Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Hola Familia! Lets get some good dialogues and conversations going on this blog...

I am not trying to change anyone's belief or view's with this post but my intent for all who read this is that they would be challenged and encouraged to Seek, Study, and Research the Bible diligently and fervently. Why? Because we cannot afford to be wrong.

The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12-" Now concerning spiritual gifts, I would not have you ignorant. "

Certainly, Spiritual gifts existed in the early church, and their is no historical, exegetical, or logical reason for supposing that they were not intended to exists so long as the church would endure on the earth.

Historical Reason(Church History): The Church for 1800 years believed in all the manifestations of the spiritual gifts. The Catholic and Orthodox Church believed in them for 1500 years. That is everyone from the Apostles, to the Apostles disciples, to the early church fathers, and to the reformers believed in them. It was B.B War-field who was a theologian from Princeton in his book "Counterfeit Miracles" who furnished most of the information and material later used by almost all those who are against the concept of spiritual gifts in the Christian church. He wrote this book in response to a movement which people were abusing the usage of spiritual Gifts. From this point and forward in Church History, the gifts of the Holy Spirit was seldom mentioned and when mentioned, it was negative.

Exegetical and Logical Reason: One of the Chief Objections to the gifts of the Holy Spirit being operative in the Christian church was and is still based on 1 Corinthians 13. They would use the text from 1 Corinthians 13:10 to support their position.
1 Corinthians 13:10-"But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." The word perfect their means in the Greek complete. They say this verse refers not to the termination of the gifts at the second coming of Christ( which is the classical Interpretation) but instead, they say that the perfect means the completion of the New Testament Canon or Apostloic age. Consequently, they conclude that it is unessary for the gifts of the spirit to continue. This is a very weak assumption and speculation not supported by the language or the context of Chapter 13. Even though this is foregin to the greek in the context, B.B Warfeild popularized it and succeeded in sharing it.
Generally, scholarship has held " that which is perfect is come" to mean the second coming of Christ. The context of 1 Corinthians 13 is clarified in Verse 12. In 1 Corinthians 13:12, the Apostle Paul says, "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."
Verse 12 teaches that gifts will cease their full manifestation when we see " face to face" and when "we know even as also we are known." Contextually and gramatically, you can't separate this from the second coming of Christ. And the Parellel passage to 1 Corinthians 13:12 is 1 John 3:2-"Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is."

Now of Course there have been and still are abuses of spiritual gifts by some believers, even as there is neglect of these gifts by other believers.

Reference:Dr.Walter Martin