Cessationist Teaching

 A Look at Cessationism  

      There are those in the Church who are indeed born again, but don’t accept that believers today can be Spirit Baptized as a second experience.  Some of them teach cessationism, i.e., that any second, special measure of the Spirit following salvation has ceased.  This teaching usually appeals to ‘apostolic authority’ and/or ‘the close of canon’—two ideas often merged in varying ratios.

      Adherents of cessationism may acknowledge that two works of the Spirit was the New Testament pattern.  But then they allege that the pattern of two works was limited to just the first 300 years after Pentecost.  They explain that the Lord wanted all areas of the expanding Church, both racial and geographic, to be kept under apostolic authority.

      Generally, this is the doctrine:  God wanted the apostles to establish their authority—He did that by granting His Spirit in two installments.  That created the need for the apostles to be present to impart the second level of the Indwelling Spirit by laying on of hands.  Allegedly, that pattern continued until the close of the canon of Scripture when, with the Church all under apostolic authority, the gift/office of apostle ceased.  Since then, both levels of the Spirit’s working—New Birth and Spirit Baptism—are imparted as one experience at salvation.

 Samaritan-Related Prejudice

      Does that theory agree with Scripture?  Let’s survey the textual background:  The Samaritans had a history of trying to rival Jewish Scripture, Temple, and worship.  Jesus said, “…salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22).  The Samaritans needed to accept that truth.  It was not so much a case of their being brought under apostolic authority as it was their need to acknowledge that God retained the sovereignty to work through whatever channel He chose.  The fact remains that the Jews are His Chosen People.  They are the channel through whom God has revealed Himself and through whom (via Jewish Jesus) He has provided salvation for the entire world.  It was a national calling that neither Samaritans nor any other group can ever authentically claim.

      On the other side, the Jews had a history of prejudice against their half-Gentile brothers and sisters to the north.  At times, they would not even pass thorough Samaritan areas if they could avoid it.  Acts 8:14–15 which tells about the apostles’ Samaritan ministry reads very easily now, but at the time it was tough all around.  I suspect that Peter and John had some inner battles with the flesh as they considered praying for and laying their kosher hands on those ‘people,’ because they knew that if God answered, they would have Samaritans in their Church.

      Conversely, some of the Samaritans may have swallowed hard as they presented themselves to those ‘Jews from Jerusalem’ to have hands laid on them for Spirit Baptism.  But they understood that, for them, it was the way God intended whereby they could fully become a part of the Church.  It took a lot of the grace of God and the joy of the Lord to win that double victory of mutual submission.

 Gentile-Related Prejudice

      As for the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius, again there was prejudice—mainly on the Jewish side.  Reading Acts 10–11, we encounter the common Jewish assumption that uncir­cum­cised Gentiles could not be saved and never would be included in the Church.  God intervened to correct those ideas through the sheet-vision to Peter, and by arranging that he and his friends be on location as involved witnesses while the Lord Himself extended the Church to the Gentiles.  Peter had preached only two or three minutes when the Lord clearly took control of the situation and saved and Spirit Baptized the whole group without any laying on of hands by Peter.  Apostolic authority seemed to be the furthest thing from anyone’s mind—those people were just overjoyed to be saved.

 Unity Based on Equal Acceptance

      Certainly, there was concern that the growing Church remain united—that was the burden of Jesus’ prayer in John 17.  But the unity He wanted was not to be built around an authoritarian hierarchy, Church unity was to be based on our equal adoption and acceptance into God’s royal family, and our mutual submission under Jesus’ loving Lordship.  He wanted all Christian communities to accept each other, and unite with each other on the level ground at the foot of the cross.

      Once the Lord had made His point that all were to be embraced in fellowship, we don’t see a continuing pattern of apostolic involvement in the second work of the Spirit.  In fact, we don’t see the Original Eleven conducting much early ministry or evangelism outside of Jerusalem.  Their Samaritan-related ministry and their preaching at the house of Cornelius were the two unique and detailed exceptions.  The norm was more like Acts 8:1 where it says that all except the apostles were scattered—the apostles remained in Jerusalem.  Most of the evangelism of the Early Church (before Paul’s missionary journeys) was conducted by laity who had been pushed out by persecution.  It seems that the apostles had very little direct influence on the widespread church planting occurring at that time.

 Some Early Churches Began Without Apostolic Help

      The church at Damascus appears to have been one of those laity-planted churches; there is no record of apostolic help with its beginning (see Acts 9).  Indeed, there is no indication that Ananias was an apostle, the one through whom God imparted the second work of Spirit Baptism to Saul of Tarsus.  The Lord’s choosing Ananias for that ministry indicates that Ananias had received the Baptism and that his church was operating in that dimension.

      Again, at Antioch, unnamed believers established a church that included both Jews and Gentiles.  When reports of a large new church there filtered down to Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas for verification.  “When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad…” (Acts 11:23).

