Notes from Sinclair Ferguson’s The Holy Spirit, chapter 10.
Love of Christ to the church is expressed through the sacraments. These are expressions of unity.
However, unity is strengthened by the provision of gifts. The ascension and the sending of the Spirit and giving of gifts marks the victory over his enemies and their ultimate downfall. It marks the building of the church and the adornment of His bride.
Two principles:
1) The lists of gifts show that, whether by apostle, prophet or scripture, the ministry of the word is foundational.
2) Love is foundational. The gifts speak of the gracious giver not the recipient.
Apostles - appointed to bear witness to the resurrection.
Prophets - appointed by God to speak words of revelation to the churches alongside the apostles. Some (Grudem) have argued that apostles and prophets were one and the same. However, this is no a natural reading of the lists.
Preachers and Teachers - these gifts may spread beyond the officially recognised people.
Healing - see work of the apostles in Acts.
Words of wisdom and knowledge.
Body-wide giftedness was expected.
Difficulty comes in understanding the gifts of prophecy and tongues for the modern day. Two circumstantial factors: the decline after the apostolic age, and the resurgence in recent times. Restorationists give two possible reasons for their absence in interval:
1) faith was not exercised in the right way, or
2) the resurgence anticipates the end
Problems: 1) hardly stands up to scrutiny. 2) is bound up with a particular eschatological scheme.
Tongues
Mentioned in three places in Acts (chapters 2, 10, 19) and in one letter (1 Cor 12-14)
Questions arise:
why found in NT and not OT?
why is there mention in only one letter?
is it the same phenomenon in each place in the NT?
It is difficult to believe that Acts 9, 19 instances are different from Acts 2. The difference between Jerusalem and Corinth was that in former, they knew how to interpret, but in Corinth they do not.
Real languages? The reference to tongues of ‘angels’ (1Co 13:21) could be Paul repeating a claim of the Corinthians (i.e. an over-realised eschatology - they are in heaven already, speaking like angels).
Paul uses a quote from Isa 28 in 1 Co 14:21 to show that tongues are a judgement on the people of Israel and a welcoming of ‘foreigners’. Angelic speech would not be an appropriate medium. Interpreted tongues are equivalent to prophecy (1 Co. 14:5).
Prophecy
A prophet is a mouthpiece of God.
With the completion of the scriptures there is the widespread conviction that prophecy should be equated to preaching.
Grudem argues for two levels of prophetic ministry:
1) infallible ministry of the apostles
2) divinely inspired insight though not infallible utterance
The Hellenistc thinking about prophecy held to different levels. However, says Ferguson, Hebraic thinking was much more clear.
Grudem claims that there are two levels of authority. The first, infallible, apostolic and therefore non-continuing. The second is not infallible and continues.
Grudem makes much of Agabus in Acts. He appears to speak fallibly and infallibly, yet in both cases he says “the Holy Spirit says”.
Grudem argues that the prophecies in Ephesus (Acts 19) were less significant and there fore in the second level of prophecy. But this confuses significance with accuracy. Was the prophecy any less accurate?
…and some other arguments.
Grudem is to be praise for his attempts to bridge the gap between continuationist and cessationist proponents. However his arguments are flawed.
Continuation?
The signs and wonders appear to have died out, except for occasional claims by people through the ages. The claims seem to have no controlling principle.
The last century has seen widespread claims. Four reasons for continuationism:
1) the fact of modern experience
2) The NT does not say that they have or will stop.
3) cessation would mean two ages inaugurated by the Spirit. But there is only one.
4) Paul recognises that prophecy will cease (13:10), but only when Christ returns.
Cessation?
The arguments for cessation:
1) Restorationism gives no theological explanation of the absence of gifts to the church between the early centuries and the 20th century. “Lack of faith” is inadequate. Saying that “there is no NT text that teaches cessation” is not the same as saying “the NT teaches gifts continue”.
2) The scriptures limit the miraculous to a few epochal periods which are accompanied by new revelation. This is seen in the prophets, the ministry of Jesus and that of the apostles. Therefore they are impermanent.
3)? (it seems to be missing!)
1 Co 13:10 - when perfection comes the imperfect disappears. Cessationist have taken this to mean that with the coming of the completness of scripture, tongues and prophecy must disappear. Continuationists say this points to the eschaton and therefore t & p must continue to the parousia.
Ferguson argues that the continuationists too easily make the connection of perfection with parousia. Carson (moderate continuationist) is more careful. Gaffin, argues that though parousia is in view, this does not mean continuation. The presnt age is recognised to be split into apostolic and post-apostolic, with the former a foundation laying period (Eph 2:20).
4) Tongues speaking in NT is most naturally read as understandable languages. This is not the view of modern tongues-speakers. Also the later letters do not seek to regulate the phenomenon. (Tim. Tit.) The NT treats translated tongues as prophecy (2 Tim 2:7)
Distinction between revelation and illumination. The former results in scripture, the latter understanding of that same scripture. The question in continuation is the sufficiency of scripture. There is no need for new revelation.
Lower level prophecy (Grudem) cannot be called prophecy with the preface, “Thus says the Lord”. Yet illumination should not be rejected just because someone uses the preface! There is a difference in interpreting the experience.
The “tongues” of the modern day are not those of the NT, though they are not necessarily demonic. They can be misused and misinterpreted.
Explanation?
Continuationists have to explain the absence of gifts down the ages.
Cessationists have to explain the experience of 350m people!
The gifts are not self interpreting. The problem lies here. There is a need to anchor experience in biblical categories.
The Spirit and Preaching
Preaching is to take a central role (see Timothy). The Spirit becomes clothed in the preacher.
