On The Cessation Of The Charismata The Protestant Polemic Of Benjamin B. Warfield

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On the Cessation of the Charismata: The Protestant Polemic of

Benjamin

B. Warfield

Jon Ruthven*

I. Introduction

Many Evangelicals today

would affirm

Bishop

Butler’s stern rebuke to John

Wesley:

“Sir the

pretending

to extraordinary revelations and

gifts of the

Holy

Ghost is a horrid

thing,

a very horrid

thing.”I

What is the reason for such a revulsion to

contemporary

charismatic

experience? Simply

because,

in the

long

evolution of Christian

theology,

miracles have come to signify the additional revelation of qualitatively new Chris- tian

doctrine, principally,

in Scripture. To claim a revelation or a miracle is

thought

to represent an

attempt, essentially,

to add new content to the Bible.

The modem conflict over the cessation of miraculous

gifts

has ante- cedents as old as the

fairly sophisticated arguments

of

early

rabbinic Judaism. But the cessationist doctrine found its classic

expression

in post-reformation

era Calvinism:

1) The essential role of

miraculous charismata was to accredit normative Christian doctrine and its bearers. 2) While God may providentially

act in

unusual,

even

striking ways, true miracles are limited to

epochs

of

special

divine

revelation, i.e., those within the biblical

period. 3) Miracles are judged by

the doctrines they purport

to accredit: if the doctrines are

false,

or alter orthodox doc- trines,

their

accompanying

miracles are

necessarily

counterfeit.

Since it is widely believed that

Scripture

alone is the basis for Protes- taunt doctrine, it is no

wonder, then, that

the traditional

post-Reformation arguments against contemporary

miracles

(cessationism)

have been widely

disseminated.

Despite accelerating

defection

by Evangelicals from cessationism within the

past

two decades, the case for the contin- uation of the whole

range

of God’s

gifts

and

graces

has

only recently been articulated in terms

beyond

its usual

appeals

to

personal experi- ence, to those based more on serious historical and biblical study. Even within the latter

area,

the case for

continuing spiritual gifts generally rests on a

very

few biblical

texts, usually centering

on 1 Corinthians 13:8-10.

Theologically,

the case is advanced on the

simple

assertion that because miracles are not limited to evidential functions in the Bible, and because

prophecy

is

given mainly

for “edification, exhortation and encouragement”

and not construed as addition to a sufficient

Scripture, the basic cessationist

premise (that

miraculous charismata

necessarily

.

*Jon Ruthven is Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology

at Regent University (formerly

CBN

University)

in

Virginia Beach,

VA.

lCited by Ronald A. Knox, Enthusiasm

(Oxford: The University Press, 1950), 450.

1

determines

more

thorough and

that

15

If the function of the charismata

rather than

simply

premises

sion of

cessationism, Benjamin I believe that Warfield’s

accredit new

doctrine)

is

bypassed.

their

duration,

then their

edificatory,

evidential functions determine their continuation.

The state of the

question may

be further

advanced, however, by a

examination of cessationism’s foundational

premises,

a broader

investigation

of the relevant biblical

witness,

than it has heretofore received. It is to this need that this article is

presently addressed. Its

purpose

is meant to be irenic, undertaken with the

hope

a biblical

understanding

of charismatic function in its

eschatological setting may

defuse the conflict over cessationism.2

The doctrine that

revelatory

and miraculous

spiritual gifts passed away with the

apostolic age may

best be approached by examining the central

of the most

prominent

B. Warfield’s

to

contemporary’cessationism Enlightenment

era

conceptions

turally

in

and

representative

modem

expres-

Counterfeit

Miracles.3

culmination of a

historically

and

than

scrip-

of the

Spirit

of

prophecy,

theological must be

examined; Scripture that

spiritual gifts maturity

lowed

by

polemic-the

evolving argument-fails

because of internal inconsistencies with

respect

its

concept

of miracle and its biblical hermeneutics. I will

argue

that

stands

upon

certain

post-Reformation

of

miracle-as-evidence, upon highly evolved, post-biblical emphases

about the

Holy Spirit,

the

kingdom

of God and their normative

expressions

in the world. The central fault of Warfield’s cessationism is that it is far more

dogmatically

based. His cessationism

represents

a failure to grasp the biblical portrayal

of the

eschatological outpouring

expressed characteristically

the

charismata,

which are bestowed until the end of this

age by

the exalted Christ

–

as manifestations of the advanc- ing Kingdom

of God.

Our

approach, then,

is to review:

1) the historical

evolution of cessa- tionism and the

concept

of miracle on which it depends;

2)

to survey the

setting

in

Scripture against

which the cessationist

and

3)

to scan a few

representative passages

which summarize the

recurring

theme in the New Testament

are

granted

for the advance of God’s

kingdom

and the

of the church until the end of this

present age.

This will be fol-

a review of some biblical

principles applicable

to cessationism.

polemic

of

II. The Historical Evolution of Cessationism and Its View ‘

of Miracle

Benjamin

Warfield’s “Protestant

polemic” against continuing

miracles is “Protestant” in that it seeks to protect the core

principle

of

religious

on which his tradition was based: the final, normative

authority

2This article provides a summary of the author’s findings in his recent Ph.D. dis- sertation. See Jon Ruthven, “On the Cessation of the Charismata: The Protestant Polemic of Benjamin B. Warfield,” Milwaukee, Wisc. : Marquctte University, 1989.

B. Warfield, Counterfeit Miracles, New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1918.

3Benjamin

2

16

Scientists

Deuteronomy

revelation of Christ in

Scripture.

From before the turn of the

century until Warfield

responded

with his work,

Counterfeit

Miracles in

1918, Protestant

religious authority

had come under

increasing attack,

in Warfield’s

view,

from a

variety

of

competing religious

movements. Warfield

perceived

that these

religious

bodies

e.g.,

Roman

Catholics, proto-pentecostals

like the

Irvingites,

faith

healers,

as well as Christian

and the

theological liberals, were,

to some

degree heterodox, because

they

all shared an ominous flaw in faith or practice, an openness to contemporary miraculous

gifts.

