt to add revelation to an already complete canon of scripture, and thus, undermining the sufficiency of scripture and opposing sola scriptura.[19]
Continuationism
Definition
In contrast, the doctrine of continuationism (or non-cessationism) argues that miraculous gifts have not ‘ceased’ but “have remained operative”[20] and are available to be sought by all Christians today. In Macchia’s words, continuationists “favour a current experience of the kingdom in power through the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit…where God breaks in ‘from beyond’ to save, heal, empower, and create miraculous signs of the kingdom to come”.[21] Also, continuationists advocate that spiritual gifts are available to all “in the same experiential manner as was available to all the believers on that first day of power”.[22] It is important to note that continuationists do not oppose the cessation of spiritual gifts, however, they adopt an eschatological view that argues gifts will cease when the Lord returns. Historically, this continuation of gifts is believed to have been confirmed and experienced during the Pentecostal movements of the twentieth century. During this period there was a decline in cessationist teaching and this caused the “acceptance of spiritual gifts to go mainstream”.[23] As a result, many non-Pentecostal cessationist Christians began to abandon cessationism, and in principle became continuationist.[24] As a result, Stitzinger reports that continuationism spread rapidly, overtook cessationist thought and was adopted by three dominant Christian groups: Pentecostal/Charismatic, Third Wave and ‘open but cautious’ evangelical believers.[25]
Rationale
The growth of continuationism was supported by several arguments. First, an ‘extra-conversion experience’ with the Spirit was deemed possible and because this a believer became empowered for witness and service in ‘charismatic’ ways (this is known within Pentecostalism as subsequence). However, Oss stresses that Pentecostals do not, therefore, believe that the Spirit is not received at salvation (a misinterpretation he suggests). Instead, he advocates a “theological separability of two works of the Spirit. One inner-transforming (regenerating/sanctifying) and the other empowering (empowering/charismatic)”,[26] occurring either at conversion or thereafter.[27] Second, Oss suggests that the Spirits empowering work, as observed in the Old Testament points to the Spirits futuristic ‘last days’ work. He argues that “the Old Testament prepares the way for the ‘last days’, when the Spirit’s charismatic power will be universal…no longer restricted to a few select individuals…every member…will receive the Spirit”.[28] Menzies agrees, stating that “in one sense, every Christian is, and should be increasingly charismatic”.[29] Third, ‘the perfect’ time (as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13:8, 10) is understood to refer to the second coming.[30] Academic authorities agree, pointing out that the end of 1 Corinthians 13 refers to an eschatological era.[31] Therefore, spiritual gifts “continue during this age to minister toward the (as yet unrealized) goal of complete eschatological maturity of the church”.[32] Fourth, it appears difficult to “dismiss the experience of hundreds of millions of Christians today”,[33] including “scholars with theological doctorates espousing New Testament gifts”.[34] However, this emphasis on personal experience is a major concern for cessationists who argue that Pentecostal continuationist “positions are frequently motivated by experience or emotion and fuelled by logic-jumps” [35] (an observation that must be acknowledged). These alternative cessationist-continuationist views on the gifts of the spirit are also observed when examining three distinctives: tongues, prophecy and healing.
Tongues, prophecy and healing
Cessationism
Most cessationists contend that some spiritual gifts are ‘miraculous and temporary’ (such as apostleship, prophecy, wisdom, knowledge, faith, miracles, healing and tongues) while others are ‘non-miraculous and permanent’ (evangelism, pastors, teachers, helps and administration).[36] Among the spiritual gifts that cessationism accepts as temporary are tongues, prophecy and healing.[37] Busenitz suggests that cessationism “contends that the gift of tongues passed away during or shortly after the first century of church history. Consequently, they discourage the practice of modern glossolalia”.[38] According to cessationism, the gift of tongues is understood as “the miraculous ability to speak fluently in genuine foreign languages that were previously unknown to the speaker (as in Acts 2:4-13)”.[39] Therefore, because the gift of tongues as expressed today “does not correspond to what happened in Acts 2 cessationists do not view it as a legitimate parallel to the biblical gift”.[40] Stitzinger agrees and suggests that the “chaos of the modern tongues movement and the arbitrary, and often lacking, element of interpretation make it quite clear that tongues have ceased”.[41] Similarly, the gift of prophecy is also accepted in cessationism as a temporary miraculous gift operating only within the apostolic era for the completion of the biblical canon.[42] Schreiner insists that, if apostles do not exist today (because the canon of scripture has been completed), the gift of prophecy given to those individuals for that purpose must also not exist. In his own words, “the case for prophetic cessationism is established”.[43] However, cessationist views on the gift of healing are less dogmatic. On one hand, cessationists assert that the “healing sign-gift ceased with the close of the NT canon”.[44] On the other hand, cessationists believe that “God heals miraculously today”[45] but “it will not be a frequent occurrence nor will it be done through human healers”.[46]
