Spiritual Gifts: An Introduction

You would please turn with me to first convince chapter 12 verse one chapter 12 of Paul's letter to the Corinthians, begins a three chapter section in which he addresses yet another issue that had arisen within the congregation at Corinth this time is the issue of spiritual gifts, and more specifically of the use or function of spiritual gifts within the context of corporate worship and body. Life in the church only use our time tonight to simply lay some general groundwork so rotten a work through an extended passage in Scripture jump around a little bit but I think this groundwork will be important so that we can better understand Paul's specific instruction here in his first letter to the Corinthians. Look at several passages of Scripture. But let's begin in chapter 12 of first Corinthians, and use this first verse as is like a sort of a launching pad for this topic of spiritual gifts. Paul says now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed with prey on how easily we are confused.

Our minds have been affected by the fall in ways that we we sometimes are even aware of it or think that you given us a full and adequate revelation of yourself and of the gospel and even of ourselves so that we might know you and understand what we need to understand, to be saved and to be fruitful members of your kingdom while you don't want us to be ignorant of your will. So we pray now that you would open her eyes that we might behold wonderful things from your word. True things, helpful things necessary things in order. We pray that you would soften our wills that we might subject ourselves joyfully to what you say guard us from the error of adding to your word from the error of taking away from your word. I pray all this in Jesus name a man be seated on the subject of spiritual gifts is one of the more confusing and and I think disputed topics in the church today beliefs and practices concerning the nature and function and purpose of spiritual gifts are widespread and varied to the point that if we don't conscientiously ground our thinking and practice in the context of Scriptures authority, then we will just increase the confusion and increase the disunity that's already present evident in the in the church I was. I was tempted to just begin working my way through first convince 12 through 14. The section of this letter deals with spiritual gifts and deal with things, disputes, disagreements, supply things as they came up, but I realize that there is a whole background of of theological principles and assumptions driving my interpretation of these three chapters assumptions that I don't think everyone intuitively shares, and so it occurred to me that maybe a better approach. A clearer approach would be to just initially lay out the theological presuppositions. The definitions first and then will be in a better place. I think to make sense of chapters 12 through 14, I'll just go ahead and tell you upfront that I'm gonna spend the bulk of our time tonight laying the foundation for the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture because that's going to be a crucial component to properly defining the nature of spiritual gifts and because this foundation has largely been neglected over the last century or so with regard to Christian teaching on spiritual gifts specifically if we don't get the foundation right though the whole building is gonna look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book with towers in all the wrong places and stairs leading to nowhere. In fact that's what a lot of so-called Christian teaching on spiritual gifts has become distant and eclectic incoherent mix of assumptions that are driven more I think by intuition or emotionalism or even tradition, then by the word of God.

But if we get the foundation right then Paul's teaching in these chapters, I believe begins to fall in the place and make sense within have a helpful touchstone by which to understand Paul's words to Corinth and by which we can evaluate and utilize the different spiritual gifts in the church. So you go home tonight and googled the topic of spiritual gifts to see some labels that are pretty prominent in the discussion some isms that are commonly used in discussions of spiritual gifts.

Now I understand that labels are our double-edged swords are day they can clarify or they can really muddy the waters so we want to be careful.

I'm just gonna go ahead and embrace the labels tonight, for the sake of efficiency in and do my best to define them accurately and helpfully just a sort of ballpark some concepts that are going to be a crucial for us as we study first Corinthians 1213 and 14. The first label or viewpoint or position is what we will call continuation is him continuation is him holds to the belief that all of the spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament continue unabated unchanged for the most part into the present day. The other label or viewpoint is what we will call sensationalism, not sensationalism.

Sensationalism cessation means of ceasing a stopping of something. Sensationalism asserts that certain spiritual gifts, specifically the gifts that are revelatory and miraculous in nature were given in the time of the apostles to reveal truth and to confirm the legitimacy of the apostles and their testimony. Once their apostolic ministry had been can completed and confirmed these revelatory gifts were no longer necessary and so they ceased, or they at least were significantly changed. So continue night continuation is a believe that every spiritual gift given to the church is is perpetual still in effect today while sensationalism believes that certain spiritual gifts were unique to the apostolic era and are no longer in effect in the same way today what pretty different is in it if if people hold these different views you can see how one's view of these two options will radically affect one's interpretation and application of Scripture passages that address the topic of spiritual gifts whole movements whole denominations have revolved around the continuing nature of the ceasing nature of various spiritual gifts.

