The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: - Vital Christianity

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The cessation theory is based on the belief that the “sign gifts” (miracles, healings, apostleship,
prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues) were enablements given to certain believers for the
purpose of authenticating or confirming God’s Word when it was proclaimed in the early church
before the Scriptures were written. These gifts, were, therefore, temporary. Once the Word of
God was completed the sign gifts were no longer needed and therefore ceased.
This cessation theory is based primarily on an interpretation of I Corinthians 13:10:
“. . . but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.”
“Perfection” (teleion) in this verse is understood to refer to the completed canon of Scripture
(the New Testament), recognized at the Council of Carthage in A.D. 397. The “imperfect” is
then interpreted to mean “supernatural gifts” which have diasppeared or ceased.
There is stress on the fact that “perfection” is a neuter noun, and must according to this view,
refer to a thing, not a person. Since Scripture is a thing and is neuter in gender, it follows that the
Bible is the “perfect” to which Paul is referring. Also this fits well with verses 8,9,11,12 of the
same passage in I Corinthians 13:
“. . .where there are prophecy, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will
be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away . . . When I was a child, I
talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child . . . Now I know
in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
The reasoning is that tongues and other “supernatural” gifts are childish whereas Scripture is
mature.
Here a major teaching is based on a fairly unclear passage. Biblical hermaneutics (the science
of interpretation) states that the simplest explanation of a passage or verse is usually the best,
and obscure passages of Scripture must always give way to clear passages. Thus the simple
exhortation given by Paul must provide the basis of this issue rather than the more complicated
passage. The simple exhortation is:
“Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophecy, and do not forbid speaking
in tongues” (I Cor. 14:39).
Furthermore, there is no hint of this complicated and elaborate teaching of the cessation of
gifts anywhere else in the Scriptures.