Cessationism versus continuationism


Cessationism versus continuationism involves a Christian theological dispute as to whether spiritual gifts remain available to the church, or whether their operation ceased with the Apostolic Age of the church. The cessationist doctrine arose in the Protestant Reformation, initially in response to claims of Roman Catholic miracles. Modern discussions focus more on the use of charismatic gifts in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements.
Cessationism is a Protestant doctrine that spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, prophecy and healing ceased with the Apostolic Age. Reformers such as John Calvin originated this view. More recent development has tended to focus on other spiritual gifts too, owing to the advent of Pentecostalism and the Charismatic movement that have popularised a radical continuationism – the position that the spiritual gifts are meant for all Christians in every age.
Continuationism is a Christian theological belief that the spiritual gifts have continued to the present age, specifically those sometimes called "sign gifts", such as tongues and prophecy. Continuationism as a distinct theological position arose in opposition to cessationism.
Historically, the Catholic, Methodist, Moravian, and Pentecostal traditions of Christianity have preached continuationism while Dispensationalist and the confessional Reformed and Presbyterian traditions have been cessationist.

Differing views

Despite being two broad camps, divided over a single question, there are a spectrum of views that fall under three broad headings:
Cessationist arguments may focus on the principle of whether spiritual gifts are available to the church at all, or they may focus on whether the gifts found in modern charismatic forms of Christianity are authentic. These arguments need to be considered separately, because in one case the "open but cautious" continuationists may be deemed to be on one side, and on the other side in the other case.
That is to say, if the cessationist position is correct that spiritual gifts are not available today at all, then that puts them in opposition to the "open, but cautious" continuationsts. On the other hand, "open but cautious" continuationists may agree with cessationist arguments against many aspects of the pentecostal and charismatic movements.

Cessationism

Cessationism is a doctrine of Protestant Christianity. Prior to the Protestant Reformation, there was no such doctrine, yet neither was there an expectation that most of the gifts of the Holy Spirit would persist in the Church in the day to day experience of Christians. Nevertheless, there were sporadic mentions of some gifts, such as speaking in tongues, and more frequently, but still unusually, of healings and miracles. It was when these miracles in the Catholic Church were used as a polemic against the post-Reformation Protestant churches that John Calvin began to develop a doctrine of cessationism, and it was primarily in the Calvinist reformed tradition that this doctrine was developed. The argument was that, as the gifts of the Spirit must have necessarily ceased at the end of the Apostolic Age, it followed that the claims of miracles and healings should be met with skepticism and could not be used as a sign of God's favour.
Although initial statements of this doctrine held that the miracles and gifts of the Spirit ended with the Apostolic Age, this was soon modified to a view that the gifts faded away over the first three centuries of the Church. Writing in 1918, Benjamin Warfield reasserted the view that the gifts ceased with the death of the last of the apostles, arguing that only the apostles could confer the gifts upon other Christians. With the advent of Pentecostalism the focus of this doctrine moved away from Catholicism and towards claims of the emergence of spiritual gifts in the Protestant church.

