Cessationism vs. continuationism...does it make any difference?

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,164
1,794
113
Ok, i don’r get this response then?
Just guessing, but I think the comment may be about your habit of not discussing the scriptures or the point made, and instead making accusations against others of sin based on what you imagine they might be guilty of.
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
26,074
13,777
113
The point is, if we dwell on sin, we are more proned to sin. If we dwell on the righteousness of Christ that is OURS, we are better off.
Sounds like you both are talking past each other. While the Christian's focus must always be on righteousness, it is also evident that believers can and do sin and must deal with present sins (not choose to sin habitually which would mean that they are not even saved). However, when the focus is on spiritual gifts, then it deflects from the matter at hand. Spiritual gifts should simply be exercised without fanfare. But tongues are undoubtedly disruptive and cause divisions. And modern tongues are not even biblical tongues.
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,164
1,794
113
He showed me that He doesn't always have to give me a hand-out when I need money. If I have skills and am available to get a job and work for my living, He will provide one.
God giving us opportunities to work that enable us to make money seems to be one of the main means or provision, at least in a modern cash economy. But it seems like God may also provide through gifts when there is a need and one has been doing a lot of ministry work for free, not asking anything in return from man or when people work hard and are compensated little for their work and pray for help.
 

Nebuchadnezzer

Well-known member
Feb 8, 2019
1,134
205
63
The Holy Spirit uses all sorts of ways to bring a person to faith in Christ. I didn't need to see any miracles to make me believe the Gospel. I just knew that I needed to get right with God and when I was shown the Gospel Scriptures I believed them and received Christ as my Saviour.

People in western countries have been corrupted by Plato and Aristotle, who believed that something is real only if I can be empirically proved by science. Therefore, something that cannot be proved by science is not real. So if someone says that they have been healed as the result of a miracle, people steeped in Aristotle philosophy would say it is fake, not real, and didn't really happen.
Your example is prejudice. Your judgement is in error.

But people in third world countries in Asia and Africa have no problem with the supernatural, because they see it often in their pagan temples. The supernatural is real to them because they are not corrupted by Aristotle philosophy.
I live in the western world, and I most certainly believe that the pagan supernatural is real, but I also know that it is from the demonic. Knowing this I don't seek for "christian" miracles because I know they can also be from the demonic.

Therefore when the Holy Spirit miraculously heals someone, they know that the power of God is greater than the power of their pagan idols, and this causes them to receive Christ.
You assume wrongly. If people are willing to place their faith in false pagan miracles then they will also be willing to place their faith in false christian miracles too.

Bottom Line: I don't need those miracles that you advocate for to believe in God.
Why should I place my faith in something I don't need?
 

Evmur

Well-known member
Feb 28, 2021
5,219
2,618
113
London
christianchat.com
Sounds like you both are talking past each other. While the Christian's focus must always be on righteousness, it is also evident that believers can and do sin and must deal with present sins (not choose to sin habitually which would mean that they are not even saved). However, when the focus is on spiritual gifts, then it deflects from the matter at hand. Spiritual gifts should simply be exercised without fanfare. But tongues are undoubtedly disruptive and cause divisions. And modern tongues are not even biblical tongues.
You have a funny idea

You seem to think that the gifts of the Holy Spirit can be manifested without any input by the Holy Spirit.
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,164
1,794
113
I live in the western world, and I most certainly believe that the pagan supernatural is real, but I also know that it is from the demonic. Knowing this I don't seek for "christian" miracles because I know they can also be from the demonic.
Couldn't such miracles have been demonic in the first century? Do you think the apostles were wrong to pray to God to do signs and wonders? Why did miracles occur after their prayer?

You assume wrongly. If people are willing to place their faith in false pagan miracles then they will also be willing to place their faith in false christian miracles too.

Bottom Line: I don't need those miracles that you advocate for to believe in God.
Why should I place my faith in something I don't need?
Who is saying that someone needs to have miracles to believe in God? If you do not need them to believe in God, does that mean that the body of Christ does not need them? You seem to hold to a strange false dichotomy, the idea that we either need to have miracles so that we can believe in God or else we do not need them at all. This type of thinking does not line up with scripture.

In i Corinthians 12, Paul mentions different kinds of spiritual gifts, describing different individuals with different gifts as members of the body of Christ. One part of our body does not say to another part, "I have no need of thee." The implication is that we should not say this to one another. You should not say to those gifted to work miracles, "I have no need of thee."

