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Although we usually critique cessationists for their often faulty reasoning, today we consider the presentation of a charismatic (aka "continuationist").
Although we usually critique cessationists for their often faulty reasoning, today we consider the presentation of a charismatic (aka "continuationist").
The author doesn't take the deep dive necessary to properly refute cessationism. Cessationists fancy themselves as guardians of correct doctrine, so they come to the party with their doctrines and micro-doctrines already parsed and lined out. So that means the author's superficial explanations do nothing to refute them.
A Sola Scriptura cessationist must be dealt with solely based upon what the Bible says. With the help of the Holy Spirit, of course.
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Although it is common for my Calvinist, non-charismatic friends to point to church history in support of their cessationist position, it's really a mistake for them to do so. A big mistake. Church history actually works against them. (An Appeal To History is a biblical fallacy, since what happened in history has nothing to do with the obligation to form doctrines from the Bible.)
The first reason is the most obvious. Reformed cessationists, like me, are in the Protestant, rather than Catholic, camp of the church. (This sentence is constructed in a way that suggests that the author is a reformed cessationist when he actually intended to put himself in the same camp as reformed cessationists, rather than being Catholic. It probably should read, "I'm like the reformed cessationists who are in the Protestant, rather than Catholic, camp of the church," or something similar.)
Although it is common for my Calvinist, non-charismatic friends to point to church history in support of their cessationist position, it's really a mistake for them to do so. A big mistake. Church history actually works against them. (An Appeal To History is a biblical fallacy, since what happened in history has nothing to do with the obligation to form doctrines from the Bible.)
The first reason is the most obvious. Reformed cessationists, like me, are in the Protestant, rather than Catholic, camp of the church. (This sentence is constructed in a way that suggests that the author is a reformed cessationist when he actually intended to put himself in the same camp as reformed cessationists, rather than being Catholic. It probably should read, "I'm like the reformed cessationists who are in the Protestant, rather than Catholic, camp of the church," or something similar.)
That means that we believe that, in some very fundamental ways, much of the church lost its way through history, because of which a massive reformation was needed. Many Reformed Christians even argue that Roman Catholics are not Christians at all, meaning that roughly half of all professing Christians today are de facto disqualified.
On what basis, then, does a Reformed cessationist appeal to church history, when so much of that history is rejected from the outset?
If the argument is that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit which were normative in New Testament times gradually disappeared from church history, what do these cessationists do with Roman Catholic miracles through the centuries? They must reject them as counterfeits or frauds. As a result, they appeal to church history while rejecting large portions of that history that violate their narrative. This is quite a double standard.
And on what basis can a Reformed cessationist argue against God restoring something that was lost in light of the whole premise of the Reformation? Pentecostals and charismatics believe that, even though there was definitely a decrease in the use of these miraculous gifts at certain points in church history, there is no doubt that they have been powerfully restored in the last 150 years.
Yet it is the very essence of Protestantism to argue that, in much larger ways, things that were part of the early church were subsequently lost to history, only to be recovered by Luther and the other reformers. As British theologian Andrew Wilson rightly noted, "this sort of argument—that, since something gradually disappeared from the church over the course of the first two or three centuries, it must therefore be invalid—should strike any five sola Protestant as providing several hostages to fortune."
As one popular website states, the Reformation slogan, ecclesia reformata, semper reformand, "the church reformed, always being reformed," is meant to ensure "that our hearts, lives and practices are being reformed by God's Word." That's what we have been calling for for decades: let us continually reform our practices, beliefs and attitudes by what is written in the Word. (This wordy explanation can be summed up a bit more cogently: If the reformers' work was good and true, in that they recovered proper biblical teaching and practice, why then would cessationists be opposed to recovering other things that might have been lost, like the charismata? And why would cessationists reject large portions of errant practices from history, like Catholic doctrines, yet simultaneously appeal to history to bolster their beliefs?
On what basis, then, does a Reformed cessationist appeal to church history, when so much of that history is rejected from the outset?