Cessationism did not

originate

within orthodox

Christianity,

but with- in normative Judaism in the first three centuries of the Common Era, An early

form of cessationism was directed at Jesus. One of the accusations which led to Jesus’ execution was that he had violated the commands of

13 and

18,

which forbid

performing

a sign or a wonder to lead the

people astray

after false

gods.

The Mishnah and Talmud devel-

oped

a

sophisticated

cessationist charismatic Christians, rabbis.4

; ‘

but

intramurally

ism,

other Christians. God had

Thus

they

came to share with Jews

cited 1 Corinthians 13:10

polemic,

used not

only against early

within Judaism

by competing

Christian

theologians

at first attacked Jews with their own cessation-

but not until the fourth

century

did

they employ

the

polemic against

These

apologists, e.g,

Justin and

Origen, argued

that

withdrawn the

Spirit

of

prophecy

and miracles from the Jews and transferred it to the Church as proof of her continued divine favor.s

an aberrant view of miracle: eviden- tialism. That

is,

the

primary,

if not

exclusive,

function of miracles is to accredit and vindicate the bearer of a doctrinal

system.

Against

some Christian sects who claimed

unique

access to the

Spirit, or that the charismata would cease with them, the orthodox

repeatedly

as proof for the continuation of

spiritual gifts in all the Church until the parousia.

By

the time of Chrysostom

(d. 407), however,

cessationism

provided

the ecclesiastical

hierarchy

with a ready rationale

against complaints

of diminished charismatic

activity

in main-

ran in two

contradictory directions. Miracles

appeared unconditionally: required

as scaffolding for the

Church, which,

once established no

longer required

such

support;

or

that if the Church became more

righteous,

the charismata

6

line churches. Their cessationist

conditionally:

would

reappear.6

John Calvin turned the cessationist cism and the radical reformation,

arguments

polemic against

Roman Catholi- undercutting

their claims to religious

required, righteous,

4Fredrick E. Greenspahn, “Why Prophecy Ceased.” Journal of Biblical Literature 108/1 (Spring, 1989) 37-49.

5See for instance Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 82, and Origen, Against Celsus 2.8.

6Chrysostom, Homily 4 on Matthew, 2 takes the position that they are no longer

while Isidore of Pelusium, Epistle 4.80 argues that were the church more

miracles might once again emerge.

3

17

authority they

based on miracles and revelations. Calvin

popularized

the restriction of miracles to the accreditation of the

apostles

and

specifically to their

gospel, though

he was less

rigid

about cessationism than

many of his followers.7 Nevertheless from

Aquinas through

the

Enlighten- ment,

the

concept

of miracle assumed an increasingly rationalistic

cast, until it became a cornerstone of the

Enlightenment apologetic

of Locke, Newton, Glanville and Boyle, but a millstone

in Hume.8

Hume’s

skepticism

about the

possibility

of miracles, the ultimate ces- sationist

polemic (which exemplified

Warfield’s historical/critical method in his examination of post-biblical miracle

claims), precipitated

the re- sponse

of Scottish Common Sense

Philosophy,

a somewhat rationalistic apologetic

made

widely popular by

William

Paley’s

Christian Evi- dences.

Paley argued

from the divine

design

of nature,

predictive (Messianic) prophecy

and from

(biblical)

miracles. Scottish Common Sense

Philosophy epistemology

was short-lived in Europe but came to dominate American

thought

so

thoroughly

that for about a century, the Romantic

reaction,

so widespread in Europe, scarcely gained a foothold. Nowhere had the

Enlightenment

era Scottish

philosophy

been more

‘

warmly

nurtured than at Princeton

seminary,

where Warfield was its last major expression.

Warfield seems unconscious of the

impact

of Scottish Common

Sense

Philosophy

on his

thought,

but his

Counterfeit

Miracles rests

solidly

on its

epistemology,

and from

it,

his

concept

of

miracle, discernible as such to anyone of “common sense.”

Warfield’s

concept

of miracle

required

an

essentially

deistic view of nature invaded

by

a supernatural force so utterly transcendent

that,

to an impartial

observer

acquainted

with the facts, no possible natural “means” could

produce

such an effect. A miracle must be instantaneous, absolute and total to qualify. A startling, dramatic

healing may

occur

today

so that “the

supernaturalness

of the act

may

be

apparent

as to demonstrate God’s

activity

in it to all right-thinking minds conversant with the facts.” But to call such an event a miracle is to obscure the division between miracles and the

“general supernaturals Similarly,

Warfield divides New Testament

spiritual gifts

into those which are

“distinctively gracious” (“ordinary” gifts)

and those which are

“distinctly

miraculous” (“extraordinary”) gifts.

On the one

hand, Warfield insists

that

making

such distinctions is “simply

a

question

of

evidence,”

and on the other a matter of one’s a priori. to It is no that when Warfield

–

surprise, then,

.– –

spends perhaps

7John Calvin, Institutes

of the Christian Religion 1.8.5; 4.8.7, 9; 4.14.18; and 4.19.6, 7, 18, 19. All references are to John T. McNeill, ed., Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion, Ford Lewis Battles, trans. The

and

Library of Christian Classics 20

21, Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1960.

8See the discussion in Robert Bums, The Great Debate on Miracles (East Brunswick, NJ: Associated University Press, 1981), 47-69.

9Warfield, Counterfeit Miracles, 163.

‘

lOJohn A. Meeter, ed., The Selected Shorter Writings of Wafield (Philppsburg:

4

18

– ‘

97% of

Counterfeit

Miracles miracles

throughout inventory

of objections already

the evidence on

post-biblical he arrives at “an

incomparable

Warfield at the outset has

“sifting”

Church

history,

to the

supernatural.”11

decided their fate when he insists that miracles

may only

occur as “the credentials of the

Apostles”

and

“necessarily passed away”

with them. 12 Warfield’s cessationism involves a double standard: in Counter- feit

Miracles he

applies

the same rationalistic critical methods as Hume and Harnack to postbiblical miracles that he attacks in liberal critics

who

apply

them to the biblical accounts.

evidence,” an event

perceived,

cal, but his

understanding

ciency

of

revelation,

communicating, applying

“The natural man cannot

by

the

of miracle-discernment unbibli-

a

but does not

knowl-

Biblically,

discernment of a miracle is neither

“simply

a question of

nor is it

simply

based on one’s a priori

position.

