Cessationism - Episode 16 - Is prophecy subjective?

Our next Episode in the cessationism series.

Additional Episodes:

• Episode 1, the Perfect.
• Episode 2, the apostles.
• Episode 3, prophecy.
• Episode 4, the closed canon.
• Episode 5, extra biblical reasons.
• Episode 6, only the apostles had all truth.
• Episode 7, there were only limited periods of miracles.
• Episode 8, tongues.
• Episode 9, the work of the Holy Spirit.
• Episode 10, does God speak only through the Scriptures?
• Episode 11, what about impressions?
• Episode 12, what is discernment? 
• Episode 13, the sufficiency of Scripture.
• Episode 14, Was the purpose of miracles restricted to the authentication of the apostles?
• Episode 15, Is revival excluded because of apostasy?
• Episode 16, is prophecy subjective?
• Episode 17, Could only the apostles confer miraculous powers or gifts?
• Episode 18, are charismatics functional cessationists?

Our criteria for the cessationism debate is that the argument must

1. be from the Bible
2. not appeal to contemporary expressions of charismata
3. not appeal to silence
4. not appeal to events or practices of history

That is, any defense of cessationism must be Sola Scriptura.
****

Introduction

A cessationist is a Christian who believes that the "supernatural" gifts of the Spirit, including prophecy, tongues, words of knowledge, as well as signs and wonders, did not continue after the death of the last apostle. This is contrasted with a charismatic, or perhaps, a continuationist, who is a Christian who believes the Bible's descriptions of the "supernatural" gifts of the Spirit apply to today's church and should be embraced.

Cessationists also believe that the supernatural existed largely or solely to validate the apostle's ministries, so that their teaching, eventually contained in the NT, would be attested to. With the completed canon of the Bible, there would be no longer a need for these supernatural validations, and thus these things ceased. The reason, they say, is that since signs and wonders had the sole purpose of validating the ministries of the apostles, they are no longer needed because the apostles are gone and we have the completed Bible.

From this they conclude that the Bible is the complete and final revelation of God, and thus He speaks only through the Scriptures today.

Part of the reason they make this claim is if they can restrict the supernatural only to the apostles' ministry, they can invalidate the idea that the supernatural persists to present day.

This series will examine these and other claims.

***

One of the more novel objections to the gift of prophecy is its supposed subjectivity. Some cessationists claim that there is no way to objectively examine the veracity of prophecy, so prophecy can't be confirmed and therefore shouldn't be practiced. John MacArthur is one such person. He writes,

If God is still speaking to His people today—particularly through mental impressions and premonitions—how can believers exercise discernment when it comes to interpreting and applying these divine messages? Put simply, how is following the private, subjective “leading” of the Lord any more reliable than gazing into a crystal ball? 

As we saw last time, biblical discernment runs contrary to the kind of subjective mysticism many promote in the church today. Without any objective criteria, there is no means for determining truth from error. Such blithe subjectivity leaves people at the mercy of whatever mystical “voice” they’re listening to.

Of course, this is not a biblical argument. He has simply an opinion about this. He neither quotes nor references the Bible in defense of his position.  

Further, objectivity is not a Bible criteria. One does not get to invent a criteria and then create a Bible doctrine from it. And we note that the early church practiced prophecy, which Paul describes at length in 1 Corinthians 14. So if prophecy is subjective and therefore not objective in our day, it also must have been subjective and was therefore not objective back then. 

We would suggest that the argument Dr. MacArthur offers is preposterous on its face.

Objective vs. Subjective

Subjective information or writing is based on personal opinions, interpretations, points of view, emotions and judgment. It is often considered ill-suited for scenarios like news reporting or decision making in business or politics. Objective information or analysis is fact-based, measurable and observable.

An ordinary person would describe something as "objective" if it was unbiased, testable, empirically verifiable, or based on a standard of evidence that others could examine.

Something would be described as "subjective" if there was no physical evidence, if there were no standard by which it could be evaluated, or if it was merely an opinion or an undocumented claim.

However, we would assert that the supernatural is neither objective nor subjective. But that does not mean "supernatural" things like prophecy cannot be evaluated, or that they are nothing more than whims or fantasy. We believe that prophecy should be evaluated according to biblical criteria. Our doctrines come from the Bible, and the Bible provides us with the tools we need to determine the validity of a prophecy. 

The biblical model regarding prophecy is not what is objective, but rather what is testable.

Prophecy is Testable

The Scriptures give us at least 4 ways to test prophecy:

1) The Bible

2Ti. 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness...

Scripture provides a secure way to discern the truth of an impression or prophetic utterance, so as to minimize or even eliminate uncertainty. If the it contradicts the Bible, it must be false. 

