So, I do not believe that the Spirit of God gives today gifts of prophecies
and tongues as He gave them in the early Church.
Moreover there is no need for such prophecies today.
We should believe what the Bible teaches on the matter.
Acts 2:7
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Since we are in the last days, we should expect there to be genuine prophecies these days.
Your believe system can easily lead to disobedience to scripture such as:
I Thessalonians 5:20
Despise not prophesyings.
I Corinthians 14
30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.
31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
I will explain you what I think.
My point is:
1. Everything is said. There is no need for any new prophecies.
The Bible does not teach this. Prophecies still edify, comfort, and exhort people. Some eschatologies require that the two witnesses, who will prophesy, come in the future. It is ironic to me that some people who believe that will argue as you do.
2. God does not talk to people DIRECTLY and in audible voice today as to Moses or Isaiah or Daniel..or other prophets.
Why? God talked to Moses and prophets DIRECTLY, after this communication with God, the prophets went to Israel and communicated/gave them
what God said.
Your arguments do not support your conclusion.
3. If a christian claims that God talked to him directly and said something then any claim of such christian
on behalf of God will be judged by Him. You know that already. Moreover, our madhouses are full of patients who claim that they constantly talk to 'god' or hear voices
in head.
Some of the worst atheist dictators who killed lots of people did not believe God speaks today.
The issue is what the Bible teaches. Sure, there are mad men who claim to believe in God. That doesn't make theism wrong. There may be mad men who think God speaks to them. That doesn't mean God no longer speakers to men who are not mad.
Cessationism teaches that the revelatory gifts (tongues and prophecy) have ceased to be given to the church by the Holy Spirit after the completion of the New Testament canon. The following is a list of reasons why I have become a cessationist.
Reason 1 - The Scriptures Are Sufficient For Every Good Work
2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." This passage explains that the scriptures are sufficient for our sanctification. It doesn't say that the scriptures equip us for some works, but we need the gifts of tongues or prophecy to really experience super spirituality. It says that the scriptures are sufficient to equip us for every good work.
I wonder if cessationists categorically suffer from dyslexia, thinking the verse says that "Scripture is all that is given..."
Just simple logic shows the fallacy of this argument. We could say a US soldier is given a rifle that he might be fully equipped. That's true, but he is also given bullets, the stuff that go in the rifle, along with the uniform, helmet, etc. It is true that the rifle is given that he may be fully equipped. Stating such is not stating that the rifle is all he needs.
Consider this also. Would any Christian draw the following conclusions from that verse?
"We don't need love because we have the scriptures."
"We don't need faith because we have the scriptures."
"We don't need water baptism because we have the scriptures."
"We don't need to abstain from because we have the scriptures."
If the scriptures make you 'fully equipped', then does that mean we don't need love, faith, water, baptism, or to abstain from fornication? No! The scripture teaches us we need those things.
But why do some cessationists apply the exact same reasoning and argue
"We don't need certain spiritual gifts because we have the scriptures."
Another problem with this cessationist interpretation is that if II Timothy 3 did away with prophecy, tongues, and healing, then II Timothy 4 would not have been inspired and neither would the books written after it. Chapter 1 already tells Timothy to stir up the spiritual gift that is in him by the laying on of Paul's hands. Why would Timothy have only needed the gift for the five or ten minutes it took to get to chapter 3?
Reason 2 - The Scriptures Are Sufficient For Salvation
The scriptures are also sufficient for saving souls. Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." Those who would promote so called "power evangelism" argue that the gifts are important evangelistic tools. They would argue that miracles and demonstrations of the power of God would cause someone to believe in the gospel. In the story of the rich man and Lazarus, told by Jesus in Luke 16, the rich man in hell begs Abraham to send Lazarus "to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment" (vs. 27b-28). Abraham then says "They have Moses and the prophets". The rich man argued the same argument as "power evangelists" do today. "No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent" (vs. 30). Abraham's reply is this, "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead." So miracles do nothing to save the lost. God must first perform a sovereign work of regeneration before someone can believe.
This displays ignorance of the Bible. That verse doesn't say miracles never play a role in saving souls. Jesus also said, "Except ye see signs and wonders, ye shall not believe." Then He did a miracle. That disproves the argument quoted above. We see numerous examples of this. For example, Sergius Paulus believed after he saw Elymas being struck blind.
Jesus also told Thomas to put his finger in his hands and his hand in his side and be not faithless but believing. He did miss out on the blessing he would have had if he had believed without seeing the risen Christ.
Believing after seeing miracles does not preclude a sovereign work of God. That's a false dichotomy.
The author you quote needs to study his Bible more carefully and believe it.
Reason 3 - The Scriptures Are Complete
Hebrews 1:1-2 says the following:
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
The Greek word elalesen (spoken) is an aorist tense verb. The aorist tense indicates an action that has been completed in the past.
Foolish line of reasoning. That word is going to be in the aorist whether one is cessationist or continuationist. The use of the aorist does not prove cessationism. The passage doesn't say God no longer speaks. That's like taking a verse that says Jesus ate fish and using it to 'prove' no one ever ate fish again or that fish no longer exist. It's just really foolish reasoning.
