Cessationism (Part 2)

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-For a number of reasons...

…we’re going to be continuing...

…the study of Cessationism...

…that we began several weeks back.

-Most of you know:

I wasn’t born into the Baptist tradition.

I was born into the Pentecostal/Charismatic Tradition.

Qualifier: Good family. I love them and am Thankful for them. Not meant to insult them.

-Let me also say, that...

…if you weren’t here for Part One...

…you may want to go back...

…and check that out on SermonAudio.

I gave more qualifiers and introductory comments...

…than I plan to do here.

However, after we pray...

…we will review the basics.

Pray

What do we mean by Cessationism?

-Cessationism:

Belief that the charismata—the supernatural gifts of the apostolic church—ceased with the death of John, the last apostle, by the end of the first century or with the completion of the canon of the Scripture — Nelson’s New Christian Dictionary

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What We Don’t Mean:

1. That the Spirit has ceased his work

2. That God has ceased to do miracles (including healing)

Every genuine conversion is a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit.

Along with “normal” miracles

What We DO Mean:

"The Spirit no longer gives believers miraculous spiritual gifts as a normative Christian experience as it was for the Apostles.” - Tim Challies

There are no miracle workers.

Why?

Here’s the Thesis:

Miracles have a very specific purpose in the Bible

Purpose of Signs and Wonders:

-The First Miracle Worker: Moses

God appeared to Moses in the Wilderness and commissioned him to be his spokesman.

Moses brought up the issue of attestation:

Exodus 4:1 (ESV)

1 Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’ ”

So, he is given “attesting signs”

Turn the staff into a serpent (and back again)

To turn his hand leprous and then heal it back

To turn the water of the Nile into blood (on dry ground).

(None of these can be faked!)

-Purpose given:

Exodus 4:5 (ESV)

5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

Stephen summarized Moses’ ministry, like this:

Acts 7:36–38 (ESV)

36 This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.

-An Extant Qualifier:

Deuteronomy 12:32–13:4 (ESV)

32 “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.

1 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,

2 and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’

3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.

-3 Primary Periods of Miracle Workers (show)

Moses and Joshua

Elijah and Elisha

Christ and The Apostles

(Miracles are interspersed throughout the Bible...

...but are often tens or even hundreds of years apart except in these three periods)

(In other words: Not Normative (Like today))

But, remember this overarching expectation:

Deuteronomy 18:15 ESV

15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—

Miracle Workers

Moses 22

Aaron 7

Joshua (son of Nun) 3

Elijah 7

Elisha 16

Jesus 104

Paul 8

Twelve Disciples 6 ?

Peter 4

Daniel (prophet) 2

Exorcist of Demons 2

Isaiah 2

Philip (evangelist) 2

Samuel (prophet) 2

Ananias (disciple) 1

Barnabas 1

Disciples 1

Gabriel 1

Israelites (the Conquest) 1

Man warning Jeroboam 1

Samson 1

Stephen 1

Why is that?

Hebrews 1:1–3 (ESV)

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,

2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power...

Hebrews 2:1–4 (ESV)

1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard...

3 … it was attested to us by those who heard,

4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

John 5:36 (ESV)

36 But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.

Acts 2:22 (ESV)

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—

-Christ’s Apostles (Emissaries)

2 Corinthians 12:12 (ESV)

12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.

Acts 2:42–43 (ESV)

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

Acts 5:11–16 (ESV)

11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

12 ...many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles...

15 ...they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.

16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

Acts 14:3 (ESV)

3 So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

-Even the “Gentile Pentecosts” in the book of Acts were meant to be attestations:

Acts 8:12–17 (ESV)

12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.

14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John,

15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,

16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:44–45 (ESV)

44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.

45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.

Acts 19:5–6 (ESV)

5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.

-These attesting signs were directly linked to the Apostolate.

However ...

-No More Apostles:

Ephesians 2:19–22 (ESV)

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

-Qualifications of an Apostle:

Attesting Signs (Apostolic grade 2 Cor 12:12 above)

Chosen directly by Jesus (Acts 1:21-25; Acts 26:16; Gal 1:1)

Eyewitness of the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:21-25; Acts 26:16; 1 Cor 9:1)

Attesting Signs:

2 Corinthians 12:12 (ESV)

12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.

Chosen by Jesus:

Acts 1:23–25 (ESV)

23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias.

24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen

25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”

Galatians 1:1 (ESV)

1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—

Paul:

Acts 26:16 (ESV)

16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,

Eyewitnesses of the Resurrection:

Acts 1:21–22 (ESV)

21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”

1 Corinthians 9:1 (ESV)

1 ...Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord?