Types of Cessationism

The doctrine of cessationism has evolved into various forms since its initial formulation. One disagreement between cessationists is when the gifts ceased—with the deaths of the apostles or gradually over the first few centuries. If the gifts are only imparted through the laying on of hands by the apostles, as Warfield argues, then the gifts necessarily ended with the death of the last apostle. One writer categorises such a priori beliefs as principled cessationism, but recognises that an a posteriori, or empirical cessationism is also possible. Empirical cessationism asserts that the gifts were lost through the church's deviation from sound doctrine, and not because they must necessarily have ended. The author quotes a study published by cessationists Brian and Scott McPherson to illustrate the empirical cessationist position.
Although the original formulation of cessationism arose in response to claims of healing and miracles in the Catholic Church, cessationists now divide into four viewpoints based on their views about the possibility of miracles in the Church today. These are:
Historically, it was within Calvinism that modern doctrines of cessationism were first formulated. The Roman Catholic Church and other wings of Protestantism were never cessationist by doctrine. However, it would take the emergence of Pentecostalism and a new Pentecostal theology to crystallise a theological position of continuationism as it would be understood today.
Inasmuch as the doctrine of continuationism is understood to mean that the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including miracles and healing, did not cease in the Apostolic Age, then continuationism was the settled view of the whole Christian church until the time of the Reformation. Nevertheless, even though there was no doctrine of cessationism made prior to this time, such gifts were not expected as a norm. For instance, Augustine, writing in the early fifth century, commented that speaking in tongues was a miracle that was no longer evident in his own time. He spoke of miracles still occurring at the time but noted in The City of God that they were not as spectacular or noteworthy as those in the Apostolic Age, but that they continued to take place.
The Protestant Reformation saw the birth of a doctrine of cessationism within Calvinism that sought to deny that the gifts of the Holy Spirit persisted beyond the Apostolic Age. This position was motivated by the polemical use of Catholic miracle stories in opposition to Protestantism. However continuationism remained the position, not just in the Roman Catholic church, but also in Anglican churches, initially in Lutheran churches, the Moravian Church, and in later movements such as Methodism.
Accounts of spiritual gifts can be found throughout history, but it was not until the advent of Pentecostalism and the later Charismatic movement that large numbers of Christians began to adhere to a radical continuationism, that argued that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are meant to be experienced by all Christians in every age. Focus moved from Catholic accounts of miracles to other gifts such as speaking in tongues. Continuationists argue that there is no reason to hold that the gifts of the Holy Spirit have ceased, regardless of whether they believe that they should be expected in the modern church or not.

History

Although the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements are a particular modern phenomenon, the question of the use of spiritual gifts has been a theme throughout the history of the church. During the Protestant Reformation the Catholic church used accounts of miracles in the Catholic church as a polemic against the reformed churches. John Calvin wrote in a preface to his Institutes of the Christian Religion that the primary purpose of miracles was to confirm divine revelation and affirm the Church's doctrine. It was a proof that the Apostolic preaching was true. Because the Reformation reaffirmed the original Apostolic preaching, no additional miracles should be expected - and that was likewise true of all Apostolic churches, which led him to argue that the miracles of the Catholic church were necessarily false. This was the first formulation of a cessationist argument: that the miracles and healings of the church should not be expected, because divine revelation had already been confirmed and the foundation laid.
Prior to the reformation, however, there was already discussion of the prevalence of miracles and spiritual gifts in the Church, and many references can be found in the writings of the Church Fathers and others, that are cited by Christians on each side of this debate.
Some of these references are:
In Jon Ruthven's On the Cessation of the Charismata and What's Wrong With Protestant Theology? the author contends for the continuation position and argues that the major proponent of cessationism, B.B. Warfield, did so to defend fundamentalism and Calvinism against the growing theological liberalism movement of the late 19th century.
Warfield expounded his views on cessationism particularly in his 1918 work, Counterfeit Miracles,
Warfield's view was that the goal of the charismata was to accredit true doctrine and its bearers, and that miracles were limited to the Biblical era. Miracles are seen as proving doctrine and once the canon was sealed and the last apostles died, they were not needed. Warfield was highly influenced by the work of John Calvin. According to Ruthven, a second major influence to Warfield was the Enlightenment epistemology of Scottish Common Sense philosophy. Ruthven notes that it was Warfield's Calvinist roots that objected to the Roman Catholic and the Enlightenment era SCSP realism that challenged post-Biblical ecclesiastical miracles. The writing of Conyers Middleton, who John Wesley objected to, were taken by Warfield as his own. Middleton's historical methodology towards miracles is outlined as follows:
1.Miracles are of such a nature and performed in such a manner as would necessarily inject suspicion of fraud and delusion.
2.That the cures and beneficial effects of them were either false, imaginary or accidental.
3. They tend to confirm the idlest of all errors and superstitions.
4. The integrity of the witnesses is either highly questionable or their credulity renders them unworthy of any credit
5. Some are so trifling as to excite nothing but contempt.
Warfield used a two leg approach in his defense of cessationism in which he attempted to perform a critical analysis based on a 'historical leg' and a 'scriptural leg'. Ruthven agreed with Warfield's premise that the function of the charismata determines its duration based on the emphasis of Scripture. Scripture explicitly states, Ruthven opined, that the function of the charismata is not for the accreditation of apostles and true doctrine, but for the edification, exhortation, encouragement and equipping of all believers for further service.
In his fight against Liberals who rationalize and de-mythologize or allegorize New Testament miracles, Warfield had a faith oriented, super-naturalistic and subjective position. However, Ruthven argued that he switched horses when it came to the view towards post-Biblical miracles and took a common sense, naturalistic, objective and scientific approach. It is evident that the very argument Liberals took against the validity of New Testament miracles, Warfield, a fundamentalist, took the same arguments and uses them in his position against post-Biblical era miracles.
Against this cessationist view, Karl Barth stated, "It is assumed that the church at all times needs the witness of apostles and prophets; further, Paul does not anticipate that the inspired and enthusiastic ministry was to be absorbed by and disappear into offices and officers".
Randy Clark said that in Warfield's attempt to protect Christian orthodoxy against the errors of liberalism and rationalism, his own biases blinded him from the reality of the New Covenant Spirit in our post Biblical era.
Ruthven stated: "The central theme of the Bible is that the word of God is revealed directly to the human heart resulting in a testing in confrontations with evil— all with the goal toward intimacy with God". Miracles and the charismata do not prove the gospel or doctrine; they are an expression or manifestation of the Gospel itself. Jesus came to model the veracity of this kingdom principle as he ratified the covenant and imparted the Spirit of God with fire and power in the New Covenant.