A miracle is

in

varying degrees

of

accuracy (e.g.,

John

12:29), by

divine revelation. But most

significantly,

accept

the matters

[gifts]

of the

Spirit”

for

they

are “discerned Spirit” (1

Cor

2:14).13

Not

only

is Warfield’s

understanding

of their function as well.

By demanding strict evidentialist function for miracles, Warfield confuses the suffi-

(i.e.,

in the

unique

historical manifestation of Christ and essential Christian

doctrine)

with the

ongoing

means of

and

actualizing

that

revelation, (i.e.,

via such charismata as prophecy and

miracles).

We see below that the charismata do not so much accredit the

Gospel

as

they express

and concretize the Gospel.

Just as sound and

inspired preaching applies,

the all-sufficient

Scripture,

so true

gifts

of

prophecy,

or wisdom reveal human

needs, directing

them to God’s truth within the

eternally-sealed

limits of the biblical canon. Just as

gifts

of administration or hospitality

tangibly express

the

gospel

and advance the

of

God,

but do not alter its doctrinal

content, so likewise do gifts

of healing and miracles function.

For Warfield, the inerrant

authority

of

Scripture

was the bedrock of his

theology.

So it is ironic that in

only

a few scattered

pages

of Coun- terfeit

Miracles does he seek

scriptural

for his cessationist

change, edge

kingdom

polemic.

support

III. A

Biblical/Theological

Charismatic

Eschatological,

Advance of the

Kingdom

theology

Warfield’s

polemic

failed to

comprehend

when it addressed the crucial

eschatological

Response

to Cessationism: The

Spirit

Manifests the

of God until the Parousia

the broad

sweep

of biblical

dimension of the

Presbyterian and Reformed, 1973), 175.

llColin

Brown, Miracles and the Critical Mind (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984), 199.

‘

–

Counterfeit Miracles, 6.

“On the Cessation of the Charismata,” 159-174.

l2w?el? l3See Ruthven,

5

charismata in pneumatology God. These doctrines, theologies,

have

19

of the

Kingdom

of

and in the

presentation

as

they appear

in classical Protestant

systematic

been

grotesquely misshapen by

a long evolution of tan- gential dogmatic

conflicts. Even after

competent

biblical studies have been

published

on these areas, not

only Warfield,

but most other

sys- tematicians have been reluctant to utilize the results. Warfield’s eviden- tialist function for

miracles,

the foundation for

cessationism,

tionistic and

superficial

in view of the

dominating

role for miracles in the

biblically formulated, eschatologically tology

and the

kingdom

of God.

is reduc-

conditioned doctrines of pneuma-

A. A Biblical Doctrine

of the Holy Spirit

is Inimical to Cessationism Warfield’s desire to limit the

Spirit’s contemporary

mode

pneumatology apply

teristically,

“subsequent [post-apostolic]

miraculous and

revelatory

work is not

only

to confuse the

finality

of revelation with its

of

presentation

and

application,

but also to

change

the essential character of the

Holy Spirit

as

biblically

defined. It also alienates his

from its clear and authoritative biblical

grounding.

If we

Warfield’s own biblical hermeneutic to every scriptural context on the

Holy Spirit,

it reveals a profile of the

Spirit’s activity

that is charac-

if not

exclusively, miraculously

charismatic-the virtual consensus of serious biblical

scholarship. Specifically,

in a broad

sense, the

Spirit

of the Bible is the

Spirit

of prophecy. To

speak

of the

Spirit’s

work” as

functioning only

within the Calvinistic ordo salutis, demonstrates that the

Holy Spirit

of

post- Reformation cessationism is far removed from the portrayal of the

Spirit in the canonical

Scriptures.

Most

significantly,

Warfield’s

pneumatology fails to account for the

great

Old Testament

promises

of the

specifically

to be poured out

upon

all

eschatological generations who believe,

beginning

with those in the New Testament era

(Isa 47:3;

Joel

2:28-32;

cf. Acts

2:4, 38).

prophetic Spirit

59:21;

B. A Biblical Doctrine

of the Kingdom of God is Inimical to Cessation-

ism

against 9:35; 10:6, 7;

12:28//Luke

rabbi’s

good disciples,

of the doc-

10:1-2, 9, 11;

Acts

mission was to

with his

Warfield failed also to address the

important implications

trine of the

Kingdom

of God. Its nature is

essentially

that of warfare

the

kingdom

of Satan and its ruinous effects

(Matthew 4:23;

11:20;

Luke

9:2, 60;

10:38).

The New Testament teaches that

Jesus’ earthly

inaugurate

the

kingdom

of God in charismatic

power,

and that he is to continue that mission

through

Christian believers,

beginning

disciples

and their converts and

continuing

until the end of the

age.

As a

his followers are to

duplicate

exactly

his work

(“teaching

them to

obey

all that I commanded Matthew

28:20),

in this

case,

to demonstrate and articulate the inbreak- ing Kingdom.

This is shown

by: (1)

an

analysis

of the

commissioning_ accounts of Matthew 10, Mark 6, Luke 9 and 10; Matthew 28:19-20 [cf

and continue

you,”

6

20

15:12). Thus,

way

tively expressed by any gelized

crowd of

pagans, wherever the

Spirit displaces

healing

or

reign

way

in articulated in Acts; and

(3) by the

the Gentiles

throughout 2 Cor

12:12;

1 Th

1:5,

cf. Acts

kingdom

of God are norma-

itself,

of the cases

24:14],

Luke 24:49 and Acts

1 :4, 5, 8; (2)

the characteristic

which the

kingdom

was demonstrated/

summary

statements of Paul’s

ministry among

his

epistles (Rom 15:18-20;

1 Cor

2:4;

the

“signs

of a true

apostle,”

or of

any Christian,

do not

accredit

anyone

as a bearer of

orthodoxy,

but rather, characterize the

in which the commissions of Jesus to

proclaim

and demonstrate

(“in

word and

deed”)

the

eschatological

believer. Whether in the context of an

unevan-

or within the Church

community

the

kingdom

of darkness in its various ‘

manifestations of

evil,

whether

sin,

sickness or demonic

possession,

the

kingdom

of God has

provisionally

arrived. Such victories of repentance,

other restoration from the demonic

world, represent

a con-

tinuing, though partial experience

of the

fully

realized and uncontested

of God to come.

