The Case for Cessationism

“… contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 1:3)

Introduction

There is an interesting discussion about Charismatic Gifts being practiced today over a Pulpit Magazine. I thought it would be profitable to explore this further as a Christian who has been on both sides of the issue. There is a soft place in my heart for the Assemblies of God. I first became a Christian in an AG Church. I spent the first 20 years of my Christian life in the AG, and I spent 12 years in the ministry of an AG Church. I still have fellowship with many members of that church, and consider them to be my brothers and sisters in Christ. They understand my leaving was purely a doctrinal issue (or actually issues). Therefore, I know firsthand the sensitivity involved in the discussion of continuing revelation and Spiritual gifts. This article is a retraction of mine, for having been a proponent of continuing revelatory gifts in the past, I am now convinced, through Scripture, Church History, and sound doctrine, that these gifts are no longer in operation. This is in no way meant to be a personal attack, but it is only natural that Pentecostals will take it that way. After all, they are convinced that they have an extra measure of the Holy Spirit that gives them these revelations, and when these doctrines are questioned, so are their own personal experiences and revelations. Nonetheless, our doctrines must come from Scripture alone, not personal experiences.

The Gifts in Church History

Pentecostals and Charismatics are adamant that these “gifts of the Spirit” are necessary for Revival. However, these gifts were absent from the church until the early 1900’s. There were no such gifts during the Reformation. The Great Awakening, the last true revival on the planet, took place without such gifts. To suggest that someone has rediscovered a doctrine that has escaped the church fathers for nearly 2000 years is quite a questionable practice.

Writing of tongues and prophecy, the early church fathers unanimously testify to their cessation. The only people who claimed this gift were heretics such as the Montanists.

"This whole place is very obscure; but the obscurity is produced by our ignorance of the facts referred to and by their cessation, being such as then used to occur, but now no longer take place." – Chrysostom (AD 347-407), "Homilies on the First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians," concerning I Corinthians 12. XXIX.

“In the earliest times, "the Holy Ghost fell upon them that believed; and they spake with tongues," which they had not learned, "as the Spirit gave them utterance." These were signs adapted to the time. For there behooved to be that betokening of the Holy Spirit in all tongues, to show that the Gospel of God was to run through all tongues over the whole earth. That thing was done for a betokening, and it passed away.” - Augustine (AD 354-430), "Homilies on the First Epistle of John," VI. 10.

The opening section of the Westminster Confession "Of the Holy Scriptures" states. "it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal Himself, and to declare that His will unto His Church; and afterwards, for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the Church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the Holy Scripture to be most necessary; those former ways of God’s revealing His will unto His people being now ceased."

If the gifts of tongues and prophecy had ceased by the fourth century, as church history unanimously testifies, then how could they exist in the 21st century?

The Age of the Apostles

One of the goals of many charismatic churches today is to “resolve to restore the church to being the church of the New Testament”. However, that is not what the Bible tells us to do. Rather, we are to build “…on the foundation of the apostles and prophets…” (Ephesians 2:20). The Apostolic age was a unique age, never to be repeated. Some go so far as to call their leaders “apostles”, but John was the last of the men to hold this office. The main qualification of an apostle was to have been an eyewitness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:22; 1 Corinthians 15:5-7). Suffice it to say, there is no one alive today who holds this qualification.

It must also be noted that Charismatics and Pentecostals are quite selective when choosing their gifts. Per Mark 16:17, they will claim the ability to speak in other tongues, but ignore verse 18, which gives them the ability to take up serpents and drink poison. (We’ll look particularly at tongues and prophecy in the Bible shortly.) Bold claims have been made in regards to miraculous healings performed by modern “apostles”, but without any substantiation. I’m a firm believer that God heals through prayer and fasting, but I will deny that any person has the same “gift of healing” that the Apostle’s had. Though many may claim to have it, their healings usually consist of things like headaches and back pains that no one can see. Meanwhile, half of the congregation is wearing glasses, and several poor souls are sitting in wheel chairs wondering why they aren’t healed.

