Cessationism - Episode 17 - Could only apostles confer miraculous powers or gifts?

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.

Our cessationism series will examine these and other claims.

Preliminary Observations 

Today we consider the assertion that only the apostles could impart miraculous powers or gifts. Our premise is that the miraculous was not restricted to the apostles. In fact, there there is no verse of Scripture that says only they could impart miraculous powers. Further, there is only one verse that even mentions an apostle laying his hands, 2 Timothy 1:6, which we will discuss below.

One of the primary efforts of cessationists is to isolate the power and ministry of the apostles to the first century. They expend every effort to bolster their doctrines to conform to this premise in order to ensure there cannot be apostles or the "supernatural" gifts in the church today. 

We have found these arguments to be lacking. We discuss the apostles here. We discuss the authentication of apostles here. We discuss whether only the apostles had "all truth" here.

Why would a cessationist hold these beliefs? They would say that the Bible teaches these things, and history bears out the absence of supernatural occurrences in the Church, so they conclude contemporary experiences are invalid. Cessationists document their assumptions by creating doctrines. We have spent much time discussing these doctrines. The links to these are at the top of the page.

We think there are additional reasons cessationists react so severely against charismatic doctrines. We would speculate that a superficial reason might be a discomfort with some of the excesses of the charismatic church. We understand this discomfort, which we often share. So the cessationist creates doctrines that are designed, at least in part, to make sure none of the excesses of charismaticism manifest in their church. 

A deeper reason might be a need to explain the current state of powerlessness of the contemporary Church. Many Christians are comfortable with the status quo. They like the way their Sunday services are conducted and don't want them to change. 

But for many other Christians a discontent grows as they read the Bible and compare what they read to their own experience. Ultimately, they are at loss to explain the difference.

It is the latter we hope to persuade. 

The Cessationist Position

One cessationist makes his case thusly:

Acts 8 indicates that only the apostles had the power to transfer a miraculous gift to another person, and that person could not transfer it to anyone else. Philip the evangelist could do miracles in Samaria (v.6-7), but it was not until two apostles came from Jerusalem that gifts could be imparted to the new believers in Samaria (v.14-19). The gift of miracles ceased with the generation following the apostles.

This is a somewhat odd proof text. Let's quote the referenced verses:

Ac. 8:5-7 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed.

Ac. 8:14-17 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Philip, an apostle (Mt. 10:3), did many miraculous works in Samaria. The news got back to the other apostles, so they had to check it out. Peter and John were sent, and they arrived they prayed for these Samarians. 

The glaringly obvious thing in this account is that there is no mention of the gifts or any miraculous manifestation. The sole issue is the Holy Spirit. None of these Samaritans had received the Holy Spirit. So this wasn't a case of the laying on of hands to impart the ability to do miracles, prophesy, or speak in tongues. Peter and John specifically prayed these people would receive the Holy Spirit. 

Why did this happen this way? The answer is simple: Philip was proclaiming the Gospel to a gentile nation (Ac. 8:5), the disliked Samaritans, and they received his message and believed. The apostles at that time did not believe that the Holy Spirit could be received by gentiles, especially the Samaritans, despite Peter quoting Joel's prophecy about the Spirit being poured out on all people (Ac. 2:17-21). 

In the second chapter of Acts, after Peter preached to the crowd he made the connection between salvation and this outpouring of the Holy Spirit: 

Ac. 2:38-39 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

Despite this, somehow Peter still needed a vision of a sheet descending from heaven (Ac. 10:11) to learn that gentile believers could be "clean" (Ac. 10:28). Amazingly, even after this Peter had to be admonished by Paul for treating the gentiles differently: 

Ga. 2:11 When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.

So it is critical to understand that the apostles were slow to believe that salvation and the promised Holy Spirit was for all the nations. 

This is an important theme in the book of Acts. The apostles' journey towards understanding the universality of the salvation message led to astonishment and disbelief:

Ac. 10:45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.

So we see that these events in Acts chapter 8 have nothing to do with the conferring of miraculous powers or any limitations or conditions regarding the miraculous. Rather, one of the great underlying themes of Acts is how the apostles learn that salvation and the gift of the Holy Spirit is for all nations, not just the Jews.

But there is something important to note about the Acts chapter 8 incident. Since Peter and John came and laid hands on these people to receive the Holy Spirit, the troubling implication is that only apostles could do this. If only the first century apostles could confer the gift of the Holy Spirit, He cannot be received today, since all the apostles are dead. 

This of course is ridiculous.

The Laying on of Hands

There are some instances of the laying on of hands. One is Jesus and the children, where He prayed for them:

Mt. 19:13 Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them.

Jesus also was asked to lay His hands to heal a little girl:

Mk. 5:23 and pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 

However, in this case the actual healing was accompanied by Jesus taking her hand:

Mk. 5:41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!”

