The Problem of Natural Evil

On December 26, 2004, the third most powerful earthquake ever recorded struck in the Indian Ocean, near the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The quake was so intense that it shifted the North Pole about one inch to the east and slightly increased the rotation of the Earth, thereby shortening the length of a standard day by 2.68 microseconds.[1] It also generated a tsunami that struck the surrounding coastlines, killing over 200,000 people and displacing nearly 2,000,000 more.[2]

This unfortunate incident is a prominent example of what is sometimes referred to as ‘natural evil’: a reference to human suffering caused by processes in nature—earthquakes, fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc. Few things are as terrifying as when our very environment seems to turn against us, and this has often raised the question of why God would place us in a world with such hazards. Why does he allow natural disasters to claim so many lives, especially those of innocent children? What purpose can there be in it?

The Good Earth

In considering this question, it’s necessary to understand that conditions on Earth are exceedingly mild compared to the conditions we observe on other planets. In fact, to our knowledge Earth is uniquely suited for life. Our planet is located in what is sometimes referred to as the Goldilocks Zone (so named because it’s “just right”) of a stable, mid-sequence star, in an ideal position relative to the other planets of an ideally-balanced solar system, and within an ideal location in an ideal type of galaxy. If we were much closer to or farther from our sun, weather conditions on Earth would make life much more difficult than it is today. If we orbited a star in a binary system, or we were closer to the giant planets of our solar system—such as Jupiter and Saturn—gravitational stresses on the Earth could produce earthquakes far more frequent and ferocious than we can presently imagine. If our atmosphere were thinner, cosmic radiation and surface temperatures could quickly and easily prove lethal to every living thing on the planet.

These and a host of additional factors we could list demonstrate that Earth is an exceedingly privileged little world. Harsh conditions are the norm throughout the universe; to our knowledge, Earth is the lone exception. For this reason, it’s a mistake to think that God has placed us in a harsh environment. On the contrary, we have every reason to believe that he has placed us on the best real estate in the universe.

Why natural disasters then, if Earth is such a wonderful world?

Earth is an active planet—it must be in order for life to exist here as comfortably as it does—and this continuous activity, while beneficial, occasionally builds to what we might call “pressure points,” which must be alleviated. Tornadoes and hurricanes are spawned by shifting weather patterns that are part of the overall planetary balance. Earthquakes are caused by shifts in the plate tectonics that make up the crust of the Earth. This shifting of the crust quite literally recycles the surface of the planet, creating an ideal environment for life.[3] Tsunamis are caused by massive, sudden upheavals that displace enormous amounts of seawater, such as happens when earthquakes occur at sea. The water flows outward and then back again as the ocean reacts to the disturbance and establishes a new equilibrium.

Disasters result when these events directly impact human communities, but forces and processes in nature do not “kill” in the sense that human beings kill. There is nothing deliberate or malevolent about them. They are not “evil.”

Still, might we not wonder why God allows these things to impact human populations? Has he deliberately left us in harm’s way?

There are a few things to keep in mind here.

To begin with, based on what scientists have learned about Earth’s past, it is evident that we live in a comparatively stable and mild time in our planet’s history (and in the history of the universe, for that matter). One can imagine how things might be different if human beings had to contend with major geological upheavals or populations of large predators, such as dinosaurs. Needless to say, under such conditions we would not have reached the level of civilization we have achieved.

Next, we should reflect that, according to the biblical record, humanity has departed from the purposes God originally ordained for it, and in losing direct access to its creator, has undoubtedly forfeited protections it might otherwise have enjoyed.

The book of Genesis illustrates this for us in detailing the care God took of Adam and Eve when they were created:

And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted… – Genesis 2:8-10a (KJV)

While some believe and teach that the entire Earth was a paradise when Adam was first created, Genesis 2 actually suggests that paradise was restricted to the Garden of Eden, which God specially created to be a habitation for man. Eden was not the entire world, but only a particular region, and the garden was only a part of Eden. Note that Genesis 2:10 says that a river went “out of Eden, to water the garden.” This necessitates that the garden did not comprise the whole of Eden.

God did pronounce a curse on the “ground” when Adam sinned, but the nature of the curse was very specific:

Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you will eat the plants of the field; by the sweat of your face you will eat bread. Till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. – Genesis 3:17b-19

This is often taken to mean that God cursed the Earth to the effect that it should produce thorns and thistles, and that it did not produce these things prior to Adam’s fall, but this conclusion cannot be derived solely from the text. Note that, when God pronounced the curse, he followed it with: “in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.” The Septuagint—the Greek translation of the Old Testament—renders Genesis 3:17 this way: “cursed is the earth in your labors.”[4] (NETS)

Remember that, in Genesis 2:8-10, we’re told that God caused “every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food” to grow in the garden. In other words, God prepared the ground of the garden to readily yield fruit-bearing plants and trees, although Adam still had a responsibility to tend it (Genesis 2:15).[5] After the fall, however, God cursed the ground that he had formerly blessed. The ground would no longer produce its fruit easily. Instead, it would readily produce nuisance plants. Adam would be reduced to hard labor in order to survive, and in the meantime would be forced to eat whatever was growing wild around him.

Thus the curse placed upon the ground here was not a general curse on all of the Earth or the universe, both of which, according to the teachings of some, are “fallen.” It was a specific curse on the ground, and was meant to render man’s labor more difficult.[6]

God also cursed man with death, as he originally warned he would do when he first instructed Adam and Eve not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:16-17). Note how this curse was implemented, according to Genesis 3:22-24:

Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever—therefore, the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So he drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden he stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

God implemented the curse of death upon Adam by depriving him of access to the Tree of Life. From this, it appears that Adam was not created to be naturally immortal. His life was dependent upon access to the Tree of Life, without which he ultimately died. It does not appear that God cursed Adam’s body in some way in order to ensure his death; he simply deprived him of what was necessary to sustain him indefinitely. To argue otherwise, one must read assumptions into the Genesis account, which seems quite straightforward when taken literally here.

I make these points in order to demonstrate that we do not live on a “bad” Earth that God changed from its initial state in order to cause us grief, but rather that we as a race have lost the place of particular favor that was once intended for us. There is no biblical reason to believe that God changed the Earth from its original “good” creation state, creating thorns and thistles only after Adam sinned. Remember again here that the Garden of Eden was a special place, even before Adam’s fall. Thorns and thistles were almost certainly a part of the environment outside of the garden, although the curse may have caused them to become even more virulent.[7]

Some argue that plant and animal death are also due to the fall of man, citing Romans 5:12, where the apostle Paul writes, “for by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin,” but in this passage Paul specifically says that death “passed upon all men because all have sinned.” Man is the subject here, not all of nature. Furthermore, plant and animal death is actually beneficial to the planet as a whole, in spite of the emotional reaction people may have to it.[8] The assumption that it cannot have been part of God’s original plan for his “good” creation is just that: an assumption.

Forfeited Dominion

For one last point here, consider that, not only did God initially place Adam and Eve in an especially ideal environment, he intended that they should have “dominion” over the Earth:

And God blessed them [Adam and Eve], and God said unto them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. – Genesis 1:28 (KJV)

The Genesis account fully leads me to believe that this planet was to be our “project.” God gave us a good world, but intended for us to make it even better, to learn how to use its resources and become its masters. Among other things, we might have learned better ways of anticipating violent storms and earthquakes, or better building techniques to withstand them, or possibly even ways of alleviating them. Adam’s experience in Eden might have prepared mankind to cultivate vast portions of the Earth’s surface, almost assuredly in ways that have not yet occurred to us, and in cooperation rather than competition. Mankind might now be dispersed across the Earth in an entirely different manner, one more conducive to living in harmony with our environment. Unquestionably, the plant and animal kingdoms would also have benefited from mankind’s enhanced understanding and stewardship of the globe. Perhaps even favored pets might have been granted increased longevity as a benefit derived from a better understanding of the nature of life.

How much might God have taught us about mastering our world, and even curing diseases and repairing genetic abnormalities, had our first parents not rebelled, thereby cutting us off from intimate fellowship with the creator of all things? As it stands, the world sometimes seems like a harsh place to us because we do not enjoy the position of supremacy that we were meant to have in relation to it. Man is trying to get by as best he can in a world that he does not fully comprehend and which he cannot fully master.

