Nailing the Coffin Shut on Revelatory Gifts: The Sufficiency of Scripture (Part2)

Recently at a church I attended one of the pastoral staff commissioned a team of youth leaving for a mission trip. He commissioned them based on something "God had told him," when he was a young man. He sent the team out in fulfillment of what God had spoken to him many years prior. I cringed!  It seemed to me that such a statement gave the impression that the team was going out in fulfillment of God's plan for that pastor, and that God's purpose for them individually was secondary. Wasn't the Great Commission the team's authority? No mention of it. Why did the congregation need to know about a specific "prophetic word," that had come to a pastor 30-years before? This "word-from-God," affirmation gave greater significance to his experience, then to the command of Christ. It essentially elevated the words and experience of that pastor above the word of God. Such statements diminish the authority of Christ and His word. 

It is the authority and sufficiency of scripture that is at issue in the debate between continuationism and cessationism. Paul's discussion of the spiritual gift of tongues in the book of Corinthians is part of a section of scripture reminding his readers that unlike their prior mute pagan Gods the Holy Spirit speaks to them and their churches to reveal his Lordship, and directing his kingdom purposes for them(1 Cor 12: 1 -2). "[3] Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit." (1Corinthians 12:3ESV) The purpose of spiritual gifts is the revelation of Christ to the world, to the church, and to each one of us. The current debate about gifts in general, and of tongues in particular, is a discussion about how God reveals himself, and the authority of Divine Revelation. According to 1st Corinthians this is the primary purpose the gift of tongues served. 

Tongues served to reveal that the kingdom had come to earth, and that now Christ reigned over all nations and to reveal God's thoughts and intentions to his people. A person who is speaking in tongues is hearing from God. Elsewhere Peter describes the Pentecost event as the fulfillment of the promise of the New Covenant that God would reveal himself to all people and would rule over all nations. In his sermon, explaining the significance of the Pentecost events, Peter said:

[14] But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. [15] For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. [16] But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

[17] “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams;

[18] even on my male servants and female servants

in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall          prophesy.

[19] And I will show wonders in the heavens above

and signs on the earth below,

blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;

[20] the sun shall be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood,

before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

[21] And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Acts 2:14–21ESV)

So some of spiritual gifts, the ones I will call "the charismatic gifts" of tongues, prophecy, wisdom, and discernment were given as a confirming sign that God's kingdom had come to all nations, and the New Covenant was the principle that now governed God's relationship with all men and women (Heb 2: 1-4). The purpose of some of the spiritual gifts, tongues and prophecy in particular, are revelatory. They served to confirm that God would reveal His plan and purposes for to the apostles at certain time and place. They were given during the apostolic era for a timely reason.

It was the apostles, themselves, whom Jesus had promised to reveal the mystery of the New Covenant and the kingdom. In his High Priestly Prayer Jesus  acknowledged and prays for the revelatory work of the apostles:

[8] For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me...[14] I have given them your word... [17] Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. [18] As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. [19] And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. (John 17:8,14,17–19ESV)

While some may argue that these words were a request made for all believers the context makes that impossible. In the next verse (20) Jesus prays for all those who would believe through the word given to them, the apostles and others in the room. One of the commissions Jesus gave to the twelve was to reveal the Word of God to the world and to his people. Revelation was an apostolic function! Jesus had made that clear to them in the conversation that had preceded the prayer.

Four days prior to his crucifixion Jesus gathered his followers in what has come to be called "the upper room," to announce his departure and prepare them for their mission. The disciples were confused, anxious and felt abandoned. Imagine, they had given everything to follow this Man, and had seen what they were certain was the precursory events to establishing His kingdom, and now He was going to leave them to face the Jewish and Roman opposition on their own. The frustration was evident:  

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ...[8] Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” (John 14:"5,8 ESV)

They are in denial, the beginning stages of grief, when they realize the One they loved was going to be gone. As a Chaplain I often heard a realization of loss expressed many ways as a grieving family member would say, "what am I going to do without them." This is what those in that room were expressing. How were they and their movement to survive and thrive with Him gone? Had they sacrificed everything for nothing? In an extensive discourse to follow Jesus assures, them that he is sending the Holy Spirit whose Presence in them will be more substantial more powerful and more transformative than His bodily presence:

[12] “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12–13ESV)

He makes many promises concernig the role of the Spirit, which He is to give them. He will glorify Christ 14:13; He will enter into a loving relationship with them, enabling them to keep his commands 14:18- 24; He will be the Divine Presence that will accompany them in all things. The title John, the apostle who records this event, gives the Spirit in Greek is "Paracletos" meaning "one who goes along beside." Translators have rendered it "Counselor," "Helper," "Advocate," "Guide," "Companion," all of which are within the range of meaning. These promises were made to his remaining disciples with the expectation that they would reveal the Truth of the message to future believers, and to do that they would be given a special revelation from the Spirit:

[25] “These things I have spoken to you [this is a reference to those he is addressing in the upper room] while I am still with you. [26] But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you...[26] “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. [27] And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning....[12] “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. [13] When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. [14] He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.  (John 14:25–26; John 15:26–27; John 16:12–14 ESV ) 

Through this revelation that He would give to the apostles he would empower them and those who would follow them to bring peace to their troubled, confused, anxious lives not just in the face of his passing, but for eternity.