Problems of terminology

An important problem in the dispute between continuationists and cessationists is the difference in understanding of key concepts. For instance, in concepts related to the ministry of a prophet, i.e. 'prophet,' 'prophecy,' 'revelation,' etc., is everyone who prophesies therefore a prophet?
Further, there are different understandings of charismatic gifts, e.g. certain cessationists interpret some of the gifts, such as 'prophecy', 'the word of knowledge', 'the gift of faith' in natural terms, while others attach a supernatural character to all charismatic gifts.
Related to this, some cessationists, such as Peter Masters, have questioned whether the gifts of the spirit as found in the Church today are the same as the gifts as found in the first century church. Masters argues, for instance, that all uses of the gift of tongues in the New Testament were natural languages that were understood by other people present.

Points of dispute

Arguments against modern charismatic and pentecostal practice are not, in themselves, arguments for cessationism. Many "open but cautious" continuationists would make the same arguments. To qualify as an argument for cessationism, an argument must make the case that the gifts of the spirit are not available to the church today. This may be an argument that the gifts were irrevocably lost, or it may be an argument that the gifts were withdrawn or meant to be temporary. Those are the only points of dispute. These arguments are as follows:

The Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets

Cessationists and continuationists agree that the Christian Church is built upon the foundation of prophets and apostles. A passage in the book of Ephesians reads:
The principle arguments of cessationism are that the gifts of the Holy Spirit were only given for the foundation of the Church. For instance, Peter Masters states that the purpose of the gifts were to confirm the apostolic ministry with miraculous signs, until such a time as the Bible was completed by the Apostles and Prophets. B B Warfield went further and argued that the gifts of the Holy Spirit were only conferred by the laying on of hands of the Apostles, and since the Apostles have all passed away, that the gifts too have passed away.
Several responses can be made to Warfield's argument. The principle two responses are:
Firstly, Warfield's argument that the gifts can only be imparted by the laying on of hands of apostles is an argument from silence. Warfield argues that all cases of impartation of miracle working powers come from the laying on of hands of the apostles, but in many cases the bible does not tell us who prayed for whom to impart the gifts or the Holy Spirit, and it should be no surprise that the apostles are recorded as doing so in the book of the Acts of the Apostles. Moreover, Ruthven points out that Ananias, not himself an apostle, prayed for Paul with the laying on of hands in. Ruthven writes:
Secondly. if the office of apostle never left the church, then Warfield's argument fails for that reason too. Ruthven, among others, argues that the belief that the gift of apostleship was limited to the 12 apostles plus Paul is itself a post reformation doctrine that needs re-evaluation, and he lists nine arguments as to why apostleship continues within the church. However, as he notes, this is not the view of all continuationists. For instance, Ruthven notes that Dan Carson argues that the gift of apostleship alone is time limited.