The Suffering of Innocents

Invariably, the problem of evil—in either its moral or natural forms—generates discussion concerning the suffering of innocents, children in particular. Even if we’re willing to concede that man has fallen from his intended place in relation to both God and the world, it seems unfair to us that children should also bear the burden. Why would God permit this?

This is a complex subject, but I will highlight a few areas that I believe are worthy of consideration:

First, as discussed previously, God has given human beings the freedom to make moral choices. In order for true love to exist, the choice to give it or withhold it must also exist. Thus, God has given us a framework within which both good and evil choices are possible, and children are as subject to this framework as adults. If it were not possible to act in an evil fashion toward children, it would also be impossible to truly love them and do good to them. The choice is ours, as is the responsibility for the choice in light of God’s promise to judge all mankind.

Furthermore, this matter of choice not only applies to decisions that we deliberately make—for instance, the choice to show kindness or malice in a given situation—but also to what we might consider “incidental” choices, in which children are affected more in terms of the natural consequences of our actions.

For instance, if we make poor health, financial, or lifestyle choices, our children are affected as much as we are. When parents divorce, their children have to live with the fallout, including the emotional pain. If mom or dad commits a crime and is sent to jail, the children are not exempted from the negative consequences that may result to the rest of the family, such as loss of income or loss of a home. If a man decides to get drunk and then go out and drive with his family in the car, and ends up plowing into a tree at ninety-miles-an-hour, his children will suffer right along with him through no fault of their own. Yes, God has provided the framework in which such choices are possible, but the responsibility is ours.
Similarly, if we choose to build homes or cities in earthquake, tornado, or hurricane country, or in the shadow of an active volcano, we really shouldn't be surprised when, sooner or later, disaster strikes. Our planet's natural processes are not going to stop in deference to our preferences. If we're going to live in such places, we need to come to terms with the risks. I do not say this to lay blame on those who suffer in natural calamities, but simply to stress that we must be willing to come to terms with reality. Still, some do suffer needlessly of their own account even in natural disasters. Consider for a moment those who refuse to evacuate coastal areas during hurricanes, or make any kind of disaster preparations when warnings go out. Should we really blame God for their fate?

Second, we should evaluate our attitude toward God. Do we really seek him? Do we really care what he thinks or what his will for our lives might be? Are we willing to lay aside our own plans and submit to his will? Are we teaching our children to seek God? What sort of example are we setting for them?

The sad fact of the matter is that humanity is pretty well going about its business as if God doesn’t exist, and God has allowed us to experience the natural consequences that result from this approach to life. “You will search for me and find me,” he has said, “when you search for me with all of your heart.” But for the most part, we have chosen to give our hearts to other things, such as the pursuit of material wealth and pleasure. What right do we have to live as if there is no God, and then immediately expect him to bail us out of whatever trouble we find ourselves in? What right do we have to expect him to show up and explain himself in times of crisis when we don’t care to hear what he has to say in the meantime?

Even many of our religious practices are more about rituals, feelings, cults of personality, self-righteousness, and social obligations than about knowing God and giving him preeminence in our lives. We often honor him with our lips when our hearts are far from him, and God cares nothing for this empty form of acknowledgment. What he values is a heart that truly seeks him.[9]

Our children have been given to us. They are our responsibility. And we have effectively immersed them in a godless world by the choice to pursue other things. The negative consequences of this are no different than in any other area of life and experience. In great part, we have chosen to live without God, and he has allowed us to do so. The result has been tragic.

On the other hand, God has often shown mercy to those who are truly seeking him, and per the biblical account, has delivered them from potential tragedy.

In the book of Genesis, God warned Pharaoh in a dream that years of famine were coming to Egypt, and he provided Joseph to interpret that dream and to devise a plan to bring Egypt safely through the crisis (Genesis, chapter 41). He delivered a prostitute named Rahab from the destruction of Jericho in return for the kindness she showed to two Israelite spies (Joshua, chapters 2 and 6). He delivered three Hebrew teenagers from death in a Babylonian furnace, and later the prophet Daniel from death by lions (see Daniel, chapters 3 and 6). He warned Mary and Joseph that King Herod would try to kill the infant Jesus, and told them to flee to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15). He delivered the apostle Peter from prison and almost certain death in response to the prayers of believers (Acts, chapter 12).

Nor is that “all in the past.” God continues to watch over his people today. He does not always intervene in their circumstances, just as he did not always intervene even in biblical times, but there are noted instances where he has done this.

I remember hearing the story of a missionary whose life was spared when villagers who had been sent to kill him in the night retreated without even confronting him. Later, after one of them was converted, he explained to the missionary that he and those with him had seen large men standing outside of the missionary’s home with drawn weapons, and this is why they had left him alone that night. The missionary should have seen these men, but he saw no one.[10]

A few years ago, I came across the testimony of a Christian who was cleaning out his garage one day, and was about to pick something up when he distinctly heard a voice telling him not to touch it. He went and got a broom to move the object and discovered Black Widow spiders nesting underneath of it.

And for one last example, I will provide a personal testimony.

My oldest son, James—now seventeen years old—is severely autistic and non-verbal. A number of years ago, when he was perhaps nine or ten years old, my wife left to visit relatives while I stayed home to care for James. I became very ill one night while she was gone, and fell into a deep sleep. Unbeknownst to me, my son got up out of bed and got in the bathtub and started playing. Like many autistic children, he loves playing in water, and this is usually harmless as long as it’s supervised. But at the time, I had no idea what was going on; I was dead asleep and had a loud box fan running.

How long he was in there, I don’t know, but I was woken from sleep by a man’s voice calling my name and telling me I needed to wake up—there was no one else in the house at the time, and no radio or TV playing. I woke immediately and heard my son in the bathtub of our master bathroom, jumping up and down with the shower turned on. He could easily have slipped and hit his head on the side of the tub or on one of the faucets, and as sick as I was at the time, I might not have been aware of his situation for hours. By the time I got up, it might have been too late.

I’m sure that skeptics could offer any number of alternative explanations for the examples I’ve provided here. It would be impossible to objectively prove that God did, or did not, intervene in these circumstances, and so I do not pretend to offer them as definitive proofs. I offer them merely as circumstances consistent with biblical examples of divine interventions, and I think even skeptics would have to agree that God, if he does exist, must surely be capable of such things. We may quibble over why God chose to intervene in these situations and not in others, but that takes us back to the issue of divine knowledge and motivations. Without knowing what God knows, how can we stand in judgment over him in regard to what he should, or should not, have done in given situation?

The point is this: as a race, we are seeking just about everything but God, when he has promised that it is those who seek him with all of their hearts who will find him.

If we live as though there is no God, is that his fault or ours?

---

[1] http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2005/jan/HQ_05011_earthquake.html

[2] http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2004/us2004slav/#summary

[3] http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/11/science/deadly-and-yet-necessary-quakes-renew-the-planet.html?_r=0

[4] http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/nets/edition/01-gen-nets.pdf

[5] This implies that the garden would have fallen into disrepair if Adam had not tended it. It would not have supernaturally maintained itself. The laws of thermodynamics and the weathering influences of the outside world would have worn it down in time. This is more evidence that the whole Earth was not a vast paradise at the time.

[6] Undoubtedly, one reason for this was to give sinful man something with which to occupy his time. One can readily imagine how much worse the world would be today if man came by his food and shelter easily, leaving him plenty of time and energy for mischief.

[7] Genesis 2:1 indicates that the heavens and the Earth were “finished,” and that God rested from his acts of creation, so it seems likely that all types of plant life already existed prior to the fall. Furthermore, God did not say that he was going to create new organisms; he merely said that the ground would produce thorns and thistles, where it had readily produced fruit-bearing plants before (in the garden, that is). The idea that this is some sort of new creative act is an assumption based on the idea that thorns and thistles should not be present in a “good” creation. It is not supported by the text.

[8] One evident example of this is the fertilization of soil. Topsoil – the layer of earth in which plants first take root and derive their initial nourishment – is composed in large part of decayed organisms and plant matter.

[9] Isaiah 29:13; Malachi 1:10; Matthew 15:7-9; Matthew 23:1-34; John 4:19-24

[10] Compare this with Numbers 22:22-35 and II Kings 6:8-19.

*Image credit: Seymour Texas tornado, April 10, 1979. Courtesy of the National Severe Storms Laboratory (public domain image). http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/torscans.htm

Do the Dead return to visit the Living?

