{"id":28180,"date":"2011-07-24T20:42:00","date_gmt":"2011-07-25T01:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=28180"},"modified":"2020-12-03T20:49:02","modified_gmt":"2020-12-04T02:49:02","slug":"arent-we-to-desire-the-greater-gifts-so-miraculous-gift-could-not-have-ended-could-they","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/arent-we-to-desire-the-greater-gifts-so-miraculous-gift-could-not-have-ended-could-they\/","title":{"rendered":"Aren’t we to desire the greater gifts? So miraculous gift could not have ended, could they?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\n

I have seen on a couple of occasions on this site that you believe the gifts of the spirit are a thing of the past, and that you use I Corinthians 13:8-10 to try and validate that point of view. It is very easy to take a verse or two of scripture and make it say whatever suits your particular purpose, but when putting it back in its context with the rest of Scripture, your personal point of view often falls over. In this particular case, “that which is perfect” has not<\/strong>\u00a0yet come. It is quite clear that Paul is referring to the return of Christ and the establishment of God’s kingdom on Earth. Most scholars agree with this interpretation as well.<\/p>\n

Why would Paul in the same epistle encourage the new church to “eagerly desire the greater gifts” in I Corinthians 12:27 if in a matter of ‘moments’ they were going to be gone?<\/p>\n

What faith do you have that God did not give you? What love other than that that He gave you? Aren’t these gifts of the spirit? I could attest to the things that I have seen with my own eyes in church that are miraculous. Just last night a woman returned to our church who had been completely healed from cancer with a letter from her specialists acknowledging that, clearly, a miracle had taken place. I agree, this is just what I have experienced and of itself does not meet the criteria of proof. But given how often we see these things it makes denying the existence of the spiritual gifts somewhat precarious. Then what of great evangelists such as Smith Wigglesworth? Many eyewitness accounts of signs and wonders performed through him.<\/p>\n

Without the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the church cannot grow and its followers are completely disarmed and doesn’t the enemy love that idea? Believers with no power and authority. That’s a gift to him.<\/p>\n\t

Answer:<\/h2>\n

You claim that Paul’s statement in I Corinthians 13:8-10 refers to the return of Jesus, but you did not prove that point. I have written a good bit about these verses and gave details evidence that Paul was referring to the completion of the New Testament, such as in Love is Greater<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way<\/em>” (I Corinthians 12:28-31).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In Paul’s point, the best gifts were not miraculous gifts. In fact, he spends chapter 13 proving that love is better than all the miraculous gifts. Love is one of the best gifts to seek. Love is something everyone needs and should desire. Love is widespread and permanent. The miraculous gifts were limited and temporary.<\/p>\n

Even though Paul stated that miraculous gifts would end, they did not end for almost a generation. The New Testament was written over a 50-60 year period of time. The argument that they could not desire spiritual gifts because they would end immediately is false.<\/p>\n

God gives us the ability to have faith and love. He taught us what they are. But He also commanded that we have faith. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him<\/em>” (Hebrews 11:6). God does not give faith to some and withholds it from others. All men are able to have faith. All have to respond to God’s commands. “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent<\/em>” (Acts 17:30). So, no, faith and love are not miraculous gifts of God.<\/p>\n

You are correct that a second-hand account of a woman claiming to have a letter from a doctor that she no longer has cancer is not proof that a miracle took place. What you offered is not verifiable. We cannot verify that she had cancer, nor that it is no longer in her system. We cannot verify that it disappears instantaneously This is totally unlike the miracles in the Bible where people knew the problem a person had, often for years, such as blindness, paralysis, or a withered hand. It is not like the true miracles where believers and unbelievers saw the Lord stated that they would be healed and saw the problem instantly disappear. Modern-day “miracles” are cheap imitations of true miracles.<\/p>\n

The idea that the church cannot grow without miraculous gifts is false. The gifts of the Spirit confirmed the word of God (Hebrews 2:3-4). But it is the word, not the gift that was causing the growth. “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby<\/em>” (I Peter 2:2). Once the word was confirmed, the gifts were no longer needed since the word was delivered only once (Jude 3).<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: I have seen on a couple of occasions on this site that you believe the gifts of the spirit are a thing of the past, and that you use I Corinthians 13:8-10 to try and validate that point of view. It is very easy to take a verse or two of scripture and make…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[428,363],"class_list":["post-28180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-gifts-of-the-holy-spirit","tag-miracles"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":38247,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-the-difference-between-spiritual-gifts-and-miraculous-gifts\/","url_meta":{"origin":28180,"position":0},"title":"What is the difference between spiritual gifts and miraculous gifts?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 13, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Could you give me information that points to the differences between spiritual gifts and miraculous gifts? Answer: Spiritual gifts refer to the gifts given by the Holy Spirit. They usually refer to the miraculous gifts as explained in I Corinthians 12. These gifts were not given to every Christian\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9120,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-many-gifts-did-the-early-christians-receive-from-the-holy-spirit\/","url_meta":{"origin":28180,"position":1},"title":"How many gifts did the early Christians receive from the Holy Spirit?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 24, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was wondering from I Corinthians 12:4-11 and other related passages, what you think to these questions. Did a Christian receive from the Holy Spirit only one spiritual gift or was it possible to receive more than one? In Acts 8:7, we read of Philip able to cast out\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2064,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/now-concerning-spiritual-gifts\/","url_meta":{"origin":28180,"position":2},"title":"Now Concerning Spiritual Gifts","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 28, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Ron Drumm It would be wonderful to have a spiritual gift like the ability to do miracles or the ability to speak in tongues. There are nine gifts of the Spirit listed in the New Testament. They are the word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healings, working of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10441,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-reader-who-doesnt-believe-the-gifts-of-the-spirit-have-ended\/","url_meta":{"origin":28180,"position":3},"title":"A reader who doesn’t believe the gifts of the Spirit have ended","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 17, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Having read through some of the 'answers,' I would like to point out that Paul talks about tongues of angels and men; therefore, there is a tongue of angels that we cannot understand but that the speaker speaks in mysteries to God. This is also why Paul encourages the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":44099,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/didnt-the-elders-pass-miraculous-gifts-to-timothy\/","url_meta":{"origin":28180,"position":4},"title":"Didn’t the elders pass miraculous gifts to Timothy?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 25, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I read your answer:\u00a0What is the doctrine of laying on of hands?\u00a0and it really helped me understand how the gifts of the Holy Spirit were passed on. When I shared it with my Pentecostal friend, she agreed but pointed to the 1 Timothy 4:14 verse \"Do not neglect the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5160,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-havent-you-written-about-the-comforter\/","url_meta":{"origin":28180,"position":5},"title":"Why haven’t you written about the Comforter?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 7, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I noticed your article on the Azusa street revival...very interesting. However, I looked in the topical index and I see no articles on the Holy Spirit as spoken of by Jesus in the book of John (the comforter, leader, and guider into all truth), nor any reflections on the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28180"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28180\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}