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IV. Cessation
A. With all that in mind, let us not turn our attention to our theme for the
evening: have miracles ceased or do they continue to be performed?
B. Before answering that question, let me quickly dismiss one thing. I
have heard people say things to this effect: “If we could just have
miracles,or bigger miracles today, more people would believe and
come to Jesus.” I think we can dismiss that quite easily for one very
simple reason: there is no way we could ever do greater miracles than
those Jesus did, and not many believed Him! Miracles confirm the
word and we have the records of dozens of miracles to help us
establish our faith in Jesus.
C. Now, as we begin to answer our question, let’s turn to the end of the
Gospel according to John. Near the end of that book, John wrote his
purpose statement. John 20:30-31 tells us that Jesus did many signs
which were not recorded, but that the ones in John “are written that
you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.” The words
“are written” translate one Greek word that carries with it the idea of
written in the past, but with an abiding effect. In commenting on this
passage, A.T. Robertson said John,“has had precisely this effect of
continuous and successive confirmation of faith in Jesus Christ through
the ages.” Why do we bring that up? Because if the recording of these
miracles is what God, through John, gave us to believe in Jesus, then
why would we need miracles today? These miracles continue to be in
the Bible, confirmed and true, and should be sufficient to help us
establish and grow in our faith in Jesus.
D. But the teaching of miracles ceasing is more fully discussed in two
other passages in the NT that we want to spend the balance of our
time studying.
1. The first is rather lengthy, and runs from First Corinthians chapter
12 through chapter 14. We will focus our attention on certain
verses only in chapters 12 and 13.
a. In 12:8-10, there are nine spiritual gifts listed. Those verses say,
“For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and
to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit,
to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of
healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of
miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the
distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and
to another the interpretation of tongues.” We don’t have time
this evening to discuss what each of these means, but suffice it
to say that, if there are miraculous gifts today, they would all fall
under one of these 9 categories.
b. Now, from that list, Paul uses 3 in chapter 13, representative of
the entire list. Most scholars say that the 3 mentioned in
chapter 13 (prophecies, tongues, and knowledge) were
considered by some in the first century to be the best gifts. In
other words, those who were blessed with these miraculous gifts
had an even more special miraculous gift than the others. Keep
that in mind.
c. Paul goes on in chapter 13 to teach that these gifts would cease.
Some do not think these have ceased, but many will concede
that they will end. So we need to figure out when they will end,
or if they have already.
d. Read with me from verses 8-13: “Love never fails; but if there
are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are
tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done
away. For we know in part and we prophecy in part, but when
the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a
child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a
child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For
now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know
in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully
known. But now faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the
greatest of these is love.”
e. In verse 9, you will notice that Paul says that the spiritual gifts
were made known “in part.” In other words, they were made
known in a gradual way. The word translated “in part” can have
its meaning expanded to “the part as opposed to the whole,”
which helps us as we look further into these verses. Now, Paul
says that these “in part” things will be done away with. Since
these “in part” things are the supernatural gifts, the Bible is
saying that these gifts would cease. But the question again is
when?
f. The chapter goes on to say, “When that which is perfect is
come.” “Perfect” is better translated “complete” or “whole.”
J.B. Phillips translates this part of the verse: “When the Complete
comes, that is the end of the Incomplete.”
g. Brother Wayne Jackson, again in his work that I have used
heavily as a source says, “So, we may reason as follows:
Whatever the in-part things are partially, the whole is, in
completed form. But the in-part things were the spiritual gifts
employed in the revealing of God’s will (word). Therefore, the
whole was God’s will (word)—as conveyed through the gifts—
completely revealed.”
h. In other words, what Paul is saying is, “These gifts are being
used to confirm or prove the revelation—the Word of God. When
the revelation is complete, there will be no more need for the
gifts and they will cease.” W.E. Vine said about this: “With the
completion of Apostolic testimony and the completion of the
Scriptures of truth (‘the faith once for all delivered to the saints,’
Jude 3), ‘that which is perfect’ had come, and the temporary
gifts were done away.”
2. The other passage we will look at more briefly is found in Ephesians
4. In this passage, Paul is speaking of several kinds of gifts, but he
specifically mentions spiritual gifts. Note verses 7-8: “But to each
one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Therefore it says, ‘When He ascended on high, He led captives, and
He gave gifts to men.’” In the next verses, we are given a list of
some of the works that Jesus gave “some” to do: apostles,
prophets, etc.
a. We are then told, at the conclusion of the list in verse 12, “for
the perfecting of the saints.” The word “perfecting” means,
“complete qualification for a specific purpose.” Arndt and
Gingrich give it this way: “to equip the saints for service.”
b. Now, as in First Corinthians 12 and 13, we are again told of the
duration of these gifts. Verse 13 tells us they will be “until we all
attain to the unity of the faith.” The word “Until” (or “till” in
other translations) carries the idea of a certain amount of time
up to which something was to last. In this case, we would have
the desired amount of time, assigned by God, through which
these gifts were to last.
c. So what was the time frame God assigned? Until there is a unity
of the faith. “The faith,” as we often see it in Scripture, means
the entirety of the Gospel system. In other words, Paul was
teaching that these gifts were to last until the entire Gospel
system was unified. We might say it better this way: the gifts
were to last until the NT was completed as a unit.
3. One final thingsthat comes as a result from these two passages.
Keep in mind that those who performed these miracles were
allowed to do so by the power of God and the words they spoke (if
they had gifts of prophecy or tongues) were divinely given. In other
words, the words spoken by those with these gifts were just as
binding as the words being divinely penned that would come to us
as the NT. So what? If miracles are still going on, then the words
being spoken are binding and the NT is not the final word from God.
This clearly violates Jude 3 and other passages which teach us that
the NT was finished and unified.
E. So, from a careful and honest examination of the NT record, we can
determine that miracles were a certain activity for a certain time and
were not needed—and did not continue—after the collection of the NT
writings.
1. There are some who say, and I have read several articles from
people who have said similar things to this, “Well, if we had
miracles today, more people would believe. Why would God end
that which would cause people to believe?”
2. There are two responses we may give:
a. First, it is worth noting that not everyone believed the miracles
that were done in the Bible. Even those who witnessed first-
hand the miracles done by Jesus, Peter, Paul, and others did not
believe. So, if we had miracles today, it would not necessarily
mean we would have more believers.
b. Second, we need to teach people to respect and love the Biblical
record. The miracles that are recorded in the Bible bear witness
to the fact of God’s power, love, provision, providence, care and
compassion. If we who love the Bible would do our best to
preach not just the specifics of the miracles, but also the God
behind the miracles we would be more effective, I think in
bringing people to Him through the record of those miracles.
Invitation
A. We do not have miraculous gifts today. They were for a specific time.
B. But the same God Who gave those gifts is still just as powerful and just as
ready to save.
C. He may not have His word confirmed through miracles today, but we have
the Bible, complete and filled with all we need to be saved and live for Him.
D. Have you given your life to the Father?