Jacob Marley visits Scrooge

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God...” - 1 John 4:1

Recently, I came across a disturbing idea being advocated by some well-known Christian authors whom I otherwise respect: namely, the notion that there are “godly ghosts,” that is, spirits of dead Christians who sometimes return to visit the living. Evidence cited in favor of this idea includes the fact that Christian author C.S. Lewis believed that the spirit of his dead wife returned to comfort him in the wake of her passing, as well as a tale recounted by J.B. Philips concerning how the ghost of C.S. Lewis appeared to him, encouraging him when he was working on his translation of the New Testament. In another recent example, the father of popular Christian TV minister Perry Stone claimed that the ghost of a friend appeared to him and commissioned him for the ministry. Other examples could be cited as well, including various stories in which the godly dead allegedly returned to help the living in some way or to settle affairs they were unable to conclude in life.

In keeping with this, “godly ghosts” theorists argue that it’s possible that not all spirits of the departed reside in either Heaven, Hades (the NT equivalent of Sheol), or “Abraham’s Bosom”; instead, they speculate that some human spirits may be roaming the earth in a type of limbo (possibly what the Bible terms “outer darkness”), and that this may be why people have reported that ghosts often seem confused, tend to be found near places where tragedies have occurred, and usually appear sorrowful and tormented.

The Bible certainly teaches that there is what we might call a “spirit world,” an unseen realm in which both good and evil spirits operate, and it is clear from scripture that these spirits interact with mankind to various degrees; but I have to caution that there is absolutely no scriptural justification for the belief that spirits of the dead can or do return and manifest themselves to the living. It is my belief that all encounters with what are believed to be “ghosts” are actually demonic manifestations designed to deceive mankind into accepting delusions about the spirit world and the questions surrounding life after death.

Scripture Forbids “Calling up” the Dead

Leviticus 19:10 and Deuteronomy 18:10 specifically forbid consultations with mediums: those who communicate with the dead on behalf of the living (what we call “Necromancy” today):

“Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.” 

 “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.”

Thus it seems very unlikely that God would permit, or even facilitate, that which he has strictly forbidden.

Nevertheless, one proponent of the “godly ghosts” theory argues that such verses prove that communication with the dead must at least be possible, otherwise God would not have forbidden it, but this is not necessarily the case. As we can see from Deuteronomy 18:10, God forbade contact with persons who were involved in a number of occult practices, including calling up the dead, but he did not offer commentary on the validity of those practices or on how they were performed. A surface reading of the text might lead one to believe that occult practitioners have some sort of natural ability that enables them to successfully divine, perform acts of witchcraft, or to cast spells, but other passages of scripture suggest that these things are actually accomplished by the power of demons.

A ready example of this is Acts 16:16-21, where Luke provides of an account of how the apostle Paul cast a spirit of divination out of a slave girl who “was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling” (KJV). After the demon was cast out of the girl, she no longer had the power of divination (Acts 16:19).

For this reason, it is entirely likely that “the dead” that are conjured in the practice of Necromancy are actually demons, and not departed spirits at all. Indeed, in I Samuel 28, when King Saul was trying to communicate with the departed prophet Samuel, he specifically sought out a woman that had “a familiar spirit”—in other words, a demon (I Samuel 28:7). Obviously, Saul thought that the practice itself was valid—that is, that mediums were actually able to conjure the dead—but it’s clear from his words that he realized that a demon was necessary to facilitate it. Strangely enough, he does not seem to have considered that the demons involved in contacting the dead might not be mere facilitators, but might actually be impersonating the spirits they were supposed to be contacting. It seems rather odd to trust an evil spirit to act in good faith, but Saul was desperate at the time (more on this later).

Thus, it seems unlikely that God issued the command to avoid those who “call up the dead” because they are actually able to do it. It seems more likely that he gave this commandment in order to keep his people from being deceived by evil spirits.

Scripture tells us that the Dead are not aware of the World of the Living

“For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun.” - Ecclesiastes 9:5-6  

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol [the grave] where you are going.” - Ecclesiastes 9:10  

“Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation. His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” - Psalm 146:3-4

If, as the Bible indicates, the dead are not aware of what takes place in the world of the living, it’s rather difficult to see how they could be contacted, conjured, or otherwise summoned by mediums from the living world. How can you hear or respond to a voice from a reality that is hidden to you? Indeed, for those who believe that the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke chapter 16 represents an actual account rather than a parable or an allegory, the situation becomes even more complicated:

Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ - Luke 16:22-26

It’s difficult to understand how spirits of the dead could be summoned to return to the world of the living when they are incapable of crossing a physical barrier between two different parts of their own domain! If the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus references actual events, then it is clear that spirits of the wicked dead cannot leave the confines of their imprisonment in Hades, and that even spirits of the righteous dead cannot simply come and go as they please. Angels carried Lazarus to Abraham’s Bosom, implying that he could not reach that place on his own from the world of the living, and thus making it almost certain that he could not return on his own, either.

Furthermore, note that the rich man asked Abraham to return Lazarus to the world of the living in order to warn the rich man’s brothers about the place of torment that awaited them beyond the grave. He did not ask that Lazarus be permitted to contact the living, but rather that he be sent to them. This strongly implies that the dead cannot communicate with the living from the underworld; at least it is certain they cannot initiate contact from there, and thus it is also highly doubtful that they can be conjured from there by the living.

Saul and the “Ghost” of Samuel

What then of the story of Samuel’s spirit being called up by the witch of Endor in I Samuel 28? Was this the true spirit of Samuel, or a demonic impostor?

The account in I Samuel 28 is controversial, and for good reason. In this account, the Philistines were readying themselves for battle with Israel. Saul, who had long been in rebellion against God, was desperate for help, but God was not answering him, and the prophet Samuel—who had anointed Saul king over Israel and used to serve as a guide to him—was dead. So in his desperation, Saul asked his servants to find a woman who could call up the ghost of Samuel for him.

Then said Saul unto his servants, ‘Seek me a woman that has a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her.’ And his servants said to him, ‘Behold, there is a woman that has a familiar spirit at Endor.’ - I Samuel 28:7 (KJV in modern English)

Once again, a “familiar spirit” is another term for a demon. In other words, Saul wanted his men to find a demon-possessed woman for him to inquire of, with the expectation that the spirit within this woman would contact Samuel and that Samuel would speak to him through the woman. In other words, he was looking for a medium who would speak to him for Samuel just as people ask mediums today to convey the words of dead relatives and friends at séances. Another word for this is type of intermediary contact is “channeling.” This is exactly the type of activity that God had forbidden in the Law of Moses, and it was at least one area in which Saul had been obedient to God, as he had nearly wiped out the mediums in Israel. Indeed, he was forced to disguise himself so that the medium would not recognize that he was the king, and he had to assure her that she would not be punished:

Then Saul disguised himself by putting on other clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, “Conjure up for me, please, and bring up for me whom I shall name to you.” But the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who are mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?” Saul vowed to her by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” - I Samuel 28:8-10

Saul then asked the woman to bring up Samuel for him, and the Bible records that, “when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice.” Many have supposed that she cried out because she was expecting a demon and was startled when it was actually Samuel who appeared, but a careful reading of the text does not support this. Consider for a moment: What is the very first thing the woman said to Saul after she cried out?

“You are Saul.”

Again, Saul had killed all of the mediums and sorcerers in Israel, and as we saw in verses 8-10, initially the medium did not even want to perform this act of necromancy for fear of her life. She cried out because the spirit within her revealed that the man who had come to her was actually the king she feared so greatly.

Moving on, there is another important detail in this story that we should note: the witch never identified Samuel by name. When Saul asked her what it was that she saw, she told him: “‘I see a divine being [Hebrew - elohim]...an old man coming up, and he is wrapped with a robe.’ And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and did homage.” The witch did not identify Samuel, and Saul did not actually see this spirit; Saul assumed that the spirit was Samuel based on the medium’s description; and given that the woman was a medium, the spirit would have spoken through her as well, just as spirits commonly speak through mediums today.

Are we really to believe that Samuel took his robe to Hades with him? Was Samuel an old man in spirit form? I believe it is more plausible that the demon deceiving Saul presented itself in a form that Saul would recognize: as the old man whom he had known in life.

It has been argued that the text itself identifies Samuel, but I would remind readers that this account was written down based on the testimony of those who were with Saul—none of whom actually laid eyes on this spirit. I am not arguing that the text is in error; only that it is an account that was based on the testimony of witnesses. It is, undoubtedly, an accurate account of what they believed took place and how things appeared to them. This is a type of chronicle, a Hebrew government record, not a divine revelation.

