The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: - Vital Christianity

55
Supporters of this view agree with those of view 1 and view 2 that prophecy is a permanent
gift that remains available to us today. They agree with supporters of view 3 that revelation
ceased with the completion of the New Testament. Contrary to the other three views, however,
supporters of view 4 hold that post-biblical manifestations of prophecy do not involve receiving
revelation. 22
This view sees no exegetical basis for limiting the gift of prophecy to the apostolic period.
Prophecy is seen as the gift of “rightly understanding, expounding and applying Scripture to their
contemporary issues and problems.” 23
Merit: It recognizes the permanence of the gift of prophecy. But it does so by redefining what
is involved in prophecy. This new definition of “expounding the Word of God and applying it to
human situations” is basically the central idea of prophecy. 24
Problem: This new definition is not the whole of New Testament prophecy. By excluding
revelation, modern prophecy becomes something different from New Testament prophecy. Is this
change of definition legitimate in the understanding of what prophecy is? 25
All these views have problems--the issues involved are quite complete--but the fourth view
seems the most plausible and has the least difficulty. 26
Response to Prophecy
1. All prophecy should be carefully weighed (I Cor. 14:29). Prophecy is uttered by humans
who could be misled. None should engage in prophecy who is not willing that his prophecy should
be tested. Here another example may help: At a rally in London a Christian woman gave a
‘prophecy.’ It was couched in religious phraseology, but delivered in a wailing tone and quickly I
discerned it was not from the Lord. We were in an Anglican Church and after the woman had sat
down the vicar (pastor) stood up to say that he thought that the ‘gift’ should be tested. A number
of folk in the congregation raised their hands to agree that God had not spoken. Then John swiftly
encouraged people to turn their eyes back to Jesus. 27
But we should be swift to hear and slow to speak and not rush into publicly correcting
prophecy in case when we root out the weeds we may root up the wheat with them (cf. Mt.
13:29). When prophecy is of God there is a general consensus that it is so. When it is ‘of the
flesh’ nearly everybody knows it except possible the person prophesying who may have been
deceived.