The essential nature of the

Kingdom

of God is divine

power-directed

toward reconciliation of human

beings

to

God,

of righteousness, peace

and joy-displacing the rule and ruin of the demonic

(“The kingdom

of

God does not consist in

talk, but

in

8ÚJ,laj1LS”,” 1 Cor 4:20).

Of the

ninety-eight

contexts of divine

8Waj1LS” in the New Testament, sixty-five

refer to what the Protestant tradition would

designate

as “extraordinary”

or “miraculous” charismata.

Thirty-three

refer to the

power

of God without clear indication in the immediate context as to the exact

way

in which God’s

power

is

working

The New Testament miracles do not

appear simply

to accredit

preach-

“the

word”);

rather the

preaching

in most cases articulated the

in its

Christological setting

and

demanding

a believing

and

repentant response. Presently,

the exalted Christ continues to pour out His charismata

upon

His Church to empower His

kingdom

mission

the end of the

ague. 15 It is simply

unbiblical to say as Warfield

does, that after an initial

outpouring

of

spiritual gifts

in the

apostolic age

to reveal and establish Church

doctrine,

the exalted Christ’s “work has

ing (or, miracle,

placing

it

until

been done.”16

C. The Specifically

Eschatological

Warfield’s failure to

grasp

Dimension

of the Doctrines of Pneu-

matology

and the

Kingdom of God

Is Inimical to Cessationism

the

eschatological implications

for cessa- tionism is

perhaps

his most crucial

oversight.

He nowhere notices that

the

Spirit

of prophecy and miracles

apply

two

comings

of the Messiah; that Jesus’

the Old Testament

promises

of to the entire time between the

l4See the discussion of the Holy Spirit and his relation to charismatic power in the appendix of the author’s dissertation, “On the Cessation of the Charismata,” esp. 323.

iSSee below, section III D. 16W??eld, Counterfeit Miracles, 28.

7

21

“authority/power” granted

in his commissions to his Church is extended to all nations and is to continue until the end of the

age-a frequently repeated

theme in the New Testament

epistles.

The

Spirit

of revelation and

power

is bestowed all

during

this

age

as his own

“downpayment,” “first-fruits” or “taste” of “the

powers

of the

age

to come,” until the time of the fullness of the

Spirit

in the consummated

kingdom

of God. The first

coming

of Jesus

represented,

in Oscar Cullmann’s

metaphor,

“D- Day”

the decisive battle

(properly

at the

resurrection)

which

raged on, with its

sufferings,

victories and

defeats,

toward its ultimate

victory

at “V-Day” (the parousia).

Below are

diagrams

of the Old and New Testa- ment views of

history

which

originated

from a Princeton

Seminary colleague

of Warfield’s, Gerhardus Vos, in his Pauline

Eschatology.17 The

original

schema of the Old Testament and the rabbis was

strictly linear.

This Present Age The Age to Come

.

Messiah

all Israel comes; become Spirit poured out; prophets

Tune -4 Tlrne –

1 I ________

The New

Testament, however,

introduces the

overlapping period, during-which

time the Church carries out the final commission

by

the power

of the

Spirit

sent from the exalted Lord Jesus. The first two verti- cal lines

represent

the

ministry,

resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and the

second,

his parousia at the end of this

present age (7] 7 CUtITeACLa, 7-6 TeA – t 0 P) :

The

Kingdom of God, i.e., the Age to Come

>

.

The Exaltation of Christ e

.

‘ Kingdom now

of God Consummation of the of

partly realized appears in Satan’s defeats, Totality kingdom & Kingdom Spirit’s Intermittent O.T. Period: gift

e.g., in work in all creation: time of of repentence, exorcism,

I complete peace, sinlessness and healing. The Spirit now

Spirit to key

health

individuals

appears “in ?art” as ?ma? ? & åppaf3t.!P to believers

.

‘

Tune a

on Jesus earth .

N.T. eriod

t_____________

The New Testament

expressly

ties the

presence

of the charismata to the exalted

Lordship

of Jesus.

During

his

earthly ministry,

Jesus

promised the

Spirit

to “those who believe in him”

only

after he was exalted:

“Up to that time the

Spirit

had not

yet

been

given,

since Jesus had not

yet been

glorified” (Jn 7:39). Similarly,

the Paraclete cannot come until

l?Gerhardus Vos, Pauline Eschatology (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Pub- lishing Company, 1930; repr. 1961), 38.

8

22

Jesus has

gone

to the Father

(16:7,17).

The

“greater

works” of those who believe in him can be

performed only

because Jesus

goes

to his Father

(14:12).

Peter continues the same theme in Acts: “Exalted to the right

hand of

God,

he has received from the Father the

promised Holy Spirit,

and has

poured

out what

you

now see and hear”

(2:33).

The same Jesus whom God has made “both Lord and Christ”

now,

on the basis of repentance and

baptism,

will bestow the

gift

of the

Holy Spirit to all

(2:36b, 38-39). Against

this brief sketch of the

place

of charismata in biblical

theology,

which was

largely

available in the

scholarship

of his day,

Warfield never made a reply.

Finally,

Warfield the

exegete, beyond

his failure to

engage

the theo- logical

issues

above,

failed even to

acquaint

himself with the

brief, but significant passages

of

Scripture

which in and of themselves

taught

the continuation of the charismata. It is because Warfield is first and fore- most the

biblicist,

and because he claims to have structured his whole polemic

on “two

legs,”

an

investigation

into

history

and

Scripture,

that his omission is so glaring and so disappointing.

D. New Testament

Passages Reiterating

the Pattern

of Continuing Charismata

during

the Time

of Christ’s

Present Exaltation until the End of the Age

The

following

are a series of

paraphrases

of

Scriptures

which restate the role of the charismata in the

eschatological

framework outlined above: the charismata continue

during

this

age

to minister toward the

(as yet unrealized) goal

of

complete maturity

of the church.