Exegesis of 1 Corinthians 13:8-12

A scriptural argument for cessationism is made with reference to a passage in Paul's letter to the Corinthians. In a chapter sandwiched between two chapters discussing spiritual gifts, Paul wrote a passage all about love, which contains the following verses:
The principal reason for the cessationist denial of the continuation of the gifts is their appeal to the closure of the canon of scripture. Implicit in their appeal is their understanding that the closure of the canon marked the end of the manifestation of spiritual gifts. However, the main continuationist objection is that the Bible does not offer any clear text that would support cessationism. Some cessationists, such as Robert L. Thomas and Walter J. Chantry, appeal to the text of 1 Corinthians 13:8-12 as a proof-text for cessationism. Therefore, the question is how both camps in the dispute understand 1 Corinthians 13:8-12. In this context, the issue is how to interpret the expression in v. 10, "when that which is perfect is come," which speaks about an event associated with the cessation of the gifts.
Continuationists understand the key expression "that which is perfect to come" as referring to either the death of the Christian or else to the Second Coming of Christ, and, thus, the timing of the cessation of the gifts is associated with the resurrection from the dead and the eschatological event of Christ's return. An argument for such interpretation is that our knowledge, v. 9, is in a state of imperfection because "that which is perfect" has not yet come, but when it does come, our knowledge will cease to be imperfect. Since the event of Christ's Second Coming will bring forth the completion of our knowledge, Dan Carson, among others, argues that Christ's Second Coming is the candidate that best fits the description of the expression "the coming of that which is perfect". He also points out that the expression "face to face" most likely refers to the state of heavenly glory. John Calvin, despite having first developed the doctrine of cessationism, argues that this begins on the event of the Christians death.
Some cessationists, such as John F. MacArthur, would agree with the continuationists that "perfection" refers to Christ's Second Coming, but interpret "prophecy" and revelatory gifts in natural terms. Other cessationists would agree with the continuationist interpretations, but disagree with John F. MacArthur about the natural character of the gift of prophecy.
However, many cessationists will disagree with the continuationist interpretation and will point out that the event of Christ's Second Coming is an instantaneous event. Appendix A of "Understanding Spiritual Gifts," "First Corinthians 13:11 Revisited: An Exegetical Update," argues that τὸ τέλειον cannot mean "the perfect", but that it means "mature" or "complete" by showing how the Greek term was used in the NT and in all Greek literature. The Greek term used for "perfect" is τέλειος, signifying a process of growth until completion, and not an instantaneous event. In support of this interpretation, it is pointed out that Paul's talk of perfection is illustrated with the metaphorical image of a child's growth unto manhood.

