NO CONTINUATION OF PROPHETS IN TODAY'S CHURCH AGE
By: Victor T. Stephens
"People often claim to hunger for truth, but seldom like the taste when it's served up."
~ George R.R. Martin
CONGREGATIONAL AND PERSONAL PROPHECY FOR EDIFICATION (continued)
The completed Word of God overshadows and supersedes the prophetic gifts of the past. The Bible encompasses all that is required for the church to grow, succeed, and fulfill the mission of God. Nowhere in Scripture do we find any allusion to authentic prophets arising during the end-time church age. In today's present church age, only evangelists, teachers, and preachers are needed to teach what has already been revealed through prophecy. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord directs and instructs us from His Word in Scripture. Titus 1:9 says:
"He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it." (Titus 1:9)
Hebrews 4:12 says:
"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Heb. 4:12)
Second Peter 1:3 states:
"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." (2 Peter 1:3)
Today, the "trustworthy message" is the completed Word of God. Sound doctrine spoken through God's Word is all that is required to teach and encourage the minds of believers. It is the power and might that illuminate from God that shoulders us on. There are many passages of Scripture that offer edifying words to the Church. A few examples are:
"I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (Phil. 4:13)
"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." (1 Cor. 10:13)
"But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth." (2 Tim. 4:17)
"If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 4:11)
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Cor. 4:16-18)
"And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." (Rom.5:5)
Since the Bible is now complete, we must allow God through Scripture to bring edification to the church. These seven passages are just a small representation of the numerous scriptures that edify the church both individually and collectively. The Bible encompasses everything we need to know to be saved and live the Christian life. It does not require additional inspiration or refinements that come from extra-biblical revelations. Those who believe that prophecy continues today are confronted with the pragmatic and alarming suggestion that the Bible alone is not sufficient revelation from God for the edification of the church.
MORE DELIBERATIONS
Deliberation 1
The next human rationale is that cessationists "put God in a box" by limiting what He can and cannot accomplish.
Factually, the cessationists' stand does not suggest a seeming placement of limitations on God's power. Of course, God is sovereign and all-powerful. That is unquestionable. The question is not whether God can still impart truth through prophecy, but rather what God has chosen to do for the church in accordance with His sovereign divine will. Let's use two comparative examples:
Is it possible for God to have created the heavens, the earth, and mankind in a microsecond? Is it also possible for God to save us exclusively through our good works? Since God is infinite in power, the answer to these two questions is a resounding "Yes!" However, God's creation event took six days, not a microsecond. Moreover, salvation comes by active and continuous faith in Jesus Christ, not exclusively by good works. Therefore, to point out that God's creation process took six days and that God saves us by active and continuous faith in His Son does not "put God in a box." We simply acknowledge that God has various reasons behind His specific purposes. Thus, the issue of the temporary prophetic gift is associated with God's revealed purpose for the church rather than His infinite capabilities.
Deliberation 2
Another critique by non-cessationists is that those who claim that the prophetic gift has ceased are equivalent to those who suggest that God doesn't perform miracles today. Let there be no misunderstanding, a person can be a cessationist and still believe God can perform miracles. There are occasions when God does work miracles today. Healing, for example, is a gift of God that is granted or withheld at His discretion. Believers may experience divine miracles based on their faith, obedience, or God's sovereign choice. Therefore, the belief that the prophetic gifts have ceased is not an outright suggestion that God cannot perform miracles today. To reiterate, we must acknowledge that God has diverse motives behind His precise plans for the church.
Deliberation 3
A further challenge presented by non-cessationists is that the early church fathers supported the continuation of the prophetic gifts. They have provided testimony from Eusebius, Irenaeus, and Justin Martyr that prophecy is a sign gift that is still operational.
