4.29.2008

Musings on Perpetuity of Gifts and Speaking in Tongues



The discussion about whether or not tongues, prophecy or healing are for today has been around for some time. Despite the long-standing controversy it is my believe that the Scriptures can speak to us with definiteness, capable of informing theological experience and belief. As a believer and participant in these gifts, I affirm that they are a present activity of the Holy Spirit for today.

That said I do not believe it is an easy task to ascertain something that the biblical texts do not even discuss, i.e. the ceasing or continuation of the gifts (See 1 Corinthians 12). I realize that certain texts are presented to refute this but they fall away after closer scrutiny. The simple fact is that the scriptures do not foresee any cessation of these gifts and therefore never delineate any such position. It is my belief that the teaching of Scripture assumes its readers will know and realize that such gifts are available to all those who believe on Christ and are filled with the Holy Spirit. The gifts are available to those who read from the pages of God's inspired Word.

Paul, in Acts 27, received inspired revelation from God (Acts 27:10) and a visit from an angel of God (Acts 27:23) concerning the future of a ship’s voyage—Paul’s voyage to Rome. Some scholars who hold to the cessationist view say that we can no longer experience the inspired wisdom that Paul did; instead we now look to the Bible for all our revelation and inspiration alone. Reformationists refer to this as Sola Scriptura. In a sense this is true because genuine spiritual revelation will not contradict already written inspired revelation. We do not vest canonical authority in these utterances, instead we submit them to the authority of Scripture.

“Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives.” (Acts 27:10 NKJV)

Obviously God had imparted special revelation to Paul concerning the impending storm called “Euroclydon” (Acts 27:14) which would cross paths with their vessel and subsequent lives and cargo would be lost. Maritime skill and knowledge of natural disasters are not written in the Bible, God did not inspire it for that purpose. Nevertheless, God spoke to Paul warning him as well as those aboard the vessel of impending danger.

God was speaking then directly to Paul and indirectly to others. In fact, Paul would later address them and remind them of His warning. It is common knowledge that sea travel on the Mediterranean was usually not undertaken at this time of the year and some say that suggests that Paul’s not wanting to sail was a guess on his part due to experience. Certainly Paul knows from experience the perils of shipwreck (2 Corinthians 11:25), but he definitely spoke with prophetic definiteness when he predicts the disastrous results that would follow.

Paul’s voyage to Rome began in the early fall of 60 A.D., God, two years before, in Jerusalem, had told Paul that He would testify in Rome (Acts 23:11). Again God appeared to Paul to assure him that He would make good on His word. And He did. “and he said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.'” (Acts 27:24 ESV) The subsequent accompaniment of the angel in verse 23 also indicates the presence of supernatural concern.

"Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.” (Luke 10:19 ESV)

By the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit we are enabled to overcome the enemy and have inspiration of danger ahead. As we live for God we grow accustomed to listening to voice of the Holy Spirit within as it leads and guides us.

The same things that happened with Paul in Acts 27 can happen today, there are numerous times in my life when God has given special revelation of danger or a warning of future things. God has a purpose and a plan for The Body of Christ and the members in particular. Therefore if we listen, He will speak.

The same happens across the globe as every minister clutches their Bible and bends a knee in earnest prayer and preparation; seeking God concerning a sermon to deliver to the Body of Christ. If not, why else do we pray for direction or the “right message” for a certain time? God is still speaking today and this does not contradict scripture. Again, we do not vest canonical authority in these utterances instead we submit them to the authority of Scripture.

William G. Bellshaw the Dean of the San Francisco Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary authored a work entitled, "The Confusion of Tongues" in the Bibliotheca Sacra, Vol. 120 (April-June, 1963). Bellshaw cites the view that the gift of tongues ceased with the canonization of the New Testament. Immediately, this argument is completely absent from scripture and is abandoned today many popular Trinitarian apologists, e.g. Dr. James White, Hank Hannegraff (The Bible Answer Man).

In addition, even the late Dr. F.F. Bruce refuted this notion. By engaging the argument in this way Bellshaw commits circular logic. He begins his argument by disparaging tongues based upon a low mention frequency in Scripture, yet the total references of tongues pass the frequency of mention concerning the Virgin Birth and Homosexuality.

