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“Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.” (1 Corinthians 13:8-10 NASB1995)
What do cessationists believe? According to Google’s AI, “Cessationists believe that miraculous sign gifts—specifically prophecy, tongues, and healing—ceased after the Apostolic Age (end of the 1st century) once the New Testament canon was completed. They argue these gifts were intended to validate the apostles' message, not to continue throughout church history. They still believe God performs miracles today but no longer uses individuals with specific ‘gifts’ of healing or miracles.” But is that biblical? No!
Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” (John 14:12 NASB1995)
Jesus said, “greater works.” The cessationists say, “lesser works.”
And one of the Scripture passages the cessationists use to support their case is this passage in 1 Corinthians 13. So, let’s break that down to see if their theory “holds water.”
Yes, the passage of Scripture speaks of a time when the gifts of the Spirit will be done away with. But when is this to take place? When the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. And who is “the perfect” who is coming? Jesus Christ. When Jesus returns for his bride, and he takes us to be with him in glory, there will be no more need of the gifts of the Spirit. And then it goes on to describe that time:
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.” (v. 12)
When will that take place? When Jesus Christ returns for his faithful ones, and he takes us to be with him for eternity, which is when we will then see him “face to face.” So what this is contrasting here is our time here on this earth compared to what it will be like when we are with our Lord in glory for eternity. Here our understanding and our knowledge of things is incomplete. But when we are out of these earthly tents, and we are in our glorified bodies with Christ for eternity, then we will have complete understanding.
So, the gifts of the Spirit are not to cease while we live here on this earth. And in our present reality we need to be exercising those gifts of the Spirit even more. But they must be exercised with much spiritual maturity and discernment, and done biblically, and of the Holy Spirit, and not of human flesh. For there is much fakery and misuse of the gifts of the Spirit going on within the gatherings of the church (or what is falsely being referred to as the church). So we must test the spirits to see if truly they are of God.
But what happened on the day of Pentecost when the believers in Christ (male and female) were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages (the languages of the people present)? They were accused of being drunk. So, what was Peter’s response to that accusation?
“For these people are not drunk, as you assume, since it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:
‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says,
‘That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
And your young men will see visions,
And your old men will have dreams;
And even on My male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days,
And they will prophesy.” (Acts 2:15-18 NASB; see also Joel 2:28-32)
And where are we now? Certainly we are in the last days, for they were, too. And who are these gifts bestowed upon? Male and female. No differentiation. And, poetically speaking, the way this is written does not mean that only young men will see visions and only old men will have dreams. And looking at the interlinear for Acts 2:17, it appears to me that all are included in those who will prophesy and see visions and dream dreams. But these prophecies, dreams, and visions must not contradict the teachings of the Scriptures. For God will not contradict himself and his word.
And to prophesy is not just in the area of future telling, but the word means to “speak forth” the messages of God, to proclaim the Word of the Lord. Another word for this is to “preach.” But this proclaiming of the Word of the Lord must be under the guidance and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who will lead us in what to say, and in what subjects to discuss, and to make these messages relevant to our world today, practical, and applicable to our daily living. And this must not rewrite nor contradict the Scriptures. And all should be tested against the Scriptures to be sure they are of God.
Body of Christ and Spiritual Gifts
[Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]
The Spirit Calling
An Original Work / November 12, 2019
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Hear the Spirit calling.
He’ll keep you from falling.
Tenderly He’s calling,
“Come and follow Him.”
Walk with Jesus daily.
Don’t give in to lazy.
Folks may call you crazy.
Fellowship with Him.
Follow where He leads you.
Eat what Jesus feeds you.
His love will renew you
If you follow Him.
Do what Jesus tells you.
Don’t let your faith fail you.
His love will avail you
If you walk with Him.
Jesus, Lord and Savior,
Reigneth now forever.
He gave us His favor
So we’d live with Him.
Turning now from our sin,
Holy Spirit live-in.
Holiness we walk in,
Purified by Him.
Gifts of The Spirit
An Original Work / February 10, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