If the argument is that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit which were normative in New Testament times gradually disappeared from church history, what do these cessationists do with Roman Catholic miracles through the centuries? They must reject them as counterfeits or frauds. As a result, they appeal to church history while rejecting large portions of that history that violate their narrative. This is quite a double standard.
And on what basis can a Reformed cessationist argue against God restoring something that was lost in light of the whole premise of the Reformation? Pentecostals and charismatics believe that, even though there was definitely a decrease in the use of these miraculous gifts at certain points in church history, there is no doubt that they have been powerfully restored in the last 150 years.
Yet it is the very essence of Protestantism to argue that, in much larger ways, things that were part of the early church were subsequently lost to history, only to be recovered by Luther and the other reformers. As British theologian Andrew Wilson rightly noted, "this sort of argument—that, since something gradually disappeared from the church over the course of the first two or three centuries, it must therefore be invalid—should strike any five sola Protestant as providing several hostages to fortune."
As one popular website states, the Reformation slogan, ecclesia reformata, semper reformand, "the church reformed, always being reformed," is meant to ensure "that our hearts, lives and practices are being reformed by God's Word." That's what we have been calling for for decades: let us continually reform our practices, beliefs and attitudes by what is written in the Word. (This wordy explanation can be summed up a bit more cogently: If the reformers' work was good and true, in that they recovered proper biblical teaching and practice, why then would cessationists be opposed to recovering other things that might have been lost, like the charismata? And why would cessationists reject large portions of errant practices from history, like Catholic doctrines, yet simultaneously appeal to history to bolster their beliefs?
We do not find this argument particularly persuasive. Even if cessationists are being inconsistent regarding what they embrace or reject regarding historical practices, this says nothing about whether or not cessationists doctrines are biblical.)
A second reason why church history works against Reformed cessationists is that there is clear testimony that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit did not cease with the death of the apostles.
Representative quotes include:
A second reason why church history works against Reformed cessationists is that there is clear testimony that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit did not cease with the death of the apostles.
Representative quotes include:
- Justin Martyr, "Dialogue with Trypho" (written around 160 A.D.): "For the prophetical gifts remain with us, even to the present time."
- Irenaeus of Lyon in "Against Heresies" (180 A.D.): "For some do certainly and truly drive out devils, so that those who have thus been cleansed from evil spirits frequently both believe, and join themselves to the Church. Others have foreknowledge of things to come: they see visions, and utter prophetic expressions. Others still, heal the sick by laying their hands upon them, and they are made whole. Yea, moreover, as I have said, the dead even have been raised up, and remained among us for many years. . . . We do also hear many brethren in the Church, who possess prophetic gifts, and who through the Spirit speak all kinds of languages."
- Basil the Great (350 A.D.): "The Spirit enlightens all, inspires prophets, gives wisdom to lawmakers, consecrates priests, empowers kings, perfects the just, exalts the prudent, is active in gifts of healing, gives life to the dead, frees those in bondage, turns foreigners into adopted sons."
But Augustine decidedly changed his views while completing his magnum opus, "The City of God."
There he spoke of coming to realize "how many miracles were occurring in our own day and which were so like the miracles of old and also how wrong it would be to allow the memory of these marvels of divine power to perish from among our people. It is only two years ago that the keeping of records was begun here in Hippo, and already, at this writing, we have nearly 70 attested miracles." ("City of God," XXII.8, cited in Morton Kelsey, "Healing and Christianity")
And, as I previously mentioned, if church history is used to argue that the gifts dissipated and disappeared, then church history (in contemporary times) proves the opposite. (For a detailed, carefully documented survey of contemporary miracles, see Craig S. Keener, "Miracles Today: The Supernatural Work of God in the Modern World"; for the larger exegetical and philosophical underpinnings, see Keener, "Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts") (We happen to agree that the cessationists' sanitized recounting of history is problematic. There is quite a lot of evidence that various theologians and historians accepted charismatic practices. While this does assist in refuting cessationist positions, it still doesn't get to what the Bible teaches.)