The glossolalia or speaking in tongues is a predominant theme in the book of Acts, 1 Corinthians, and has mention in Mark and certain other Old Testament prophecies. Bellshaw uses the argument of the closed-canon yet this argument is conspicuously vacuous in the biblical texts. In short, Bellshaw attempts to qualify his argument in the same way that he previously disparaged another, this is circular logic. The argument also fails because of 1 Corinthians 13:10-12. Paul says:

“But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. (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. (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.” (1 Corinthians 13:10-12 NKJV)

Paul and the “perfect” is referring to the coming end, he was referring to when we must see Christ face to face. The perfect here is referring to the Second Coming of Christ, because when we are glorified thereafter such things as tongues or prophecy will no longer be needed. “Paul’s point in this analogy, then, is not that our current understanding and relationship with God is distorted (as if the mirror reflected poorly), but rather that it is “indirect,” (i.e., the nature of looking in a mirror) compared to the relationship we will enjoy with him in the future when we see him “face to face”.

The word “perfect is the Greek teleios which is neuter singular. The neuter gender, albeit not always, is used to refer to persons and groups (cf. John 3:6; 1 John 5:4; John 17:2; 6:37; Gal 3:22) The singular obviously narrows the scope of the neuter because it is referring to one person, i.e. Jesus Christ. If this was a reference to a complete complete canon the reference would have seemingly been plural a reference to the multiple books of the bible. Actually, “Greek Christians called their sacred Scriptures ta Biblia, "the Books." When this title was subsequently transferred to the Lat., it was rendered in the singular and through Old French came into English as "Bible.”"

As mentioned earlier, various well-known scholars, like F.F. Bruce conclude that "according to 1 Cor 13:8-10, prophecies, tongues, and knowledge are to be done away, but only 'when that which is perfect is come.' That which is perfect is not come yet . . . the literature of the period following the apostolic age makes it plain that the gifts did not come to a full stop with the closing of the New Testament canon."

As mentioned earlier, some of the religious world feels as if miracles, signs, and wonders are ceased. Many cessationists assert that the ceasing of gifts and miracles ceased after the canonization of scripture or these gifts were only operative thru Christ and His subsequent disciples and apostles. This notion is of course false. While space will not permit us to refute such deception at great length, we can offer some historical reference.

An example of literature that made plain references to speaking in tongues and other miracles was the historian Edward Gibbons, this work has long been the standard by which many other writings are judged. Gibbons looks at the history of the Roman Empire from the time of the Antonines through the rise of Christianity. The book is considered to be one of the most well written histories around. It is claimed that Winston Churchill had at one point credited Gibbons with influencing his own style.

Gibbons records that the early church:

“claimed an uninterrupted succession of miraculous powers, the gift of tongues, of vision, and of prophecy, the power of expelling (sic) daemons, of healing the sick, and of raising the dead.” He also stated, “…about the end of the second century, the resurrection of the dead was very far from being esteemed an uncommon event; that the miracle was frequently performed on necessary occasions, by great fasting and the joint supplication of the church of the place, and that the persons thus restored to their prayers had lived afterwards among them many years.”

The list is long and evidence is sure concerning the contemporary experience and existence of sign gifts being found from the Day of Pentecost until now. Whether great multitudes or small gatherings held true is not certain; however, God does not change His Word and He is still the same.

NOTES:

[1] Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.
[2] Wheeler's Greek Syntax Notes, Copyright © 1985-2002 by Rev. Dale M. Wheeler, Ph.D. All rights reserved. Used by Permission
[3] The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright © 1988
[4] F.F. Bruce, "Answers to Questions," The Harvester, August 1964
[5] “Miraculous Powers of the Primitive Church” The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.
[6] Ibid.

Musings about Open Theism


Recently I have been discussing Open Theism (heron OT) with some friends and wanted to share some of the remarks. OT assumes, eventually, that God has firmly bound every event in time. Humanity's collective will engenders future events in my understanding. God knows everything, there is nothing for the divine mind of God to yet learn. "Mind" is probably not even adequate to describe such a thing. (hmmmm, there it is again-- is "thing" inadequate?)

To the point, just because God knows the future (foreknowledge; omniscient) does not mean he has firmly bound all events of time or future. That is a presupposition of OT, IMHO. God knows everything, He does not learn. He has all knowledge. Certainly then OT challenges the fundamental nature of God as being omniscient early on. Most Pentecostals stack up to be closest to what might can loosely be called Arminianism, for the sake of this discussion. The Scriptures, along with this theological concept, understand the free-will agency of human beings, or human freedom--apart from, as C.S. Lewis would call, "automata", i.e. Calvinism. OT does not have to be maintained to understand that our sovereign God has given us free-will, indeed as an expression of Himself in His creation and in accordance with His benevolent nature. Free-will He has sovereignly decreed to His highest creation, i.e. human beings.