If you can believe in God without seeing a miracle, that is a good thing, of course, but that does not mean that you do not need the grace of God manifested through the gift of the working of miracles or the members of the body of Christ who exercise those gifts.
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,164
1,794
113
Sounds like you both are talking past each other. While the Christian's focus must always be on righteousness, it is also evident that believers can and do sin and must deal with present sins (not choose to sin habitually which would mean that they are not even saved). However, when the focus is on spiritual gifts, then it deflects from the matter at hand. Spiritual gifts should simply be exercised without fanfare. But tongues are undoubtedly disruptive and cause divisions. And modern tongues are not even biblical tongues.
Spiritual gifts are not the cause of divisions. People who cause divisions oppose Biblical teaching or do not live it out in their lives and express it in their attitudes. Disorderly use of tongues can be disruptive and may lead to division, but so can rejecting Biblical teaching in favor of spiritual gifts.

Rejecting Biblical teaching on spiritual gifts is not an appropriate solution to this issue.
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
26,074
13,777
113
Rejecting Biblical teaching on spiritual gifts is not an appropriate solution to this issue.
As you will note in my earlier detailed post, there was NO REJECTING of any spiritual gift. However, I clearly explain why some spiritual gifts are no longer operational, but the majority are still operational. And those with spiritual discernment will agree.
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,164
1,794
113
As you will note in my earlier detailed post, there was NO REJECTING of any spiritual gift. However, I clearly explain why some spiritual gifts are no longer operational, but the majority are still operational. And those with spiritual discernment will agree.
As I recall, I posted several posts pointing out the problem with your reasoning, and the fact that you are trying to interpret how the Bible fits with your theory, rather than showing something that the apostles actually taught.

If you say someone got sick, therefore the apostles stopped being able to heal, that is not the same as the Bible actually teaching that apostles lost their gift over time, or that healing through supernatural means is not available today. I also pointed out that Paul had an infirmity early in his ministry, and healed all that came to him on an island late in his ministry that is shown in Acts. If evidence of sickness is proof that healing ceased, then Paul was unable to heal after that, and the later healings in the Bible would not be true.

The problem with your theory is that it is not actual apostolic teaching. You cannot show where the apostles actually taught your theory. You are trying a 'goodness of fit' approach, to borrow a term from statistics...using cherry picked data points and excluding data points that do not fit.
 
Mar 17, 2021
560
165
43
Your example is prejudice. Your judgement is in error.


I live in the western world, and I most certainly believe that the pagan supernatural is real, but I also know that it is from the demonic. Knowing this I don't seek for "christian" miracles because I know they can also be from the demonic.


You assume wrongly. If people are willing to place their faith in false pagan miracles then they will also be willing to place their faith in false christian miracles too.

Bottom Line: I don't need those miracles that you advocate for to believe in God.
Why should I place my faith in something I don't need?
Who said we should place our faith in miracles? Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.

It all depends on one's definition of "miracles".
The New Birth is a miracle.
Answered prayer is a miracle.
Being able to understand and believe the Gospel is a miracle.
Being healed of a terminal disease is a miracle.

If you say you don't need miracles, then you probably won't need these ones either.
 

Aidan1

Well-known member
Mar 17, 2021
1,680
705
113
Couldn't such miracles have been demonic in the first century? Do you think the apostles were wrong to pray to God to do signs and wonders? Why did miracles occur after their prayer?



Who is saying that someone needs to have miracles to believe in God? If you do not need them to believe in God, does that mean that the body of Christ does not need them? You seem to hold to a strange false dichotomy, the idea that we either need to have miracles so that we can believe in God or else we do not need them at all. This type of thinking does not line up with scripture.

In i Corinthians 12, Paul mentions different kinds of spiritual gifts, describing different individuals with different gifts as members of the body of Christ. One part of our body does not say to another part, "I have no need of thee." The implication is that we should not say this to one another. You should not say to those gifted to work miracles, "I have no need of thee."