There are similar examples of this sort of perspective in scripture: 

• In Genesis 18, the Lord appeared to Abraham with two angels, yet the text repeatedly refers to all three of them as “men,” which is certainly what they appeared to be to Abraham, Sarah, and Lot, as well as the men of Sodom, who also saw them and referred to them as “men” (see Genesis 19:5). 

• Moses records for us in Exodus 33 that God appeared to him, covering Moses with “his hand,” and allowing Moses to see his “back parts” but not his “face”; yet other scriptures indicate that God is “invisible,” “a spirit,” a being without physical form, and that no one has ever seen him (John 1:18; 4:24, Colossians 1:15, and I Timothy 1:17). Clearly, God appeared to Moses in some sort of representation, a physical manifestation, but not his true essence. Yet, on the surface, the text appears to read as if God actually has a physical body.

• When Mary Magdalene saw Jesus after his resurrection, she initially thought he was the gardener (John 20:15). 

• In Mark 16:5, the women who came to the garden tomb on the morning of the resurrection saw “a young man” when they looked into the tomb. Luke 24:4 mentions “two men” at the tomb. John 20:12 makes it clear that the “men” the women saw at the tomb were angels, but in the other accounts they are actually called “men.” This does not mean that Mark and Luke were in error, just that they recorded what the women literally saw and reported themselves.

These accounts also demonstrate to us that spirit beings can assume physical form, appearing, speaking, and even eating as human beings do. Thus it is entirely possible for an evil spirit to have impersonated Samuel. Again, I remind the reader here that Saul assumed that the entity the medium contacted was Samuel, and even today occultists warn practitioners of the magical arts that spirits often lie and misrepresent themselves. Indeed, in I Kings 22:19-23, God actually permitted a lying spirit to speak through the mouths of prophets in order to lure King Ahab to his death.

Furthermore, consider that Samuel was one of the most righteous men spoken of in the Old Testament. In Jeremiah 15:1, God places him in the same category as Moses, who was the greatest of all of Israel’s prophets. Would such a righteous man have broken the commandment of God by communicating with Saul through a demon-possessed witch when God had specifically forbidden this practice, knowing that witchcraft is particularly detestable to God? Would God himself have facilitated this kind of contact in violation of his own commandment?

Neither of these options seems likely.

What then of the fact that the spirit told the truth when it prophesied that Saul would die in battle the following day?

Demons are notorious liars, but they do not always lie. The Pythian priestesses of the ancient world were renowned for their ability to predict events and “see” at a distance, and were even consulted by kings. The slave girl that the apostle Paul cast the demon out of in Acts 16 must have been correct at least part of the time, otherwise she wouldn’t have made her owners very much money! Consider also that the Egyptian priests who opposed Moses and Aaron were able to perform genuine miracles, yet they did not do so by the power of God. And again, remember how an evil spirit was used to do the will of God in 1 Kings 22. It’s clear from the account of Saul and the witch of Endor that “Samuel’s” prophecy of doom absolutely unhinged Saul (I Samuel 28:20-23), and probably aided in his defeat the next day.

Other Alleged “Ghosts” of the Bible

A Ghost on the Water

Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” - Matthew 14:22-27

The Greek word translated “ghost” here is phantasma, which Strong’s defines as meaning: “an appearance, an apparition, spectre.” The KJV renders this word as “spirit.” Young’s Literal Translation renders it “apparition.” 

Does this passage constitute biblical proof that ghosts exist, because this is what the disciples believed they were seeing?

It certainly demonstrates that Jesus’ disciples believed in what we could call “ghosts” or “apparitions,” but it does not tell us what they believed these things to be. It does not seem that they believed them to be good, however, as their immediate reaction was one of fear. It is also evident from other passages of scripture that the Jews knew that demons existed, and it may well be that they assumed that a phantasma was a visible manifestation of such a spirit. People in the Bible tended to react in fear when angels appeared to them as well, though, so it is difficult to say for certain what they may have believed a phantasma to be. The text does not offer commentary on this subject.

Furthermore, even if the disciples believed that a phantasma was indeed the spirit of a dead person, this does not mean that they were correct in that belief. The Jews of Jesus’ day were mistaken about a number of things, as Jesus demonstrated in his disputations with the leaders of the day. Indeed, the Bible tells us plainly that the sect of the Sadducees did not believe in spirits at all—not even in angels. Greco-Roman culture, which dominated Judea at this time, was, as the apostle Paul comments in the book of Acts, “very superstitious,” and the Bible is clear that the Jews were prone to picking up the beliefs and practices of the nations that surrounded them. Belief in ghosts as spirits of the dead may have been part of the superstitions they had absorbed from the dominant culture of the day. Since at least the time of the Exodus, they had believed that mediums could summon the dead, and even this was likely a belief they had picked up from the Egyptians (Egypt being the primary home of the “Mystery” religions at that time). 

The Appearance of Moses and Elijah

Three of the gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—describe an event known as the “transfiguration,” when Jesus was revealed in glorified form in the presence of Peter, James, and John. All three gospels also agree that Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus at this time. Does this then prove that spirits of the departed do in fact return on occasion?

Jesus himself partially answers this question for us in Matthew 17:9 – “As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying ‘Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.”

Jesus referred to his transfiguration, and the accompanying appearance of Moses and Elijah, as a “vision.” “Vision” is translated from the Greek word horama, which can refer to “spectacles” in terms of unusual sights (such as how Moses’ sighting of the burning bush is referred to in Acts 7:31), symbolic representations (such as Peter’s vision of the sheet lowered to him from heaven in Acts 10), and to glimpses of the future (such as Paul’s vision of Ananias healing him of blindness in Acts 9:12, and the vision of the man from Macedonia saying “Come over and help us,” in Acts 16:9).

So, given the three possible usages of horama, which was the transfiguration? Was it a “spectacle,” a symbolic representation of some kind, or a glimpse of the future?

There are some clues that I believe provide the answer.

Six days prior to the transfiguration, Jesus told his disciples: “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” (Matthew 16:28). Matthew then immediately relates the transfiguration story in chapter 17, verses 1-13. All of the original twelve apostles are dead, so Jesus could not have had in mind his actual second coming when he said this, given that his coming has not yet taken place. Furthermore, he said “some of those standing here.” Some, not all. And, of course, he took only three of the twelve with him when he went up onto the mountain.

In light of this, it makes sense that, when Jesus referred to some of his disciples not experiencing death until they had seen him coming in his kingdom, he was referring to Peter, James, and John witnessing his transfiguration. Therefore, the vision of his coming must have been a glimpse of his future glory. This would also mean that the vision of Moses and Elijah was also a glimpse of how they would appear in the future, given that human beings are not glorified until the time of the resurrection, when Christ comes again:

“And, behold, two men were talking with him; and they were Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” – Luke 9:30-31 

“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then you shall also appear with him in glory.” – Colossians 3:4 

“So also is the resurrection of the dead. It [the body] is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory…” – I Corinthians 15:42-43

Peter refers to the transfiguration in II Peter 1:

“For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased’—and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention…” – II Peter 1:16-19

This is also what he is likely referring to in I Peter 5:1 – “Therefore I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed…”

Peter testifies that he saw exactly what Jesus said “some” of his disciples would see prior experiencing death: that is, the Son of Man coming in his kingdom, a glimpse of the glory yet to be revealed.

In other words, there is every reason to believe that what Peter, James, and John saw during the transfiguration was a glimpse of the future, of Christ glorified and of Moses and Elijah also glorified as they will be during the Millennium, after the resurrection. It was confirmation of Jesus’ identity and of his mission. It does not require that the ghosts of Moses and Elijah were actually present at the time; indeed, how could it, given that it presents Moses and Elijah “in glory” when neither has yet been resurrected?

Conclusion

In my opinion, there is no biblical reason to believe that “spirits of the dead” can or do return and contact the living. In fact, I believe this is a very dangerous idea. It is my conviction that all “ghosts” are demonic spirits bent on deception.

One “godly ghosts” advocate I engaged with some time ago protested against the idea that all ghosts are demons by arguing that it made no sense for a demon to pretend to be C.S. Lewis and appear to J.B. Philips in order to encourage him in his translation of the New Testament. Why would a demon do a good deed by encouraging a Christian minister in his work? Why would a demon appear to Perry Stone’s father in the guise of a friend and commission him into Christian ministry?

