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| The December 1999 Pneuma Informer |  |
In this Issue:
Introducing some of the Writers and Editors Meet some of the contributors to the Pneuma Review and the other publications of the Pneuma Foundation: Tim Beals is a Contributing Editor to the Pneuma Review. He heads the Bible editorial department at Zondervan's Publishing House, editing and publishing the many popular study Bibles in the Zondervan's line including The Full Life Study Bible. Larry Taylor, author of "Do Full-Gospel Ministers Need Theology" which appeared in the inaugural issue of the Pneuma Review. Professor Taylor teaches at Portland Bible College and is finishing doctoral work at Fuller. William De Arteaga is best known for his book Quenching the Spirit (Creation House, 1996). He has experience speaking to and writing for ministers and is an excellent researcher. His breadth of perspective is welcomed to the Pneuma Review. The Pneuma Review conducted an interview with De Arteaga on the topic of revival and its critics, which appeared in the Fall 1999 issue (Vol 2, No 4). Robert Graves is the author of numerous articles and books including most recently, The Gospel According to Angels (Chosen, 1998). Robert has taught at Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie, Texas and at Georgia State University. His book Praying in the Spirit (Chosen, 1987) is being reprinted as a series in the Pneuma Review. William Pankey is an educator at Christian Life College in the Chicago area. He has served as a pastor, a leader in a Messianic congregation, and is the author of "The Holy Spirit and the Exegetical Process" which appeared in the Winter 1999 issue (Vol 2, No 1) of the Pneuma Review. * Have you enjoyed these biographical sketches of some of the great folks writing for the publications of the Pneuma Foundation? Write us to let us know if you like this feature. The Latest issue of the Pneuma Review Domestic US and Canadian subscribers should have already received the Winter 2000 issue (Vol 3, No 1). If you are a subscriber and have not yet received it, please contact Customer Service. Excerpts from the Winter 2000 (Vol 3, No 1) issue of the Pneuma Review From "Bible Answers about Continuing Spiritual Gifts for Your Non-Charismatic Friends" By Jon Ruthven The Case FOR Continuing Spiritual Gifts Before we begin, let us look at the central problem with the "cessationist" argument. It claims that because spiritual gifts can be used as proof of doctrine, then the gifts must cease when the need for that proof is fulfilled (that is, when the New Testament was written). Should a medical doctor use that same logic? When he uses your heartbeat to prove you are alive, does this mean your heart must cease beating simply because he just removed his stethoscope and no longer needed proof? It is highly doubtful that the New Testament ever intended spiritual gifts to be used as proof, but even if it did, the New Testament itself shows many other, clearly-stated and necessary functions for spiritual gifts, which, by the same logic, should demand their continuation! Let us now review some passages of Scripture that makes this case. 1. Romans 11:29 makes a universal statement about the continuation of the "charismata." "The gifts [charismata] and calling of God are irrevocable [not called back]." Cessationism precisely contradicts this verse. Cessationists may object, though, that this verse applies only to the offer of salvation to the Jews and not to the gifts of the Spirit. But here we must follow Paul's logic: this promise of the irrevocable charismata is a statement of universal truth, a generalization of the continuation of the charismata. Paul appeals to this universal truth against those who suggest that the offer of salvation to the Jews is no longer valid. Paul moves from this universal to the specific case, not the other way around. Hence, the "universal" is always true and may be appealed to in other ways, as in our case of specific spiritual gifts not being recalled. Note further, "charismata" is a term which he applies elsewhere to all the so-called "temporary" or "miraculous" spiritual gifts (e.g., Rom 12:6; 1 Cor 12:6). The full burden of proof lies on those who wish to change the meaning of the word to exclude frequently-named charismata: spiritual gifts of utterance and power. This passage also teaches that just because people don't accept God's gifts, and because they don't appear often in recorded history, does not prove that God has withdrawn them. Moreover, the "charismata" of the Romans 11 passage cannot simply be limited to "salvation," since Paul saw Christ, the Messiah, as the one who bestows the gifts of the Spirit as much as the one who redeems from sin. We now move from this general principle to another important principle about continuing spiritual gifts. 2. The New Testament says that spiritual gifts are not to be despised or neglected. 1 Cor 12:21 says that no "member" (spiritual gift) of the body is allowed to say to another, 'I have no need of you!'" But cessationism says exactly that. Cessationism also denies clear commands of the Bible: "Desire earnestly the best gifts" (12:31). "Eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy" (14:1) "Try to excel in gifts that build up the church [especially prophecy in the context]" (14:12). "Be eager to prophesy and do not forbid to speak in tongues" (14:39). Cessationism does "quench the Spirit." and does "despise prophecy" (1 Thes 5:19-20) by denying it even exists. In contrast to cessationism, Paul encourages Timothy to "fan into flame the gift of God" (1 Tim 1:6). Many commentators feel this is the gift of prophecy. From "Appointed Times: The Fall Feasts", part of the Messianic Foundations Series by Kevin Williams Yom Kippur Yom Kippur literally means the "Day of Atonement." It was on this day, according to God's decree that the Azazel, the scapegoat, was released into the wilderness carrying the sins of the nation with it. In the second temple period, it was lead to a high cliff and forced over the brink; it's death signifying atonement for the people. In the second temple period, the Talmud records that the Levites tied a scarlet thread around one of the horns of the Azazel. After its death, witnesses were sent to examine the thread. When the thread turned white, as it had done for centuries, they knew their sins had been forgiven them in fulfillment of Isaiah 1:18 "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." The Talmud also records that 40 years before the destruction of the temple the thread no longer turned white. Coinciding with the death and resurrection of Yeshua around 30 AD, The Most High rejected the Azazel sacrifice. For Israel, Yom Kippur could no longer be looked forward to as a day of atonement and reconciliation with God, but by its two other nomenclatures: The Day of Judgment, and The Great and Awesome Day of the Lord. Entire books have been written on the rituals of the High Priest on Yom Kippur. We have neither the time nor the space here to delve into the many wonders of this holiday. Yet many speak of "the God of the Old Testament" as a wrathful, angry God. But an examination of Yom Kippur demonstrates a merciful God, eager to forgive and full of grace. On Yom Kippur, two goats were brought before the High Priest: one for sacrifice on the altar, and one to be driven into the wilderness. The altar sacrifice was an asham offering. The asham was the substitutionary atonement for all the sins the people were ignorant of committing. This evidence is indication of God's mercy, in His holiness wiping away even the smallest of transgressions. It likewise speaks of Messiah Yeshua. In Isaiah 53:10, regarding the suffering Servant, we read, "But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering," The Hebrew here for the guilt offering is none other than asham. Our Messiah became our guilt offering, carrying our sins off into the wilderness of Hell so that our scarlet sins could be white as snow, so that even sins we committed in ignorance would be wiped away before the Judge. What can Yom Kippur mean for us today? It can be a very healing and cathartic event if we will let it. Yom Kippur is a day to review sins as God outlines them in Scripture. It is a day to say to yourself, "Yes, I have gossiped. Yes, I have had lust in my heart. Yes, I have been angry with my brother. Yes, I have been arrogant," and on and on. It is a day to be mindful of the asham offering that was made on your behalf. To be mindful, and grateful. We've covered Yom Kippur past and Yom Kippur present, what about Yom Kippur future? Once again we see God's timetable expressed in His ordained observances. After Rosh Hashanah, after the last trump comes the fullness of the revelation-the Great and Awesome Day of the Lord. Let's let Scripture speak for itself.
No one wants to be waiting around for the last Yom Kippur. Woe to those whose Savior is not Christ the Lord! From: "Better Than I Was, Not Better Than You Are" from the Praying in the Spirit Series by Robert Graves The Baptism and Spiritual Maturity Along with the misperception of pride about the baptism [in the Holy Spirit] and tongues, there is apparently a question about the baptism and Christian growth or maturity. Let me say, first, that there are two related points that charismatics and non-charismatics agree on. The first is that this blessing does not affect anyone's status as a Christian. No one Christian is better than any other. All are justified and sanctified by the work of Christ. And the second is that we all agree that Christians may differ in their levels of maturity. The great Reformed Presbyterian Abraham Kuyper wrote that "there are in the Church holy, holier, and holiest persons" (p. 452). (Imagine the outcry if a charismatic said this today!) Non-Pentecostals Richard De Haan and Hal Lindsey teach that some Christians are filled with the Spirit and some are not (Spirit, pp. 26, 135). Pentecostals and charismatics also believe that the New Testament teaches that there are, beyond the justification point that makes all Christians holy through Christ, varying degrees of maturity. Paul told the Corinthians, "Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly--mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it" (1 Corinthians 3:1-2). So there is agreement generally that Paul's teaching allows for different grades of Christian spirituality. The difficulty or division on the subject of maturity comes in the minds of some who feel that Pentecostals teach that Spirit-baptism is "an easy shortcut to spiritual maturity" (Burdick, p. 89). They think that Pentecostals remove the "long, sluggish grind of the Christian walk" and telescope it into the instantaneous Spirit-baptism (Paulsen, p. 11). Non-Pentecostal Theodore Epp writes, "When the Spirit enters the life, that is the beginning, not the consummation, of that life. Some believe that once they have received the Spirit and spoken in tongues they have reached the zenith" (p. 115). Non-Pentecostal George Duncan adds, "To so many the experience of speaking in tongues is either the most desirable or the most commendable of the Spirit. If they possess it they feel that this is the final goal of their ambition" (p.59). There is, of course, no such thing as "instant maturity" in the Christian life and Pentecostals and charismatics know this. In fact, one who has experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit is acutely aware of his (and only his) shortcomings. He is, at times, ashamedly conscious of his need for a more sanctified life. The pre-charismatic pinprick of the Spirit upon the conscience becomes a machete! The baptism in the Spirit is only a beginning. It is like passing through a spiritual gateway, with much now to be done. As