The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: - Vital Christianity

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Four Positions: Their Merits and Problems
1. The gift of prophecy, which includes the receiving of authoritative divine revelation, is a
permanent gift that remains available today. 12
Problem: It undermines the Bible’s role as the only authoritative material available to us. This
is a subtle control of the interpretation of Scripture in a way that neutralizes its authority. Anyone
who can establish the divine authority of his interpretation of Scripture has virtually supplanted
the unique divine authority of Scripture itself. If contemporary prophecy is considered divinely
authoritative, should it be regarded as any less authoritative than Scripture? This is a dangerous
and even heretical implication of this view. 13
2. The gift of prophecy, which includes divine revelation and an imperfect human element
(e.g. one’s own ideas), is a permanent gift that remains available today. That human element is
what makes it necessary to evaluate prophetic utterances. 14
Problem: The fallibility of prophetic utterances risks undermining the value of the prophetic
gift. Its value decreases as its authority diminishes. If a prophecy is fallible, to what extent was it
divinely revealed? If it has its origin in the prophet’s mind, it must be evaluated in the light of
Scripture. Is this not precisely the way we should approach an ordinary sermon (Acts 17:11)?
Should we think of contemporary prophecy as having the same level of authority as a sermon?
If so, in what sense is divine revelation involved? Or is it involved? I believe contemporary
prophecy has the same level of authority as a sermon. Both are messages from God, one directly
(prophecy) and one indirectly (sermon). Prophecy is a direct word or message from God whereas
a sermon is a word or message from the Scriptures through a man. While the means of
communication is somewhat different, the Source is the same. Both are therefore equally
authoritative (when they are scriptural, that is). 15
3. The gift of prophecy, which includes the receiving of authoritative divine revelation, was
a temporary gift that was no longer needed after the completion of the New Testament. 16
There was a tremendous doctrinal transition from Jewish belief to Christian faith that occurred
during the apostolic period. This radical transition prior to the writings of the New Testament
produced an imperative need for authoritative revelation to guide the church--especially in the
realms of doctrine and practice. This need was met by the gift of prophecy, which involved
receiving revelation. When the New Testament was completed, the church possessed the
complete and inspired Word of God. The Word of God, with its divine authority, replaced the
function of both apostles and prophets. Since the completion of the New Testament there has
been no need for any spiritual gifts involving revelation. For revelation is complete with Scripture.