In reply, I ask the following: why would a demon cause the slave girl of Acts 16 to follow Paul and his friends around, saying to the people of the city: “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.”?

Were Paul and his fellow disciples servants of the Most High God? Yes. Were they proclaiming the way of salvation? Yes.

So why would an evil spirit bear witness to the gospel? That it did so is beyond question. Evidently, demons can and will do what we consider to be good things when it suits them. The question is, why?

One answer readily suggests itself: a demon might tell the truth, or possibly appear in the guise of a “ghost” to do a good deed, if, by doing so, it can gain the confidence of those who hear of it, and thereby set them up for deception in the future. The slave girl of Acts 16 had a solid reputation as an accurate fortune teller, and was respected in the eyes of the people of the city. Her apparent testimony to the truth of the gospel could have presented a trap for new Christian converts in the city, as they would have been predisposed to believe what she said. The demon working through her could then have begun to lead them astray, thereby perverting the gospel and destroying the work that was being done in that region.

By the same token, Lewis, Philips, and Stone are well known in Christian circles, and are respected by many. Their association with ghostly phenomena lends the subject a kind of credence it could not otherwise enjoy, and thereby presents a great danger. If Christians, particularly leaders and respected authors and speakers, are led to understand that their dead Christian friends and relatives may well be able to interact with them—“Hey! It happened to J.B. Philips!”—they could be opened up to powerful demonic deceptions. They might even begin to seek out such experiences on their own. I could even see the rise of “Christian mediums,” those with prophetic gifts who could take it upon themselves to contact the dead on behalf of believers, thinking it a “safe” means of facilitating such communications.

What new “revelations” might these “ghosts” bring? What new ways of interpreting scripture? What guidance might they offer? I’m sure it will sound wonderful at first, and may be packed with scriptural truths, just as the girl in Acts testified accurately regarding Paul and his gospel message. Satan is a master con man, and con men are willing to string a victim along—sometimes for long periods of time, in what is known as the “long con”—until the time comes when they can spring their trap with maximum payoff. It may well be that the evil spirits that make inroads into the church through ghostly revelations will exercise great care in sticking close to the scriptures for a long time, and will not deviate significantly until they have their audiences thoroughly deceived and an especially good opportunity to destroy large numbers of believers presents itself.

Think it can’t happen?

“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” – I Timothy 4:1

The height of this falling away will take place during the Great Tribulation. While discussing the terrors and pressures of those days, Jesus warned us that “false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). Believers under great strain during those days will be tempted to rely more on the word of respected Christian authorities than on the Word and Spirit of God (already a serious problem in the church), and if those they are depending upon to guide them are under the influence of evil spirits (as Paul warned in I Timothy 4), the result could be catastrophic for many.

The biblical record teaches that the dead are unaware (at the very least of what occurs in the world of the living), and is particularly clear that when God wants to send his people a message, he does so through human prophets, by the Holy Spirit, or by the hand of an angel. There is no record of him sending a “ghost” to deliver a message to a living person. The idea of “godly ghosts” is extra-biblical and, in my opinion, extremely dangerous.

Update: May 25, 2019 – And so it begins: “Vision Church of Atlanta Adds Psychic Medium to Ministerial Staff.”

From the article:

“The Vision Church of Atlanta, Georgia, a progressive congregation, has added a psychic medium [Lakara Foster] who claims to communicate with the dead to their staff… Foster argues that psychic mediumship should be included in among the spiritual gifts of the modern church because James 1:17 teaches that ‘every good and perfect gift is from above.’” 

- Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible. 

Encouragement for Christians Struggling with Condemnation

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you..." - Jeremiah 1:5

"I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." - Luke 5:32

"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity." - II Timothy 1:9

For some Christians, grace is a wonderfully simple concept to grasp and apply. They accept the substitutionary atonement of Christ and go on to live lives that are characterized by joy in their new-found identities in the Lord, confident that they are "a new creature" and "old things have passed away, all things have become new" (II Corinthians 5:17). They have failures in their Christian walk, but they move on quickly, not permitting these failures to hinder them.

For others, however--and particularly for those given to introspection--the matter is not quite so simple. The beginning of their new birth experience may indeed be a joyous time for them, but as they learn more of the Word, come to follow Christ more closely, and reflect on the character of God, the remaining darkness within them becomes more evident, even frightening and intimidating. In their struggles with the world, the flesh, and the devil, they come to truly appreciate what is meant when the scriptures declare that God dwells in "unapproachable light" (I Timothy 6:16) and is one in whom "there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5).

For such as these, every failure and character flaw can seem like an indicator of absolute unworthiness and wretchedness, bringing about a continual sense of shame and futility. They feel as if they'll never "get it right," never be pleasing to the Lord, never be able to live the Christian life as it is meant to be lived and as the heroes of the faith lived. They know who they were when Christ found them, and just how ugly they can be. They have a keen recollection of their personal history of sin, and can lay hold of it to produce an example of their wretchedness at a moment's notice. Although they might be hesitant to admit it, on some level they suspect that, rather than loving them, God merely tolerates them, and that He is keeping a detailed list of their failures in order to throw the book at them on Judgment Day. For these, the Christian walk is something akin to torture, a long walk on what they fear is surely Death Row. The ever-observant enemy then seizes on these feelings and uses them to keep such believers bound in a perpetual gloom of condemnation and despair.

If you find yourself in this latter camp, I would like to encourage you with a few thoughts, which, if you take hold of them, can be transformative for you, as they proving to be in my own life.

Before you were born, God knew you (Psalm 139:13, Jeremiah 1:5). He knew the very worst about you, all of the ugliness that you are capable of and all of the evil you would ever commit. There is no darkness in you that He did not see from the very beginning (Psalm 139:12, Hebrews 4:13). Yet, He loved you (John 3:16, Ephesians 2:1-10). When you came to Him, He washed you with His own Son's blood, the most precious substance there is, and He did not purchase you at such great cost in order to rub your nose in your sins or to throw you away (Matthew 26:27-28, Revelation 1:5-6). His plan is to bring you to glory, to make you like the Lord Jesus (Romans 8:29, Hebrews 2:10). Yes, He will convict you of sin, not to condemn, belittle, or discourage you, but to help you overcome it (Hebrews 12:11-13). When you fail, you do not shock God. You're not presenting Him with something He didn't anticipate. It's not like He sits back and says to Himself, "Wow, what a loser. I didn't see that coming." Give the Almighty a little more credit than that. He knew what He was getting into when He touched you and said, "Follow Me" - and He still did it. When He shines the light of His Word and His Spirit on something dark in you, it's not because He wasn't aware of it. He knew it was there all along; He simply wants to bring it to your attention so that you can deal with it in the confidence of 1 John 1:9 - that if you acknowledge your sin to Him, He is "faithful and just to forgive...and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Yes, He knew you--everything about you--before you knew Him, and He still drew you to Himself. He is not your enemy. Don't turn away from Him; turn *to* Him, confident of His favor toward you in Christ. Don't be afraid of the Lord's correction, for it comes to build you up. So let conviction come, and strive to do better with the Holy Spirit's guidance (I Peter 1:1-10). And during those times when you feel accusation, shame, and condemnation coming down upon you, remember that these do not come from your Father, who only seeks to build you up in love, but from the enemy who seeks to tear you down (I Peter 5:6-10, Revelation 12:10). Pay heed to conviction, but not to condemnation. Rest securely in the Father's love for you. 

"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." - Hebrews 4:15-16

The following is an excellent message on this topic by the late Derek Prince:

* All scripture references are taken from the New American Standard Bible

Did the Gifts of the Holy Spirit cease when the Bible was Completed?

"But where there are prophecies, they will fail; where there are tongues, they will cease; where there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away." - 1 Corinthians 13:8-10

I have often heard it alleged that the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, first imparted on the day of Pentecost immediately following Christ's resurrection, ceased to function among believers once the canon of scripture was finally completed. Paul's comments in 1 Corinthians 13 regarding "that which is in part" being "done away" when "that which is perfect has come" are often cited as providing a scriptural basis for this argument. In the following article, I will examine this passage in light of that allegation.

The Context

First Corinthians 13 is the famous and oft-quoted "love chapter" of the New Testament. It appears in the midst of a lengthy teaching by the apostle Paul on the proper use of the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, and is intended to demonstrate that the gifts do not matter as much as the motivation that underlies their use. From what we can gather in the overall context of the epistle, the congregation at Corinth was characterized by self-indulgence, and it is almost certain that there was some pride and showmanship involved in the use of the gifts among the believers there.