2Sa. 22:31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. 

Mt. 22:29 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. 

Jn. 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

2Ti. 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Psalm 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

Ro. 4:3 What does the Scripture say?

The primary test of anything we hear is the Bible. If any teacher, prophet, or pastor speaks anything in violation of Scripture, we can safely ignore them (1Co. 14:38).

2) The Holy Spirit

Ro. 8:5-9 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. 9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.

Ro. 8:14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Ga. 5:16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Paul tells us that if we are controlled by, led by, and live by the Holy Spirit, He is at work in us and empowers us to set our minds on what the Spirit desires. These are not random "imaginations," but the Spirit at work in us. 

Ro. 8:14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

1Co. 2:101-12 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no-one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

1Co. 12:8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit...

Ga. 5:16, 25 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Ep. 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 

Jn. 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

1Jn. 2:27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit — just as it has taught you, remain in

him.

So the second test, the Holy Spirit, safeguards us as we discern the truth of prophetic impressions as well as prophetic words.

3) The Ministry of the Saints

2Co. 13:1 Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

In fact, in church gatherings the whole congregation should discern the truth of a prophetic message:

1Co. 14:29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 

The spirit behind a supposed prophetic word is to be tested:

1Jn. 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 

One of the gifts of the Spirit is discernment:

1Co. 12:10 ...to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits...

1Co. 2:14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 

1Co. 12:7, 10 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good... to another distinguishing between spirits...

Ph. 1:9-10 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ...

2Ti. 2:2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

Col. 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 

He. 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. 

2Ti. 4:2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.

Our brothers and sisters in Christ are a critical part of our spiritual walk. The community of faith is variously gifted, and no member is indispensable.

4) The Fruit that is born

Good fruit:

Ja. 3:17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 

Ga. 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.

Bad fruit:

Ro. 7:5 For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death.

2Pe. 2:22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” [Prov. 26:11] and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.” 

Contemporary Church as an Obstacle

In our view, a critical issue regarding the expression of the prophetic gift is the church itself.

First is the level of maturity of the assembled congregation, which we too often find is comprised of pew-warmers. Oddly, this is often encouraged and expected. Many Christians, though they are good and faithful people, attend church year after month after decade, yet never attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Ep. 4:13). These folks are content to be spoon-fed teaching from the pulpit, and all that is expected of them is that they show up every Sunday, sit quietly and attentively, and write their tithe check.

However, Paul's description of the assembly of the saints is quite different:

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. 14:29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.

In such a church the congregation is tasked with both hearing and evaluating prophecy. The word "weigh" is diakrinó:

I separate, distinguish, discern one thing from another; I doubt, hesitate, waver... 2. to learn by discrimination, to try, decide: ...1 Corinthians 14:29; ἑαυτόν, 1 Corinthians 11:31...

People like Dr. MacArthur are likely either unfamiliar or uncomfortable with the idea of a participatory and lively church as found in the NT. Paul grants something to the people assembled that Dr. MacArthur does not grant, and that is their ability to operate in maturity in all the gifts, and to weigh for themselves what is said. The very prospect of someone else besides himself speaking up in church is probably pretty threatening.

So error, false prophecy, or a variety of perhaps unusual occurrences or expressions do not scare those who are wise and have been trained up in the faith.

The second obstacle in the contemporary church is its isolationist tendencies, both as individual churches in a community of local churches as well as individuals within each church. So many saints come to church to hide or do their duty, and so many churches want nothing to do with other churches. 

This impedes the people of God from receiving and giving spiritual help, as well as violating Jesus' command (Jn. 17:23) and Paul's counsel (Ro. 15:5, Ep. 4:3). It is somewhat ironic that church people are often devoted consumers of their pastor's teaching, but are reluctant to embrace anything other than superficial relationships. This negates the very purpose of the spiritual gifts, which are specifically given for the common good (1Co. 12:7). We are the body of Christ, and there ought to be a dynamic in our churches that makes each person a valuable contributor.

The third factor is fear of failure. In pursuit of the perfect church or the perfect church service, many churches want to create an environment of seamless professional execution. There is no room for waiting, diverting from the agenda, periods of silence, experimentation, or risking the possibility of mistakes. Thus no one is willing to risk stepping out from the "proper" behavior expected of them. 

This actually means there is no opportunity to be the church described in the NT.

Conclusion

We find our doctrines from the Bible, not through what we think is sensible, logical, or reasonable. 

Prophecy is to be part of the congregational setting, and the people need to be trained up to weigh what is spoken and be made a functional part of the body of Christ. This ought to change the way we practice church. 

Far from being untestable and subjective, prophecy is subject to all the safeguards we need to discern the promptings of the Holy Spirit.