Generally, when we speak about the early church fathers, we usually respond with a great degree of reverence. As a result, many people assume they are infallible. It may seem surprising to some, but if we closely study the doctrines of the early church fathers, we will discover that some of them taught erroneous doctrines. For example, Eusebius taught that men were sinners by choice rather than by an inherited nature (from Adam). He stated:
"The Creator of all things has impressed a natural law upon the soul of every man, as an assistant and ally in his conduct, pointing out to him the right way by this law; but, by the free liberty with which he is endowed, making the choice of what is best worthy of praise and acceptance, because he has acted rightly, not by force, but from his own free-will, when he had it in his power to act otherwise, As, again, making him who chooses what is worst, deserving of blame and punishment, as having by his own motion neglected the natural law, and becoming the origin and fountain of wickedness, and misusing himself, not from any extraneous necessity, but from free will and judgment. The fault is in him who chooses, not in God. For God is has not made nature or the substance of the soul bad; for he who is good can make nothing but what is good. Everything is good which is according to nature. Every rational soul has naturally a good free-will, formed for the choice of what is good. But when a man acts wrongly, nature is not to be blamed; for what is wrong, takes place not according to nature, but contrary to nature, it being the work of choice, and not of nature."
(The Christian Examiner, Volume One, published by James Miller, 1824 Edition, page 66)
Contrary to Eusebius' doctrine, Romans 5:12 says:
"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned." (Rom. 5:12)
Let's now consider Irenaeus. He stated:
"Since, however, it would be very tedious, in such a volume as this, to reckon up the successions of all the Churches, we do put to confusion all those who, in whatever manner, whether by evil self-pleasing, by vainglory, or by blindness and perverse opinion, assemble in unauthorized meetings; [we do this, I say,] by indicating that tradition derived from the apostles, of the very great, the very ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul; as also [by pointing out] the faith preached to men, which comes down to our time by means of the successions of the bishops. For it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church, on account of its preeminent authority ...." (The Ante Nicene Fathers, Volume 1, Book 3; Chapter 3)
Clearly, Irenaeus shares the sentiments of the Roman Catholic Church.
In reference to Eve and Mary, Irenaeus says:
"And if the former did disobey God, yet the latter was persuaded to be obedient to God, in order that the Virgin Mary might become the patroness (advocata) of the virgin Eve. And thus, as the human race fell into bondage to death by means of a virgin, so is it rescued by a virgin; virginal disobedience having been balanced in the opposite scale by virginal obedience." (The Ante Nicene Fathers, Volume 1, page 547, Book 5, Chapter 19)
Nowhere in Scripture do we find any evidence to support Irenaeus' statement. The Word of God never stated Mary was an advocate of Eve. The only advocate is Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 2:5; 1 John 2:1). Moreover, Scripture does not say Eve was a virgin when she was deceived by Satan. Furthermore, the Word of God teaches that mankind did not fall via Eve, but rather through Adam (Romans 5:12-19). Lastly, mankind is not "rescued by a virgin" (Matt. 12:46). Salvation comes by no other except by Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Again, Irenaeus' teachings have more in common with the Roman Catholic Church than true biblical Christianity.
Now, concerning Justin Martyr, he had this to say about Christ's crucifixion:
"Therefore our suffering and crucified Christ was not cursed by the law, but made it manifest that He alone would save those who do not depart from His faith." (Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter 3)
Martyr's statement is in direct violation of Galatians 3:13:
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole." (Gal. 3:13)
As we see, the early church fathers were not irrefutable. It has been on account of personal reverence and assumed infallibility that we hear minimum reports concerning the false teachings of some of the early church fathers. If people exercised discernment and forfeited their assumptions of the early church fathers, the fact that some of them taught falsely should come as no surprise. Let's remember Paul's words from Acts 20:29-30:
"I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them." (Acts 20:29-30)
In Galatians 1:8 Paul says:
"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!" (Gal. 1:8)
Speaking of Paul, he was the most prolific writer of the New Testament. Nevertheless, despite his greatness, the Berean Christians "searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things (which Paul taught) were so" (Acts 17:11). The Bereans, who were considered of noble character, were praised by Paul on account that they judged his doctrines. Likewise, the doctrines of the early church fathers are not without examination and critique.
