Do the Miraculous Gifts Continue? Full Article At www.atgeneva.com/Waldron01.html
{A Biblical Argument against Continuationism}
By
Sam Waldron
About the Argument
It will assist the clarity of the following argument for the reader if I preview it here. While I hope the following pages will not be dense, the argument is, I think, tightly reasoned. To fully appreciate it, the line of thought must be clear to the reader.
My argument is as follows.
The New Testament makes clear that Apostles of Christ are not given to the church today. They lived only in the first century A. D. We know for sure, therefore, that one gift, and that the greatest gift, has ceased to be given. This clear New Testament teaching provides a vital premise for the argument against Continuationism. Unless it wishes to contradict the plainest evidence, Continuationism cannot claim that there is no difference in the gifts given to the church today and the gifts given to the church in the first century.
Prophets in the Old Testament were a clearly identified and regulated institution that contributed prominently to the formation of the Old Testament canon. There is no reason to think New Testament prophecy is fundamentally different than Old Testament prophecy. There is, in fact, every reason to think it is fundamentally the same. Since biblical prophets were foundational (Eph. 2:20), infallible, and canonical, prophecy has ceased.
Tongues-speaking is substantially equivalent to prophecy according to the New Testament. According to 1 Corinthians 14:5 tongues plus interpretation equals prophecy. As such, tongues-speaking—like prophecy—has ceased.
Miracle-workers performed miraculous signs intended to vindicate the divine authority of the messages with which they were entrusted. It is impossible, therefore, to suppose there could be miracle-workers today without supposing they were either apostles or prophets bringing inspired messages from God. Since we have already concluded that the miraculous gifts of apostles and prophets have ceased, we must also conclude that Christ no longer gives miracle-workers to the church. This assertion, however, does not require the conclusion that God Himself does no miracles today.
The chapters of this book outline the development of the Cascade Argument. I hope this outline strikes you as straightforward. It is my hope that you will not only be able to follow the argument, but that you will be convinced by it.
{A Biblical Argument against Continuationism}
By
Sam Waldron
About the Argument
It will assist the clarity of the following argument for the reader if I preview it here. While I hope the following pages will not be dense, the argument is, I think, tightly reasoned. To fully appreciate it, the line of thought must be clear to the reader.
My argument is as follows.
The New Testament makes clear that Apostles of Christ are not given to the church today. They lived only in the first century A. D. We know for sure, therefore, that one gift, and that the greatest gift, has ceased to be given. This clear New Testament teaching provides a vital premise for the argument against Continuationism. Unless it wishes to contradict the plainest evidence, Continuationism cannot claim that there is no difference in the gifts given to the church today and the gifts given to the church in the first century.
Prophets in the Old Testament were a clearly identified and regulated institution that contributed prominently to the formation of the Old Testament canon. There is no reason to think New Testament prophecy is fundamentally different than Old Testament prophecy. There is, in fact, every reason to think it is fundamentally the same. Since biblical prophets were foundational (Eph. 2:20), infallible, and canonical, prophecy has ceased.
Tongues-speaking is substantially equivalent to prophecy according to the New Testament. According to 1 Corinthians 14:5 tongues plus interpretation equals prophecy. As such, tongues-speaking—like prophecy—has ceased.
Miracle-workers performed miraculous signs intended to vindicate the divine authority of the messages with which they were entrusted. It is impossible, therefore, to suppose there could be miracle-workers today without supposing they were either apostles or prophets bringing inspired messages from God. Since we have already concluded that the miraculous gifts of apostles and prophets have ceased, we must also conclude that Christ no longer gives miracle-workers to the church. This assertion, however, does not require the conclusion that God Himself does no miracles today.
The chapters of this book outline the development of the Cascade Argument. I hope this outline strikes you as straightforward. It is my hope that you will not only be able to follow the argument, but that you will be convinced by it.
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