What is the Scriptural Basis for Cessationism?

[Ron Gurley]

Only the miraculous authenicating SIGN GIFTS ceased, those used at the sole will of the miracle worker. These ceased at the death of the commissioned apostles ~80-100 AD at the about the same time as the first "canon".

WARNING: Be careful with the "Charismatic Movement"!

What is the Charismatic movement?

It emphasizes the miraculous spiritual "SIGN GIFTS" , described by only Paul,
which were used by God to authenticate the messengers/apostles as "men of God"
in the early transitional "CHURCH", especially in Acts of the Apostles.

False doctrines have arisen therein.

Most Conservative theological scholars have concluded that
these "SIGN GIFTS" ceased ~100 AD, time of the last writing and distribution of the canonized Books of the Bible.

Cessationism

In Christianity, cessationism is the doctrine that spiritual gifts such as:
1. speaking in/interpretation of tongues (glossa=dialect),
2. prophecy (thus saith the LORD)
3. healing (at the sole will of the healer),
4. "word of knowledge" (fore-knowing)
ceased with the original twelve apostles (Last was John the Elder~80-100 AD writing Revelation).
This is generally opposed to "continuationism",
which teaches that (God) the Holy Spirit may bestow the spiritual SIGN GIFTS on persons other than the original twelve apostles/first missionary disciples at any time.

Cessationism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cessationism - Wikipedia

 

[dqhall]

One thing I don't understand about cessationism. Throughout the Book of John, Jesus constantly points to the miracles and good works performed as an indication that He was from The Father, because generally speaking the religious leaders didn't accept the words He spoke concerning His identity. The same thing happened in Acts with the early church. If Jesus used the Gifts of the Spirit to reach the lost and He is our model, even saying we would do greater works than Him, what is the scriptural basis for the gifts ceasing after the Scripture was complete? Does the completion of Scripture somehow belittle the need for healing the sick, raising the dead and casting out demons? Why would we divorce ourselves from the spiritual gifts if they were and are so effective in reaching the lost? Furthermore, if even John said the entire record of Jesus couldn't be contained in the word, why do we make such an emphasis on the word instead of Jesus who is the Word incarnate?

There used to be a website by an Israeli who had emigrated to America. He was in the Yom Kippur War when his unit was confronted by a column of Syrian tanks that had crossed into the Golan Heights. They were trying to move to another position when they found they were in a mind field. The enemy was approaching. They were trapped. All of a sudden a strong wind started to blow. The wind was so strong it lifted the soil off the mines and then stopped. The mines were exposed and they found their way through the minefield. The Israelis put up minor resistance in a bid to stall the Syrians before reinforcements were mobilized. The tanks attack was stopped dead in its tracks. The man who wrote about the miracle of the Golan Heights on his website also wrote that years later he was going through a back operation when his spinal cord was damaged leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. He was in a Golan settlement frequently watching TV in bed. He used to watch Arab language programs from Syria as he had learned Arabic. There was a broadcast of the 700 Club evangelical show translated to Arabic he used to watch. One day the man from the 700 Club said that someone in the audience is paralyzed and God is going to heal him. The man was healed instantly. He started to witness about Christ to his Jewish neighbors. He was driven out of his settlement as proselytizing is illegal. He and his wife emigrated to the United States where he became a pastor. Years later I looked time and time again for his website, but could not find it. Instead, I found sites about the Miracle of the Golan Heights and the soldiers delivered from death in the minefield.

The magazine, "Guideposts," used to publish accounts of miracles. I have not read the magazine in recent years, am not sure what they have published lately. In some churches people gave testimonies about what God had done for them. If God does a miracle for you, you ought not forget.

 

[Mal'ak]

This concept is very dangerous, and it was authored by doubters. If a person never healed anyone or had a prophecy, but they consider themselves the most holy of holy, then the conclusion is not that they lack faith to do these gifts but that the gifts do not exist anymore. My thoughts on the matter is that no miracles or great works took place in the church of the author of this theology, so instead of giving in to thoughts that he was probably a fraud, he instead made up the concept that there are no gifts or miracles so that is why his followers will never view them in his church or by his hand. Instead of some man's theology, if we go based on the word of God we learn the truth.

We are told anyone that changes or take away one word of the Word until Jesus' return will be considered least in the Kingdom of Heaven, we are told that anyone who adds or takes away from the Word of end times prophecy will be removed from the book of life, and we are told that there is nothing new under the sun that nothing was once good but now evil.

Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Revelation 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

Now the danger in believing in this teaching created by the anti-Christ, is that the concept is specifically intended for Christians to follow this idea of there being no gifts of the spirit so their souls are destroyed in the lake of fire along with those that teach it. Teaching the Word of God is not just some fun little thing you do so you feel spiritual or holy, as there are consequences for teaching lies. Now even if you have a strong connection to the Holy Spirit or not, the idea that the gifts of the Spirit are no more is just foolish. Why have several books in the NT dedicated to works, fruits of the spirit, gifts of the spirit. Each teaching you about them and the importance of them, but then you think God says "oh...but don't worry about all that wasted words and paper my Apostles risked their lives to tell you about, it is already void and does not matter...I thought it was fun to watch them get put in jail and murdered to tell you this unless information". It is just common sense, and God is not the author of confusion.

But if you need further warning and Scripture, seek the two witnesses during the end of times. These two people, groups, or whomever they are will be Christians. They will also be doing "prophesy...These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will."
Now there are the gifts of the spirit and miracles, but rare because our faith is but a shadow of what it was when angels walked the Earth during OT times and when Jesus was here during NT times. Our ancestors saw the pillar of fire, angels walking around, floods, plagues, miracles, so their faith was much stronger because the flesh had less power to create doubt when they were seeing all of this themselves. Our test, the test of our faith, is to do works and believe without any great wonders to support our faith. Does not mean to stop doing works, it just means our power from God depends on the amount of faith we have. As Jesus said, if we had faith the size of mustard seeds we could lift mountains into the sky and throw them into the sea. We don't any more, so we can't, but we can do enough using the gifts of the spirit to show the Father we are obedient and profitable servants. The idea the gifts were taken away, then just for this special case all the gifts of the spirit will be restored is nonsense.

Revelation 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

The reason why I say the anti-Christ created this cessationism is simple, when the end comes and the people that are chosen to be the Two Witnesses are brought before the world they will be directed by the Holy Spirit to do these gifts and wonders. Now if they were taught and believe those things no longer exist or to be done, their flesh mind may rebuke the Holy Spirit and refuse to do what they are meant to do. If this happens, their souls are gone and so too most likely are the souls of those that taught them the lies. We learn in Matthew 12:31 "but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.", we learn they will be directed by the Holy Spirit in Luke 12 "For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say." In regards to those teaching the stumbling block that could cause the two witnesses to fall to their death, along with Revelation 22:19 that says if you take away the words of that book you will be taken out of the book of life, there is Ezekiel 3:20 which says if there is a stumbling block and you do not warn your brother if he dies his blood will be required at your hand.

My Suggestion is for people to deal with their wounded pride which is offended because they can not do these gifts for lack of their faith, instead of becoming workers of the anti-Christ.

 

[Marvin Knox]

There are also a number of books making the cessationist case.

There are also a number of books making the Mormon case. That doesn't mean any of them hold water.

This concept is very dangerous, and it was authored by doubters. If a person never healed anyone or had a prophecy, but they consider themselves the most holy of holy, then the conclusion is not that they lack faith to do these gifts but that the gifts do not exist anymore.

I do believe that this is the basic reason for the existence of cessationists in our ranks.

In My opinion no one would come up with cessationsist arguments or use the scriptures they use as they do if it were not for the insecurity which unanswered prayer and lack of power many and even most Christians experience in their lives.

 

[Tree of Life]

One thing I don't understand about cessationism. Throughout the Book of John, Jesus constantly points to the miracles and good works performed as an indication that He was from The Father, because generally speaking the religious leaders didn't accept the words He spoke concerning His identity. The same thing happened in Acts with the early church. If Jesus used the Gifts of the Spirit to reach the lost and He is our model, even saying we would do greater works than Him, what is the scriptural basis for the gifts ceasing after the Scripture was complete? Does the completion of Scripture somehow belittle the need for healing the sick, raising the dead and casting out demons? Why would we divorce ourselves from the spiritual gifts if they were and are so effective in reaching the lost? Furthermore, if even John said the entire record of Jesus couldn't be contained in the word, why do we make such an emphasis on the word instead of Jesus who is the Word incarnate?

No sophisticated cessationist uses 1 Corinthians 13:10 to defend their view. "The perfect" is not about the Bible, but about the return of Christ.

That said, I'm a cessationist for the following reasons:

1. The pattern of miraculous sign gifts in Scripture is sporadic and accompanies new revelation. The New Testament era was not the only era in Biblical history to have sign gifts. Moses also performed signs. The purpose of the sign gifts however is to attest to the authority of people who are bringing new revelation. God testifies through signs and wonders that Moses or the apostles are truly from God.
   
