GENUINE LOVE & SPIRITUAL GIFTS
1
COR 13:8-13
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
I)
INTRODUCTION
II)
[1 Cor 13:8-9]:
A)
AGAPE LOVE IS ETERNAL - IT NEVER FAILS - BUT THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS OF
TONGUES WILL CEASE AND PROPHECY AND KNOWLEDGE ARE ONLY PARTIAL AND WILL
BE DONE AWAY WITH
B)
CONTRARY TO THE VIEW THAT VERSES 8-13 POINT OUT A NUMBER OF THE GIFTS AS
REPRESENTATIVE OF ALL OF THE GIFTS IN GENERAL, NOT ALL OF THE GIFTS ARE
VIEWED IN SCRIPTURE AS FUNCTIONING AND CEASING IN THE SAME MANNER OR
TIME AS SPECIFIED FOR TONGUES, PROPHECY AND WORD OF KNOWLEDGE
C)
CHURCH AGE PROPHECY AND WORD OF KNOWLEDGE DEFINED
1)
PURPOSE OF NT PROPHECY AND WORD OF KNOWLEDGE
2)
NEW TESTAMENT PROPHECY
a)
NEW TESTAMENT PROPHECY IS REVELATORY AND THUS TO BE PART OF SCRIPTURE
AND WAS OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY OTHER MIRACULOUS SIGNS
i)
[Cp 1 Cor 14:29-30]:
ii)
[Acts 11:27-28]:
iii)
[Acts 13:2-3]:
iv)
[Acts 21:10-11]:
v)
[Deuteronomy 18:18]:
vi)
[1 Corinthians 14:29-32]:
vii)
[1 Cor 11-14]:
viii)
[1 Corinthians 14:29-32]:
ix)
[2 Peter 1:20-21]:
x)
CONCLUSION OT & NT PROPHECY ARE THE SAME
3)
WORD OF KNOWLEDGE
a)
[1 Cor 12:4, 7-8]:
b)
[Dan 1:17-20]:
D)
THE NT SPIRITUAL GIFT OF TONGUES DEFINED
1)
THE PURPOSE OF THE NT SPIRITUAL GIFTS OF TONGUES
a)
[1 Cor 14:21-22]:
i)
[Isa 28:11]: A SIGN & A WARNING TO UNBELIEVING JEWS OF TEMPORAL
JUDGMENT IS QUOTED IN 1 COR 14:21
ii)
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF ISA 28:11
iii)
THE APPLICATION OF ISA 28:11 TO 1 COR 14:21 = SIGN AND WARNING TO JEWS
OF TEMPORAL JUDGMENT FOR A SPECIFIC DISBELIEF
iv)
THE PURPOSE OF TONGUES AS A GENERAL SIGN OF UNBELIEF OF JEWS AND/OR
GENTILES IS RULED OUT
2)
THE TEMPORARY GIFT OF TONGUES CEASED AT LEAST AFTER 70 AD
E)
THE GIFTS OF WORD OF KNOWLEDGE AND PROPHECY ARE PARTIAL REVELATORY GIFTS
OF A TEMPORARY NATURE
1)
BIBLICAL EVIDENCE FOR CESSATION OF A NUMBER OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS IN THE
BIBLE SETS A PRECEDENT FOR THE POSSIBILITY THAT A SPIRITUAL GIFT CAN BE
TEMPORARY IN THIS AGE
a)
INTRODUCTION
b)
GENERAL BIBLICAL EVIDENCE FOR CESSATION
c)
SPECIFIC BIBLICAL EVIDENCE
i)
THE GIFT OF APOSTLE WAS TEMPORARY AND CEASED
III)
[1 Cor 13:10]:
A)
VERSE 10 SPEAKS OF THE TIME WHEN 'THAT WHICH IS COMPLETE COMES' NOT THE
TIME WHEN WHICH IS PERFECT
1)
REASONS WHY TO TELEION CANNOT MEAN "THE PERFECT" IN 1 COR
13:10
2)
THEREFORE VERSE 10 DOES NOT POINT TO JESUS CHRIST
3)
AND VERSE 10 DOES NOT POINT TO THE MILLENNIAL AGE OR ETERNITY FUTURE
EITHER
4)
AND VERSE 10 CANNOT BE THE COMPLETION OF THE BODY OF CHRIST SINCE THE
CONTEXT IS LOOKING FOR A SOURCE OF COMPLETED REVELATION
5)
VERSE 10'S FOCUS TIMEWISE IS THE TIME SPAN OF THE CORINTHIANS TO WHOM
PAUL WAS ADDRESSING
B)
OBJECTORS MAINTAIN THAT THE COMPLETION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT WRITINGS
COINCIDING WITH CESSATION COULD NOT IN BE VIEW IN 1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER
13 NOR IN PAUL'S OR THE CORINTHIANS' MINDS
1)
THE CONCEPT OF COMPLETION AND CESSATION IS IN THE TEXT OF 1 COR 13
2)
THE CONCEPT OF COMPLETION COINCIDING WITH CESSATION OF REVELATORY GIFTS