Continuationism
In contrast, continuationism has come to different fundamental conclusions.[47] In particular, the three lists of spiritual gifts (in Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11; Ephesians 4:11-13) are not divided into ‘miraculous temporary’ and ‘non-miraculous permanent’. Instead, Oss says that “all gifts, whether ‘miraculous’ or ‘mundane’ are of divine origin”[48] and therefore they can continue to be distributed wherever the divine spirit desires. One divine gift that is suggested to still exist is healing.[49] Macchia says, “Pentecostals believe in miraculous divine healing…they fully expect the mission of the church to be blessed with such signs”.[50] However distinct from cessationists, continuationists agree that both God and man can be agents of divine healing. Fee explains “Jesus, Paul, and the rest of the early church lived in regular expectation that God would heal people’s physical bodies…and the gift is given not to the person who is healed, but to the person God uses for the healing of another”.[51] A similar distinction is the cessationist thought that prophecy threatens or adds to God’s completed word.[52] However, Oss points out “even during New Testament times, prophecy was not vested with canonical authority”.[53] Also, this observation seems to indicate that the gift of prophecy was not canonical or exclusively apostolic and therefore supports Fee’s opinion that the gift was “potentially available to all”.[54] The gift of tongues may also have been accessible.[55] Continuationists appear to disagree with cessationist conclusions that the gift of tongues must be delivered as a genuine foreign language (and therefore does not exist contemporarily). Oss shows that “in some instances human languages were uttered (Acts 2); in others, people spoke in tongues of unknown origin (‘of men and of angels’ 1 Cor. 13:1)”.[56] Fee emphasises the latter and describes it as “speech essentially unintelligible both to the speaker…and to the hearer” because it is “directed toward God”.[57] However, he also warns about the need for ‘regulation’ regarding this gift. His comments seem to suggest that the accusation of periodic excess within Pentecostal/charismatic movements appears to have merit.[58] To help avoid these instances, Fee encourages a mimetic Pauline approach that “does not damn tongues with faint praise…nor does it stand in awe of the gift”.
Conclusion
This paper has sought to answer the question ‘Are spiritual gifts for today?’ Two alternative views have been explored. Definitions and rationale for each view have been offered and special emphasis was given to three distinctives, tongues, prophecy and healing. It appears that the cessationist answer to the proposed question would be ‘some are and some are not’. The continuationist response would likely to be ‘yes’. Both answers and the rationale that informs them has merit. Cessationism emphasises the supremacy of scripture and challenges the emotive excesses periodically occurring in Pentecostal/charismatic movements. However, the dividing of spiritual gifts into ‘miraculous’ and ‘non-miraculous’ appears to contradict the bibles divine description of gifts as the ‘spirit’. Similarly, dividing spiritual gifts into ‘temporary’ and ‘permanent’ prompts one to ask, if some gifts exist permanently today, can all not? Meanwhile, continuationism offers eschatological logic, explains contemporary Christian gift phenomena and ensures that rationale theological views do not limit mysterious, unexpected pneumatological expressions.
[1] Simon Chan, Pentecostal Theology and the Christian Spiritual Tradition (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2011), 34.
[2] Richard B. Gaffin and Wayne A. Grudem, eds., Are Miraculous Gifts for Today? Four Views, Counterpoints (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan Pub, 1996).
[3] James F. Stitzinger, “Spiritual Gifts: Definitions And Kinds,” The Masters Seminary Journal 14, no. 2 (2003): 148.
[4] Jon Ruthven, “Answering the Cessationists’Case against Continuing Spiritual Gifts,” Pneuma Review 3, no. 2 (200AD): 5.
[5] J. Lee Grady, The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale: Rekindling the Power of God in an Age of Compromise (Grand Rapids, Mich: Chosen Books, 2010), 228.
[6] David E. Holwerda and John H. Bratt, eds., Exploring the Heritage of John Calvin (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1976).
[7] Jon Ruthven, On the Cessation of the Charismata: The Protestant Polemic on Post-Biblical Miracles (Tulsa: Word & Spirit Press, 2011), 191.
[8] Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield, Counterfeit Miracles (Carlisle, Pa.: Banner of Truth Trust, 1996).
