In this episode of Off The Record, Daniel Kolenda continues his series on “The Heresy of Cessatioism” asking the question in part 3: “Has the gift of prophecy ceased?” He examines the differences between Old Testament and New Testament prophecy showing why the cessationist critique of modern prophetic ministry misses the mark.
He argues that cessationism’s strict standards do not align with the nuanced understanding of prophecy presented in the New Testament. Most importantly, he challenges the idea that all prophetic activity ceased after the apostolic age, emphasizing the ongoing importance of God’s guidance and revelation in the lives of believers.
To view the previous parts of this series about “The Heresy of Cessationism” visit:
Scriptures referenced in the text are as follows:
- Deuteronomy 18 (The passage quoted by cessationists as the stadard for NT prophecy)
- All of 1 Corinthians 14 (Particularly verses 29 and 31, which address the testing and order of prophecy within the church)
- Numbers 11 (Refers to the passage where Moses expressed his desire that all of God’s people were prophets)
- Acts 10:19, 15:28, 16:7 (Various passages from the book of Acts that illustrate examples of divine guidance and direction)
- Acts 2:17-18 (The prophecy of Joel about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, quoted by Peter in Acts, which promises sons and daughters prophesying and people seeing visions)
- Revelation 3:20 (NIV): “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone HEARS my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
- Isaiah 30:21 (NIV) “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will HEAR a VOICE behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
- Romans 8:14 (NIV): “For those who are LED by the Spirit of God are the children of God.”
- 1 Corinthians 14:5 (Paul encourages the Corinthians to prophesy)
- 1 Thess 5:20 (Paul commands them not to “treat prophecies with contempt”)
- 1 Thess 5:21 (Paul tells them to test every prophetic word)
- 1 Cor 14:29 (Paul exhorts them to judge one another’s prophecies)
- 1 Cor 14:31 (Paul encourages the Corinthians that, “you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged)
- John 4:19 (When Jesus told the woman at the well about her past, she said, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet”).
- Luke 22:64 (When Jesus was blindfolded and being beaten, they mocked him saying, “Prophesy! Who hit you?”)
- Acts 21:11 (Agabus prophesied to Paul, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” but in reality, it was actually the Romans – not the Jews – that bound Paul (Acts 21:33; Acts 22:29). The Jews had tried to kill Paul, and the Romans essentially rescued him from the mob. Then they bound him with chains without knowing if he even did something wrong (Acts 21:31-32)
- Acts 8:29 (the Holy Spirit told Philip to approach the Ethiopian Eunuch)
- Acts 10:19 (the Holy Spirit showed Peter that three men were looking for him)
- Acts 15:28 (the apostles and elders sent a message of instruction to Gentile believers, saying, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements…”)
- Acts 16:7 (the Holy Spirit would not allow Paul and his companions to enter Bithynia) Partial Bibliography (space constraints in YouTube do not allow for full list)
References:
Wayne Grudem, The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today (Westchester: Crossway Books, 1988).
D.A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids: Inter-Varsity Press, 1991).
Samuel E. Waldron, To Be Continued?: Are the Miraculous Gifts for Today? (Merrick: Calvary Press, 2005).
Tom Pennington, “A Case for Cessationism,” Grace to You, Oct 17, 2013, www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/TM13-7/a-case-for-cessationism-tom-pennington.
Richard B. Gaffin, Jr., Perspectives on Pentecost: Studies in New Testament Teaching on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Phillipsburg: P & R Publishing, 1979).
Ben Witherington, Conflict and Community in Corinth: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on 1 and 2 Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1995).
Sam Storms, The Beginner’s Guide to Spiritual Gifts (Bloomington: Bethany House Publishers, 2012).
Gordon D. Fee, God’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1994).
John MacArthur, Charismatic Chaos (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992).
Michael L. Brown, Authentic Fire: A Response to John MacArthur’s Strange Fire (Lake Mary: Creation House, 2015).
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