Pentecostal Joe Campbell tells us, speaking in tongues is not "the zenith of Christian experience . . . [or] the climax, the pyramid, the apex, . . . [or] the ultimate to be realized. . . . [I]t is only the beginning, the fuller preparation for service" (p. 145). If Spirit baptism with tongues is only a beginning, logically it cannot function to perfect or impart instant maturity to the believer. In fact, McNair argues that the very existence of tongues in a believer's life is sure evidence that perfection is absent: "Having the ability to pray in tongues is not a basis for pride, since the gift is not given in payment for righteous living. It is given to Christians to build them up and help them live holy and more effective lives. It is therefore a clear sign that the person who exercises tongues has certainly not reached maturity!" (Love, p.65). From: "Should Christians Expect Miracles Today? Objections and Answers form the Bible" Part 1. By Wayne Grudem. 5. Weren't miracles mostly limited to the apostles? Of course we see a lot of miracles in the book of Acts, but wasn't that a special time when new Scripture was being written? Some have argued that miracles were restricted to the apostles, or to the apostles and those closely connected with them. Before considering their arguments, it is important to note a remarkable concentration of miracles in the lives of the apostles as special representatives of Christ. For example, God was pleased to allow extraordinary miracles to be done through both Peter and Paul. In the very early days of the Church, "Many signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the apostles'.And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and pallets, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed" (Acts 5:12-16). Similarly, when Paul was in Ephesus, "God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them" (Acts 19:11-12).8 Another example is found in raising Tabitha from the dead. When she had died, the disciples at Joppa sent for Peter to come and pray for her to be raised from the dead (Acts 9:36-42). They apparently thought that God had given an unusual concentration of miraculous power to Peter (or to the apostles generally). And Paul's ministry generally was characterized by miraculous events, because he summarizes his ministry by telling the Romans of the things Christ has worked through him to win obedience from the Gentiles "by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 15:19). Nevertheless, the unusual concentration of miracles in the ministries of the apostles does not prove that no miracles were performed by others. As we have clearly seen, "working of miracles" (1 Cor. 12:10) and other miraculous gifts (1 Cor. 12::4-11 mentions several) were part of the ordinary function of the Corinthian church, and Paul knows that God "works miracles" in the churches of Galatia as well (Gal.3:5). In the larger context of the New Testament, it is clear that miracles were worked by others who were not apostles, such as Stephen (Acts 6:8), Philip (Acts 8:6,7), Ananias (Acts 9:17,18;22:13), Christians in the several churches in Galatia (Gal. 3:5) and those with gifts of "miracles" in the Body of Christ generally (1 Cor. 12:10,28). Miracles as such cannot then be regarded as exclusively signs of an apostle. "Workers of miracles" and "healers" are actually distinguished from "apostles" in 1 Corinthians 12:28: "And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers." Similar evidence is seen in Mark 16:17,18: Serious questions have been raised about the authenticity of this passage as part of Mark's Gospel. The text is nonetheless very early and bears witness to at least one strand of tradition within the Early Church, which the manuscript evidence suggests came to be widely accepted in the postbiblical Early Church. This text reports Jesus as saying, "And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them: they will lay their hands on the sick; and they will recover." Here also the power to work miracles is assumed to be the common possession of Christians. Those who wrote and passed on this early tradition, and who thought it represented the genuine teaching of Jesus, were certainly not aware of any idea that miracles were to be limited to the apostles. The argument that many other Christians in the New Testament worked miracles is sometimes answered by the claim that it was only the apostles and those closely associated with them or those on whom the apostles laid their hands who could work miracles. However, this really proves very little because the story of the New Testament Church is the story of what was done through the apostles and those closely associated with them. A similar argument might be made about evangelism or founding of churches: * In the New Testament, churches were only founded by the apostles or their close associates; therefore, we should not found churches today. Or, * In the New Testament, missionary work in other countries was only done by the apostles or their close associates; therefore, we should not do missionary work in other countries today. These analogies show the inadequacy of the argument: The New Testament primarily shows how the Church should seek to act, not how it should not seek to act. But if many other Christians throughout the first century Church were working miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit, then the power to work miracles could not be a sign to distinguish the apostles from other Christians. Prayer Requests Please pray for the following needs for the Pneuma Foundation:
Praise Reports CPA Bill Westers, I, has been a real help to the Pneuma Foundation Executive Committee in advising on financial matters and non-profit organizational procedures. Bill, a Certified Public Accountant, has been Assistant Treasurer since early October. Thank you, Bill! | |
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