[27] Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [28] You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. (John 14:27–28ESV) 

The coming of the Spirit and the Revelation would replace his Presence and give them the ability to live in Peace.  The first reference and direct application of this promise is to those within His hearing on that night. The application to us comes through their words and work. It was to be through the revelation they received that future generations would know the Spirit, and know His Truth, and know how to live in the reality of His peace. We know that because of the specific nature of the second person pronoun "you," and of Jesus prayer for them in Chapter 17. 

 As we read Jesus High Priestly prayer in Chapter 17 it is clear that these promises would be delivered to future generations through this small coterie in that room. The promise of a new revelation was given to the Apostles to be delivered to us. Jesus prayed that these First Century initiates into the Spirit would be the messengers of revelation to the next generations:

[21] that they [those who came to Christ through the apostolic witness] may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, [23] I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (John 17:21–23ESV)

How is it that those of us alive today know and live for His glory, how do we find His peace? What is the instrumentation through which the full measure of the gospel, the Holy Spirit, comes? Again notice Jesus' prayer:

[20] “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, (ESV) 

The means through all future generations of disciples would be filled with the Spirit entering in the same Glorious Presence of the Holy Spirit he was promising them was through His "Word" given to his hearers in the upper room. The Holy Spirit is present with us, guides us, counsels us, gives us joy, peace and strength because of our faith in and through the Word given to the apostles and their associates. It is through the Word of God, that we know, Him and He speaks to us.

 This is the concern Paul addresses in 1 Cor 12:1 - 14:40. How do those who used to worship a mute pagan god, hear from the living and true God? This was and remains the significant issue in the debate between continuationists and cessationists. Since the Canon is now complete, is the Word of God sufficient to reveal the objective truth and presence of His Holy Spirit to us, or do our human limitations require some further affirmation and inspiration for our daily lives beyond what Jesus promised. Is His Word sufficient? It seems to me that Jesus' teaching was clear, that the Peace, Presence, and Power of Christ is realized in our lives through the work of the Spirit and the Word of God, and that to need something else would mean that what Christ provide in fulfillment of His promise was insufficient or incomplete. To claim that all Christians need to have tongues or prophetic words to fulfill his promises to them, means his promises are inadequate. He said the revelation would be a "greater work," than what those living witnesses had experienced, and that it would "bring Him" greater glory than anything they had seem when he was present. The gifts of tongues, knowledge and prophecy have passed away because we have all we need in Christ. "The perfect combination of revelation and experience are fulfilled in every believer's union with Spirt and the Word of God. We abide in Him by abiding in His word. (John 15:8). What is it that needs to be continued if revelation in complete?

For me, the teaching of Christ is the first nail in the coffin for continuationists, it closes the case. To be a continuationist one must consider that the words of Jesus in the upper room are in some way expanded or re-defined by the record of the charismatic gifts in the New Testament. There is a deeper, secondary, or more specific revelation that applies the Spirit's illumination and confirmation especially through the gifts of tongues and prophecy in these difficult last days.  In other words, the Scripture is insufficient for revelation and sanctification.  The burden of proof is on the continuationist to show why tongues are even needed or expected to continue.

The Apostle Paul is clear that prophecies, tongues and knowledge will cease at some time future to his writing.  Iin the midst of his long discourse on spiritual gifts he identifies exactly when that cessation will come:

[8] ... As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. [9] For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, [10] but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. [11] When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. [12] 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. (ESV)

Paul is speaking of the perfect that will come and the mirror that will reflect the true glory of Christ. He is speaking knowing in part and of prophesying in part. These are revelatory actions that he claims will soon be completed. He clearly refers to the Canon of Scripture as "the perfect that will come."  The revelation comes that brings me face-to-face with Christ that reveals my true self to me and brings me to maturity is the Word of God (James 1:22-24). This is what Jesus promised the Spirit would reveal to the disciples for His glory. Because of the revelation of Scripture, we unlike the pagans, worship a God who speaks through His revealed word. It is up to my continuationist friends to explain why we should on the basis of this text, or any other expect the charismata to continue.

My continuationist friends who take this as reference to the eschaton are ignoring the context. Paul hasn't even hinted at the eschatological teaching to this point in the book. They are injecting a meaning into the text that is not there.  The sign gifts tongues, prophecy, healing, miracles and discernment were given to certify and authenticate the apostolic revelation, rather than being an experience through which individual believers hear from God, it is confirmation to us that the Word of God and Work of Jesus Christ is complete and is sufficient for all things and for all times; therefore, the sign gifts have ceased in their first century function, never to be seen or heard from again.