For this reason, Paul admonishes his readers that even though the gifts are good and believers should desire them, they must remember that all things - including the use of supernatural gifts - are worthless unless they are based in love. Love is superior to the gifts, Paul says, and will endure after the gifts have ceased to operate: "when that which is perfect has come."

Paul then continues in verses 11 and following:

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child: I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a mirror dimly: but then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part: but then I will know even as I am known. And now abides faith, hope and love, even these three: but the chiefest of these is love."

Defining Terms


To understand what Paul is saying here, we need to be sure we understand the terms he is using.

"But where there are prophecies, they will fail."

The word translated "fail" here in English is the Greek word katargeo. Strong's defines it as meaning, among other things: "to be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally or figuratively: - abolish, cease...destroy, do away...become (make) of no (none, without) effect...make void." The connotation here is the removal of something that is useless. An example of katargeo used in this manner is Luke 13:7: "Then he said unto the caretaker of his vineyard, 'Behold, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none. Cut it down. Why does it use up (katargeo) the ground?'"

Clearly, Paul is saying that supernatural prophesying will eventually be done away with because it will become useless.

"...where there are tongues, they will cease..."

"Cease" is translated from the Greek verb pauo, which Strong's defines as meaning: "to stop...restrain, quit, desist, come to an end." Here, the verb appears in the middle voice, which, according to Vine's Expository Dictionary, indicates this meaning: "to come to an end, to take one's rest, a willing cessation." Thus, Paul is telling us that tongues will indeed come to an end. Beyond this, however, the Greek usage seems to indicate that they will cease voluntarily, meaning that those speaking in tongues will eventually no longer wish to continue doing so.

"...where there is knowledge, it will vanish away."

"Vanish away" is translated from katargeo, just as "fail" was, indicating that the gifts referred to as "words of knowledge" or "words of wisdom" will end due to the fact that they will no longer serve any useful purpose.

So, yes, it's indisputable that Paul is telling us that the supernatural gifts, exemplified here by prophecy, tongues, and supernatural knowledge (all revelation gifts), will eventually come to an end. The question then becomes: when?

"For we know in part and we prophesy in part."

The Greek word translated as "in part" is meros. In the New Testament, this word is often translated as "part" or "portion," and is used in reference to a section of a greater whole. Examples of this usage include Matthew 16:13: "When Jesus came into the coasts (or "parts") of Caesarea Philippi...", and Luke 15:12: "And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of your estate that I am to inherit."

Thus, Paul is saying that supernatural knowledge and prophecy represent only a portion of something greater.

At this point, it's useful to go back to chapter 12, where Paul began his discussion of spiritual gifts, and to focus in on these verses in particular:

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit...But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ... - 1 Corinthians 12:4-8,11-12

In chapter 12, Paul compares the "body of Christ," which is composed of all believers, to the human body in that it has many different parts, all of which have different forms and functions but are important to the whole person. In the same way, the body of Christ is made up of different "members," which have different functions assigned to them by the Holy Spirit and yet work together for the good of the whole body.

Given this context, I believe that Paul's reference to knowing and prophesying "in part" means that the Holy Spirit has apportioned certain aspects of knowledge and prophecy to certain individuals, as it seemed good to him. Not all revelation knowledge, but a portion.

Comparison and Contrast

"But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away."

The Greek word translated "perfect" here is teleios. Strong's defines this word as meaning: "complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental or moral character, etc)..." Examples of its usage in scripture include:

Matthew 5:48: "Therefore you will be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect." 

Romans 12:2: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may discern what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God." 

1 Corinthians 14:20: "Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature." (ESV) 

Ephesians 4:13: "Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ's fullness." (HCSB) 

James 1:4: "And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

"Perfect," as Paul uses it here in 1 Corinthians 13:10, implies completeness in the sense of maturity. This is immediately underscored for us by what Paul says next:

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child: I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things."

The phrase "put away" here is translated from katargeo, which, as we saw previously, can mean to do away with something that is no longer needed or serves no useful purpose. Mature adults do not act or think as children do, because they have reached a stage of development where their previous behavior is no longer appropriate or advantageous to them. Adults dispense with childish thoughts in favor of mature thinking.

Paul then draws another comparison for the purpose of illustration:

"For now we see through a mirror dimly: but then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part: but then I will know even as I am known."

"Dimly" is translated from two Greek words: en, which is often translated as "in," and ainigma, which refers to something that is obscure or enigmatic. Thayer's Greek Lexicon notes that the word as used in this passage "denotes the object in the discerning of which we are engaged." It seems fitting then to ask: what are we engaged in discerning?. 

I believe the apostle Paul gives us the answer in Hebrews chapter 5:

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern between good and evil. - Hebrews 5:12-14

We are in the business of discerning between good and evil, between that which is in conformity with the will of God and that which is not.

Paul tells the Corinthians that, at present, we discern such matters "dimly...as through a mirror," by the partial revelation knowledge that has been given to us. In Paul's day, mirrors were made of solid metal. The reflections they provided were often dim and murky in comparison to their modern counterparts. Paul has this imperfect likeness in mind when he goes on to say: "but then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part: but then I will know even as I am known." 

The apostle is offering us a classic comparison/contrast here. He compares our present spiritual understanding to the dim reflections provided by ancient mirrors, and then goes on to say that, "when that which is perfect has come," we will no longer see dimly, as if we were using one of those mirrors, but rather, as clearly as we see people when we look at them face-to-face. Paul had never actually seen a clear reflection of himself, or at least not as clearly as other people could see him; but when the perfection he speaks of at last comes, he says that he will "see" ("I will know") just as clearly as people see one another ("...even as I am known" - that is, seen by others). In other words, this perfection will bring full spiritual enlightenment rather than just the snatches of insight we must settle for in our imperfect state.

So what then is this "perfection" that Paul is speaking of?

I believe we can discern this from the context, especially as we remember that 1 Corinthians 13 is something of a parenthetical thought in the midst of Paul's discussion of the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. Consider the following:

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good...for even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ...But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. - 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 12, 24-26

Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. But one who prophecies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation. One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but one who prophesies edifies the church. Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is the one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying. - 1 Corinthians 14:1-5

So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church...I thank God I speak in tongues more than you all; however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue...Let all things be done for edification...Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature. - 1 Corinthians 14:12, 18-19

Again, we see that the context in which Paul speaks of the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, with emphasis on the gifts of revelation, is that of edification: building up the body of Christ, which is accomplished when the gifts are exercised in brotherly love, for the good of the whole. We also saw that Paul said that the gifts would eventually cease when they were no longer needed.

The implication here is that the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit will not cease until the body of Christ has reached full health and maturity, since this is the purpose for which the gifts were given; and when this aim has been attained, they will no longer be necessary.

In Ephesians 4, we find very similar language to what we have seen in 1 Corinthians 12-14:

And he gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. - Ephesians 4:11-16

Again, we see mention of Christ giving gifts for the purpose of building up the body, until it reaches unity and maturity in "the knowledge of the Son of God."

So when will this happen?

We can answer this question by breaking down the elements that Paul lays out for us. He says that the purpose of the gifts of the Spirit is:

• To equip the saints for the work of service.
• To build up the body of Christ until we all attain:
• To the unity of the faith.
• To  the knowledge of the Son of God.
• To a mature man.
• To the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

Ask yourself the following: 

• When will the saints be done with their work of service?
• When we will all attain to the unity of the faith, to the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, and to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ as a corporate body of believers?

Scripture testifies indisputably that these things will not take place for the entire body of Christ until he returns to set up his kingdom.

In Hebrews 4:9, Paul tells us: "So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God [meaning the Millennial Kingdom]. For the one who enters His rest has himself also rested from his works." In Revelation 3:11, Jesus tells the church at Philadelphia: "I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown." In Revelation 14:13, a voice from heaven announces the following in regard to saints who have been killed for refusing the Mark of the Beast: "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!' 'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.'"