Prophecy and Sola scriptura

Another concern for cessationists is the argument that modern day prophecy stands in opposition to the protestant doctrine of sola scriptura. The argument is that the Bible as we have it is the full and infallible source of authority for the Church, and therefore the principle of sola scriptura would be breached if prophecies are allowed to add new revelation. This argument can be extended to all the revelatory gifts: the word of knowledge, the word of wisdom and interpreted tongues as well as prophecy.
This argument is widely disseminated in cessationist literature expressing the view that new prophecies and revelations are addition to the canon. For references: Robert L. Thomas, Richard B. Gaffin's article "A Cessationist View", in the anthology Are Miraculous Gifts for Today - Four Views.
Robert L. Thomas' discussion on this subject in Understanding Spiritual Gifts is summed up when he says, "During the church's foundational days in the first-century era, prophecy furnished its own basis for instruction through revelations from God to the prophet. But those direct revelations are no longer happening, so the only existing basis of authority is Scripture, which has already been revealed."
Richard B. Gaffin makes a similar observation on the extent of a prophetic authority when he says, "The issue is the inspired, Spirit-worked origin of prophecy and its correlative authority. The words of the prophet are the words of God and are to be received and responded to as such."Rp|68bibleref2|Thessalonians|5:19-21Quote |text=And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.|source=efn|Virtually all continuationists agree on this point, See for instance Don Codling, Sola Scriptura and the Revelatory Gifts, pp. 130-131 ; D.A. Carson, Showing the Spirit: 1 Cor 12-14, pp. 163-164; Douglas A. Oss, "A Pentecostal/Charismatic View," in: Are Miraculous Gifts for Today, p. 279.efn|Carson, Showing the Spirit, 95. M. M. B. Turner, on whom Carson is dependent, writes, "The presupposition is that any one New Testament prophetic oracle is expected to be mixed in quality, and the wheat must be separated from the chaff". A similar position is taken by D. Atkinson, Prophecy 13-14, 16-17. Thus, a continuationist concludes that modern prophecies do not represent an infallible source of authority for the Church and, as such, the principle of sola scriptura is not violated.rp|293–294

Disputes concerning the verification of prophecies

An important issue concerns the question of the verification of prophecies. The Scriptures command Christians to test prophecies. Would this imply that a prophecy can be a mixture of both true and false elements? Most continuationists would answer positively to this question.
From the cessationist perspective, however, it is odd to say that a prophecy given by a genuine true prophet, i.e., a prophet who was inspired by God's Spirit, can be a mixture of both false and true statements. A cessationist would question the intelligibility of such notion of true prophecy. How can a prophet be entitled to declare "and so says the Lord" and utter false statements, as if the Lord's words were deceptive?
C. Samuel Storms gives an explanation of how prophecies can be fallible owing to human fallibility:
The key is in recognizing that with every prophecy there are four elements, only one of which is assuredly of God: There is the revelation itself; there is the perception or reception of that revelation by the believer; there is the interpretation of what has been disclosed or the attempt to ascertain its meaning; and there is the application of that interpretation. God alone is responsible for the revelation. It is infallible as he is. It contains no falsehoods Error enters in when the human recipient of a revelation misperceives, misinterprets and/or misapplies what God has disclosed. The fact that God has spoken perfectly does not mean that human beings have heard perfectly.

Problems raised with this interpretation are:
First, Deuteronomy 18:20-22 teaches that a false prophet, who speaks presumptuously in the name of the Lord, is exposed by discovering falsehoods in his prophetic predictions. Deuteronomy 18 is about oral prophecies, and thus, it is about noncanonical prophecies. If it is allowed that true prophecies contain error, a cessationists contends that it would not be possible to distinguish true prophets from false prophets who presumptuously speak in the name of the Lord.
Second, there is no ground for restricting the continuationist theory of inspiration only to noncanonical prophecies. Consequently, canonical prophecies might be fallible as well. If fallibility of canonical prophecies is allowed, a cessationist would point out that the continuationist theory of inspiration would violate the principle of sola scriptura because sola scriptura teaches that the Scriptures is the only infallible authority for the Church.

Non-revelatory gifts

On the spectrum of continuationist views, there are also those who agree fully with cessationists that the gift of prophecy is past along with the office of apostles and prophets. They concede that these specific gifts, being foundational, are passed, but they remain open to all the non-foundational gifts. Martyn Lloyd-Jones maintained a continuationist stance, but held that prophecy was not a gift that the modern church should expect.
The non-revelatory gifts do not violate the principle of sola scriptura in any formulation of the doctrine. From a cessationist perspective, healings and miracles were always signs associated with the divine confirmation of the genuineness of a prophet in periods when God revealed new truths with respect to the doctrine. A view not shared by continuationists. Within a cessationist framework, miracles and healing are signs of apostleship and prophethood, and, thus, are seen in the context of the formation of new doctrines, cf. Acts 2:43, 2 Corinthians 12:12.