(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.
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 2nd 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 2nd 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!
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