If you can believe in God without seeing a miracle, that is a good thing, of course, but that does not mean that you do not need the grace of God manifested through the gift of the working of miracles or the members of the body of Christ who exercise those gifts.
The problem is not that cessationism deny
that God is working still with miracles and healings for his gloryfication.
The problem is that since Topeka and Azuza a New teaching arose among Christians which claims that the spiritual gifts (tongues, prophecie, healings) are today the same as in the time of the apostles.
New is, that speaking in tongues is the visible sign, that somebody is baptised with the Holy Spirit. This teaching was not in the churchhistory, nor in the NT taught. Out from Acts 2,8,10 and 19 which can seen as sign for the jews an doctrine was createt which never was taught to the Christians. No Single Letter to the churches mentioned this teaching.
And the fact, that today pentecostals and charismatics cant show that healings and prophecie are in the same quality like in the Apostles time reveals that there is something wrong.
Not only this, if someone has not the gift of speaking in tongues something must be wrong with him, because it is taught that this gift should be for every believer, who wants it.
And if someone is not be healed, then the reason is for shure his sin ore lack of faith,
this causes many suffering among belivers and brings them under pressure.
Because of this false teaching I am against it.
I am not against healing ore miracles ore prophecie as it was in the days of the apostle.
 
Jan 12, 2019
7,497
1,399
113
The problem is not that cessationism deny
that God is working still with miracles and healings for his gloryfication.
The problem is that since Topeka and Azuza a New teaching arose among Christians which claims that the spiritual gifts (tongues, prophecie, healings) are today the same as in the time of the apostles.
New is, that speaking in tongues is the visible sign, that somebody is baptised with the Holy Spirit. This teaching was not in the churchhistory, nor in the NT taught. Out from Acts 2,8,10 and 19 which can seen as sign for the jews an doctrine was createt which never was taught to the Christians. No Single Letter to the churches mentioned this teaching.
And the fact, that today pentecostals and charismatics cant show that healings and prophecie are in the same quality like in the Apostles time reveals that there is something wrong.
Not only this, if someone has not the gift of speaking in tongues something must be wrong with him, because it is taught that this gift should be for every believer, who wants it.
And if someone is not be healed, then the reason is for shure his sin ore lack of faith,
this causes many suffering among belivers and brings them under pressure.
Because of this false teaching I am against it.
I am not against healing ore miracles ore prophecie as it was in the days of the apostle.
When it comes to healing, I certainly wish all of these Pentecostal churches start not with their favorite Isaiah passage "By his stripes we are healed", but rather start with Romans 8:18-25.

I always remind them that the apostle Paul never even taught the Body of Christ to utter the Isa passage.

Rather he taught us to view all our sicknesses as light afflictions (2 Corinthians 4:17) and not worth comparing to the glorified body that we are putting our hope in (Romans 8:18).
 

Dino246

Senior Member
Jun 30, 2015
25,502
13,806
113
As you will note in my earlier detailed post, there was NO REJECTING of any spiritual gift. However, I clearly explain why some spiritual gifts are no longer operational, but the majority are still operational. And those with spiritual discernment will agree.
It is unfortunate that you can't disagree without impugning the spiritual maturity of those with whom you disagree. It reflects on you, not on the other.
 

Lookupnotback

Active member
Sep 26, 2020
169
47
28
Have you ever walked by an occult type store or such and felt/heard the high pitched buzz of the lord of the flies? That is what i get from you continuationests here, downright evil comes through the lines from you guys, scary really (and you will try to twist that into your being on the right side of judgement), i see why you own your own bit of darkness here, your father of this time has given it to you. Your end is going to be so tragic and deserved if you do not turn from your false religions now.....
930BB366-6FE7-4442-B42E-BA940670D9DA.jpeg
 

Dino246

Senior Member
Jun 30, 2015
25,502
13,806
113
Have you ever walked by an occult type store or such and felt/heard the high pitched buzz of the lord of the flies? That is what i get from you continuationests here, downright evil comes through the lines from you guys, scary really (and you will try to twist that into your being on the right side of judgement), i see why you own your own bit of darkness here, your father of this time has given it to you. Your end is going to be so tragic and deserved if you do not turn from your false religions now.....
Your comment and the accompanying picture are sick and twisted.
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,164
1,794
113
Have you ever walked by an occult type store or such and felt/heard the high pitched buzz of the lord of the flies? That is what i get from you continuationests here, downright evil comes through the lines from you guys, scary really (and you will try to twist that into your being on the right side of judgement),
Hmm.... That sounds downright mystical. Are you claiming some kind of supernatural experience causes you to not believe what continuationists teach? Do you think it is evil because you get some kind of supernatural feeling or sense, or actually hear flies buzzing? You should be careful about this because the lord of the flies is a deceiver.

You haven't given us one bit of evidence that the parts of the Bible you don't accept as applicable today, like I Corinthians 12, are not for us today.

Again, the issue is you would have us believe some parts of the New Testament are no longer true us and do not apply to the church.