Some groups hold so strongly to a continuation's view that they make particular gifts of a litmus test of genuine conversion.

Others hold to such a strict secessionist view that they will not acknowledge any legitimate use of certain spiritual gifts.

Now, as is the case with with most theological differences. Not everyone falls neatly into these two categories there are 31 flavors of cessation in secessionism and continuation is him some cessation nests are open but cautious to the possibility of certain gifts some continuation us are cautious but affirming with regard to some gifts and there's people everywhere in between soap we don't want to assume that everything black-and-white in discussing these things. Nevertheless, I think that these these general labels as we starting points are are helpful for us in the conversation. Grace Church holds to a secessionist view. Now if you talk to most of the elders. I think they would want to qualify that in some very important ways and and we will certainly do that over the course of the next few sermons. But I say we are success secessionist church because our confession of faith Westminster confession of faith affirms that there is not a one-to-one correlation between how every spiritual gift functioned in in previous eras of redemptive history and how they function. Today we see this in fact, in the very first paragraph of the Westminster confession. Westminster acknowledges that although God previously chose to reveal himself and his crew through various means such as through a prophetic word direct vision. The dream he has preserved his self revelation in written form and since that revelation is now ours in its completed form quote those former ways of God revealing his will unto his people is now ceased. A quick survey of church history reveals that prior to the Protestant Reformation, the 1500s, the church fathers held various views someone here continuation nest. Others were more secessionist. Justin Martyr and Ira Naess would be examples of early continuation is him, Chrysostom and Augustine would be examples of early sensationalism, but that the disagreement wasn't really a big deal until the Roman Catholic Church started pointing to so-called miracles to discredit Protestants and to discredit Protestantism and so Luther and Calvin began systematizing the arguments that would eventually become what we know as sensationalism, and they did so in order to demonstrate that the Roman Catholic Church's claim to infallibility on the grounds of these various miracles that they were pointed was a false claim around the close of the 19th century beginning the 20th century.

Some Protestants would begin claiming the divine upperhand by virtue of God supposed to direct communication with them through means outside of Scripture and and by confirmation of that direct communication through supernatural signs and so what historically began as a disagreement between Roman Catholics and Protestants has has in the last century or so morphed into a disagreement between Protestants predominately between non-reformed and reformed Protestants. Perhaps the most well-known cessation nest of our day is John MacArthur who recently wrote a book about this controversy. The book is called strange fire. Some of you have have read that are heard of it. And while most reformed theologians remain cessation as there are a few notable exceptions, including John Piper sandstorms Wayne greeted him and think with some serious qualification Martin Lloyd Jones at the denominational level. The continue night continuation us having trouble with that word continuation.

Us churches are going to be Pentecostal charismatic assembly's of God and again with some serious qualification.

Some Lutheran denominations explicitly secessionist denominations like us include the Orthodox Presbyterian Church Christian church in America, among others.

11 notable Presbyterian exception is the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

The EPC maybe you know some some folks that are in an ABC church, they are sympathetic to continuation is him so this is the very quick history of of the debate I want to make the biblical case now for a qualified sensationalism tonight.

A qualified sensationalism because for one I believe is biblical and and in fact safeguards the authority and sufficiency of Scripture, but also because this viewpoint is going to shape my interpretation of a whole lot of what Paul says about spiritual gifts I read and understand first Corinthians 12 through 14 in light of some overarching principles that I believe are nonnegotiable in God's word. So with that in mind when we try and make the case for sensationalism by highlighting several pertinent biblical truths.

Once we walked through the argument from scriptural try to draw some practical applications for us in the next time we're in first Corinthians will be in a good position. I think to the dive into the specifics of what Paul has to say regarding spiritual gifts are the first truth. I will highlight is this throughout redemptive history, God has revealed himself, his will, in the way of salvation through various means and let me just say up front.

My points are going to be all very long. Your to be frustrated. If you're trying to write them down so if you miss them. I got be glad to to get them to you if you want off if you want the the full thing onto the miss out on one of say in between the points because you try to write the points. It was 11 says long ago it many times and in many ways, God spoke by the prophets. We go back to the Old Testament era, we can see God revealing truth in a variety of ways. Sometimes in strange ways in the garden of Eden he would walk with Adam in the cool of the day. Wouldn't that be a wonderful means of revelation of God to Abraham.