      Now, as an agent of the Early Church, what would Barnabas be looking for the grace of God to have done?  What evidence would satisfy him that this group was indeed an authentic New Covenant church, in tune with the original Jerusalem church?  Answer:  He looked for the same things they found when they accepted the Gentile believers in the house of Cornelius as an authentic church (see Acts 10:44–48; 11:15–18).  Barnabas looked for people not only being saved, but also receiving and ministering in the power and manifestations of a New Covenant personal Pentecost, the second work of the Spirit.

 Barnabas Had Nothing to Add

      Take note of Barnabas’ response to what he saw:  We don’t read that he placed his hands on them to receive Spirit Baptism.  No, instead Luke writes that he encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord.  Apparently there was nothing he could add to what God had already done in the lives of those believers.  We must assume that they had been Spirit Baptized and that the church was moving in Baptism power before Barnabas or any of the apostles arrived.  It was all accomplished without apostolic authority, help, approval, or even awareness.

      Now, there definitely was apostolic authority in those early days.  And, yes, the apostles did lay hands on many for Spirit Baptism.  But Scripture does not support the assertion that all new areas of the Early Church were brought under apostolic authority through the imparting of Spirit Baptism.  Indeed, the record shows that the apostles did not have sole rights for imparting the Baptism.  The New Testament never gives the impression that it was the Apostles’ exclusive right to regulate the Spirit’s gift of Pentecost.

 Did Those Spiritual Alterations Really Happen?

       Let’s examine the other part, the allegation that, at the close of the canon of Scripture, several spiritual alterations occurred.  Supposedly, the office of apostle expired.  The gifts of prophetic utterance, speaking in tongues, healing, and miracles—all ceased.  Also, the two works of the Spirit (New Birth, then Spirit Baptism), allegedly began always to be merged into a single experience at salvation.[1]

[1]  The two works of the Spirit can occur at the same time—example:  Acts 10:44–48 (it was the only case recorded in Scripture).  But the more common experience (in Acts and still today) is that Spirit Baptism is received at some time following salvation.

      Wow—collectively, that would constitute a significant change of the Spirit’s administration.  Did that extensive change actually happen?  Survey the big picture:  The change of spiritual administration at Pentecost—the one that really did happen—was foreshadowed throughout the Old Testament, in the Tabernacle, in the lives of kings, and in priests.  It was foretold by prophets—Isaiah, Joel, and John the Baptist.  Jesus taught extensively about it, that another level of the Spirit’s working would soon be available to every believer.  That change exploded at Pentecost, and there is textual evidence that the new spiritual administration was still in force and ongoing when the last of New Testament Scripture was penned.

      When the Church Age ends, and the Tribulation/the 70th Week of Daniel begins, it’s reflected in Revelation that the Spirit’s administration will change again (probably reverting in many respects to the Old Testament mode).  Then again, at the end of the Tribulation, the prophet Joel describes the great outpouring of the Spirit when the Messianic Kingdom is ushered in (Pentecost was a foreshadowing, partial fulfillment of that prophecy—see Acts 2:16–21).  Gleaning from a wide body of prophecy, it appears that the Spirit’s working in the Kingdom Age may remind us of His Church Age administration (maybe more powerful and expressed differently) while retaining elements from the Old Testament.

God Always Reveals Coming Changes

      What’s the point?  The point is…there is a pattern:  God does not spring changes of the Spirit’s administration on His children without advance notice in His written Word.  Indeed, His promise in Amos 3:7 applies here:  “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.”

      All other changes of the Spirit’s administration are indicated in prophecy as God promised.  If God had intended to merge the two works of the Spirit—or launch any of those changes on that whole list (supposedly to have begun about 300 years after Pentecost)—we would, most certainly, expect to read about it in Scripture.  We read nothing about it.  There is no mention any­where that there would be further changes in the Spirit’s administration before the end of the Church Age.  There is nothing in the Old Testament about it.  Jesus said nothing about such changes.  There’s no hint from the Eleven, the Apostle Paul, or any New Testament writer.  Church historians did not record any change of spiritual administration during the canonical period—or any other time.  Nothing.  The Lord Himself promised that prophecy would prepare us for an event like that; such prophecy is conspicuously absent.  Who wants to suggest that God slipped on this occasion?  Obviously those changes didn’t happen.

       This exposes a spiritual danger:  Apparently, for some, Scripture doesn’t say what they want it to say—it does not support the doctrine they prefer.  But if we are pressed to go outside of Scripture to establish our doctrine, we will not return bearing the truth.  “Do not add to His words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar” (Proverbs 30:6).

 The Lord Has Ignored This Teaching

      What really counts is that the Lord has ignored cessationist teaching.  Historically, Spirit Baptism had dwindled almost to extinction for hundreds of years.  However, since about the eighteenth century, God began a mighty restoration.  Today, believers by the thousands are receiving and living in the power of the Second Work, even as they did in the Book of Acts and the Early Church.  Such believers now make up a significant portion of the Church.  The return to Pentecost has grown far beyond where it can be disregarded or casually explained away.  It is scriptural—it is real, and by the power of God, it will continue to grow as long as the Church Age endures, because the Lord intends for every member of His New Covenant bride to be empowered in that special way.