The Elders Perspective on Miraculous Gifts

The apostolic times had a purpose just like any special time in God’s redemptive history. We would never claim that we should repeat the wanderings in the wilderness and go back to eating manna. We would not say that we should return to the times of the Law or the times of the Judges or the times of the Kings. They were all unique times in which God worked out His plan on earth. The ministry of Jesus was totally unique and transitional as He bridged the gap from the Old Testament to the New Testament, no one would deny that. In fact, most people would acknowledge that all of these times were different historical epochs never to be repeated. Even in the future when the seven-Year Tribulation comes and goes, that will be a unique time never to be repeated. Why is it then that the apostolic times would be any different? God has a purpose in each of these epochs. For the apostolic epoch, its purpose was to authenticate the message of Christ and the Apostles through signs and wonders (Hebrews 2:3-4). Even Jesus Himself was attested by God through miracles, Acts 2:22, Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know. Signs and wonders gave the message of Jesus and the Apostles authority so that people would believe it (Mark 16:20). You see this in Acts 14:3 when Paul and Barnabas were preaching the gospel in the synagogue in Iconium, Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. The signs and wonders gave the message reality (Romans 15:18-19). It was not just a pipe dream! The gospel was true, and the miracles proved it was true. Anyone could have come on the scene and said, “Jesus is raised from the dead,” but who would believe it unless it had supernatural confirmation? Once that foundation was laid and the message was confirmed through supernatural gifts there was no need to re-authenticate the message. We are now built on the foundation of Jesus Christ and the Apostles (Ephesians 2:20). Once that foundation was laid there was no need to rebuild that foundation. Thus, the apostolic era is over and the supernatural workings of the Apostles and those associated with them are also over. This means that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit are no longer in operation today. We hold generally to the “cessationist” position. There are exceptions with regards to the seven-year Tribulation Period when the Two Witnesses return and prophesy and perform miracles for three and a half years (Revelation 11:3-6). But generally speaking, the miraculous gifts are no longer in operation in the church age. That does not mean that God is not still doing miracles, He is doing miracles in response to prayer and of His own prerogative. The biggest of these is the miracle of providence, which happens every second of every day.

Given this understanding of the unrepeatable times of the apostolic age, there are some verses that we have to square with. In other words, we are aware that they are passages that must fit with our historical understanding of the apostolic age. For example, Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:20, Do not despise prophecies. If we remove this from the context of the apostolic age it would be problematic. But Paul said this squarely in the apostolic times. The New Testament was still being written when Paul wrote those words. Divine revelation was still being given by God, so prophecy was still a vital part of the church. But once the New Testament was completed there was a natural passing away of this gift and others. As mentioned earlier, God brings it back for His own purposes in the Tribulation Hour through the Two Witnesses, but other than that there are no more prophecies in the church age. Similarly, when Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:39, Do not forbid speaking in tongues, we understand what he is saying in A.D. 54 in the context. The churches in the apostolic times, before the New Testament was finalized, were not to deny tongues speaking in the churches because God was giving a sign to unbelievers and judgment upon the nation of Israel (1 Corinthians 14:22; Isaiah 28:9-13). But once the purpose for tongues was accomplished then they would cease (1 Corinthians 13:8). However, nowhere in the Bible does it say that tongues would come back. There would be no purpose for tongues to return during the church age or in the Tribulation because the purpose for them has been fulfilled.