A believer's earthly service for the Lord ends only with his or her death, or with the coming of the Kingdom. Why then should gifts that were given to the body for the completion of the work expire before the work is complete? Paul says that the gifts were designed so that we might all attain. We know that the body will go right on growing until Christ returns; therefore, it only makes sense that the gifts that were designed to bring the entire body to perfection must continue until the entire body is completely assembled. How can we all attain if we're not all here yet? The book of Revelation refers to "a great multitude" that will "come out of great tribulation" (see chapter 7), and in chapter 19, when heaven is opened and the Lord returns with his angels, we're told that the bride "has made herself ready." It is therefore evident that the corporate body of Christ will not be complete and ready for the Marriage of the Lamb until the time of his second coming.

Further, consider what the apostle John says in 1 John 3:2-3: "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when he appears, we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is."

With this in mind, how is it possible to attain "to the knowledge of the Son of God" entirely in his absence, since John tells us we will not be like him until we see him?

Indeed, Paul wrote to the church at Corinth in such a way as to indicate that he expected spiritual gifts to continue until the coming of the Lord:

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were in enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Corinthians 1:4-7

This passage does not specifically address the duration of the gifts, but it does strongly imply that Paul expected the gifts to continue functioning until the coming of the Lord. And while some might argue that the gifts referenced here are not necessarily supernatural gifts, but could be other types of gifts (such as teaching or helps), note that, immediately prior to mentioning the gifts, Paul says that the "testimony of Christ" was confirmed in the Corinthians. Keep this in mind as you read the next section and see if the connection between the gifts and the confirmation of Christ at work in the Corinthian church does not take on a particular significance.

For these reasons, I am persuaded that supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit passing away in favor of "that which is perfect," as discussed in 1 Corinthians 13, is a reference to the unity and maturity that the entire body of Christ will attain when he returns to set up his kingdom. The gifts were given to aid in our service to the Lord's work, and for building up the body. Until these things are complete, the gifts will remain to aid us.

Why "that which is perfect" cannot be the Scriptures

I believe the evidence we have seen here convincingly demonstrates what Paul had in mind when he referred to "that which is perfect." The context, as well as parallel passages, demands that it is the full maturity of the body of Christ, not the completion of the canon of scripture. Still, there are a few other reasons to believe that Paul did not have the scriptures in mind here:

First, he does not discuss the scriptures beyond quoting from Isaiah 28:11-12 in 1 Corinthians 14:21, where one of the purposes of tongues in concerned (as a sign to unbelievers, just as can be seen in the events of Pentecost, see Acts 2). Again, the context here is the supernatural gifts aiding in the edification and maturing of the body of Christ, not serving as a supplement for missing books of the Bible. The apostles used both the written word and the supernatural gifts in their ministry, just as Jesus had done in his own preaching:

"And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed." - Mark 16:20

"The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles." - II Corinthians 12:12

"...how will we escape is we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his own will." - Hebrews 2:3-5

"Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of his grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands." - Acts 14:3

"...for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit, and with full conviction..." - 1 Thessalonians 1:5

"I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God." - 1 Corinthians 2:3-5 

The New Testament pattern is the supernatural gifts manifesting as a testimony to the truth of the Word of God. It is not an either/or proposition. The gifts and the Word compliment one another in the proclaiming of the gospel message. Indeed, Jesus was the living, breathing Word of God, yet his preaching was still accompanied by miraculous signs. Consider that Jesus once remarked to his disciples: "Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves." (John 14:11). Was Jesus unjustly downplaying the Word here (his own teachings) in favor of the miraculous signs?

Second, we should reflect that, for the most part, the New Testament books are letters of exhortation and rebuke to the various churches that the apostles had established and taught. It is readily apparent from them that much of what is said in them was designed to underscore what the churches had already been taught, thereby calling the disciples to faithfulness. Witness how Paul, while writing to the Thessalonians about the events prior to the coming of the Lord, says to them: "Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?" (II Thessalonians 2:5). He was recapitulating what they had already been taught, not revealing something new. Further, consider what he says to the Asian believers in Acts 20:18-20, while on his way to Jerusalem:

You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly from house to house...

The churches that the apostles founded had already been taught what they needed to know to live as disciples of Christ. Yet, the gifts continued to function among them, even after they had believed the gospel and received their training. Apart from the book of Revelation and the written gospel accounts, they had already received the Word of God. Furthermore, it is highly unlikely that anyone at the time knew how many books the canon of scripture would ultimately contain or that they were actively waiting for it to be finished. If they did, there is no indication of this in the New Testament.

Third, the two witnesses in Revelation 11 perform miraculous signs, yet their arrival is still future in our day and we have a complete Bible. Why the signs then, if the complete written Word is "that which is perfect"?

Fourth, Jesus linked miraculous signs to the proclaiming of the gospel and stated they would be performed as a direct result of his "going to the Father": 

These signs will accompany those who have believed: in my name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." - Mark 16:17-18

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

"Those who have believed," and "he who believes in me" seem rather straightforward as being applicable to all who believe in him. There is certainly nothing said here that would imply that the "he" in "he who believes in me" would apply only to the first generation of Christians. Granted, there is no discussion of duration here (and we do know that the gifts will eventually end), so I realize that this is something of an argument from silence, but note further that Jesus says that those who believe in him will do his works "because I go to the Father." The power to do the works of Jesus is given because of his physical absence from the Earth. Why, then, should supernatural signs end while he is still with the Father and the work for which the gifts were given is yet unfinished? The proclaiming of the gospel continues today. Why should the accompanying verifying signs have stopped?

Miscellaneous Arguments against the Gifts Continuing

Apostolic Laying on of Hands

In Romans chapter 1, Paul tells the believers in Rome that he longs to see them "so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established" (Romans 1:11). From this, it is alleged that the gifts of the Spirit could only be conferred by the laying on of hands by an apostle, and thus: no more apostles, no more gifts.

While it is certainly true that the typical means of conferring Holy Spirit gifts in the New Testament was by the laying on of hands, this does not mean that God is somehow limited to that method of operation. To use an applicable if somewhat worn expression, it is unwise to "put God in a box." He can confer the gifts as he sees fit. Jesus himself sent the Spirit upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost, but did not physically lay hands on them at the time. Previously, he had breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." (John 20:22). Also, consider the manner in which the Holy Spirit fell on the gentile Cornelius and those of his household in Acts chapter 10, while Peter was preaching to them. Peter did not lay hands on them. For that matter, he did not even finish his sermon!

There are even Old Testament examples to consider. In I Samuel chapter 10, the Holy Spirit fell on Saul and he prophesied. The prophet Samuel had anointed him with oil and kissed him immediately prior to this, so obviously there was a laying on of hands, yet there is no mention of anointing oil being used when the Spirit fell on people in the New Testament, so the pattern is not an exact match. The Spirit also came upon Samson a number of times; and while his birth was announced by the angel of the Lord, there was no anointing or any specific laying on of hands in his case that we're aware of. The Spirit of the Lord also came upon men like Gideon and Jephthah, without reference to any laying on of hands or anointing. These things may have taken place, but if so we are not told about them. 

Furthermore, we are not told that the gifts of the Spirit could only be conferred by apostles. This is an assumption based on an incomplete record. The book of Acts is not concerned with relating a full account of everything that was done in the power of the Spirit or by whom it was done. It's primary focus is on the ministries of Peter and Paul, and to a lesser extent the other apostles who were sent forth by Christ. This shouldn't be too surprising when we consider that the book's full title is: The Acts of the Apostles. Yet, while it focuses on the apostles, Acts also tells us that numerous other believers were involved in spreading the gospel. In light of this, it makes little sense that God would have excluded believers from the gifts of the Spirit simply because they had no access to an apostle, especially given the statements from Jesus that we have already reviewed. It is quite possible, even likely, that non-apostles were also able to convey and operate in the gifts.

For one last point here, consider that Paul's mention of his wish to convey gifts to the congregation in Rome does not necessarily mean that they were not operating in any gifts at all. We do not know exactly what Paul had in mind when he wrote this. It could be that he had some type of special gift in mind. Indeed, Acts 19:11 tells us that God did "extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul." Apparently, Paul was able to operate in some types of gifts that others were not exercising, and this may have been what he meant by what he wrote. 

It's also interesting that Paul considered the gifts he had in mind for the believers in Rome as essential to "establishing" them. This clearly indicates that Paul did not consider the gifts of the Spirit to be a "take it or leave it" bonus of some type. On the contrary, he thought of them as important. The Greek word translated "established" is sterizo, which Strong's defines as meaning: "to set fast, i.e. (literally) to turn resolutely in a certain direction, or (figuratively) to confirm: (e-)stablish, stedfastly set, strengthen." Paul's eagerness to convey spiritual gifts to those in Rome indicates their importance, as does his lengthy discussion in 1 Corinthians 12-14 of their benefits to the body of Christ.