Again,

ex- pressed biblically,

the divine

“Spirit”

is

presented

in

Scripture

as asso- ciated

primarily

and

essentially performing

charismatic

operations.18

.

1. 1 Corinthians 1:4-8 “I

always

thank God for

you because

of God’s

grace (including

the whole

range

of charismata) because in every way you

have been enriched in him—-in

every

kind of speech

(including prophecy)

and in every kind of knowledge (including the

gift

of revealed knowledge).

You are

doing

this now

exactly

as

(Ká8CùS’) the testimony

of Christ was confirmed in

you (that is, charismatically, by

the

apostles and/or

evangelists

who first demonstrated/articulated the

gospel

to you)-with

the result that

you

do not now lack

any spiritual gift during the time

you

are

awaiting

the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(The Lord)

will also

(not merely

when the

gospel

first came to

you,

or even only now,

but

will)

continue to confirm/strengthen you (in the same

way as

you

are now

experiencing

the charismata in the time

you

are “awaiting”

the

end)

until the end, so that (via the

strengthening

and

puri- fying

charismata which

generates growth

and

progressive maturity) you will be blameless on the

day

of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2. 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 “Love never ends: it continues on into

full

exegetical support for these interpretive paraphrases

is available in the author’s dissertation.

–

9

23

the

age

to come. But wherever the charismatic

operations

of prophecies, tongues speaking

or revealed

knowledge occur, they

will be ended. Like childhood, they

all

represent

an

incomplete, yet necessary stage

of God’s eternal

plan.

But when will these three

(representative) gifts, i.e.,

the charismata generally,

cease? The

eschatological principle

is this: when the

complete (end) arrives,

at that

precise point,

the

incomplete

will be ended. Specifically,

when Christ returns at the end of this

present age, then, and not a moment before, the

charismata-gifts

of

prophecy, tongues and revealed

knowledge

here offered as examples-which are incom- plete compared

to the ultimate

heavenly

realities

they only

now

indicate, will all come to an end,

having

served their

temporary purpose. Let

us note three or four illustrations of this

point. First,

when I was a baby (representing

our

present existence)

I

babbled, thought

and reasoned

(i.e.,

the

present

charismata of

speech

and

knowledge)

like a baby-a necessary

and

positive development

to be sure-all of which would be related to what was to come. But at adulthood

(our

existence in

heaven),

thins stage is

superseded by vastly greater powers

of com- munication, thinking

and

reasoning.

Second,

in the

present age,

the charismata

only

serve as indirect or indistinct

perceptions

of God or his will, like

looking

into a mirror or a photograph.

But in

heaven,

the mirror or

photograph (the charismata) are

unnecessary

if we can see God ‘face to face.’ At that

point

these

items,

which had

helped preserve

the somewhat distant

relationship,

will

have served their

purpose

and will be

discarded,

since we will have the

real

person

before us.

Third,

in this

present age,

I know God, but the charismata reveal Him

to me

only

in

glimpses

and hints. But

then,

in

heaven,

I will know God

(Kd0mr) exactly as,

and to the same

degree

God knows me- now. Of .

what use will be those tentative and

imprecise gifts

of revealed knowl-

edge

under those conditions?

Fourth,

in this

present age, faith, hope

and

love,

all three

function,

but

like the other

charismata,

faith

(which

is a charism of revelation, which,

if acted

upon,

can

produce

miracles or

any

other

aspect

of God’s salva-

tion),

and

hope (another gift

of God which is

superseded

if it results in

the

presence

and

reality

of its

object),

will both be

unnecessary

because

of their

“waiting” characteristic;

in heaven, the

waiting

will be over.

By

contrast,

love is

greater, because,

unlike

faith,

hope

and the other

charismata,

love never ends.”

3. Ephesians

4:11-13

“[The

ascended

Christ] gave

some

apostles,

prophets, evangelists,

and

pastor-teachers (not

to accredit the

gospel

or

its

bearers, but)

for the

perfecting

of the saints toward the work of min-

istry,

toward the

building up

of the

body

of Christ.

[But

for how

long?]

These

gifts

are

distributed,

in principle

(vs. 7) “to each” until

ongoing process

of distribution-the

following

state is

attained, i.e.,

10

24

that we all arrive: at the

unity

of the

faith,

at

the full knowledge

of the Son of

God,

into full, mature

adulthood,

that

is,

to the level of stature (maturity)

of the fulness of Christ.”

(Note:

even Paul has not “attained”

to this state

[Phil 3:12]). 4.

Ephesians

1:13-23 wisdom and

understanding”

In the context of believers’

(1:8)

Holy Spirit,

“incomparably great,” etc.,

receiving

“all and Paul’s continued

prayer

for the

great

same

(1:17)

and to experience

(“know”) “[Christ’s] incomparably power”-[like

that of the

resurrection],

Paul describes the time frame: “In

him,

when

you believed, you

were marked with a seal, the

promised

who is a deposit

[or

first installment-the first

payment

of the same to follow]

guaranteeing

our inheritance

(described,

inter alia as

like resurrection

power

in

1:19),

until

(Els) the

redemption

of those who are God’s

possession-to

the

praise

of

his

This state of affairs is active in believers and is paralleled to the exaltation of Christ which occurs “not

only

in the

present age,

but also

glory.”

in the one to come”

(1:21-23, cf 2:6). 5.

Ephesians

power through

with all the

you may

who is able to do

immeasurably

3:14-21

Paul’s

prayer

is that the readers

may

“have

the

Spirit”

that in love

they “may

have

power together

saints

[an explicit

universal

application]

… to the

goal

that be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God. Now to him

more than all we ask or

imagine,

church and

Amen.” Cf. Isa 59:21. 6.

Ephesians

according-to

the power that is at work within us, to Him be glory, in the

in Christ

Jesus, throughout all generations for

ever and ever.

grieve

1:13-23 above, the time

period

ongoing redemption.” 7.

Ephesians

4:30 With

Ephesians

of the

Spirit’s prophetic presence

in the believer is restated: “Do not

the

Holy Spirit

of God

[an

allusion to ignoring prophetic warn- ing, e.g.,

Isa 63:10? cf.

Eph 4:29]

with whom

you

were sealed

[an

mark of

ownership

and

protection]

parousia,

until

(Eis)

the

day

of

of the

ing ?