Jesus seemed to regularly lay His on hands to heal (Mk. 6:5, Mk. 8:23, Lk. 4:40, Lk. 13:13). 

The laying on of hands is also mentioned in a contested passage of the Bible, claimed to be a later addition:

Mk. 16:18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.

And lastly, the laying on of hands appears to be a part of a commissioning people for service (Ac. 6:6, Ac. 13:3).

Another Cessationist Assertion

Found here:

When the last apostle died, the ability to pass on the miraculous gifts was over. The gifts were passed on by the laying on of apostles hands, no other way, 1 Tim 4:14, 2:1-6 (sic, 2 Tim. 2:1-6)

Let's quote the cited verses:

1Ti. 4:14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

2Ti. 1:6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

Obviously these proof texts do not say what the author told us they say. There is no mention at all of exclusivity. And we also note that the first Scripture does not even mention apostles, it mentions elders.

Elders are separate from apostles:

Ac. 15:4-6 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. 5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.” 6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question.

So Timothy could have had hands laid upon him by the Jerusalem elders, but we don't know. Or, these particular elders could have been any body of elders in any church, since that was a main purpose of apostolic journeys:

Tit. 1:5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.

To us it seems most likely it was the Ephesus elders that laid hands on Timothy, for that was the church where he was on assignment from Paul (1Ti. 1:3). Further, the Ephesus elders seemed to be particularly important:

Ac. 20:17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.

This would make sense, since Paul had not yet arrived to meet Timothy. He had sent Timothy on ahead of him and planned to join him later:

1Ti. 3:14 Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions...

Paul arrived later. We would therefore conclude that the elders of Ephesus laid hands and spoke prophetically over Timothy after he arrived. 

Now, is there any connection between the two passages, 1 Tim 4:14 and 2 Tim 2:6? let's requote them:

1Ti. 4:14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

2Ti. 1:6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

We cannot assume these are the same event, because the text simply does not say that. That is, "the body of elders" does not specify Paul, yet Paul himself wrote this letter and likely wouldn't overlook his own presence there. But he doesn't mention himself. It sounds like Paul was reminding Timothy of an event Timothy had previously told Paul about.

We concede that it is certainly possible that Paul is referring to the same event twice, but the mere possibility is not enough to build a doctrine upon.

Further, remember the premise, that only the apostles could impart supernatural things. These verses do not speak to that at all. In fact, just the opposite, for we find the elders imparting a gift through prophecy and the laying on of hands.

Most crucially, we still have at least some spiritual gifts today, even if we concede that the "supernatural" gifts are no longer available. And if there are no apostles today to confer them, we must conclude that no spiritual gifts at all are available today.

Further, there is some additional counsel Paul provides to Timothy:

1Ti. 5:22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.

Now why would Paul instruct Timothy about the laying on of hands if only the apostles did it?

Another example that is devastating to the cessationist position is the case of Ananias:

Ac. 9:10-12 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

Ananias was not an apostle, prophet, or even anyone of note. He was simply described as a disciple. Yet the Lord spoke to him directly, and told him to go heal Paul. 

One last thought about the laying on of hands. The writer of Hebrews tell us this:

He. 6:1-2 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

The laying on of hands is an elementary teaching, which suggests it is not a special super-ability restricted only to the apostles.

We need to understand that the NT is a partial record of everything that was happening, and at that it focuses on certain central characters. We should not presume that nothing else was happening with no one else, simply because only certain central characters and events are mentioned in the text.

So we should not think that because a certain event is recorded that it creates a template upon which we should build a doctrine. Much error has resulted from this all too common practice.

Other Scriptures of Note

Ga. 3:5:

Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

Paul was chiding the Galatian church because they were slipping back into the law. Note that he used the word "you," not "us," not "the apostles." "You" were given the Holy Spirit and He worked miracles among "you." God was doing miracles in their midst without apostles.

1 Co. 12:27-28:

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.

Who was doing miracles here? Was it the apostles? No, these are mentioned separately. Again we note that Paul says "you." "You" are a part of it, and thus "you" have been appointed as apostles, etc.    

How the Spiritual Gifts are Received

The major factor for the apportionment of the gifts is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He gives the gifts as he chooses.

Ro. 12:6-8 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

1Co. 12:7-11 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 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, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

1Co. 12:28-30 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But eagerly desire the greater gifts.

The last verse is interesting. Rather than instruct the Corinthian church to seek out an apostle to receive a gift, Paul says to eagerly desire them.

The promise of Pentecost

Ac. 2:17-18 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.

The supernatural is the work of the Holy Spirit, not the apostles.

Conclusion

It is a fairly substantial doctrinal assertion that only the apostles could impart miraculous powers. As such there ought to be substantial scriptural documentation that this is true. There simply isn't.