He manifested himself as a flaming torch to Jacob. He showed up in physical form and and wrestled with him to Joseph he gave dreams and interpretation of dreams to Moses he's spoke from a burning bush and he wrote his law installed with his own finger in the wilderness God revealed himself to Israel through a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The Belo God revealed truth through the mouth of a donkey in the temple, God revealed himself in the gospel through an elaborate system of blood.

He sacrifices that would point to Christ during the years of Israel's monarchy. God would raise up prophets to speak the truth and sometimes act out various events and in moral lessons that the covenant community needed to learn in the exile God continue to speak through prophets, and even showed up in person as that fourth man in the fiery furnace. We come to the New Testament, we see that God spoke through angels and through the prophet, John the Baptist, the triune God revealed himself at the Jordan River, God the son in person in the person of Jesus Christ God the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. God the father and the sound of a disembodied voice throughout the ministry of Jesus.

God revealed and confirm the gospel through various miracles and healings through sermons on mountains and sermons in planes and conversations along the roadside effect. All of these varied and creative means of revelation throughout history culminated in the one whom the Bible describes as the image of the invisible God, for in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell in. This is our second proposition. These varied and divine revelations culminated in the coming of Jesus Christ who is the living word. He was one goes on to say, but in these last days, God has spoken to us by his son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power that is seriously powerful word in the beginning was the word and the word has become flesh.

So what more can he say than to you he has already said Jesus Christ is the perfect complete revelation of God to man, but we can't see him. We can't interact with Christ like those first disciples did.

Which brings us to the third truth Jesus Christ, knowing that he would not be physically present after his ascension insured through the apostles that his person and work would still be proclaimed as of the whole point of the great commission is, and in Matthew 28. Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age the apostles through their verbal testimony were to convey everything necessary for sinners to become faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

But not only were the apostles commission to be verbal witnesses to the person and work of Christ that verbal witness would be established beyond a shadow of a doubt through miraculous signs and wonders.

This brings us to 1/4 truth to confirm the witness of the apostles Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to enable the apostles to powerfully and miraculously proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus promised this empowering of the Holy Spirit in John 15, he said to be apostles when the helper comes, whom I will send to you from the father.

Spirit of truth who proceeds from the father, he will bear witness about me, and you also will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning.

Jesus even says to them that they will do the works that Jesus did, and greater works than these would they do Luke elaborates on Jesus's promise in acts 18 where he says you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth in the next two weeks we see the beginning of this Spirit empowered witness. It tells us that the disciples were gathered together and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Miracles begin to happen to the apostles, just as Jesus was attested to by God through various signs and wonders that he performed so the apostles message would be attested to by God through various signs and wonders extraordinary signs we see in the book of acts than were confirmation that the message of the apostles was faithful to what Jesus had commissioned them to proclaim. So we begin to see a pattern. Only Jesus proclaims the way of salvation and his message is confirmed by signs and wonders. Jesus then commissioned the apostles to carry on that work of the gospel proclamation and analogous to Christ's earthly ministry. Their messages also confirmed by signs and wonders. We see them healing people and speaking in languages they've never learned in casting out demons and speaking prophecies are doing extraordinary things. Supernatural things as divine confirmation that their message is authentic and true. We apostles are not to live forever, and so the Holy Spirit in his wisdom inspires them just as he had done with the Old Testament prophets to write down with perfect accuracy. The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our fifth truth then is this the apostles witness to the gospel was written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and preserved along with the inspired writings of the prophets of the old covenant. Second Peter 121 says no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit in this process produced a written testimony that is so reliable and so completely we call it the very word of God and we stake our lives and our eternal souls on that word.

Second Timothy 316 says all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. Furthermore, this is the sixth truth that inspired record which is the very word of God, having now been completed is in errands authoritative and sufficient. Second Timothy 317 tells us that this word of God is so sufficient that it perfectly and completely equips the man of God for every good work. Now if if the word of God is as sufficient as it claims to be.