5:15-19 In the

present

evil

days (characteristic time of the Messianic woes

[Matthew 24:9-12;

1 Tim

3] preceding

the

don’t be drunk on

wine,

but continue to “be filled with the Spirit (cf Jer

23:9; Amos 2:12;

Acts

2:13,15;

Luke

1:15). Speak

to one another with

psalms, hymns

and

spiritual songs” (i.e., glossolalic sing-

1 Cor

14:13-17)-perhaps representative

of the whole

range

of charismatic/prophetic operations

to continue

during

these

“present

evil

days.” 8.

Ephesians “miracle/mighty

(closely

associated

with

6:10-20 “Be

empowered

work” in the

NT)

in the Lord and in his

mighty power …

struggling against

demonic forces … with sword of Spirit-the word of God

(prophecy?-and

constant

prayer. [Since

we are in the time of

that Jesus

predicted

about

standing

before

magis- trates, etc.]

pray

that words will be

given

me”

[divine passive] (Matthew

the Messianic woes

11

25

.

10:19b-20 // Mark 13:11-“it is not

you speaking

but the

Holy Spirit”).

9.

Philippians

1:5-10 “Christ who has

begun

a

good

work in

you will

carry

it on to completion until the

day

of Christ Jesus. What work? sharing

in God’s

grace (and imitating Paul, 3:17; 4:9-necessarily including

the charismata

(cf.//

Matthew 28:20

“teaching

them all that I have commanded

you”)

in

defending

and

confirming-a

word in this context

speaking

of

charismata, signs

and

wonders).

And this is

my prayer:

that

your

love

may

abound more and more in

knowledge

and perception (charismata

of revelation), so that

you may

be able to discern what is best and

may

be

pure

and blameless until

the day

of Christ.”

10. Colossians 1:9-12 “We have not

stopped praying

for

you

and asking

God to fill

you

with the

knowledge

of his will

through

all

Spiri- tual wisdom and

understanding (revelatory gifts) … being strengthened with all

power

… to build

spiritual maturity, looking

toward

(though already provisionally experiencing)

the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom

of

light.

Indeed we have

already

been

brought

into that

king- dom.”

11. 1 Thessalonians 1:5-8 In view of the

rabbi-disciple

model in #9, above,

the normative

expression

of the

gospel

in “word and deed” in this

passage

is intended for transfer to Paul’s churches: “our

gospel came to you not

simply

with

words, but also

with

power (lv

with the

Holy Spirit

and with

deep

conviction…. You became imitators of us and of the Lord…. And so

(it follows) you yourselves

became models to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.” The

pattern

of the gospel’s

normative

pattern

of transmission in the miraculous

power

of the

Spirit

was carried over into a third

generation-two away

from

Paul, i.e., those

upon

whom

apostolic

hands would not be laid! All with the goal

of building Christian

maturity

until the end of this

age.

12. 1 Thessalonians 5:11-23 In a

strong eschatological

context of the parousia Paul

encourages

believers to continue

edifying

each other in love: “Do not

put

out the

Spirit’s

fire

[paralleled with];

do not treat prophecies

with

contempt.

Test them and heed the

good ones,

in view of the

goal

of being blameless at the

coming

of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls

you

will be faithful to preserve

you (using

these charis- mata,

cf. 1 Cor

1:4-8, etc.).”

13. 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 “For which-in an

ongoing pro- cess toward the

goal [that you

will be counted

worthy

at the

coming

of Christ]

we

constantly pray

for

you

that our God will count

you worthy and

may

fulfill

your every good purpose

and

every

work

of faith

in power (ey 8wáf.J.éL), so that the name of our

Lord Jesus

might

be

glori- fied in you and

you

in him.”

14. 1 Peter 1:5

“Through

faith

you

are

being

shielded

by

God’s power (EV 6vvdpei),

until

(Els)

a salvation

ready

to be revealed at the

12

26

last time.”

15. 1 Peter 4:7-12 “The end of all

things [the goal

and context of this

warning]

is near…. Each one should use whatever

spiritual gift

he has received to serve

others,

faithfully administering

God’s

grace

in its various forms. If

anyone speaks-as

the oracles of God.” Most com- mentators see this as a reference to New Testament

prophecy.

The

pare- nesis is

given against

the

approaching end,

with the

understanding

that prophecy

is to be operative up until that

point.

16. 1 John 2:26-28 As an antidote to false

prophets,

John encour- ages

the

gift

of prophecy: “Dear

children, this

is the last hour … But all of you

have an

anointing

from the

Holy One,

and all of

you

know the truth…. As for

you,

the

anointing you

received from him remains in you,

and

you

do not need

anyone

to teach

you.

But as his

anointing teaches

you

about all

things

and as that

anointing

is real, not counterfeit just as

it has

taught you,

remain in him…. continue in

him, so

that when he appears we

may

be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.”

This

passage

is

strikingly parallel

to the

promise

of the Para- clete to the

apostles (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13f).

Here the

promise comes from

an

apostle

to the

general

readers!

17.

Jude

18-21

[As

Jesus

prophesied]

“In the last times … there will be those who follow their own human

desires,

and who do not have

the

Spirit. By contrast, you, beloved, during

these same “last

times,” edify yourselves

in

your

most

holy

faith

by praying

in the

Spirit.” “Praying

in the

Spirit”

= praying

in response to the direct

leading

of the Spirit-a revelatory process, or,

as in 1 Cor

14:4,14,15,

in

glossolalic prayer (“one

who

‘prays

in the

Spirit’ edifies himself).

Each of these

passages, then,

continues the

pattern

of Jesus’ commis- sions to his disciples to demonstrate/articulate the

Kingdom

in the

power of the

Spirit-to

the

12,

the 70

(72),

the 120-as

archetypes

of “all of the Lord’s

people” (including

the readers of these

verses)

whom Moses wished would all be filled with the

Spirit

of prophecy

(Num 11:29; cf., Isa

59:21;

Joel

2:28-30;

1 Cor

14:1,5,39).

