In Christianity, Cessationism is the doctrine that spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, prophecy and healing ceased with the original twelve apostles. This is generally opposed to continuationism, which teaches that the Holy Spirit may bestow the spiritual gifts on persons other than the original twelve apostles at any time.
Essentially Cessationism is the answer to the question:
Why aren't we operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit as they did in the early church?
The Main Claims of Cessationism: Source
1) The apostles, through whom tongues came, were unique in the history of the church.
Once their ministry was accomplished, the need for authenticating signs ceased to exist.
2) The miracle (or sign) gifts are only mentioned in the earliest epistles, such as 1 Corinthians. The Greek word translated “prophecy” means “speaking forth” and
does not necessarily include prediction of the future.
3) The gift of tongues was a sign to unbelieving Israel that God’s salvation was
now available to other nations.
4) Tongues was an inferior gift to prophecy (preaching). Preaching the Word of God edifies believers, whereas tongues does not. Believers are told to seek prophesying over speaking in tongues.
5) History indicates that tongues did cease. Tongues are not mentioned at all by the Post-Apostolic Fathers. Other writers such as Justin Martyr, Origen, Chrysostom, and Augustine considered tongues something that happened only in the earliest days of the Church.
6) Current observation confirms that the miracle of tongues has ceased.
And we see that as the era of the apostles drew to a close, healing, like tongues, became less frequent. The gift was never intended to make every Christian well, but to authenticate apostleship; the authority of the apostles had been sufficiently proved, making further miracles unnecessary.
Answers to the Claims of Cessationism:
1) All the gifts are manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The Bible does not separate tongues and healing from the other gifts. Nor does it say that they were temporary. The Cessationists cite 1 Corinthians 13:8 to make a case for tongues having ceased. However, if according to that scripture tongues have ceased, then so has prophecy ("preaching" as defined by Cessationism) and knowledge. Is that true? (nope)
2) To claim that the writing date of a book is an indication of how much something was happening historically is a weak argument. Could we claim that WWII happened before the American Civil War based on the writing dates of history books about the subject? No, the writing dates have nothing to do with it. Furthermore, the Apostle Paul's letters to Timothy are later epistles. See 1 Tim.4:14 and 2 Tim.1:6-7 where Timothy is told to fan into flame the gift that was given through the laying on of hands.
3) The Cessationists have limited the use of tongues to a sign gift. There are at least five kinds of tongues. Most of which are used to edify and minister to the body of Christ.
4) The Apostle Paul indicates that tongues are only inferior gift to prophecy when the interpretation is not given. And this is only in reference to prophetic tongues delivered to the congregation in worship. Nothing to do with the other four kinds of tongues.
5) History does not indicate that tongues did cease. See quotes from Eusebius, Irenaeus, The Early Martyrs, Chrysostom of Constantinople, Augustine of Hippo and others at this source link.
6) I'm trying to imagine a person speaking tongues choking on their words as the last Apostle gave up the ghost. This is ridiculous, of course. The Cessationists have created an environment where the "miracle" gifts are not allowed and then declare that they somehow "disappeared". We have been robbed! The Apostle Paul tells us how long the gifts will be in operation.
1 Corinthians 1:7-8
Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.
8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
All of this begs the most important question:
What were the gifts for?
Were they given as "authenticating signs" or were they intended for something else?
After listing the spiritual gifts (manifestations of the Holy Spirit), the Apostle Paul
goes on to describe the church as a body made up of many parts.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13
Just as a body, though one, has many parts,
but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.
13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—
whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
Therefore, if it takes all these parts to make up the WHOLE body of Christ,
who has the right to surgically remove any of the parts?
The Cessationists have turned the body of Christ into an amputee.
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Essentially Cessationism is the answer to the question:
Why aren't we operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit as they did in the early church?
The Main Claims of Cessationism: Source
1) The apostles, through whom tongues came, were unique in the history of the church.
Once their ministry was accomplished, the need for authenticating signs ceased to exist.
2) The miracle (or sign) gifts are only mentioned in the earliest epistles, such as 1 Corinthians. The Greek word translated “prophecy” means “speaking forth” and
does not necessarily include prediction of the future.
3) The gift of tongues was a sign to unbelieving Israel that God’s salvation was
now available to other nations.
4) Tongues was an inferior gift to prophecy (preaching). Preaching the Word of God edifies believers, whereas tongues does not. Believers are told to seek prophesying over speaking in tongues.
5) History indicates that tongues did cease. Tongues are not mentioned at all by the Post-Apostolic Fathers. Other writers such as Justin Martyr, Origen, Chrysostom, and Augustine considered tongues something that happened only in the earliest days of the Church.
6) Current observation confirms that the miracle of tongues has ceased.
And we see that as the era of the apostles drew to a close, healing, like tongues, became less frequent. The gift was never intended to make every Christian well, but to authenticate apostleship; the authority of the apostles had been sufficiently proved, making further miracles unnecessary.
Answers to the Claims of Cessationism:
1) All the gifts are manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The Bible does not separate tongues and healing from the other gifts. Nor does it say that they were temporary. The Cessationists cite 1 Corinthians 13:8 to make a case for tongues having ceased. However, if according to that scripture tongues have ceased, then so has prophecy ("preaching" as defined by Cessationism) and knowledge. Is that true? (nope)
2) To claim that the writing date of a book is an indication of how much something was happening historically is a weak argument. Could we claim that WWII happened before the American Civil War based on the writing dates of history books about the subject? No, the writing dates have nothing to do with it. Furthermore, the Apostle Paul's letters to Timothy are later epistles. See 1 Tim.4:14 and 2 Tim.1:6-7 where Timothy is told to fan into flame the gift that was given through the laying on of hands.
3) The Cessationists have limited the use of tongues to a sign gift. There are at least five kinds of tongues. Most of which are used to edify and minister to the body of Christ.
4) The Apostle Paul indicates that tongues are only inferior gift to prophecy when the interpretation is not given. And this is only in reference to prophetic tongues delivered to the congregation in worship. Nothing to do with the other four kinds of tongues.
5) History does not indicate that tongues did cease. See quotes from Eusebius, Irenaeus, The Early Martyrs, Chrysostom of Constantinople, Augustine of Hippo and others at this source link.
6) I'm trying to imagine a person speaking tongues choking on their words as the last Apostle gave up the ghost. This is ridiculous, of course. The Cessationists have created an environment where the "miracle" gifts are not allowed and then declare that they somehow "disappeared". We have been robbed! The Apostle Paul tells us how long the gifts will be in operation.
1 Corinthians 1:7-8
Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.
8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
All of this begs the most important question:
What were the gifts for?
Were they given as "authenticating signs" or were they intended for something else?
After listing the spiritual gifts (manifestations of the Holy Spirit), the Apostle Paul
goes on to describe the church as a body made up of many parts.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13
Just as a body, though one, has many parts,
but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.
13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—
whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
Therefore, if it takes all these parts to make up the WHOLE body of Christ,
who has the right to surgically remove any of the parts?
The Cessationists have turned the body of Christ into an amputee.
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