Charismatic Movements and Ongoing Revelation

Charismatic Movements and Special Revelations

• Charismatics generally answer "yes" to four questions:
  • Are special revelations still taking place today?
  • Are miracles and signs still happening?
  • Can we still hear God's voice today?
  • Are Bible revelations still being added to?

The Sufficiency of Scripture

• The closed canon of Scripture implies that no new revelations are needed.
• The church is considered "weaned" from ongoing special revelations.
• Asserting the sufficiency of Scripture means that ongoing special revelation cannot be accepted simultaneously.

Authority of Scripture

• Scripture is an authoritative word from God, inspired, inherent, and infallible.
• If we claim to have authority because God has spoken through us, we indicate that revelation has not stopped.
• This raises a dilemma: how do we verify and obey revelations?

Problems with Ongoing Revelation

• Chaos can result from different revelations from God.
• There may be conflicting revelations.
• Verification of revelations becomes an issue.

The Prosperity Gospel

• The prosperity gospel emphasizes health and wealth as a result of faith.
• It creates an expectation of material prosperity.
• It can lead to a shamanistic or New Age approach to Christianity.

The Word of Faith Movement

• This movement emphasizes the power of speaking reality into being.
• It uses biblical language to justify the concept.
• It creates a Christianized shamanism or New Age approach.

Critique of the Word of Faith Movement

• The movement's ideas can lead to a love of money above all things.
• It can create an expectation of material prosperity without considering the context of biblical promises.
• It can lead to irresponsible preaching and a lack of consideration for the poor.

The Problem of Prosperity Gospel and Word of Faith

• The Word of Faith movement creates unrealistic expectations about health and wealth.
• It can lead to blame-shifting and scapegoating when things don't go as expected.

The Importance of Contextualizing Scripture

• The Old Testament context of promises must be considered.
• Application of scripture must be done with consideration of the immediate context and dispensational differences.

The Role of Apostles and Prophets

• Apostles and prophets were the foundation of the church.
• Their role is distinct from the church today.
• Signs and wonders were tied to the apostolic activity.

Cessation of Miracles and Healing

• There is a discernible pattern of decline and silence of miracles and healing after the apostolic era.
• The written word became the primary means of revelation.

Conclusion

• Charismatic movements and special revelations create dilemmas regarding the authority and sufficiency of Scripture.

• The prosperity gospel and Word of Faith movement can lead to unrealistic expectations and a Christianized shamanism.

• Understanding the role of apostles and prophets, as well as the importance of contextualizing scripture, is crucial for a biblical worldview.### The Silence of Miracles in Later Epistles

• Later epistles, written after Paul's Roman imprisonment, do not mention miracles, except for Hebrews, which speaks about them in the past tense.

• The silence of miracles in later epistles suggests that miraculous activity ceased after a certain point.

The Apostolic Era and Miracles

• Miracles were necessary during the apostolic era to authenticate the apostles and establish their message.
• However, as the apostles' status was established, miraculous activity was no longer needed.

Paul's Failure to Heal and the Apostolic Fade-out

• In Philippians 2:27, Paul's paphridontist was close to death, and God answered Paul's prayer, showing that God's mercy was still present.
• Paul did not heal the paphridontist, unlike in previous instances, suggesting a change in the nature of miracles.
• In 1 Timothy 5:23, Paul advises Timothy to drink wine for his stomach, rather than praying for healing, implying a shift away from miraculous healings.
• In 2 Timothy 4:10, Trophimus was left behind sick, and Paul did not heal him, despite having performed miracles in the past.

The Significance of the Apostolic Fade-out

• The apostolic fade-out suggests that miraculous activity was limited to the foundational period of the church.
• The authentication of the apostles and the establishment of the word of God made further miracles unnecessary.

Implications for the Charismatic Movement

• The apostolic fade-out raises questions about the nature of miracles and supernatural gifts in the modern church.
• The absence of miraculous activity in later epistles challenges the idea of restoring apostolic miraculous powers today.

Questions for the Charismatic Movement

• Is special revelation still taking place today?
• Are apostles and prophets being restored to the church today?
• Are the works of Jesus to be re-duplicated or copied today?
• Must there be an ongoing confrontation with the powers of darkness today?