E. The Clear Statements

of Scripture Regarding

the Charismata Are Inimical to Cessationism

Warfield also fails to perceive that the

explicitly

stated commands to fulfill the biblical conditions for the manifestation of the

charismata (e.g., repentance,

faith and

prayer)

contradict his unconditional,

tempo- rary

connection of the charismata with the

apostles

and the introduction of their doctrine. He also fails to account for the

many explicit

biblical commands

directly

to

seek, desire

and

employ

the

very

charismata he claims have ceased. How can Warfield

ignore

these

biblically explicit conditions and commands for the continuation of the charismata, if, as he

insists,

the Bible continues as the normative

guide

to the Church for her faith and praxis?

13

27

1. Commands to Faith and

Prayer

the Charismata

for the

Appearance

of

The New Testament

repeatedly

exhorts its readers that the

appearance of God’s charismatic

power

correlates with human

response, specifi- cally,

in faith and prayer. This need not

imply

that these work

magically, in some sense

“forcing”

God to act. But it is clear that

anyone, quick- ened

by

the

Spirit,

is

commanded,

either

by precept

or

example,

to respond,

for

example,

in faith and

prayer

to God’s

graces. Peter,

in his Pentecost sermon

urges, “Repent

and be

baptized every

one of

you,

in the name of Jesus Christ so that

your

sins

may

be

forgiven.

And

you will receive the

gift

of the

Holy Spirit.

The

promise

is for

you

and

your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

Repentance, aggressive turning

from this

present

world to enter the

kingdom

of God and its charismatic

blessings,

is a

strong

theme in the

teaching

of Jesus

(e.g.,

Matthew

13:44-45; 10:7,8//Luke 9:1,2; cf. 10:9).

In the

synoptic gospels,

almost all of the references to faith relate it to the

power

of God for

physical

needs, primarily healing. Jesus stresses the need for faith for miracles

(“your

faith has saved

you”: (Mark. 5:34//Matthew 9:22//Luke. 8:48,

cf.

7:50);

“made

you

whole”:

(17:19; Mark. 10:52// Luke 18:42). The context shows similar connections in Matthew 8 :10//Luke 7:9, cf. Jn. 4:46-54; Mark. 2:5//Matthew

9:2;

Luke. 5:20;

Matthew 15:28, cf. Jn. 11:40. Even for control over the elements Jesus commands faith

(Mark. 4:40//Matthew 8:26//Luke. 8:25);

even to walk on the water

(Matthew 14:31),

to

uproot

mountains and trees

by faith

(Mark. 11:20-25;

Matthew

17:20-21; 21:20- 22; Luke. 17:6, cf. 1 Cor.

13:2).

In

fact,

he

says, “Everything

is possible to those who have faith”

(Mark. 9:23)! Conversely,

where there is unbelief Jesus does no miracles

(Mark. 6:5-6//Matthew 13:58).

This commitment is carried on in the

apostolic

church. The

story

of the healing

of the lame man teaches

explicitly

that miracles do not derive from

apostolic

accreditation,

but from the

power

of faith

(in

this case, that of the lame

man)

in the exalted Christ

(Acts 3:12, 16;

cf.

4:9-12;

see the

similar

teaching

in

14:9).

Paul commands his readers to

“prophesy according

to

your

faith”

(Rom. 12:6;

cf.

12:3; Eph. 4:7,16), and con- nects the faith of a local

congregation,

not accreditation of doctrine, with the

working

of miracles

(Gal. 3:5). Cyril

H. Powe1119 cites a number of similar

examples

in Paul and

concludes,

“Paul has learned that 1T{OILS’ [faith]

is the

way

to God’s

gifts [of.power].” Scripture

offers

many other

examples relating prayer

and the

appearance

of miracles in the ministry

of Jesus and the

apostles, e.g.,

in-the miracle of exorcism in Mark

9:28; similarly

in Acts 4:30

prayer

“to stretch out

your [God’s] hand to heal and

perform

miracles in the name of

your holy

servant

l9Cyri1 H. Powell,

The Biblical

Concept of Power (London: Epworth

Press, 1963), 185.85.

14

28

prophets,

of miracles is not a function of

believing

and fervent

prayer

Jesus”; 4:33; 8:15; 9:40;

28:8.20 Paul

continually prays

for his converts that

they might

abound in

“knowledge

and all

perception”

or “all

Spiri- tual wisdom and

understanding” (including

charismatic

revelation),

as well as “in all

power” (6tivapir-not excluding

its most

frequent

New Testament

meaning,

“miracle”-Phil

1:9-10;

Col

1:9-12).

James makes the crucial

point

that the

appearance

but of

righteous,

James

points

to

Elijah

as an

example

for his readers to

not a saint to be accredited with miracles.

Why

cannot this

prin-

be applied to the New Testament worthies as well?

2. Direct Commands to

Desire,

accrediting (5:16-17). follow, ciple

Charismata

appearance

request obedience

relevance

“laity.” parenetic

to

Seek

and

Employ

the

charis-

in the context of the

Jn

3:21-22)

Closely

related to the

argument

above that the function of the charis- mata determines their duration, is the

argument

from

Scripture

that the

of the charismata

depends,

not on

accrediting functions,

but on human

responses

to explicit biblical commands,

e.g., simply

to

seek,

and

employ

the

charismata,

on the basis of prior repentance and

towaid

God,

via faith and

prayer.

To

deny

that these com- mands of

Scripture,

woven so

thoroughly throughout

the fabric of the New

Testament,

have relevance

today,

is to call into

question

the

very

of the

scriptural

canon for the Church of

any age.

These are not commands

simply

to the

apostles,

but often

by apostles

to the

In

any case,

all these biblical commands can be construed as

the Church at large.

The New Testament

specifically

commands its readers to

“seek,” “desire

earnestly,”

“rekindle” and

“employ”

certain “miraculous” mata

(1

Cor 12:31; 14:1, 4, 5, and 39; 2 Tm 1:6; 1 Pt 4:10, cf. Jn 14:12-14; 15:7; 16:23-24-ask for “anything”

and

implies

that their

can be

suppressed by simple neglect (Rom 12:6;

1 Cor

1 Th

5:19-20;

1 Tm

4:14;

2 Tm

1:6).

