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Copyright 1993 by the Christian Research Institute.
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please give the following source credit: Copyright 1993 by the
Christian Research Institute, P.O. Box 500-TC, San Juan Capistrano,
CA 92693.
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"Scripture Vs. the Spiritual Gifts?" by Elliot Miller (from the
Viewpoint column of the Christian Research Journal, Summer 1988,
Volume 11, Number 1, page 31.)
The Editor-in-Chief of the Christian Research Journal is Elliot
Miller.
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Scripture vs. the spiritual gifts? The very idea is
self-contradictory, since God is the source of both. And yet, this
contradiction has been a lamentable reality in the
twentieth-century church. More often than not, the Bible and the
"charismata"(gifts of God's grace) have been set at odds, with one
being made the reason for ignoring (if not rejecting) the other.
At the bottom of this conflict is a crucial issue for the
Christian faith -- _revelation._ Although the anticharismatics
(e.g., many dispensational and reformed believers) would agree that
some spiritual gifts are functioning today, they often argue that
the more dramatic "sign" gifts (e.g., prophecy, speaking in
tongues, healing, miracles -- see 1 Cor. 12:8-10) served special
authenticating and revelatory functions in the first century only.
Basing their position largely on 1 Corinthians 13:8-12, they
maintain that once the canon of Scripture ("that which is perfect")
was completed, the sign gifts with their "partial" revelation were
no longer needed and so ceased to exist. Thus, the anticharismatics
view the modern charismatic movement as being unbiblical and in
direct competition with biblical revelation, allowing extrabiblical
"messages from God" to supersede Scripture.
A survey of the twentieth-century pentecostal/charismatic
movement would seem to vindicate such charges. Although there are
notable exceptions (e.g., the Assemblies of God), charismatics seem
to have a propensity for novel and controversial doctrines (e.g.,
"manifest sons of God," demonization of Christians, "shepherding,"
"positive confession," "kingdom now"). In fact, there _is_ a
prevailing tendency among charismatics to view the charismata as a
source of continuing revelation. Some formally affirm this belief
(see, e.g., "The Gospel According to Paulk" on p.21). But even
among those who would not consciously embrace it, it is not
uncommon to find the sign gifts functioning as revelation in their
lives. For examples: doctrines are accepted as biblical mainly
because they received a "prophetic" endorsement; church and
personal decisions are more often based on prophetic "words" than
Scripture; supernatural manifestations are pursued with greater
zeal than understanding of Scripture and sound doctrine.
The conflict of "Scripture vs. the spiritual gifts," then,
might be restated as a conflict over whether extrabiblical
revelation, in the form of the sign gifts, is biblical. But this
brings us right to the root of the problem. _Both_ sides of the
debate have a mistaken view of the biblical purpose and function of
the sign gifts. And worse, the charismatic side has a deficient
appreciation of biblical revelation.
In the sense of the term used here, a revelation is God's
authoritative disclosure to man of universally significant truth.
God's revelation in Christ, as recorded in Scripture, is final and
complete (Heb. 1:1-2; Jude 3; Eph. 2:20; etc.). As God's unique and
infallible word, Scripture is sufficient for all our doctrine, and
is the absolute standard by which we must judge all things (2 Tim.
3:15-17; Isa. 8:20).
Biblically, the sign gifts serve distinctly different,
nonrevelatory purposes. Space will not permit an analysis of each
sign gift to prove this point. But if it can be established in
regard to _prophecy,_ it would seem obvious that the others are
nonrevelatory as well.
Because it _does_ consist of messages from God to man, prophecy
could have _conceivably_ substituted for Scripture until the canon
was complete. But is that what 1 Corinthians 13 is saying?
Historically, the church has understood this passage to mean by
"that which is perfect" the Second Coming of Christ.
Dispensationalists argue, though, that the Greek word for "perfect"
(_teleion_) is in the neuter gender, indicating the apostle meant
Scripture rather than Christ. However, the Greek can as easily mean
"mature" or "complete," and it would appear from the context that
Paul uses the neuter gender because he is writing about particular
_states_ or _levels of maturity_ (cf. v. 11). In our future,
"mature" or "perfect" state, after we are glorified at Christ's
second coming, we will no longer need the gifts God has given us to
help us get by in our present feeble condition. We will _then_ "see
face to face" and "know fully" (v. 12; cf. 1 John 3:2).
If the anticharismatics are wrong, and prophecy (understood as
messages from God to man) is meant to continue, does that mean
those charismatics who believe in ongoing revelation are right?
While prophecy _was_ an important means of revelation in biblical
times, the "prophecy" referred to as a spiritual gift given to the
church in 1 Corinthians is manifestly of a different kind. This is
evidenced by Paul's instruction: "For you can all prophesy one by
one, so that all may learn and all be exhorted" (14:31). Certainly,
_all_ of the Corinthians were not capable of transmitting
authoritative revelation comparable to that of Paul, Peter, and
John!
The charisma of prophecy does not impart some previously
undisclosed doctrinal truth, nor does it carry the authority of
revelation. Each new manifestation is to be rigorously tested (1
Cor. 14:29; 1 Thess. 5:20-21), suggesting that those who exercise
it are not expected to be infallible (as were the Old Testament
prophets -- Deut. 18:20-22).
What then is its function? While it may occasionally impart
nondoctrinal knowledge of local significance (e.g., Acts 11:27-28),
it primarily applies the already-revealed truth of Scripture to the
church's present situation for purposes of "edification and
exhortation and consolation" (1 Cor. 14:3). Like all of the other
gifts, it is a means of _ministry,_ not revelation.
In this sense, prophecy, tongues, and healing are no different
than teaching, mercy-showing, and service (Rom. 12:7-8). Just as
the latter gifts _complement_ the ministry of the Word, so should
the former. They are not meant to compete with Scripture (God's
unique revelation) for the central place of authority and guidance
in our lives. But, in the context of Christ's body, they _each_
provide a special ministry of grace which the believer needs to
"grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ"
(Eph. 4:15).
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End of document, CRJ0020A.TXT (original CRI file name),
"Scripture Vs. the Spiritual Gifts?"
release A, February 7, 1994
R. Poll, CRI
(A special note of thanks to Bob and Pat Hunter for their help
in the preparation of this ASCII file for BBS circulation.)
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