   
2. The New Testament itself says that the sign gifts are for the purpose of testifying to the authority of apostolic preaching (Mark 16:20, Hebrews 2:3-4). It would make sense, then, that after the apostolic foundation is laid, the sign gifts are no longer necessary.
   
   
3. There don't appear to be any manifestations of the sign gifts today. Remember that the apostles didn't simply pray for people to be healed. We do this today (even in cessationist circles). The apostles authoritatively healed people just like Jesus did: "Man, I say to you, arise!" Their authoritative declarations of healing always worked. They had a unique authority to heal and cast out demons that does not appear to exist today.
   
   
4. The literature of the early church testifies that the sign gifts ceased. There's a lot of literature on the prevalence of sign gifts coming from the first century. But writings from the second century onward don't mention them at all. By all accounts they appear to have ceased with the close of the apostolic age.

 

[discipler7]

The man who wrote about the miracle of the Golan Heights on his website also wrote that years later he was going through a back operation when his spinal cord was damaged leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

https://sidroth.org/articles/chapter-1-david-yaniv/

2THESSALONIANS.2: = 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

MATTHEW.7: =
I Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

It simply means that no one individual has an inherent gift of doing such as is described in the NT.

The verse you quoted does not imply what you said.

We can even see that certain gifts were ceasing within Scripture...
Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church: and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

You demonstrated that the situation then was similar to what it is, now. Yet, there were such gifts then, and the canon was not completed then. Therefore, we ought to expect such gifts now.

in due time when the church is grown into maturity, with all that was before needed to get there, then those things will pass away.

The word used was not maturity. The Bible called it perfect. It would be easier for you to argue that the church has reached maturity, but not terribly sane to argue perfection.

Another viable interpretation is that it refers to the maturing of the church following the completion of the canon.

The verse says perfection, not maturity. This is why I find it problematic that people refer to the Bible as perfect. Only God is perfect. What should have been taken as the return of Christ, who actually is perfect, has been made into a deification of a stack of papers.

There don't appear to be any manifestations of the sign gifts today.

That's why personal experience is not statistically relevant. As a Sola scriptura man, you should know that your personal experience should not be the standard of your faith. Had you practiced your own claimed doctrine you would not be a cessationist. If you had not been, then you might have seen. Still, that was the most intellectually honest response from any of the cessationists in this thread.

 

[swordsman1]

This concept is very dangerous, and it was authored by doubters. If a person never healed anyone or had a prophecy, but they consider themselves the most holy of holy, then the conclusion is not that they lack faith to do these gifts but that the gifts do not exist anymore.

Our test, the test of our faith, is to do works and believe without any great wonders to support our faith. Does not mean to stop doing works, it just means our power from God depends on the amount of faith we have. As Jesus said, if we had faith the size of mustard seeds we could lift mountains into the sky and throw them into the sea. We don't any more, so we can't, but we can do enough using the gifts of the spirit to show the Father we are obedient and profitable servants. The idea the gifts were taken away, then just for this special case all the gifts of the spirit will be restored is nonsense.

My Suggestion is for people to deal with their wounded pride which is offended because they can not do these gifts for lack of their faith, instead of becoming workers of the anti-Christ.

Where does it say you need to muster up sufficient faith in order to have a spiritual gift? The only condition I can see is that it must be the sovereign will of the Holy Spirit:

1 Cor 12:11 "But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills."​

Did the disciples have to muster up sufficient faith to speak in tongues before they could do it? No, they never even knew such a thing existed. It simply happened. Ditto the Gentiles and the disciples of John the Baptist. Did Martin Luther also lack sufficient faith, or John Calvin, or Jonathon Edwards, or John Wesley, or Charles Spurgeon, or Billy Graham?

Now the danger in believing in this teaching created by the anti-Christ, is that the concept is specifically intended for Christians to follow this idea of there being no gifts of the spirit so their souls are destroyed in the lake of fire along with those that teach it.

You might want to read the forum rules before condemning cessationists as being from the anti-Christ and bound for Hell.

• Stating or implying that another Christian member, or group of members, are not Christian is not allowed.

 

[swordsman1]

The verse says perfection, not maturity. This is why I find it problematic that people refer to the Bible as perfect. Only God is perfect. What should have been taken as the return of Christ, who actually is perfect, has been made into a deification of a stack of papers.

