Are the Spiritual Gifts in the Bible Still for Today?

I contend that there is NOTHING in the New Testament that says or even implies that God will withdraw the supernatural spiritual gifts from the church. Neither did the Holy Spirit promise to stop communicating with people as He did in Bible days.

I intend to show from the Sciptures that tongues, prophecy and words of knowledge will continue until Jesus comes back and we see Him face to face. (1 Corinthians 13:8-12).

I want to say that we should do as the Scipture commands us in 1 Corinthians 14:1. We should desire spiritual gifts as well as pursuing love. God would not command us to desire spiritual gifts if there were no longer any spiritual gifts left for us to desire.

The Bible says that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 1:3). God did not say: "God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing except for the gifts of the Holy Spirit".

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12:1: "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant". That was Paul's attitude, it is God's attitude, but it is not the attitude of many preachers and theologians today. Bless their hearts, they WANT us to be ignorant concerning spiritual gifts. Just as atheistic philosophers have pronounced that "God is dead", so these theologians have told us that "spiritual gifts passed away with the apostles".

God did not lie to us, but over the years, many preachers have lied and misled us through their own ignorance of God. People have substituted an intellectual doctrine of God for the reality of actually knowing God.

Any Christian church which does not receive and practice the gifts of the Holy Spirit falls well short of the mark of New Testament Christianity. Any church that does not desire to receive and manifest the gifts of the Spirit is not seriously aiming to be obedient to the Word of God. It is really that simple.

Let us take a look at one of te favorite proof texts used by Cessationists to try to demonstrate that speaking in tongues, prophecy and miracles ceased when the Bible was fully delivered to us.

1Co 13:8  Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
1Co 13:9  For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
1Co 13:10  But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
1Co 13:11  When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
1Co 13:12  For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
1Co 13:13  And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Paul is saying that Divine Love is a greater and more enduring thing than spiritual gifts. Divine Love is eternal and will continue throughout the ages of the ages. Spiritual gifts – supernatural knowledge, prophecy and tongues – are for this present age only. They are only fragmentary revelations of the mind and heart of God. Compared to THE FULL FACE TO FACE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST the Spiritual Gifts are "childish". They are partial, they are incomplete. They are like seeing in a "mirror", dimly. The mirrors of Paul's day were not like ours. They were bronze mirrors, and only gave a very incomplete and dim representation of the reality. So it is with spiritual gifts in our age. They don't give a perfect reflection of Jesus Christ. They are delivered through imperfect vessels which still have flaws. That is why you can find fault with some of the manifestations of spiritual gifts today. The Bible says it would be like that.

What Paul is looking forward to is the COMPLETION of these things into a far greater REVELATION of JESUS CHRIST which will come at the end of the age to all who love His appearing. Paul makes it VERY CLEAR by the repeated use of the word 'then' after using the word 'when', that the spiritual gifts such as tongues, prophecy and word of knowledge would cease to operate WHEN JESUS RETURNS.

There is no way from the context to change the time when the gifts are to pass away to any time other than the time of the Second Coming of Christ. You cannot change it to the coming of the Bible, the death of the last of the 12 apostles of the Lamb, or any such thing. The 'when' of verse 10 is the 'then' of verse 12.

 

So folks, we had better get busy seeking God for the manifestation of spiritual gifts to aid in the building up of the church and the fulfilment of the Great Commission to tell about our Living, Risen Savior to all the peoples of the earth who until now have not heard or known. We had all better go after the spiritual gifts and learn to use them, if we want to be fully obedient to God.

I invite you to build a faith community together with me. Join my social media channels and let’s connect, especially if you want freedom or fullness in Christ.

My Telegram has a ministry channel. On Tiktok I have many videos and new ones regularly.

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    Michael FackerellHi my name is Michael Fackerell, founder of this site. It is created to help you know Jesus and get a great eternal reward from God Almighty. Learn More

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