I had intended to do a round-up of recent debate in blogosphere, but I need to get something off my chest. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that only non-Charismatics have really taken the New Covenant Age of the Spirit seriously. Charismatics are still stuck in the Old Testament age. They’re not New Testament believers – they’re Old Testament believers.
Let me explain what I mean.
The Gift of Prophecy
Take the gift of prophecy for example. Many cessationists are happy to acknowledge that the gift of prophecy is a New Covenant gift for all believers. The cessationist Richard Gaffin, writes this:
…according to the New Testament all believers are prophets; the whole church is a congregation of prophets. Analogous to the Reformation insistence on the universal priesthood of believers, we may speak of the ‘prophethood’ of all within the new covenant community…1
The charismatic on the other hand believes that there are only some New Testament believes who are gifted as prophets. The majority of us don’t have that office. And so, just like the Old Testament priests and prophets, there is a spiritual hierarchy, and those who are not prophets must go to those who are to find out what God’s will is for them.
This principle is entirely opposite to Scripture’s own description of the New Covenant age. Listen to what the Bible says about the New Covenant and the age of the Spirit:
I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezekiel 36:27)
My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and for ever,” says the Lord. (Isaiah 59:21).
“This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbour, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:33)
The Bible is clear. One of the key distinctions between the Old Covenant and the New is that when the Spirit is in/on us, God’s words will not depart from us. Indeed, no longer will anyone need to tell us “Know the Lord”, because we will all know him.
The non-charismatic knows this. The non-charismatic knows that there are not some people who have God’s word (prophets) and some people who don’t. The reformation fought for the principles of the priesthood of all believers, and that the Word of God was for all, and now Charismatics are giving all that up.
The charismatics are right to argue that under the New Covenant every believer has a greater understanding of God’s will. The Old Testament alone makes that clear. But our greater understanding of God’s will is precisely because God reveals himself personally to each one, in contrast to revealing himself through the prophets as He did in the Old Covenant. The charismatic notion that the New Testament gift of prophecy reveals God’s will mediated through a gifted individual stands in direct opposition to the democratisation of the Spirit which characterises New Testament Christianity. It is a notion that is thoroughly Old Testament in character. It deserves no place in a New Testament church.
So, the gift of prophecy, as understood by Charismatics, both reverses the reformation, and reverses Pentecost.
It is not just the gift of prophecy that can be viewed in this way. My next post will focus on the gift of tongues. In the meantime, I’d be delighted to have your feedback.
- Richard B. Gaffin, Perspectives on Pentecost (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979), pg 59.
- Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology (Leicester: Intervarsity, 1994), pg 1070.
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@Kyle: Many people recognise that not everyone who prophesies is necessarily a prophet. For example, For example, Mattie Elizabeth Hart writes, “the use made by Luke of the verb προφητεύω is to indicate prophetic activity among believers, and not to specify the office of prophet”. Richard Gaffin says that “the designation prophet is applied to those who exercise the gift frequently or with some regularity (e.g., Acts 21:10; I Cor. 12:28), while the gift itself can function temporarily in others on particular occasions”. This is a tradition that goes right back at least as far as King Saul (around 1,000 BC: 1 Samuel 10:11-12, 19:24).
I appreciate your correction about by use of “the will of God”. I’m talking really about discernment of the specific will of God. The following quote from Don Carson (with whom I am in full agreement on this point) may bring welcome clarity (it’s from page 152 of Showing the Spirit):
Finally, you say: “If every believer having the Spirit cancels out any need for prophecy, to the point that prophecy as modeled in the New Testament now appears to you as repugnant and contrary to the gospel what stops us from making similar claims about the scriptures themselves? How democratized is democratized?”
What I’m trying to say is not that old revelation is repugnant and contrary to the gospel. Far from it. Old revelation IS the gospel!! What I’m saying is that the means of old revelation do not belong in a New Covenant age. The purpose of Old Revelation was to point to a time when God’s relationship with his people will be changed (because of Jesus’ work on the cross and the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost). That time has now come. To carry on much as before ignores the significance of those events.
@Robert: Robert, you said:
This actually raises an interesting issue re: the difference between those who prophesy and those who teach. It also provides some welcome controls on true biblical preaching. The simple answer is to say that a teachers job is simply to explain what the Bible says. That’s ‘all’. He does so passionately, he does so in a way that applies the Scriptures to individuals, and he does so with the help of the Spirit. But ‘all’ he does it to say what the Bible says. In this sense the teacher passes on already existing revelation. But what is says is not revelatory.
@Keith: I took “I notice that the only passages you cite in support are from the Old Testament” as a tongue-in-cheek rebuke given that I had criticised others for only quoting the New Testament. It made me smile, and was deserved, even if it wasn’t a rebuke!
I just don’t see how we can avoid seeing Acts as a transitional book between two eras or covenants. What happened when people like Paul, Apollos and others were converted? Were they not taken from the Old Covenant into the New? And look at the Cornelius story. It’s a key marker in the book, and Cornelius is in some way ‘typical’. The story starts with ” a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God” and ends with “the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles… he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” That’s transition from Old Covenant to New, and these examples could be repeated throughout Acts.
I’m glad to hear that within your circle prophetic words are viewed as confirmatory to what God is saying to an individual. That is encouraging, but I’m not convinced that teaching is as widespread as you suggest. I’ve just re-read the relevant section if Grudem’s Systematic Theology, for example, and it makes no mention of whether prophetic words are confirmatory or not, it simply emphasises that they are not authoritative.
I do agree with you that when it comes to practice sensible charismatics are remarkably close to sensible cessationists at least in regard to prophecy (though tongues is an entirely different matter!). Cessationists will speak of promptings and sensing God’s guidance, but in essence it means much the same thing. I no of hardly any cessationists who would disagree with your last paragraph. Still, our vocabulary is important, and it’s good to be as accurate and faithful to scripture with regard our vocabulary as well as the doctrine behind it.
Wow! Are you really even trying?
That is the most biased hit-piece I’ve read on the web–and that’s saying something.
How sad that you completely dismiss one whole section of the Bible-believing, Jesus-believing Body of Christ.
I’m not sure how you arrive at your theology, your philosophy and your assumptions, but it is OBVIOUS that you did NOT arrive at them PRIMARILY from a straight-forward study of the scripture.
@Christian: I’m sorry you feel that way. This was a deliberatly provocative post - but then I’ve posted plenty of more balanced articles. There’s a place for both, after all.
You leave me no room to challenge your assertions, as you don’t tell me why you think I’m wrong, nor give an evidence. Neither do you cite any scripture. All I can do is to gently respond by suggesting that in my view your own comment displays fairly strong biases itself. To clarify: (1) I’m not dismissing a section of the Body of Christ, I’m pointing out where I believe that section is wrong. We’re called to do that. It’s what you’re doing in your reply to me. (2) Your last paragraph is quite wrong. I’m driven to this view purely and primarily by a study of scripture. I started on my journey quite unsure of Scripture’s teaching on the cessationist/charismatic argument. I arrived at my conclusions exactly from “a straight-forward study of scripture”. You’re more than welcome to question whether I’m right (and plenty of other commenters have). But please don’t tell me it’s obvious I didn’t reach these views through a conviction that’s the plain teaching of the Scriptures. You’re simply not in a position to make that judgement.
Hi Mark,
Why are you wrong? Because you turned into the judge! God is the judge. I am a Charismatic Christian and frankly wouldn’t want to be any other kind of Christian. But first why are you wrong? Easy what makes someone a NT Christian is accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Period! The Holy Spirit and gifts are there to enhance your spirtual growth and bless others after you receive Jesus. They don’t replace Jesus or the Bible, they complement it and confirm it, always. They don’t add to it nor do they do away with any part of it.
These stupid and pointless discussions divide the Body of Christ. We should focus on bringing the lost into the body and quit trying to pick at out we choose to get closer to Jesus. If you don’t believe like me I could care less. I will still like and fellowship with you. I don’t believe like you, will you do the same toward me? What I do want to know only is if Jesus is Lord of your life and have you received him as your personal Lord and Savior. If yes, I will see in heaven and we can break bread and fellowship. You are a NT Christian.
Now on earth we just need to learn to respect each other and learn that “the GREATEST of these is LOVE”.
John
I agree that we are not dependent on men as prophets ,but responsible to have the relationship that God is giving us direction by the Holy Spirit individually and accountable there-unto as well.
Jesus provided this so to be ,and it is sad that the church fails to teach this capacity and responsibility, but the ego of self appointed teachers,dishing out intellectual candy wallow in satins distrasction enjoy the attention ,and I am afraid for them come the day they will give account for cercumventing God’s provision and design.
Th only thing the disciples were directed to teach was Jesus gospel, the Holy Spirit is to be the tutor ,and we, fellow believers fellow servants ,not teachers . Jesus said directly and spicificlly DO not be called teachers or masters or even be called father.Even Paul and the disciples ignored this directive and men took off with it ignoring what Jesus said very planely. Do you think Jesus forgot any thing He ever said ? I think not.
All Holy Spirit filed believers should be speaking in tongues. Paul said to strive for the gifts not make excuses.
John,
I’d like to point something out…
By telling Mark where he’s erred, you have just done what you are accusing him of doing; being a judge! You are now judging him…shouldn’t God do that?
You go on to say that this discussion is pointless and stupid…hmmm again…more judging. You can’t have it both ways…you either leave it to God, or you don’t.
While you’re pondering that, I’d like to challenge you on something you’ve said:
“…what makes someone a NT Christian is accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Period!”
Where in the NT does it say that? That’s not in my bible…hmmmm…
The message of scripture is “repent and believe” not “accept as your personal Lord and Savior.”
This illustrates two things:
1.) The strong man centered gospel that permeates the Charismatic movement in general.
2.) The underemphasis on bible study at a serious level in favor of “gifts.”
Now before you flame me, I have to tell you that I go to a Charismatic church at the moment. I’ve been to Baptist churches,and Non-Denominational churches, and I can say that without a doubt that the study of scripture(not devotional reading) is put way down on the list of things that are desired, talked about, and practiced, in the Charismatic church. Gifts and prophesy rank much higher.
Here’s a test; How many of the following do you own:
1) BDAG
2) Metzger’s Textual Commentary
3) Louw-Nida
4) DBL Greek or Hebrew
5) Wallace’s Greek Grammar
6) TDNT
If you answered “what are they?” then you can see my point…if you answered “I have most of them” then bravo…you are certainly not the run-of-the-mill-Charismatic.
This underemphasis on serious bible study and theology may be localized to my own church, but considering what I’ve read, and heard, I doubt it…this seems to be symptomatic of the whole Charismatic movement.
Lastly, though you point out that “the greatest of these is love” you sure don’t exhibit any in this comment section. You sound like a person who is lashing out at someone who disagrees with their theology and instead of showing this person in love, just how they’ve erred in their study of scripture.
You’ll notice that during this whole comment I never called what you said stupid…I’m merely pointing a few things out to you.
God bless,
bob