Not every bible version translates it as 'the perfect'. Many translate telieos as 'completeness' (or words similar), which is a far better translation for the following reasons:

Any modern lexicon will tell us that teleios can mean perfect, complete or mature. When a word has multiple meanings we have to look at the context to decide which is the correct translation and it soon becomes obvious ‘completeness’ is the better word for the following reasons:

• It is clear ‘ek merous’ (in part) and ‘teleios’ (completeness or the perfect) are in antithesis with each other. If it is translated as ‘the perfect’ you are awkwardly pitting a quantitative concept (in part) against a qualitative concept (perfect). If it is translated ‘completeness’ there is no such tension.

• The equivalent antithesis pair in v12 (‘in part’ and ‘fully’) are both quantitative.
  
  
• It makes far better grammatical sense - the incomplete will be replaced by the complete.
  
  
• Paul's other use of the word teleios in his epistles overwhelmingly relate to completing/developing/maturing rather than perfecting (1 Cor 2:6, 1 Cor 14:20, Phil 3:15, Eph 4:13, Col 1:28, Col 4:12, Heb 5:14), making it more likely that the same applies here.
  
  
• Throughout scripture and Greek literature when teleios is used in proximity to nēpiois (child), as in v14, it invariably means developing into an adult. See 1 Cor 14:20, Eph. 4:13-14, Heb. 5:13-4
  

Why 'completeness' cannot be the 2nd coming of Christ, but rather the completion and distribution of the Canon:

• In scripture teleios is never used to describe heaven, Christ's return, or anything eschatological. It is however used to describe scripture in James 1:25

• The analogy of a child maturing into a man in v11 indicates that the process would not be an instantaneous one (as would happen at the 2nd coming) but rather something that occurs over a period of time - such as the completed canon being distributed among the churches. This ties in perfectly with church history where the early church fathers (100-200AD) said tongues were still active, the middle fathers (200-300 AD) saying they are rare, and the late fathers (300-400AD) saying the gift had ceased.
  
  
• In v13 it says that faith hope and love would remain after the 3 gifts had ceased. The greatest is love because love never ceases (v8), but faith and hope cease at the 2nd coming when they become reality: Heb 11:1 "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."; 2 Cor 5:6-7 "while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord - for we walk by faith, not by sight"; Rom 8:24 "but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?". So if faith and hope cease at the 2nd coming and outlast the 3 gifts then the 3 gifts must cease before the 2nd coming.
  
  
• If Paul was referring to the 2nd coming, then it wouldn't just be prophecy, words of knowledge, and tongues that will cease. All the spiritual gifts will cease. In the eternal state there will be no need for healers, pastors, teachers, evangelists, giving, faith, discernment of spirits, etc. Yet Paul makes no mention of those ceasing.
  
  
• 'Face to face' in v12 is not referring to seeing Christ as continuationists suppose. There is no mention of Christ in this passage. 'Face to face' is referring to the analogy of a mirror. At the time of Paul's writing, when church had to rely on piecemeal prophecies for guidance in the faith in the absence of the NT, it was like seeing dimly in a poor mirror (mirrors were poor quality in those days). But when 'completeness' came, it would be like looking at someone 'face to face'. Prophecies would cease and we would have God's revelation to man presented in a far superior way.

• “Completeness” is the antithesis of “in part”, so it is obvious these two quantitative expressions are related. Whatever ‘in part’ is referring to, almost certainly applies to ‘completeness’. That which is ‘in part’ is the practice of the gifts of prophecy and words of knowledge (v9), both of which are revelations from God. It follows therefore that ‘completeness’ would also involve revelation. “In part” refers to the fact that the revelation communicated by these gifts was partial or piecemeal. The corresponding “completeness”, as the counterpart to “in part” must then refer to a full or complete revelation from God. This can only be seen as the completed revelation God as preserved in the New Testament. At the time of Paul's writing the early church needed prophecy and words of knowledge to guide them in the faith in the absence of a New Testament. However when a church had a completed canon, it would no longer need the gift of prophecy to guide them. Thus, the completed canon would replace the partial prophecies and words of knowledge.

• This interpretation is corroborated elsewhere in scripture, notably in Eph 2:20 which says that apostles and prophets were only for the foundation of the church. Few people deny that apostles ceased after the founding the church and this verse undeniably says the same applies to prophets.
  
  
• And of course history confirms this interpretation. Tongues etc did indeed cease shortly after the apostolic age.
  

 

[Christie insb]

Here is part of it:

1 Corinthians 13
8 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.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part;
10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.​

Yours and His,
David

So Love has invaded our world to the extent that prophecy, tongues, and knowledge are no longer needed?

