Spirit of Light - by Sinclair Ferguson

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Astonishingly, the author, a supposed Bible teacher, doesn't quote a single Scripture. And he creates a contradiction by affirming the Spirit's revelatory nature while simultaneously denying it. Further, he makes several undocumented claims and inferences that cannot be supported by Scripture.

A truly disappointing presentation.

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The reformers placed tremendous stress on the gifts of the Spirit to the whole body of Christ. John Calvin himself has rightly been described as “the theologian of the Holy Spirit” (B.B. Warfield). Yet Reformed Christians always have been given a “bad press” for their views on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. (Why might that be? Is it because cessationists are particularly aggressive towards their theological opponents? Perhaps it is because they so poorly document their doctrines? Or maybe it might be because the Bible doesn't teach the cessation of the miraculous?)

Our conviction is that God purposefully gave some gifts (specifically the ability to work miracles, the gift of revelatory prophecy, and speaking in tongues) only for a limited period. We have solid Biblical reasons for believing this: (The author promises the biblical reasons, but does not quote the Bible.)

1. A temporary manifestation of these gifts is characteristic of God’s pattern of working. Contrary to popular opinion, such gifts as these were given spasmodically in Biblical history. Their occurrence is generally contained within a handful of time periods lasting around a generation each. (This is not a "solid biblical reason," it is an inference from the silence of Scripture. We deal with this false idea here.)
2. The function of these gifts, namely to convey and to confirm revelation (now ceased until Christ’s return), is underlined in the New Testament itself (Acts 2:22, 14:3; cf. 2 Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:3–4). (Let's quote the referenced Scriptures:
   

Ac. 2:22 “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 

Ac. 14:3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders. 

2Co. 2:12 Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me... 

He. 2:3-4 how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

First we note that revelation is not being confirmed, the Gospel is. Second, the gifts are not mentioned in any of these Scriptures except He. 2:3-4, and that Scripture describes widely distributed gifts. Fourth, there is no indication that the gifts confirmed the apostles' ministry. Fifth, there is no indication that these things were only the province of the apostles. Sixth, there is nothing here that shows they have ceased. Seventh, the OT prophets sometimes demonstrated God's power, sometimes not. But for some reason the author thinks it was necessary in the case of the Gospel.)

3. The history of the New Testament suggests (What is suggested is nothing more than an inference.) that by the close of the apostolic age the role of these gifts was being superseded by the completion of the New Testament. (We discuss this errant idea here.) Thus, there is no reference to their presence—or, more significantly, their future regulation—in the Pastoral Letters. (Another Argument From Silence. There is no Scriptural evidence whatsoever that the gifts were being superseded by the completion of the New Testament.)

More could be said here in terms of Biblical Christology, for the outpouring of the gifts of tongues, prophecy, and miracles at Pentecost was specifically intended to mark the coronation of Christ. (Undocumented statement, and not supported by the actual text. In fact, there is no discussion of the coronation of Christ anywhere in Bible. We find Him already crowned in He. 2:9, Re. 6:2, Re.14:14, and Re. 19:2

Further, Peter tells us directly: 

Ac. 2:16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel... 

The strange events of Pentecost was prophesied hundreds of years ago. Specifically, in the last days the Holy Spirit would manifest widely, on all flesh. And we are still in the last days.)

It was, therefore, inherently intended to be a non-permanent feature of the life of the church. ("Life of the church?" But didn't the author previously write, "...the function of these gifts, namely to convey and to confirm revelation (now ceased until Christ’s return), is underlined in the New Testament itself... So which is it, an ability narrowly bestowed on the apostles to write the Bible and establish the church, or a non-permanent feature of the life of the church?)

But in this context, it probably is more important to emphasize another, often-ignored facet of Reformed teaching. It is well-expressed in some words of the great Puritan John Owen:

“Although all these gifts and operations ceased in some respect, some of them absolutely, and some of them as to the immediate manner of communication and degree of excellency; yet so far as the edification of the church was concerned in them, something that is analogous unto them was and is continued” (Works, Vol. IV, p. 475). (The author can quote theologians but cannot quote the Bible?)

What does this mean? Simply this: It is the same Spirit who gives both temporary and continuing gifts to the church. We should not be surprised, therefore, to discover common threads in both.

Perhaps the most important common thread is the Spirit’s ministry in illumination—He enlightens our minds to enable us to know, see, grasp, and apply the will and purposes of God. (Hmm. We would be unable to discern the difference between this and prophecy. And the author will never explain.)

There was an immediacy to illumination in the temporary gifts. The Spirit taught the apostles “all things” (John 14:26) and led them into “all truth” (John 16:13). (We discuss this errant doctrine in detail here.)