On the latter

verse,

J.N.D. Kelly

affirms that “the idea that this

grace operates automatically

He

compares

this

passage

with the

“quenching” Spirit

of prophecy in 1 Thessalonians 5:19. Biblical commands, “let us

to excel

[in spiritual gifts],” “desire earnestly,”

make little sense

canonically

if the occurrence of the charismata bears no relation to the obedience of these commands.

and Five Biblical

Spirit’s

descent to the

disciples; appearance

14:39;

excluded.”21

use,” “strive quench,” etc.,

3. Cessationism Charismata

is of the

“do not

Principles

Regarding

the

Cessationism is inimical to at least five more

important

New Testament

principles regarding

the charismata.

(New

20G,W.H. Lampe, “The Holy Spirit in the Writings of St. Luke,” Studies in the Gospels,

ed. D.E. Nineham (Oxford: Blackwell, 1952), 169.

21J.N.D. Kelly, The Pastoral

Epistles, Harper’s

New Testament Commentaries

York: Harper and Row, 1963), 159.

15

29

1. Paul

implicitly challenges

the belief that the miraculous

gifts

of the Spirit

were

granted only

for the establishment of doctrine for the

Church,

which then would

carry

on more or less under its own

interpre- tive intellect with a greatly restricted

activity

of the

Spirit.

Paul exclaims to the Galatians who were

tempted by

a resurgent Judaism to exchange their

calling

as prophets for that of the scribes and a religion of Torah- study

and

works-righteousness: “Having begun

in the

Spirit [the context indicates a

miracle-producing Spirit],

will

you

now be

completed,

or reach

maturity (/m reAelo6e)

in the flesh?” Paul does not force a choice

between the charismata of prophecy and miracle versus biblical

precepts; he insisted

upon

both.

Scripture

itself affirms the

ongoing process

of spiritual perfecting (maturing)

in this

age

as

being normatively

devel- oped by

the whoie

range

of the charismata, which, within the frame- work of

Scripture,

reveal Christ even as

they illuminate, apply, express and actualize His

Gospel. Against cessationism,

the New Testament insists that the Church is both initiated and matured

by the whole range of the

Spirit’s gifts.

2. Roans 11:29 states a principle that could

hardly

be more

clearly anti-cessationist: that from God’s side, his radical and unconditional grace

offers to sustain the above

process

all

during

the

present age: “God’s

gifts (Xdptg mata)

and his call are irrevocable-not

repented of, or withdrawn.” The context shows that the human failure to receive God’s call, or charismata, does not at all

require

that

they

are sovereignly

withdrawn in Church

history,

but rather that

they

cannot become manifested in those who

reject

them.

Accordingly,

it may be this very unhappy

state of the Church that Paul foresaw: an intellectualized quasi-deism among

those

having

“a form of religion, while

denying

its power (8úlIaj1.LS”)” (2

Tm

3:5).

3. Still another Pauline

principle

is that no one

member, (i.e.,

charis- matic function) of the

body

of Christ can

say

to another, “I have no need of

you” (1

Cor

12:21).

Cessationism

says precisely

that.

Similarly,

no one who is

gifted

in a

specific way may

demand that all the

body become as he or she,

say,

a tongue! The

point

of 1 Corinthians 12 is that for a

body

to be a

body

at

all,

it must have all its functions

working reciprocally

for the

good

of the

whole,

each

recognizing

not

only

its own value, but also the crucial

importance

of the others as well.

By

its very nature,

cessationism violates this key biblical

principle.

4. The cessationist schema that miracles cluster around

great

revela- tory

events to establish the truth of that revelation does not bear

scrutiny. Jeremiah

lays

down an explicit principle about the distribution of divine signs

and wonders in 32:20, “You

performed signs

and wonders in Egypt

and have continued them to this

day,

both in Israel and

among

all people!”

Moreover,

while

new, enscripturated

revelation abounded during

and just after the Exodus, there was

relatively

little new doctrinal content added

during

the

miracle-working

time of Elijah and Elisha, and

‘

16

30

Moreover,

ministry

the

unbelieving provide

certainly

no more new revelation in Daniel than,

say, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel or the other

prophets.

the

greatest

new revelation of all was announced

by

John the

Baptist,

who “did no miracle”

(Jn 10:41).

The contention that mira- cles faded as one moves toward the end of

Acts,

thus

indicating

the onset of the cessation of miracles, is misleading. Much of the last

part

of Acts relates to an

imprisoned Paul, who,

when released for normal

at the end of the book

practically empties

the island of Malta of its sick

(Acts 28:9)! Further,

to argue that because “Jews seek

signs

and Greeks seek wisdom”

(1

Cor

1:22),

that Christian

evangelism

moved from an

evangelism

characterized

by

miracles to one characterized

by reasoned discourse

(and

remained there for the rest of Church

history) flies in the face of Paul’s own characterization of his

highly

charismatic gospel among

the Gentiles

(Acts 15:12;

Rom

15:19;

2 Cor

12:12;

1 Thess

1:5).

More

importantly, following

refused

signs

to those who demanded them for evidential

proof (Mark 8:11-12;

Matthew

12:38-39;

Luke

11 :16, 29),

Paul insists his reaction to

for a

sign (or wisdom)

them,

as this

argument

have

it,

but to

preach “wisdom and

power

of God,” Christ

crucified, only

to those who would

demand

truly

receive it.

namely,

prophetic Spirit.

Moses

replies,

humanity

(Joel 2:28-29,

haps

those

exercising

the tradition of Jesus who

is not

willingly

would

to the

limitation of miracles to

9:49-50).

No doubt

5. Finally, the essence of cessationism-the

new revelation and its bearers-contradicts another biblical

principle,

the biblical desire to see the

Spirit

of prophecy and miracle to be as broadly spread as possible. The classic case is Num 11:26-29 where Joshua is threatened

by

the loss of Moses’ “accreditation”

by

the

“Are

you jealous

for

my

sake? I wish all the Lord’s

people

were

prophets

and that the Lord would

put

His

Spirit on them!” The

subsequent

Old Testament

prophets

foresaw an ideal time when the

Spirit

would be bestowed

broadly upon

all

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On The Cessation Of The Charismata The Protestant Polemic Of Benjamin B. Warfield

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