The inspiration for this series comes from my article, The Apostle Who Divided the Church, in my previous series, Knowing Your Apostles, where I presented Paul as the most controversial apostle. My approach, based on the apostle Peter’s description of Paul’s writings (2 Peter 3:15–16), is to not only clarify some of these doctrines, but also to expose what I believe are revisionist interpretations of them.
Series Question
Have the gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased with the apostles and the early Church?
Introduction
The gifts of the Holy Spirit, as taught by Paul, are among the issues that continue to divide the church today. A brief overview of the controversy is that there are essentially two positions.
The first position, which includes my own, is that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are still present and available to believers. These include speaking in tongues, prophecy, healing, and the discernment of spirits (1 Corinthians 12:4–11).
The second position is that these gifts ceased with the early church. Some within this camp also believe that certain ministry offices, such as evangelists, apostles, and prophets, are no longer needed or have ceased. I will address this topic in a separate post.
I strongly reject labels that divide the church, but for the purpose of this article, it is worth noting that in biblical scholarship, the first position is known as Continuationism, while the second is known as Cessationism.
What I have found is that the position of Cessationists often depends on church denominational traditions. Additionally, this position is frequently based on arguments that overlook passages of Scripture that challenge it.
The Old and New Testament Testimony
I will preface this section with something the angel said to the Apostle John when John fell prostrate before him. The angel said,
“...Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
— Revelation 19:10 NKJV“...Worship God! For the substance (essence) of the truth revealed by Jesus is the spirit of all prophecy [the vital breath, the inspiration of all inspired preaching and interpretation of the divine will and purpose, including both mine and yours].”
— Revelation 19:10 AMP Classic Edition
What this verse communicates is that Jesus is the ultimate authority on truth. Therefore, we must absolutely set aside all our ideas and opinions whenever they conflict with what Jesus has said. Every Christian disagreement should ultimately be settled by the biblical record.
However, unfortunately, this is not always the case, because people would rather read their own ideas into Scripture rather than simply accept what Scripture says.
Speaking in Tongues
Let us begin with speaking in tongues. I am aware that the majority of Christians in America do not speak in tongues. I never thought much about it because I have known Christians who do not, not because they do not want to, but because they have not been blessed with it.
I have known believers who desperately wanted to but were unable to, and I have had the joy of praying for some of them and seeing them break out in tongues.
It was always curious to me why many in America do not until I realized that it was doctrinal—that they do not believe it because of their church traditions. It is one thing to believe it, desire it, and not be able to receive it; it is another to not believe it and not desire it.
For the latter, they are unlikely to ever speak in tongues unless God overrides their will. So, what does the Bible say?
Like with so many other doctrines that Paul has been accused of inventing—which is not true—speaking in tongues was first introduced in the New Testament by Jesus Himself. As part of His farewell messages, He said,
“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues.”
— Mark 16:17
Before ascending into heaven, Jesus also told His apostles and disciples,
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
— Acts 1:8
This was first fulfilled on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. There is nothing in what Jesus said that suggests the gifts would cease.
In fact, Jesus emphasized the Spirit’s power for carrying out the mission of witnessing. To believe the gifts have ceased is, in my view, to conclude that such empowerment is no longer needed.
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
Also, I hinted earlier that it was Jesus who first introduced the concept in the New Testament. Why did I? Because the idea of the gifts of the Holy Spirit was first introduced in the Old Testament.
The Apostle Peter, addressing the crowd who were baffled by hearing the believers speak in their native languages, said,
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.”
— Acts 2:17–18
Notice that although this passage does not specifically mention speaking in tongues, it does mention visions, dreams, and, importantly, prophesying as manifestations of the Holy Spirit’s presence in someone’s life. Peter was telling the crowd that what they were observing had previously been prophesied by the prophet Joel.
By quoting Joel, Peter’s most important message is that this was not some fringe activity; he was grounding it in Scripture.
Biblical Instances of Speaking in Tongues
Scripture presents speaking in tongues as an outward manifestation associated with being filled with the Holy Spirit. There are several instances of this:
First, and foremost, the believers spoke in tongues on the day of Pentecost.
Second, after Peter prayed for Cornelius’ family in Acts 10, the Bible records,
“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.”
— Acts 10:44
Then,
“For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.”
— Acts 10:46
Third, after Paul prayed for the disciples who had likely converted under the preaching of Apollos, the Bible says,
“And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”
— Acts 19:6
What Did Paul Teach?
Paul simply taught a doctrine that was already established and foundational to the Christian faith. Like he often does, he merely elaborated on a doctrine that the early church had already accepted.
This is why, in 1 Corinthians 12, he said,
“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.”
— 1 Corinthians 12:7–10
In these verses, Paul enumerated the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I believe those who say the gifts have ceased, say it either because that is what they have been taught or because they have not experienced it themselves.
Take, for example, prophesying. I recently engaged with a Cessationist, on a Facebook post, who argued that prophecy has ceased and cited,
“...whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease...”
— 1 Corinthians 13:8
However, she overlooked Paul’s later instruction in the next chapter:
“Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.”
— 1 Corinthians 14:1
Paul also wrote,
“I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied...”
— 1 Corinthians 14:5
To illustrate how wrong yet dogmatic Christians can be, when I simply pointed out the above, she blocked me. I assume it was because she did not want her followers exposed to the truth.
How could Paul say that prophecy has ceased while, in the same letter, encouraging believers to desire prophecy and expressing his wish that all would speak in tongues? That would create a contradiction and make his teaching internally incoherent.
I believe that all these gifts are still present today because there is nothing in the biblical record that suggests they are time-bound or have ceased. I have seen and continue to see people manifest these different gifts.
Final Word
I understand that not every believer will speak in tongues or prophesy, and Paul hints at this in 1 Corinthians 14:5, when he said “I wish.” However, I do not believe this is because the gift has ceased or is unavailable. If someone believes these gifts are not for them, they are unlikely to seek or receive them.
I believe many church leaders and believers today are spiritually weak because they have rejected the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The tragedy, in my view, is that this error has left much of the church spiritually weakened.
Your Turn
What do you think? Do you believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit have ceased? If so, what is the basis for your belief?