Tongues were given solely as a Sign to Unbelieving Jews

In 1 Corinthians 14:21, Paul writes:

In the law it is written, 'By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to me, says the Lord.' So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers.

Based on this, I have heard it argued that tongues were specifically intended to be a sign to unbelieving Jews, as per Paul's quotation from Isaiah 28:11-12. Certainly, it was a sign - and an effective one - to unbelieving Jews on the day of Pentecost, as chronicled for us in Acts 2. Yet, in I Corinthians 14, Paul does not limit the application to unbelieving Jews. He merely says "unbelievers." Also, he plainly tells us that tongues can be used for other purposes:

For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries...one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church...There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and no kind is without meaning. If then I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be to the one who speaks a barbarian, and the one who speaks will be a barbarian to me. So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church. Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. - I Corinthians 14:2, 4, 10-13

From this, it is obvious that tongues can be used for believers to edify themselves in their worship of God, and even to edify the church if an interpretation is given. Paul goes on in verse 15 to remark that he even sang "with the Spirit"; in other words, in a tongue.

Clearly, tongues had more than one application.

The Gifts appear to have disappeared after the Apostolic Era

Unquestionably, the use of supernatural gifts diminished somewhat after the passing of the apostles, yet surviving records from the first few centuries after Christ tell us that miracles continued in the churches, long after the last of the apostles had died.

Irenaeus, one of the most prominent of the early church fathers, wrote the following in Volume II, chapter 32, of his well-known apologetic: Against Heresies, circa AD 180:

Wherefore, also, those who are in truth His disciples, receiving grace from Him, do in His name perform [miracles], so as to promote the welfare of other men, according to the gift which each one has received from Him. For some do certainly and truly drive out devils, so that those who have been thus cleansed from evil spirits frequently both believe [in Christ], and join themselves to the Church. Others have foreknowledge of things to come: they see visions, and utter prophetic expressions. Others still, heal the sick by laying their hands upon them, and they are made whole. Yea, moreover, as I have said, the dead even have been raised up, and remained among us for many years. And what shall I more say? It is not possible to name the number of gifts which the Church [scattered] throughout the whole world, has received from God, in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and which she exerts day by day for the benefit of the Gentiles, neither practicing deception upon, nor taking any reward from them [on account of such miraculous interpositions]. For as she has received freely from God, freely also does she minister [to others]. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.ix.iii.xxxiii.html

In Volume 5, chapter 6, of Against Heresies, Irenaeus mentions the operation of tongues in his time, referencing it in the context of remarks on the apostle Paul's teachings to the Corinthians:

In like manner we do also hear many brethren in the Church, who possesses prophetic gifts, and who through the Spirit speak all kinds of languages, and bring to light for the general benefit the hidden things of men, and declare the mysteries of God, whom also the apostle terms 'spiritual,' they being spiritual because they partake of the Spirit... http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.ix.vii.vii.html

Justin Martyr, writing in approximately AD 165, in his Dialogue with Trypho, remarked:

...daily some [of you] are becoming disciples in the name of Christ, and quitting the path of error; who are also receiving gifts, each as he is worthy, illumined through the name of this Christ. For one receives the spirit of understanding, another of counsel, another of strength, another of healing, another of foreknowledge, another of teaching, and another of the fear of God. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.viii.iv.xxxix.html

Tertullian, writing in approximately AD 215 in "The Passion of the Holy Martyrs Perpetua and Felicity," observes that the gifts were in operation in his day as well:

And thus we-who both acknowledge and reverence, even as we do the prophecies, modern visions as equally promised to us, and consider the other powers of the Holy Spirit as an agency of the church for which also he was sent, administering all gifts in all, even as the Lord distributed to every one as well needfully collect them in writing, as commemorate them  in reading to God's glory; so that no weakness or despondency of faith may suppose that the divine grace abode only among the ancients... http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf03.vi.vi.ii.html

Augustine, writing in chapter 22 of his book The City of God (published in AD 426), attests to miracles being performed by believers in his day, including the curing of blindness, acute pain, paralysis, hernia, breast cancer, and even the restoration of a man's eye after it was knocked from its socket. He acknowledges that some doubted that miracles were continuing in the church, and then comments as follows:

...these modern miracles are scarcely known even to the whole population in the midst of which they are wrought; and at the best are confined to one spot. For frequently they are known only to a very few persons, while all the rest are ignorant of them, especially if the state is a large one; and when they are reported to other persons in other localities, there is no sufficient authority to give them prompt and unwavering credence, although they are reported to the faithful by the faithful. https://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/source/augustine-cityofgod-22-9-10.asp

It is not questioned that the supernatural gifts of the Spirit went into decline in the centuries following the apostles. As to the nature of that decline, I conclude that it was union of the church with the Roman state and the rise of institutional apostasy that resulted from that union. As I noted previously, the gifts are meant to function in conjunction with the preaching of the gospel, and during this unfortunate time in history (lasting around one thousand years), the gospel was veiled by the dogma of the Roman church. As went the gospel, so went the gifts that were meant to attest to it.

The famous evangelist and founder of Methodism, John Wesley, evidently believed the same thing, as evidenced in this sermon "The More Excellent Way." Wesley, who believed that the gifts of the Spirit were not "confined within the limits of either the apostolic or Cyprianic age; or of any period of time," comments as follows:

It does not appear that these extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were common in the church for more than two or three centuries. We seldom hear of them after that fatal period when the Emperor Constantine called himself a Christian, and from a vain imagination of promoting the Christian cause thereby heaped riches, and power, and honour, upon the Christians in general; but in particular upon the Christian clergy. From this time they almost totally ceased; very few instances of the kind were found. The cause of this was not (as has been vulgarly supposed) "because there was no more occasion for them," because all the world was become Christian. This is a miserable mistake; not a twentieth part of it was then nominally Christian. The real cause was, "the love of many," almost of all Christians, so called, was "waxed cold." The Christians had no more of the Spirit of Christ than the other Heathens. The Son of Man, when he came to examine his church, could hardly "find faith upon the earth." This was the real cause why the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were no longer to be found in the Christian Church - because the Christians were turned Heathens again, and had only a dead form left. http://www.umcmission.org/Find-Resources/John-Wesley-Sermons/Sermon-89-The-More-Excellent-Way

It is not surprising then that the modern "rebirth" of the gospel in the Protestant Reformation and various subsequent revivals also famously saw manifestations of the supernatural gifts of the Spirit. Manifestations of tongues, healings, and the casting out of demons were documented during the post-protestant revivals and in the ministries of men like Wesley and Moody, among others. In the twentieth century, the gifts continued to be evident in the ministries of men of God like Derek Prince, and they are still demonstrated today through organizations such as Derek Prince Ministries and The Elijah Challenge. I have seen the gifts in action myself in the form of dreams and visions, prophecy, instantaneous healing, words of knowledge, and the casting out of demons. They are very real and active today.

Conclusion

The purpose of this article was to examine Paul's teachings on the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, specifically as to whether he taught that the gifts would cease with the completion of the Bible. I believe the study I've laid out here has established that this is not the case. Scripture is clear that the supernatural gifts of the Spirit were given for the edification of the body of Christ and as divine attestation to the truth of the gospel. These are still very much works in progress, and gifts continue right along with them. I myself am a witness of this and testify to such openly here.

Believers are sometimes prejudiced against the gifts of the Holy Spirit due to notorious charlatans and various forms of disorderly conduct in churches that exercise the gifts; yet the fact that there are abuses and even some outright deceptions does not mean that there are no real manifestations. If you choose to doubt the reality of the continuance of the supernatural gifts, that is certainly your privilege. I would warn my cessationist brethren, however, to be careful that they do not mock spiritual gifts in general or insist that any supernatural manifestation must be a work of the devil. If you are wrong, and you end up mocking or reviling a genuine work of God, you may well find yourself committing blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, which Jesus himself told us is an unpardonable sin (see Mark 3:20-28, and Luke 12:10).

The safest course of action for those who doubt is simply to ask the Lord to reveal the truth to you. He is always willing to aid his children in their search for truth, and you may be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.

*Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture references are taken from the New American Standard Version

*All Greek study aids were obtained from www.blueletterbible.org.

Derek Prince Ministries
The Elijah Challenge