Seven Good Reasons to Embrace Cessationism

 

Seven Reasons to Embrace Cessationism

(Pastor Terry L. Reese, Valley GBC of Armagh, PA; 6/5/22)

 

Cessationism means that the Spirit no longer bestows miracle sign-gifts upon believers as a normative Christian experience as He did in Apostolic times. God can, if He so chooses, personally perform miracles—but we are referring here to the supernatural enduement of miraculous gifts poured out upon a special class of men.

 

1.   The unique role & purpose of miracles.

Miracles appear at special times for special purposes. There were only 3 eras in which God worked miracles through special-endowed men (the times of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus & the Apostles).

 

2.   The end of the apostolic office & gift.

The Apostolic gift & office has CEASED; no one today is qualified to be an Apostle. This PROVES that the Spirit is not working in precisely the same way that he was in Apostolic Times!

 

3.   NT-era apostles and prophets filled a distinctly foundational function & purpose.

Once the Foundations of the Church were laid & completed, the need for such gifts was fulfilled.

 

4.   The very nature of the NT miraculous gifts.

Today’s Charismatic Movement redefines the nature of these gifts, since it is patently obvious that today’s so-called expressions of these gifts are NOT like the actual NT gifts!

 

5.   The clear testimony of later Church History.

The miraculous signs were in decline even by the end of the Apostolic Age. Later “miracles” were usually associated with wildly heretical groups.

 

6.   God speaks through the all-sufficient the Word.

We are not left to stumble in the subjective realm; we have the final and objective word of truth.

 

7.   The NT regulated the practice of sign-gifts.

There were strict rules governing tongues, prophecy, etc. (Rom. 14). Do we see this today?