To the OT I would ask, are the events of our yesterday equal to uncertainty then? Did we awake and really do certain events during the day just past this one? Who did those events that cannot now be changed? This might give way to certain theories of time continuity or travel as well, but the point is made.

God foreknows as some result of His omniscience. God decreed for free-will to exist in human beings so that they determine future events and what we commonly refer to as "history". If we go much further to assume that God has fixed all historical events we can then say that the "Holocaust" was determined to be done by God. This is completely incompatible with the nature of God, namely two aspects: God is love and God is merciful.

God transcends time, all of time. Time is a creation of God as is space and matter (see Genesis 1:1ff). Time to the human mind is understood as the past, present, and future. God stands outside, He trancsends time, and has seen when it indeed BEGAN and indeed until the END of what we may know, or presently know of time. Our glorified minds and bodies will see and behold so much more one day soon, when Jesus comes back the second time.

4.28.2008

Quotations of Note:


This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.
—Elmer Davis

How ironic that foreign lands are stumbling to the light while we are striving mightily to put it out.
—Roy Traband

In times like these, it helps to recall that there have always been times like these.
—Paul Harvey

Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.
—Oscar Wilde

Politeness is the art of choosing among one's real thoughts.
—Abel Stevens





4.23.2008

The Tabernacle Plan by Kirk VanOoteghem

Kirk VanOoteghem has a great bible study and Powerpoint he has made available on his blog. Check it out! Here's an excerpt:

Most Apostolics know that the Tabernacle which God instructed Moses to build in the wilderness was a beautiful figure of greater things to come. It represented "patterns of things in the heavens" that would reveal "a better covenant, which was established upon better promises" (Heb. 9:23; Heb 8:6).

4.12.2008

Michael Servetus

The early Christian writer Tertullian once said, "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church." That takes on a strange irony in the case of Michael Servitus.

By the mid-1500s the question of how blood flows through the body was becoming a real puzzle. For 1400 years we'd believed what the Roman doctor Galen told us.

Click here to read or hear the whole story by Engines of our Ingenuity writer John H. Lienhard.

4.07.2008

Online Journals:

There are times when it is good to understand theology from other perspectives. Below is a list of some that I have found useful and of interest. I hope they can do same for you.

Biblical and Theological paper library of ETS Papers: http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/taxonomy_dhtml

The Master's Seminary Journal:
http://www.tms.edu/journal.asp

Denver Seminary:
http://www.denverseminary.edu/resources/the-denver-journal/

The Christian Standard:
http://www.christianstandard.com/default.asp

Southern Baptist Journal of Theology:
http://www.sbts.edu/resources/Publications/Journal.aspx

Theology Today:
http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/search/index-themes.htm

Chafer Theological Seminary Journal:
http://www.chafer.edu/journal/back_issues.html

First Things: Journal of Religion, Culture and Pubic Life:
http://www.firstthings.com/issues-list.php

The Theologian:
http://www.theologian.org.uk/index.html

Cyberjournal for Pentecostal-Charismatic Research:
http://www.pctii.org/cybertab.html

Journal of Theological Studies:
http://jts.oxfordjournals.org/archive/

4.05.2008

EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed

Here is an upcoming film worth looking out for. Also, here is a great article excerpt by Dr. Ray Bohlin of Probe Ministries. To read the full article click here.

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Later this month a film will be opening across the country starring Ben Stein. Titled EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed,{1} this film documents the dark underside of academia in America and around the world, exposing what happens when someone questions a ruling orthodoxy. In this case, that orthodoxy is Darwinian evolution.

Evolution is routinely trumpeted as the cornerstone of modern biology, indispensable even to modern medical research. Therefore, if someone questions Darwinian evolution and its reliance on unpredictable mutation and natural selection, you are questioning science itself. At least that’s how the gatekeepers of science explain it.

Never mind that over seven hundred PhD trained scientists from around the world have openly signed a statement questioning the ability of Darwinism to account for the complexity of life. You’ll find my name among them (www.dissentfromdarwin.org). We are usually dismissed as being misguided, uninformed or religiously motivated. We couldn’t possibly have legitimate scientific objections to Darwinian evolution.

4.02.2008

Quote by D.A. Carson

Here is an interesting quote that students of Pentecostal theology might find interesting:


"The essentially salvation-historical structure of the Book of Acts is too often overlooked."

Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1 Corinthians 12-14 by D.A. Carson pg. 150


Adversus Trinitas

"...unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins." (John 8:24 ESV)