Ephesians 2:20—23 reads, “...God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” If the Apostles and the prophets were the foundation of the Church, we err if we try and place...
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Confronting Common Arguments and Objections to the Continuation of the Charismatic Gifts — Argument 6
First Corinthians 13:8—10 reads, “Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.”
If the Bible is perfect, being both infallible and inerrant, then the ‘perfect to come’ which Paul writes about...
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Confronting Common Arguments and Objections to the Continuation of the Charismatic Gifts — Argument 5
Second Peter 1:19 reads, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy.”
Peter is contrasting, here, the miraculous manifestation of Jesus’ glorification, which he experienced at the Mount of Transfiguration (vv. 16—18), against “the more sure word of prophecy” — that is, against the Bible. Peter writes, “We have a more sure word of prophecy...” to indicate that the written Word of Scripture is even more reliable...
Friday, September 27, 2013
Confronting Common Arguments and Objections to the Continuation of the Charismatic Gifts — Argument 4
Proverbs 30:6 reads, “Do not add to [God’s] words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.”
Therefore, since prophecy ceased after the death of the last Apostle, anyone who gives a prophecy today adds their words to God’s Word. These false prophets will be reproved by God and be proven liars.The premise of this argument is similar to that of the premise found in Argument 3 — the difference between...
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Confronting Common Arguments and Objections to the Continuation of the Charismatic Gifts — Argument 3
Revelation 22:18—19 reads, “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.”
Therefore, anyone who purports to give a word of...
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Confronting Common Arguments and Objections to the Continuation of the Charismatic Gifts — Argument 2
Hebrew 1:1—2 reads, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son.” The author of Hebrews clearly says here, that God’s manner of speaking to the Fathers — through prophets, dreams, visions, symbols, and parables — was different from the way he speaks to us today, through his Son, in the New Testament. Therefore, we should...
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Confronting Common Arguments and Objections to the Continuation of the Charismatic Gifts — Argument 1
Second Timothy 3:16—17 reads, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” If the inspired Scriptures are profitable for every good work, as Paul tells Timothy, then there is no longer any need for God to speak outside of them. Since we now have the scriptures, in their entirety,...
Confronting Common Arguments and Objections to the Continuation of the Charismatic Gifts
A fruitful debate is one where both parties engaged in dispute rightly understand and accurately represent the position of the person with whom they disagree. My desire for this series of responses to common cessationist arguments and objections are, 1) to provide cessationists with a succinct response to arguments made against miraculous...
Friday, September 13, 2013
The Spirits Never Loved Us
Watch this video of the Hewa people and ask yourself how different their culture is from our own.
Our view of the world is significantly more developed in the industrialized West, so our response to threats appears to us, to be more rational and more civilized than the Hewa's. But our reaction to superstition and to perceived threats from others are little different. Kill the thing that keeps you from indulging your base...
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