IS A PRECEDENT FROM OT TIMES
3)
THE NEW CHURCH AGE DOCTRINES WERE REVEALED TO PAUL AND THE NT APOSTLES
IN ORDER TO RELAY TO THE WORLD AND IT WAS BEING TRANSMITTED IN WRITING
AND VIA THE REVELATORY GIFTS
a)
[Compare Gal 1:11-16]:
b)[Compare
Eph 3:1-12]:
c)
[Compare Col 4:16]:
C)
HISTORY SHOWS THAT THE MIRACULOUS SIGN GIFTS HAVE NOT BEEN PROPERLY
EXERCISED IF AT ALL SINCE THE 1ST CENTURY AND ARE THEREFORE NOT
AUTHENTIC
1)
THE EXPLANATIONS OFFERED TO VERIFY THE MODERN "EXPRESSIONS" OF
THE SIGN GIFT ARE NOT BIBLICAL
a)
THE ARGUMENT THAT THE GIFTS FADED AWAY BECAUSE OF A FAILURE TO BELIEVE
IN MIRACLES IS UNBIBLICAL
b)
THE ARGUMENT THAT AN ALTERNATIVE USE FOR THE GIFT OF TONGUES IS A SOLELY
SELF-EDIFYING INCOMPREHENSIBLE PRAYER LANGUAGE EVEN A LANGUAGE OF ANGELS
THAT 'TAKES OVER' AS AN EXPRESSION BY THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE BELIEVER IS
UNBIBLICAL
i)
[1 Cor 13:1]:
ii)
[1 Cor 13:3]:
iii)
[Ro 8:26-27]:
iv)
[1 Cor 14:13-17]
v)
[1 Cor 14:3-4]:
vi)
[1 Cor 12:7]:
c)
EXPLANATIONS THAT THE GIFTS DID CEASE AND THEN WERE REVIVED IN 'LATTER
DAYS' ARE INADEQUATE
d)
LACK OF SIMILARITY WITH THE NEW TESTAMENT FALSIFIES THIS
IMAGINARY'REVIVAL' OF THE GIFTS
i)
INTRODUCTION
ii)
MIRACLES AND SIGNS WERE CLEARLY AND OVERTLY MIRACULOUS - BUT NOT
DUPLICATED AS SUCH TODAY
iii)
THE SO CALLED REVIVED GIFT OF TONGUES TODAY IS NOT THE SAME AS PORTRAYED
IN SCRIPTURE
2)
CONCLUSION: THE CHARISMATIC GIFTS OF TODAY ARE NOT SIMILAR TO THE
AUTHENTIC NEW TESTAMENT EXPRESSION OF THE MIRACULOUS SIGN GIFTS
D)
IF GOD IS SOVEREIGN - AND HE IS - THEN THE ABSENCE OF THE EXERCISE OF
HIS SOVEREIGNLY DECREED MIRACULOUS SIGN GIFTS IS INDICATION THAT HE DID
NOT INTEND TO HAVE THEM EXERCISED AND THEY HAVE INDEED CEASED
E)
CONCLUSION = THE BIBLE POINTS TO THE CESSATION OF THE MIRACULOUS GIFTS
SOMETIME DURING THE EARLY CHURCH AGE
IV)
[1 Cor 13:11]:
A)
FROM CHILDISH THINGS TO ADULT THINGS = FROM PARTIAL TO COMPLETE
V)
[1 Cor 13:12]:
A)
FOR 'NOW WE SEE IN A MIRROR DIMLY' REFERS TO THE EARLY CHURCH PERIOD
WHEN THERE WAS ONLY PARTIAL 'SEEING' OF THE NEW TESTAMENT BIBLE THROUGH
THE PARTIAL GIFTS
B)
'FACE TO FACE' REFERS TO THE TIME WHEN THERE WILL BE A FACE TO FACE
AVAILABILIY TO 'SEE' THE TRUTHS FROM GOD'S WORD IN THE COMPLETED NT
BIBLE
1)
SEEING GOD FACE TO FACE IS RULED OUT
2)
THE PERFECTION OF ETERNITY FUTURE AND/OR THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS RULED
OUT
3)
THE MILLENNIUM AND/OR THE PERFECTION OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS RULED
OUT
4)
THIS LEAVES THE COMPLETED NEW TESTAMENT CANON
5)
'FACE TO FACE' CAN REFER TO THE COMPLETED NT BIBLE
a)
[Heb 4:12-13]:
b)
[Jer 23:29]:
c)
[Gal 4:8-9]:
d)
[Jas 1:22-25]:
6)
'FULL KNOWLEDGE' CAN REFER TO THE NT BIBLE
a)
[Col 1:5-6]:
b)
[Jas 1:22-25]:
7)
SCRIPTURE INDICATES THAT YOU CAN KNOW JESUS CHRIST BEFORE YOU MEET HIM
IN HEAVEN
a)
[Gal 3:27]:
b)
[Gal 4:9]:
VI)
[1 Cor 13:13]:
A)
SO FAITH HOPE AND LOVE ARE ETERNAL - ALL THE OTHER SPIRITUAL GIFTS ARE
TEMPORARY - AND THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE
B)
OBSERVATION OF THE LAST 1900 YEARS RE: THE MIRACULOUS SPIRITUAL GIFTS:
