Are the Gifts of the Spirit for Today?
The question of whether the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today is a point of division among Evangelicals. Those who believe the gifts are for today are called continuationists. Those who believe the gifts ceased with the completion of the New Testament are called cessationists.
According to the cessationist view, the gifts of the Spirit were given for the purpose of confirming the ministry of the apostles, helping establish the New Testament church, and guiding the early disciples until the completion of the New Testament.
Several scriptures are used to support the cessationist view. One of the most popular is found in Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians:
“Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail [will be fulfilled and thereby cease]; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away [in the sense that partial knowledge will be replaced by full knowledge]. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away” (verses 8–10).
The cessationist says that tongues, prophecy, and other gifts ceased once the New Testament was completed. Now that we have the entire Bible—the full revelation of God—the gifts are not necessary. The apostolic ministry has accomplished its task, the New Testament church has been firmly established, and Christians no longer need new revelations for guidance. Therefore, there is no longer any need for the gifts of the Spirit.
One of the problems with using 1 Corinthians 13 to support the cessationist view is the assumption that when Paul speaks of the coming of “that which is perfect,” he is speaking of the completion of the New Testament. He clearly is not! Rather, he is speaking of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Paul writes, “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” (verse 12). Paul can’t possibly be saying that he will have to settle for imperfect knowledge until the time when the New Testament epistles (including his own writings) will be available for him to read. He is obviously talking about the perfection he expects to obtain at the coming of the Lord.
Support for this understanding is found in the same epistle. In his introductory comments, Paul expresses his hope that the Corinthian believers would “come short in no gift” as they eagerly awaited the coming of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:7–8). In fact, throughout the New Testament, even during times when great signs and wonders were accompanying the apostolic ministry, there is an abundance of evidence that the early disciples anticipated the coming of the Lord. Obviously, they did not think in cessationist terms.
In addition, many of the gifts of the Spirit are always useful to the people of God. The gifts are “for the profit of all” (1 Corinthians 12:7). God “gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11–12; cf. Romans 12:6–8; 1 Peter 4:10–11).
Surely the body of Christ today needs no less edification than the early church needed. The availability of the Scriptures is a great advantage in this regard, but there is still a need for people gifted in understanding and the ability to rightly divide the Word of Truth, for people with pastoral and evangelistic gifts, and for people with Spirit-enhanced managerial skills.
All the gifts of the Spirit are not needed all the time, but there is no scriptural reason for believing that there is ever a time when no gifts are needed. God grants gifts according to the need, but Christians, as they see the needs of the people of God, should “earnestly desire the best gifts” (1 Corinthians 12:31).