Tongues in Scripture

How does the modern gift of “tongues” compare to that which was present in the early church? We need to look no further than the experience in Acts Chapter 2 to realize that what is going on in the modern Pentecostal Church is much different than what we see in the Bible. There is no mistaken the fact that the Biblical gift of tongues, at the very least, included earthly, foreign languages.

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 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."” (Acts 2:4-11)

The same can be said of the Gentiles in Acts 10, as Peter proclaimed that they “have received the Holy Spirit just as we have” (Acts 10:47). Paul, in addressing the gift of tongues to the Corinthian Church, quotes Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 28:11-12) concerning the first destruction on Jerusalem by the Babylonians, stating “With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; And yet, for all that, they will not hear Me,’ says the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 14:21). Obviously, the Babylonians spoke in another earthly language, not that which is heard in Pentecostal circles. Paul goes on to express the covenantal purpose of the gift, stating that it was to be a sign to the unbelieving Jews (1 Corinthians 14:22) of that perverse generation (Acts 2:33-40), just like Isaiah’s prophecy was to his generation. Peter connects the original Pentecostal outpouring with Joel’s prophecy concerning the “last days” of the Old Covenant (Acts 2:16-20). Of course, with the subsequent fulfillment of that prophecy in 70 AD, the sign was no longer necessary.

In the very least, it must be concluded that the Biblical version of “tongues” included earthly, foreign languages. (I’ll go a step further and suggest that there is really no evidence that they included anything else.) In any case, that portion of the gift seems to be strangely lacking in the modern version, as our Pentecostal missionaries to foreign countries are reduced to taking foreign language courses, just like every other denomination.

Prophets in the Bible

In the very Words of Jesus Christ, we are to live “by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). The Reformed Doctrine of Sola Scriptura draws a clear line in the sand here in opposition to continuing prophecy today. We are to get our revelations from God via Scripture alone, which cannot be added to or taken from (Revelation 22:18-19).

Oddly enough, most Pentecostals will agree with Sola Scriptura, at least in word. They don’t see the inconsistency with their own view of continuing prophecy. If we are to live by every word that comes from the mouth of God, that must necessarily include modern prophecy. This results can be quite confusing to say the least. This problem is further exacerbated when we study the Bible’s own view of prophecy.

“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.' And if you say in your heart, 'How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?'-- when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:18-22)

There are three clearly stated facts about the role of the prophet in the Bible.

1.) He is inerrant and infallible.

Verses 21-22 are very clear. No error can be tolerated in a “prophet” of God. In fact, verse 20 calls for the death penalty for any false prophet in Israel. False Prophecy is a very serious issue with God. For one who speaks falsehoods in the name of God has called God a liar, and that is always serious. Our Charismatic friends should exercise great caution when they feel the urge to “prophesy”.

2.) He is authoritative.

Verse 19 commands complete obedience to God’s prophet. Obedience is not an option, for “…whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him”.

3.) He is the mouthpiece of the Living God.

This last point is often ignored by Pentecostals. Verse 18 tells us concerning a prophet that “I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him”. One common argument that modern charismatics use to defend errors in prophecy is that the error was in the messenger, not the message. However, the Bible does not give us that option. The prophet is not a messenger from God, relating some second-hand message that he messes up. (If that were the case, how could we trust the Bible itself?) He is the mouthpiece of God, and the words he speaks are as if God Himself were speaking.

In short, the words of a prophet in the Bible carry the same weight as Scripture itself. Norman Geisler writes an excellent summary,

“Either those who claim the gift of prophecy are uttering infallible truths on par with those in the Bible or else the New Testament gift of prophecy does not exist today. For the ‘prophecies’ given today are not infallible, but are often false. Thus, we must conclude that the New Testament gift of prophecy does not exist today."

When faced with the Bible's own statements regarding the nature of prophecy, the Charismatic is forced to invent a lesser, non-authoritative sort of prophecy. This new prophecy cannot be supported with Scripture. Scripture itself testifies that prophecy would cease in the first Century, at the end of Old Covenant Israel. (Daniel 9:24; 1 Corinthians 13:8; Hebrews 1:1). With the completion of the Canon, this gift is no longer needed. We have, in the pages of the Bible, “every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). There are no more to be added in any way, shape, or form.