A third reason that Reformed cessationists should not cite church history to support their position is that the Calvinistic distinctives of their faith cannot be traced to the earliest church fathers but rather to Augustine, despite some claims to the contrary (conveniently, see here and here). (No links supplied.)
I have sometimes heard Reformed teachers claim that Augustine recovered what Paul had taught, meaning that the disciples of the apostles failed to grasp Paul's teaching and it was only Augustine, three centuries later, who really got it. Consequently, the evidence for Reformed/Calvinist theology is weakened (if not undermined) by the earliest centuries of church history, the very period of history they use to argue that the gifts had ceased. (This is an Argument From Silence. What is not recorded in history is not evidence.)
Fourth, and most fundamentally, Reformed cessationists believe in the sufficiency of Scripture, and while church traditions and creeds can be respected, only the written Word of God has final authority.
That is my position as well, which is the ultimate reason why I am not a cessationist: not only does the Word of God fail to support cessationism, it consistently supports the continuationist position. (We would like to see these arguments and judge for ourselves. But the author simply dangles the carrot and moves on.)
And whereas many cessationists admit that there is no specific verse in the New Testament that states the gifts will cease before the Lord returns, there are quite a few verses that speak of their continuance, including verses that urge us to pursue these gifts earnestly, including 1 Corinthians 14:1: "Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy." This is a command from the Lord, not a suggestion. (Indeed, this is a problematic verse for cessationists. However, the favorite work-around is to redefine prophecy as interpreting Scripture or preaching the Word. There are many problems with this position, which we've discussed frequently, including our series on cessationism.)
(Among many other verses, see also John 14:12; Acts 2:14-21, 39; 1 Corinthians 14:26, 39; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21; James 5:13-16.) (Let's quote the verses:
Jn. 14:12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
Ac. 2:14-21 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “`In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ [Joel 2:28-32]
1Co. 14:26 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.
1Co. 14:39 Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.
1Th. 5:19-21 Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test everything. Hold on to the good.
Ja. 5:13-16 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
- "Greater things" is explained away by calling the great number of people who have been saved a great work. It's not a good argument.
- We've already mentioned the cessationist redefinition of prophecy, which for the them takes care of the verses that mention prophecy.
- The Act passage, quoting Joel's prophecy, is not frequently discussed in cessationist circles. The only explanation we have come across so far goes something like this:
...the verse refers to the Tribulation period, which is a resumption of the Old Testament days and God re-focuses on the Israelites (and also pours out wrath on the unbelieving world- the church will have been raptured...
So this position requires the simultaneous acceptance of two controversial doctrinal explanations: Cessationism and pre-tribulation rapture. Therefore, both cessationism and pre-trib rapture must true or the whole system falls apart. However, we believe Joel's prophecy belongs squarely in the Last Days, the period of time in which we currently live. So we would conclude the "supernatural" gifts should be prevalent in the contemporary Church.
- Regarding the pre-tribulation rapture, we have recently changed our minds. For decades we were pre-trib, but upon rethinking our beliefs we came to the conclusion that this doctrine is false, and the rapture happens on the Last Day, the Day of the Lord.
- The most problematic of the cited passages for cessationists would be James' command to have the elders pray for the sick and they will be healed. There is no biblical mention of the gift of healing ceasing, but cessationist use their premise that the "supernatural" gifts have ceased to claim that healing must also have ceased.
This is an extraordinarily weak position from the biblical perspective. The author could have pointed this out and discussed his reasoning for citing the various passages, but he doesn't bother.)
What the Word says alone is more than enough for me, and when you add in the glorious testimony of the Lord's miraculous acts worldwide today, you have all the proof that you need. Let us embrace the Spirit's work to the glory of Jesus' name. (If the Word is more than enough, then make the case, Dr. Brown. From the Bible. What might be happening around the world is not relevant to the biblical case.
Frankly, we expected more from the author.)
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