[9] Ruthven, “Answering the Cessationists’Case against Continuing Spiritual Gifts,” 1.
[10] 1 Corinthians 13:8, 10 NASB
[11] Donald G. McDougall, “Cessationism in 1 Corinthians 13:8-12,” The Master’s Seminary Journal 14, no. 2 (2013): 212.
[12] Ibid.
[13] Robert L Thomas, “The Hermeneutics of Noncessationism,” The Master’s Seminary Journal 14, no. 2 (2003): 387–310.
[14] Ephesians 2:20 NASB
[15] Peter Masters and John C Whitcomb, The Charismatic Illusion, 2016.
[16] Ruthven, “Answering the Cessationists’Case against Continuing Spiritual Gifts,” 3.
[17] Ibid., 1.
[18] Craig S. Keener, Gift & Giver: The Holy Spirit for Today (Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2001), 91.
[19] Ruthven, On the Cessation of the Charismata, 189.
[20] Richard L Mayhue, “Cessationism, ‘the Gifts of Healings,’ and Divine Healing,” The Master’s Seminary Journal 14, no. 2 (2003): 263.
[21] Frank D. Macchia, Baptized in the Spirit: A Global Pentecostal Theology (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2006), 243.
[22] Gaffin and Grudem, Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?, 89.
[23] Craig S. Keener, Spirit Hermeneutics: Reading Scripture in Light of Pentecost (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2016), 303.
[24] Vern Sheridan Poythress, “Modern Spiritual Gifts as Analogous to Apostolic Gifts: Affirming Extraordinary Works of the Spirit within Cessationist Theology,” JETS 39, no. 1 (1996): 71–101.
[25] Stitzinger, “Spiritual Gifts,” 143.
[26] Gaffin and Grudem, Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?, 242.
[27] Myer Pearlman, Knowing the Doctrines for the Bible (Springfield, Mo.: Gospel Publishing House, 2002), 315–316.
[28] Gaffin and Grudem, Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?, 247.
[29] William W. Menzies and Robert P. Menzies, Spirit and Power: Foundation of Pentecostal Experience: A Call to Evangelical Dialogue (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2000), 198.
[30] Gaffin and Grudem, Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?, 274.
[31] Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Revised Edition., The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014).
[32] Ruthven, On the Cessation of the Charismata, 197.
[33] Keener, Gift & Giver, 92.
[34] Stitzinger, “Spiritual Gifts,” 163.
[35] Ibid., 143.
[36] Anthony C. Thiselton, The Holy Spirit – in Biblical Teaching, through the Centuries, and Today (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2013), 465.
[37] Paul P Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology: Revised and Expanded, 2014.
[38] Nathan Busenitz, “Are Tongues Real Foreign Languages? A Response to Four Continuationist Arguments,” The Master’s Seminary Journal 25, no. 2 (2014): 63.
[39] Ibid.
[40] Ibid., 64.
[41] Stitzinger, “Spiritual Gifts,” 189.
[42] Vern S. Poythress, “The Boundaries of the Gift of Tongues: With Implications for Cessationism and Continuationism,” Themelios 44, no. 1 (2019): 61–69.
[43] Thomas R. Schreiner, “It All Depends Upon Prophecy: A Brief Case for Nuanced Cessationism,” Themelios 44, no. 1 (2019): 35.
[44] Richard L Mayhue, “Cessationism, ‘the Gifts of Healings,’ and Divine Healing,” The Master’s Seminary Journal 14, no. 2 (2003): 263.
[45] Gaffin and Grudem, Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?, 42.
[46] Mayhue, “Cessationism, ‘the Gifts of Healings,’ and Divine Healing,” 286.
[47] Donald W. Dayton, Theological Roots of Pentecostalism, 4. Pr. (Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson, 2000).
[48] Gaffin and Grudem, Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?, 278.
[49] Bruce A. Baker, “Progressive Dispensationalism & Cessationism: Why They Are Incompatible,” Journal of Ministry and Theology 8, no. 1 (2004).
[50] Macchia, Baptized in the Spirit, 277.
[51] Gordon D Fee, God’s Empowering Presence the Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul (Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2011), 168–169.
[52] Wayne A. Grudem, The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today, Rev. ed. (Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Books, 2000).
[53] Gaffin and Grudem, Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?, 279.
[54] Fee, God’s Empowering Presence the Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul, 891.
[55] D. A. Carson, Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1 Corinthians 12-14 (Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Book House, 1987).
[56] Gaffin and Grudem, Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?, 280.
[57] Gordon D Fee, Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011), 168–169.
[58] Ibid., 168.