 

[112358]

While it is there for the taking if one is willing to look, one doesn't need scripture to understand cessation, just like one doesn't need scripture to observe the material world and understand its immutable laws. If the signs still existed as they did in the first century, we would be able to observe them. Theatrics and emotions run rampant make not a (biblical) miracle. Some things are just plain old common sense folks.

 

[112358]

So Love has invaded our world to the extent that prophecy, tongues, and knowledge are no longer needed?

Precisely so, insofar as love is the most excellent gift, available to one and all for all time as a reflection of it's ultimate Source (The Gospel, which is the Word, which is Christ), unlike the other incomplete and imperfect gifts which had their purpose, time, and place. Once love was made fully manifest through the completed revelation of God's will for mankind through His Word, the purpose for those others was fulfilled and they ceased.

 

[Tree of Life]

That's why personal experience is not statistically relevant. As a Sola scriptura man, you should know that your personal experience should not be the standard of your faith. Had you practiced your own claimed doctrine you would not be a cessationist. If you had not been, then you might have seen. Still, that was the most intellectually honest response from any of the cessationists in this thread.

The history and personal experience are not the clinchers. They're just interesting. Combining the historical reality that the sign gifts ceased with the biblical implication that the sign gifts are for new revelation, cessationism makes sense to me.

 

[tdidymas]

The verse you quoted does not imply what you said.

I pretty much proved that it does. The burden of proof is on you to support your opinion.


TD

 

[112358]

Here's another common sense clue as to the contrived, faux nature of modern day "miracles" performed by men. People who purport them always point to a lack of faith on the part of those who weigh the evidence in the balance and find their claims almost comically wanting. Contrast that dynamic to the legitimate miraculous works of the first century...they were performed in plain public sight for all to see, specifically those with less, little, or no faith in Christ at all. Entire cities were "astonished" and "amazed" by them. Word of those things spread like proverbial wildfire, as well they should and would today if they still actually occurred. Can you imagine the firestorm that would commence on Facebook and elsewhere if someone's stone dead brother rose up out of his grave alive as can be at the command of another man? Instead, a lost world listens to those who claim this fallaciousness and accurately labels it as the nonsense with which it deserves to be labeled. The worst part is that they then extend that label to the whole of the christian faith and dismiss it as foolishness...all because of the trivial and immature false doctrines of men. God forgive us.

 

[Mal'ak]

You might want to read the forum rules before condemning cessationists as being from the anti-Christ and bound for Hell.

• Stating or implying that another Christian member, or group of members, are not Christian is not allowed.

I never said they were not Christians, I said the specific concept of there is no more gifts is dangerous to believe as it can lead to spiritual death. If I did not consider them Christians I would not warn them, Jesus said not to throw pearls before swine. But since they are Christians, that one belief they have is dangerous to their soul, therefore as a fellow Christian I am required by God to give warning.

 

[Anto9us]

Flipping the handle down on the Cesspool of Cessationism.

Going down the pipe.

Sayonara.

 

[Innerfire89]

The verse you quoted does not imply what you said.



You demonstrated that the situation then was similar to what it is, now. Yet, there were such gifts then, and the canon was not completed then. Therefore, we ought to expect such gifts now.



The word used was not maturity. The Bible called it perfect. It would be easier for you to argue that the church has reached maturity, but not terribly sane to argue perfection.



The verse says perfection, not maturity. This is why I find it problematic that people refer to the Bible as perfect. Only God is perfect. What should have been taken as the return of Christ, who actually is perfect, has been made into a deification of a stack of papers.



That's why personal experience is not statistically relevant. As a Sola scriptura man, you should know that your personal experience should not be the standard of your faith. Had you practiced your own claimed doctrine you would not be a cessationist. If you had not been, then you might have seen. Still, that was the most intellectually honest response from any of the cessationists in this thread.

What do you make of 1Corinthians 2:6 which also uses the word "perfect"?

 

[discipler7]

Now the danger in believing in this teaching created by the anti-Christ, is that the concept is specifically intended for Christians to follow this idea of there being no gifts of the spirit so their souls are destroyed in the lake of fire along with those that teach it.

1TIMOTHY.4: =
The Great Apostasy
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; 5 for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

A Good Servant of Jesus Christ
6 If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. 7 But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. 8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. 9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. 10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. 11 These things command and teach.
.
.
REVELATION.21: = 8 "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
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.
1JOHN.2: =
22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
.
.
1JOHN.4: = 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
.
.
2JOHN.1: =
Beware of Antichrist Deceivers
7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.

9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

 

[Micah888]

So Love has invaded our world to the extent that prophecy, tongues, and knowledge are no longer needed?

The complete Bible replaces those gifts.