Refutation of Cessationism – Part 1

(I am going to post a series on the unbiblical doctrine of cessationism for few weeks with refutation of each arguments for cessationism each week)

Introduction:

Cessationism is a doctrinal stand which says that the miracles, prophecies, tongues, supernatural healings by the Holy Spirit etc., (Charismatic gifts) has stopped after the closure of Canon of Scripture. It is important that we define our terms correctly before starting an argument. So I am going to use the definition of CARM on Cessationism:

“Cessationism is the position within Christianity that the Charismatic Spiritual gifts (speaking in tongues, word of knowledge, word of wisdom, interpretation of tongues, etc.) ceased with the closing of the Canon of scripture and/or the death of the last apostle.”

Many Christians consider Cessationism as a minor doctrinal position like Baptism etc, which means that a person may choose to not to be a cessationist but still his salvation won’t be affected by his stance. Whereas few other Christians are so vocal and some even consider that a person may be damned to hell if he is not believing in Cessationism. Take for example the case of Dr. John MacArthur from his statement in his conference ‘Strange Fire’:

“Why don’t evangelical leaders speak against this (Charismatic) movement?  Why is their such silence? Look When somebody attacks the person of Christ the Evangelical world rises up and says “no, no, no!”  . . . the Holy Spirit has been under massive assault for decades and decades, and Ive been asking the question ‘where are the people rising up in protest against the abuse and the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?‘ The only thing I can suggest is that they have been literally backed up into a corner by intimidation that they need to be loving and accepting and tolerant and not divisive in the body of Christ, thats been the mantra. . .”

According to Dr. John MacArthur, if a person is doing miracles or speaking in tongues in this era, he is damned to hell because he is blaspheming the Holy Spirit, even if he claims to be a Christian and shows signs of regeneration. This is just to show you the seriousness of this issue. Many Cessationist are like him vocally accusing Christians of following a damnable heresy.

Even with this background, I can say that I am a continuationist. I believe that Charismatic Spiritual gifts has not yet ceased. The reason I am doing so is because I have Scripture as my support to prove that Charismatic Spiritual gifts to exist even now. Not only that, I am going to show that all cessationists are basing their theology on slippery slope with no scriptural evidence for their stance. I know I may be branded by these militant Cessationist as a ‘heretic’ for being a Continuationist, but Catholics did the same to the reformers for showing Justification by Faith Alone from Scripture. So I fear God more than the approval of men.

In these series of articles, I am going to disprove Cessationism with one argument at a time for each article. So let me start with the first argument today. For this passage, I would like to ask my readers to keep your bible open with 1Corinthian 13 all the time so that it would be easy for you to follow my arguments as I would be going back and forth the context of those verses to understand and refute cessationism.

Cessationist Argument 1: Charismatic Spiritual gifts will cease when the perfect ( Closed canon) comes (1Cor 13:10):

For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

(1Co13:9-10)

I think an exposition of this text is sufficient for rebuttal of this argument. Let us look at the background of this text. Apostle Paul has written 1 Corinthians to Corinth church which had been struggling with many sinful practices and wrong ecclesiology. In 1Cor 12-14, he gives regulations on how to use the spiritual gifts. As he was encouraging the church to seek for spiritual gifts, he said, love is much more superior to all other spiritual gifts (1Cor 12:31), because love is patient, kind, bears all things, rejoices in the truth. It is superior to spiritual gifts because, love never ends (1Cor 13:8), but prophecies, tongues and knowledge will cease (1Cor 13:8). Paul goes on to say that “when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away (1Cor 13:10)” So both cessationists and continuationists all agree that prophecies and tongues would cease at some point of time when the ‘perfect’ comes. But both differ at this question, when prophecies and tongues cease to exist. Cessationists say that spiritual gifts would cease with the closure of canon, since according to them, in 1Cor 13:10, perfect means ‘closed canon’. Benjamin Warfield held on to this view. Continuationists would say that spiritual gifts would cease when Christ comes back again, when we are all glorified, since ‘perfect’ means ‘glorified body’.

So does ‘perfect’ means ‘Closed canon’ or ‘Glorified Body’?

The greek word for perfect in Verse 10 is ‘Teleios’ which means ‘Complete’. I agree that this can be used for both ‘Glorified body’ and ‘Closed Canon’, I would say the context of this verse seems to suggest that it means ‘glorified body’:

1)     The object of this passage is Corinth church. As I have told you before, Paul is addressing the believers in Corinth Church and instructing them the right doctrines. It is against hermeneutics to suddenly change the object from ‘glorified believers’ to ‘Closure of canon’.