Now, however, He continues this work in us through the Scriptures He enabled the apostles to write for us. Indeed, during the Farewell Discourse (John 14–16), our Lord made it clear to the apostles that this would be one of the central ministries of the Spirit in their lives: He would remind them of what Jesus had said (the gospels), lead them into the truth (the epistles), and show them the things to come (e.g. Revelation). (This is a novel perspective, one we have not seen before. The author isolates Jesus' promises to the writing of Scripture, and even categorizes it. He does this without justification or explanation.)

Why, then, are Christians today—in contrast to their fathers—so thirsty to experience immediate revelation from God, when His desire for us is the ongoing work of the Spirit opening up our understanding through the mediated revelation of the New Testament? (The author creates a binary equation where none exists. It is a distinction without a difference. Further, the author has not established that "the ongoing work of the Spirit" is restricted to illuminating Scripture.)

There seem to be three reasons: ("Seems to be?" Apparently the author cannot be bothered to actually speak with charismatics to determine what they believe.)

1. It is more exciting to have direct revelation rather than Bible revelation. It seems more “spiritual,” more “divine.” (Charismatics do not base doctrine on excitement. Further, charismatics clearly teach that the spiritual gifts are not an indicator of maturity or spirituality.)
2. For many people, it feels much more authoritative to be able to say, “God has revealed this to me” than to say, “The Bible tells me so.” (We wish for a single shred of documentation for this assertion.)
3. Direct revelation relieves us of the need for painstaking Bible study and careful consideration of Christian doctrine in order to know the will of God. In comparison to immediate revelation, Bible study seems—to be frank—boring. (Now the author has descended to be merely insulting. Those stupid charismatics don't study the Bible, see, they don't carefully consider doctrine, and the Bible is boring. 

This is the elitist attitude of a "Bible teacher.")

Lest we be brow-beaten (Irony. The author just administered a brow-beating.)

and develop a kind of siege mentality as Reformed Christians, here are some things we should bear in mind about the work of illumination:

1. Jesus experienced it. Yes, our Lord prophesied; yes, He worked miracles. But we would be guilty of Docetism (the view that Jesus’ humanity only seemed to be like ours) and untrue to Scripture if we failed to recognize that Jesus Himself grew in wisdom and favor with God (Luke 2:52) by patiently meditating on the Old Testament Scriptures. (I suspect He probably knew them by heart.) The third Servant Song of Isaiah (Isa. 50:4–11) gives us an extraordinarily moving picture of the Lord Jesus waking up each day, dependent on His Father to illumine His understanding of His Word that He might think, feel, act, and live as the Man full of the Spirit of wisdom and understanding (Isa. 11:2ff).
2. This is the divine method that produces authentic Christian growth, because it involves the renewal (not the abeyance) of the mind (Rom. 12:2) (Abeyance of the mind is not a charismatic teaching.) and it is progressive (it takes time and demands the obedience of our wills). Sometimes God does things quickly. But His ordinary way is to work slowly and surely to make us progressively more like our Lord Jesus. (Undocumented claim.)
3. The result of the Spirit working with the Word of God to illumine and transform our thinking is the development of a godly instinct that operates in sometimes surprising ways. The revelation of Scripture becomes, in a well-taught, Spirit-illumined believer, so much a part of his or her mindset that the will of God frequently seems to become instinctively and even immediately clear (How this is not revelatory is anyone's guess. The author does not document any of these claims) —just as whether a piece of music is well or badly played is immediately obvious to a well-disciplined musician. It is this kind of spiritual exercise that creates discernment (see Heb. 5:11–14).

Well-meaning Christians sometimes mistake the Spirit’s work of illumination for revelation, which, unhappily, can lead to serious theological confusion and potentially unhappy practical consequences. (The author has yet to explain the difference.)

But the doctrine of illumination also helps us explain some of the more mysterious elements in our experience without having to resort to the claim that we have the gift of revelation and prophecy. Here the late John Murray spoke with great wisdom: “As we are the subjects of this illumination and are responsive to it, and as the Holy Spirit is operative in us to the doing of God’s will, we shall have feelings, impressions, convictions, urges, inhibitions, impulses, burdens, resolutions. Illumination and direction by the Spirit through the Word of God will focus themselves in our consciousness in these ways. We are not automata.… We must not think [these things] are … necessarily irrational or fanatically mystical” (Collected Writings, I, p. 188). (The author can quote theologians but cannot quote the Bible?)

God’s Word, illumined by God’s Spirit, is, as Psalm 119 so magnificently shows, the pathway to spiritual stability and liberty. It leads us unwaveringly to knowing, loving, and doing God’s will on a daily basis. It brings joy through light. (Does the author realize that Psalm 119, with its detailed celebration of the wonders of God's law and His word, is an inspired prophetic expression? That is, if the writer of the psalm took the author's advice the psalm would not have been written. It would have been "extra-biblical revelation.")