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-So, here’s the logic:

If the sign gifts are linked to the revelatory nature of the Apostolic Deposit of truth...

Then we should expect to see them cease to be given in conjunction with the death of the Apostles.

And indeed, that’s the way it went down:

The Gradual Disappearing of the Miraculous Sign-Gifts

Galatians 4:13–14 (ESV)

13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first,

14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 5:23 (ESV)

23 (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)

Philippians 2:25–27 (ESV)

25 I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier...

26 ...he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill.

27 Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

2 Timothy 4:20 (ESV)

20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus.

A summary from Tom Pennington:

”the practice of the miraculous gifts declines even during the apostolic period. Pentecost and the events of Acts 2 happened within ten days of our Lord’s ascension, . . . The second mention of tongues in Acts 10:46 occurs sometime within the next fourteen years before the death of James in 44 A.D. The third mention in Acts 19:6 occurs early in Paul’s ministry at Ephesus. That’s in the early fifties A.D.

First Corinthians, the only book outside of Acts that speaks about tongues was written in 55 to 56 A.D. Now if you align the New Testament letters based when they were written, 1 Corinthians was only the fourth inspired letter that Paul wrote, following Galatians and 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Paul would write nine other canonical letters after 1 Corinthians to six different churches. There is never a mention of the gift of tongues again.

In the pastoral epistles in 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, the books written near the end of Paul’s ministry as permanent directives for the post-apostolic ministry of the church, there is no mention of the miraculous gifts. - Tom Pennington

The Testimony of Church History:

-The Didache - One of the Earliest Non-Apostolic Christian documents (Late 1st century - John still alive possibly):

Gave instruction on how to discern between true and false prophets and Apostles.

-Montanism: (late 2nd century)

Taught that he and his two prophetesses (common in charismatic circles today) received direct revelation from God.

Taught that Revelation was not yet complete

Claimed to have miraculous sign gifts

Was Sabelian (modalist)

Claimed to be the Paraclete (Holy Spirit)

Many false prophecies including falsely predicting the return of Christ to his home town.

(Note the similarities to today)

Condemned by the early church as heresy because of erroneous doctrine (sola scriptura Dt 13, 18)

-Chrysostom (4th century)

By this time no longer any expectation:

-“This whole place, (speaking about 1 Corinthians 12 and the gifts there) is very obscure but the obscurity is produced by our ignorance of the facts referred to and by their cessation being such as then used to occur but now no longer take place (emphasis mine) — Chrysostom

-Augustine (4th-5th Century)

“At the Church’s beginning the Holy Spirit fell upon the believers, and they spoke with tongues unlearnt, as the Spirit gave them utterance. It was a sign, fitted to the time . . . The sign was given and then passed away. We no longer expect that those upon whom the hand is laid, that they may receive the Holy Spirit, will speak with tongues.“ — Augustine

-Why, it is asked, do no miracles occur nowadays, such as occurred in former times?

-Martin Luther (15th-16th Century)

”The Holy Spirit is sent forth in two ways. In the primitive church he was sent forth in a manifest and visible form . . . it was necessary in the primitive church, which had to be established with visible signs on account of the unbelievers, . . .

But later on, when the church had been gathered and confirmed by these signs, it was not necessary for this visible sending forth of the Holy Spirit to continue.” — Luther

-Jonathan Edwards (18th Century)

“Of the extraordinary gifts, they were given in order to the founding and establishing of the church in the world, but since the canon of the Scriptures has been completed, and the Christian church fully founded and established, these extraordinary gifts have ceased.” — Edwards

-Charles Spurgeon (19th Century)

“Those earlier miraculous gifts have departed from us.” — Spurgeon

-With the exception of a few heretical groups like the Montanists and Quakers (Characterized by unsound doctrine)...

...the Church throughout it’s history did not claim to possess the miraculous sign gifts ...

...Until the 20th Century (120 years ago)

-The modern “Charismatic revival” has also been plagued with unsound (and often heretical) doctrines.

Oneness doctrines

Little gods doctrine

Prosperity Theology

Female Pastors

Word of Faith theology

Blasphemous Prophecies

Many, many false prophecies

Sinless Perfectionism

Spiritual Death of Jesus

Many, Many more.

-Is God attesting this movement? (Dt 13, 18)

2 Thessalonians 2:9

The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders . . .

Matthew 24:24

For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

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-What to do if you’ve been led astray by this movement:

Cry out to God for help.

Study God’s Self-Revelation.

“Test the Spirits” with the written Word.

Pursue Christ himself above his gifts.

I will be here if you need to talk.