2)      In Verse 8, Paul says ‘knowledge will pass away’. Paul here means our ‘knowledge which we know in part’ passes away (Verse 9). Partial Knowledge cannot pass away until the Second coming of Christ because when Christ comes, we will be knowing clearly about Him because Bible promises about that in Hab 2:14: For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. With the context of Verse 11,12 it would mean only when we see Christ face to face, our partial knowledge will pass away.

3)      Scripture should interpret Scripture. There are similar passages in the Bible which can be used to compare this account. I will quote some here. You can look up the other passages from this website.

“(Matthew 12:32) Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in that which is to come.

(Mark 10:30) but he will receive one hundred times more now in this time, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land, with persecutions; and in the age to come eternal life.

(Luke 18:30) who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the world to come, eternal life

(Ephesians 1:21) far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.”

From these verses, we can see there are two ages. This age and age to come. What is ‘This age’? This earthly life. What is ‘this age to come’? Glorified New heavens and new earth. 

With this in context read these verse now:

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (1Co 13:12)

If we apply the rule ‘Scripture interpret Scripture’, then the best possible meaning for the word ‘face to face’ is ‘Christ in New Heavens after second coming of Christ’, not ‘Closed Canon’. If you disagree here, then you would have to reject 2^nd coming of Christ and be a strict preterist.

This is why John Calvin also comments ‘Perfect’ as ‘Glorified body’ and ‘Face to face’ as ‘seeing Christ when we are glorified after His 2^nd coming’.

“He now proves that prophecy, and other gifts of that nature, are done away, [798] because they are conferred upon us to help our infirmity. Now our imperfection will one day have an end. Hence the use, even of those gifts, will, at the same time, be discontinued, for it were absurd that they should remain and be of no use. They will, therefore, perish. This subject he pursues to the end of the chapter.

9. We know in part This passage is misinterpreted by most persons, as if it meant that our knowledge, and in like manner our prophecy, is not yet perfect, but that we are daily making progress in them. Paul's meaning, however, is -- that it is owing to our imperfection that we at present have knowledge and prophecy. Hence the phrase in part means -- "Because we are not yet perfect." Knowledge and prophecy, therefore, have place among us so long as that imperfection cleaves to us, to which they are helps. It is true, indeed, that we ought to make progress during our whole life, and that everything that we have is merely begun. Let us observe, however, what Paul designs to prove -- that the gifts in question are but temporary. Now he proves this from the circumstance, that the advantage of them is only for a time -- so long as we aim at the mark by making progress every day.

10. When that which is perfect is come "When the goal has been reached, then the helps in the race will be done away." He retains, however, the form of expression that he had already made use of, when he contrasts perfection with what is in part "Perfection," says he, "when it will arrive, will put an end to everything that aids imperfection." But when will that perfection come? It begins, indeed, at death, for then we put off, along with the body, many infirmities; but it will not be completely manifested until the day of judgment, as we shall hear presently. Hence we infer, that the whole of this discussion is ignorantly applied to the time that is intermediate.”

And on the phrace ‘Face to face’, Calvin comments like this:

The ministry of the word, I say, is like a looking-glass For the angels have no need of preaching, or other inferior helps, nor of sacraments, for they enjoy a vision of God of another kind; [802] and God does not give them a view of his face merely in a mirror, but openly manifests himself as present with them. We, who have not as yet reached that great height, behold the image of God as it is presented before us in the word, in the sacraments, and, in fine, in the whole of the service of the Church. This vision Paul here speaks of as partaking of obscurity -- not as though it were doubtful or delusive, but because it is not so distinct as that which will be at last afforded on the final day.

We can clearly see that Calvin also is also interpreting this passage like a continuationist. Christ is what we see face to face when we are perfect.

Also there are two problems if we mean ‘closure of canon’ as ‘perfect’:

1)      It means that the Scriptures were not perfect till the closure of Canon. Just because new testament was not completed during that time, that doesn’t make Old testament Scriptures as ‘imperfect’. For example in James 1:25, he says the law is perfect and he is using the same greek word ‘teleos’. So this view actually undermines the nature of Scripture and opens up the possibility of ‘imperfect Scripture somehow became perfect after canon was closed’ which is fallacious.

2)      If Cessationism is true, then ‘knowledge should have also passed away now if tongues get ceased to exist at the closure of canon’ (1Co 13:8: Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away ). If that is the case, then no one can be believing in Christ! How can anyone believe in Christ without God revealing His knowledge about Christ? Cessationism actually opens up a Pandora box of logical fallacies!

This is the end of my rebuttal of first argument of cessationism. I will refute the other arguments of cessationism in the following articles and I would request my readers to keep following. Soli Deo Gloria!