By Bishop Dave Chikosi
Take a brand new Christian convert, with no previous religious background, and lock him in a room for a week with nothing else to read but the New Testament. What assumptions and expectations do you think he will come out with?
Undoubtedly he would come out expecting to see the church awash with signs and wonders. That’s because Bible is brimming full of miracles. It would take a clever cessationist to convince him otherwise.
What is a cessationist?
A cessationist is someone who believes that the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit have ceased and are no longer present and active in the church. Healing, tongues and miracles were necessary in the early formative stages of the church in order to authenticate the new work that God was doing. But such gifts ceased “when the last apostle died.”
Cessationism is the standard theology at most institutions of higher theological studies. Faith is viewed as primarily cognitive and the Christian life is basically lived from the neck up. We call it cerebral Christianity. Hermeneutics trumps the pneumatic and exegesis replaces prayer. The result is Biblical knowledge without divine intimacy. Unlike John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, no one feels “felt strangely warmed” and those who say they do are viewed as strange and hot headed.
Under cessationism the Biblical text is idolized. The spirit is quenched in favor of the intellect. The result is a dangerous form of idolatry called bibliolatry. Bibliolatry occurs when we worship the text instead of the Author of the text. Bibliolatry occurs when you erroneously think that your Bible is one of the forgotten members of the Trinity.
The most famous champion of cessationism was a theologian named Benjamin Warfield (1821 – 1921). He was a professor at Princeton University and held the esteemed position of editor of the prestigious Princeton Theological Review. His book “Counterfeit Miracles” became the definitive statement of cessationism. It was Warfield who popularized the idea that “miracles ceased after the last apostle died.”
Warfield was flat out wrong, theologically and historically. St John was the last of the Twelve apostles. He died around 100AD. History however shows that miracles continued and did not cease after the death of St John. And so for the remainder of this article, I will cite evidence from nine church fathers that shows that miracles continued and did not cease “when the last apostle died.”
Church Father #1: Bishop Clement of Rome: 1st C – 101Ad)
Bishop Clement was disciple of both Paul and Peter, whom he cites as the chief examples for imitation. In his writings Clement refers to the continuing supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. He writes in his epistle to the Corinthian church about how “an abundant outpouring also of the Holy Spirit fell upon all” (1Clem 2:2)
Church Father #2: Bishop Irenaeus of Lyons: 115AD – 202AD
Irenaeus studied under the Polycarp, who himself was a disciple of the apostle John. This brilliant teacher/writer wrote a treatise against heresies called “Refutation and Overthrow of Knowledge Falsely So Called.” In it Irenaeus recorded many manifestations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and supernatural miracles that still continued in churches, including accounts of people being raised from the dead. He writes:
“So it is that in His name those who truly are His disciples, having received grace from Him, put it to effectual use for the benefit of their fellow-men, in proportion to the gift each one has received from Him. Some drive out demons really and truly, so that often those cleansed from evil spirits believe and become members of the church; some have foreknowledge of the future, visions, and prophetic utterances; others, by the laying on of hands, heal the sick and restore them to health; and before now, as I said, dead men have actually been raised and have remained with us for many years.
In fact, it is impossible to enumerate the gifts which throughout the world the church has received from God and in the name of Jesus Christ crucified under Pontius Pilate . . .
Similarly, we hear of many members of the church who have prophetic gifts and by the Spirit speak with all kinds of tongues, and bring men’s secret thoughts to light for their own good, and expound the mysteries of God”
In another treatise called “Against Heresies” Irenaeus wrote about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He says:
“In like manner we do also hear many brethren in the church, who possess prophetic gifts, and who through the Spirit speak all kinds of languages, and bring to light for the general benefit the hidden things of men, and declare the mysteries of God.”
Church Father #3: Justin Martyr: 100AD – 165 AD)
Justin Martyr is regarded as the foremost interpreter of the theory of the Logos. In his “Dialogue With Trypho” (written in A.D. 165) Justin clearly referenced many supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit appearing in the daily life of the 2nd century Church. He writes:
“Daily some of you are becoming disciples in the name of Christ, and quitting the path of error; who are also receiving gifts, each as he is worthy, illumined through the name of this Christ. For one receives the spirit of understanding, another of counsel, another of strength, another of healing, another of foreknowledge, another of teaching, and another of the fear of God.
Church Father #4: Tertullian: 160AD – 225 AD)
Tertullian was a major theologian/writer based at Carthage, Africa. In A.D. 215 he described supernatural visions and prophetic gifts of the Holy Spirit as operating normally in the 3rd Century Church. He writes:
“And thus we who both acknowledge and reverence, even as we do the prophecies, modern visions as equally promised to us, and consider the other powers of the Holy Spirit as an agency of the Church for which also He was sent, administering all gifts in all, even as the Lord distributed to everyone.”
CHURCH FATHER #5: Origen of ALEXANDRIA: 185AD – 254 AD
Origen was one of the Church’s greatest theologian. He lived and taught at Alexandria, Egypt (Africa). In his book “Against Celsus” written in 250AD, Origen described the gifts of the Holy Spirit as still continuing in the life of the Church.
“Traces of the Holy Spirit who appeared in the form of a dove are still preserved among Christians. They charm demons away and perform many cures and perceived certain things about the future according to the will of the Logos.
Although Origen noted that these charismatic gifts were gradually diminishing (undoubtedly due to apostasy), they were nevertheless present in the church. He remarks that “there are still traces of His presence in a few who have had their souls purified by the Gospel and their actions regulated by its influence.”
In Part II of this essay I will cite evidences of the continuation of the gifts of the Spirit after the death of the last apostle. I will summon the testimony of Novatian, St Augustine, the Venerable Bede and Martin Luther.
[Bishop Dave Chikosi is a published author who writes articles on theology, economics and politics. More of his articles and teachings can be viewed on his blog http://davechikosi.blogspot.com. He can be reached at [email protected]]
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