It means church that there no longer remains a need for new revelation we have what we need to be thoroughly equipped for every good work and it implies that there is no longer a need for further corroborating evidence of the revelation we already have that that evidence that proved the revelation has already been given and included in the inspired record of God's word. Perhaps you will say will that's not fair. I got to see the miracles will get the see them, which I would simply reply yes we do get to see them in the pages of Scripture signs and wonders have been accurately preserved for us in the word of God not of course we can choose to believe what we read or not, but the testimony or evidence the proof that the divine authentication is right there in the word for all of us to see. It's interesting that Jesus anticipated this reaction that he didn't particularly commend the demand for extraordinary proof. Although he often graciously accommodated in Margate, for example, reread the Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him and he sighed deeply in his spirit and said why does this generation seek a sign, truly I say to you, no sign will be given after after accommodating Thomas's unbelief by letting Thomas touched his wounds from his crucifixion. Jesus said have you believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed one of the most powerful demonstrations of the sufficiency of God's word is the story of the rich man and Lazarus.

You know the story might retell it now, but at the end of this story.

The rich man begs for a miracle on behalf of his family.

He says if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent. But the request for a miracle is denied on these grounds. They have Moses and the prophets.

If we refuse to believe the word of God we will not be convinced even if someone were to rise from the dead, tell us God's truth of the point is our problem is not a lack of evidence. Our problem is a lack of faith is the sin of unbelief. What more can he say than to you he had said. And so, through Moses and the prophets.

The apostles witness, God has revealed himself authoritatively and errantly and sufficiently. This brings us to truth number seven anyone therefore who claims to have new revelation or who offers miraculous signs as corroborating evidence of new revelation incurs judgment and I'll just let Scripture make the point without comment.

Isaiah 819 and 20.

When they say to you, inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter should not a people inquire of their God should inquire of the dead on behalf of the living to the teaching and to the testimony they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn Deuteronomy for two shall not add to the word that I command you nor take from it that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you. Deuteronomy 1232 everything that I command you shut. You shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from Proverbs 30 verses five and six every word of God proves true. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. Revelation 2218 and 19. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book.

If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.

If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life in the holy city are described in this book that's the case for cessation is number. Let me draw a conclusion that pertains to our understanding of spiritual gifts assessment were going to be studying moving forward and will will certainly develop this further as we make our way through first Corinthians 12 through 14. The conclusion is this the spiritual gifts then that bear the same name as those witnesses and miraculous evidences of the canonical era that is apostles, tongs, healing, etc. do so by way of analogy, and not identity. In other words there similar in purpose and function not identical in purpose and function real impact with that means as we walk through first Corinthians 12 and in 14. I hope that you see that that conclusion is grounded not in subjective experience or emotionalism as so much that goes on under the banner of continuation is a Ms. but rather that it is grounded in the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture only closed in with some practical considerations for the contemporary church. First, it might be helpful to acknowledge and address a couple of common objections to the idea of sensationalism. One common objection has to do with the charge of dead orthodoxy goes something like this. God is is bigger than just a mere book.

I'm not going to put him into a box and say that he can only work through the Bible.

The Holy Spirit is alive and at work in the world, to whom I say that he can't work in the lives of people in whatever way he wants to. My answer is, is this to say that the sign gifts have ceased is not to say that God must follow our rules for him or stay in some sort of box that we've created for him. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Sensationalism is seeking to let God define how he is going to work in the world today rather than insisting that my experience. My temperament, my subjective desires define how he is at work. Nor is this a denial of the reality and presence of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is at work in the world today and his work is perfectly aligned with the written word of God. In fact, it is only by the Holy Spirit.

We can even understand and believe Scripture, so to say that God is no longer giving new revelation is not to say that God is no longer active in the lives of people today. He absolutely is at work by his spirit through his word. Another objection is that cessation is don't believe in miracles. Or at least have no place for the miraculous or the supernatural in their worldview that is simply wrong. I don't know of any cessation is to denies the possibility of miracles. It is, it is God's prerogative to to break his own natural laws.

When and where he pleases what sensationalism denies as I'm defining it and as I believe our confession defines it is the presence of miracles as supernatural proof of new revelation. That's what were denying any claim to the miraculous that supplants the sufficiency of Scripture is denied, but folks God performs miracles things that that cannot be explained in naturalistic terms all the time so don't assume that the assertion of Scripture sufficiency means that God cannot and will not ever work in extraordinary ways in time and space.

He can and he dives. I was closed in with three quick points of application. First, a lot of the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture, we need to be guarded and how we speak of God's will and God's word. I think sometimes we adopt the language of continuation is a without even realizing it, we we say things like, God told me to do acts and and I think I know what Christians mean when they say things like this at least Christians in our circles who believe the Bible and want to be people of the Bible. But there plenty of professing believers who when they say God told me something really do believe that God told them directly and specifically that's dangerous ground. At the very least, it confuses the word of God with a word from the Lord, a distinction that doesn't seem to have any biblical grounding. My heart is deceptive.

Just like your heart is deceptive and we don't need to give ourselves any opportunity to confuse what God has actually said with what I feel like God has said or what I want to him to have said, you know. James interestingly exhorts us to qualify our plans about the future without wonderful phrase if the Lord wills write your member that the end of James if the Lord wills. I will do this or that. I think it's wise to keep a similar sort of qualification in mind when we speak about God's word and God's will and God's ways instead of just saying it in a cavalier manner God told me to do acts. Perhaps we should say I believe that God would have me do acts or or maybe I think X is consistent with what God says in Scripture. Qualifying into the acknowledge that we might be wrong.

God is never wrong.

It sounds like an unnecessary splitting of hairs, but if it's important enough to James for us to think this way. With regard to our certainty of the future. I think it's important enough to think this way about the certainty of our impressions and promptings and leadings.

Secondly, I would encourage us to be appropriately skeptical of our subjective thoughts, emotions and impressions. Everything in the Christian life ought to be subject to the propositions precepts and principles of the Bible now know some people might find this too restrictive and so they find around a way around it by saying will God still gives direct private revelation is just that this new revelation needs to be tested against Scripture. But think about it if it contradicts Scripture is wrong. If it doesn't contradict Scripture is unnecessary.

We need to train ourselves to rely more on the spiritual illumination of the word and less on our own thoughts and in sentiments and finally be enthusiastically reliant enthusiastically reliant upon the ordinary objective revelation of God.

We may be fully convinced of the sufficiency of Scripture and yet in life long for and rely on extraordinary things with with far more eagerness than we do on Scripture B. Scripture is just too normal to mundane for us we we profess confidence in the sufficiency of Scripture.

But then we live like practical continuation nest ever looking for another confirmation, another sign another word from the Lord like Gideon like the Pharisees who were always wanting new evidence, new proof, rather than by faith. Simply taking God at his word, we become addicted to the novel the exceptional sensational, not realizing the demeaning reflection that that cast on God's ordinary means of revealing himself and revealing truth is a phrase I hear a lot and I know I've used it myself, is the phrase that's a God thing is nothing wrong with that phrase but sometimes I wonder if it might not betray an unhelpful need in us forgot to prove himself in extraordinary ways, rather than just trusting and resting in what is already said no I'm not denying that God does some pretty amazing things and and when he does those extraordinary things we we we need to take notice.

We need to we need to praise him for that. You know God is every bit as involved in the mundane and explainable circumstances of life. When I walk out my front door and see an amazing sunset. That's a God thing, but when I walk out my front door and see a gray draft sky. That's also a God thing became the cancer patient whose tumor inexplicably disappears, that's a God thing, but it's also a God thing that my diabetic daughter is being kept alive right now through a very explainable, predictable insulin.

That's a God thing is he false prophets and demons can imitate the miraculous, false prophets and demons can imitate the miraculous church that means that extraordinary this is not the measure of God's involvement in something we need to learn to value God in both the extraordinary and the ordinary. We need to teach ourselves to maximize contentment in the normal, the average the usual. The common for always needing the whirlwind in order to believe God. We run the risk of not hearing when he speaks in the still small piece and this is perhaps most evident in the sufficiency or lack thereof, that we ascribe to Scripture.

What more can he say to you, he has already said, are you listening to his word are you valuing that word are you using your spiritual gift to promote that word and to edify the people to whom that word has been given is the question to take Time that we are in the book of first Corinthians. Let's close in prayer Lord we consider tonight how you have revealed yourself Lord, may we not overlook or underappreciated.

The fact that you have revealed yourself nothing. Nothing obligated you to help us or run to our rescue in our fallenness but you have. You showed up in time and space you showed us the way, the truth, the life center Holy Spirit. I pray that you would help us to understand that way. Help us to believe that truth of postarrest fully in that life, for we have no other hope besides Jesus Christ is the fullness of God in human form.

Lord, thank you for giving us a trustworthy written revelation, your son, thank you that we have in the Bible.

A window through which we can see Christ thank you for confirming that word through signs and wonders you for giving us the faith to believe that which we haven't seen. Thank you that you are using all these means of the extraordinary in the ordinary to prepare us for glory Lord we long for that day. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus I pray in your name.

Amen