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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781535915205 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | B&H Publishing Group |
| Publication date: | 06/01/2018 |
| Pages: | 192 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d) |
| Age Range: | 3 Months to 18 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Charismatic Movement
J. I. Packer notes several strengths and weaknesses of the charismatic movement. I believe Packer's words are theologically helpful and pastorally wise. They help set a context for our study of the gifts, which we wouldn't be talking about apart from the charismatic movement. I expand briefly on Packer's observations.
Positive: What We Can Learn from Charismatics
1. "Spirit-Empowered Living. Emphasis is laid on the need to be filled with the Spirit and to be living a life that one way or another displays the Spirit's power." Sometimes we as evangelicals tend to ignore the Holy Spirit, and charismatics remind us about the third person of the Trinity and the need to be filled with the Spirit.
2. "Emotion Finding Expression. There is an emotional element in the makeup of each human individual, which calls to be expressed in any genuine appreciation and welcoming of another's love, whether it be the love of a friend or a spouse or the love of God in Christ. Charismatics understand this, and their provision for exuberance of sight, sound, and movement in corporate worship caters to it." Right doctrine is important, but so is our experience with God. Sometimes we stress right thinking but neglect other dimensions of what it means to be human.
3. "Prayerfulness. Charismatics stress the need to cultivate an ardent, constant, wholehearted habit of prayer." How crucial as Christians it is to be in communion with God, and charismatics remind us of our personal relationship with God.
4. "Every-Heart Involvement in the Worship of God. Charismatics ... insist that all Christians must be personally active in the church's worship." Worship isn't the exclusive province of leaders, and charismatics rightly stress every-member worship. The body as a whole ministers to itself, and charismatics capture this biblical truth.
5. "Missionary Zeal." Charismatics long to see others converted and saved to the ends of the earth. The Pentecostal/charismatic movement is worldwide the largest Christian movement.
6. "Small-Group Ministry. Like John Wesley, who organized the Methodist Societies round the weekly class meeting of twelve members under their class leader, charismatics know the potential of group." The usefulness of smaller group meetings has been recognized by believers, as small group ministry has expanded.
7. "Communal Living." Charismatics extend the sense of family in churches.
8. "Joyfulness. At the risk of sounding naïve, Pollyannaish, and smug, they insist that Christians should rejoice and praise God at all times and in all places, and their commitment to joy is often writ large on their faces, just as it shines bright in their behavior." There is an openness to the Spirit and childlike trust, joy and humility, which is refreshing in this cynical world.
9. Real Belief in Satan and the Demonic. Many Christians say they believe in Satan, but charismatics take the demonic seriously.
10. Real Belief in the Miraculous. We still believe that God can do miracles, but sometimes we live like Deists, as if God weren't active at all in the world. Charismatics don't make that mistake.
Negative: Weaknesses in the Charismatic Movement
1. "Elitism. In any movement in which significant-seeming things go on, the sense of being a spiritual aristocracy, the feeling that 'we are the people who really count,' always threatens at gut level, and verbal disclaimers of this syndrome do not always suffice to keep it at bay." Interestingly, this is the same problem we see in 1 Corinthians where those who spoke in tongues saw themselves as spiritually superior.
2. "Sectarianism. The absorbing intensity of charismatic fellowship, countrywide and worldwide, can produce a damaging insularity whereby charismatics limit themselves to reading charismatic books, hearing charismatic speakers, fellowshiping with other charismatics, and backing charismatic causes." Charismatics are sometimes incredibly narrow so that there is little willingness to learn from other branches of Christendom.
3. "Anti-intellectualism. Charismatic preoccupation with experience observably inhibits the long, hard theological and ethical reflection for which the New Testament letters so plainly calls." The emphasis on emotions can slight and denigrate the importance of careful thought. Careful interpretation of Scripture and orthodox theology are too often ignored. In scholarly charismatic circles the inerrancy of Scripture is denied quite often, and in popular circles people may rely on revelations from God for their daily life, in effect denying the sufficiency of Scripture.
4. "Illuminism. Sincere but deluded claims to direct divine revelation have been made in the church since the days of the Colossians heretic(s) and the Gnosticizers whose defection called forth 1 John, and since Satan keeps pace with God, they will no doubt recur till the Lord returns. At this point the charismatic movement, with its stress on the Spirit's personal leading and the revival of revelations via prophecy, is clearly vulnerable." Some claim God speaks directly to them, and they aren't open to any correction or questioning of such claims. The focus on contemporary revelation may compromise or even contradict the teaching of Scripture.
5. "Charismania. This is Edward D. O'Connor's word for the habit of mind that measures spiritual health, growth, and maturity by the number and impressiveness of people's gifts, and spiritual power by public charismatic manifestation." In practice 1 Corinthians 13 — where our spiritual life is measured by our love for others — may be ignored.
6. "Super-supernaturalism. Charismatic thinking tends to treat glossolalia in which the mind and tongue are deliberately and systematically disassociated, as the paradigm case of spiritual activity, and to expect all God's work in and around his children to involve similar discontinuity with the ordinary regularities of the created world." Most of life is lived in the ordinary. We don't live miracle-a-minute lives. The most important moments in our lives are often invisible to others and even to us.
7. "Eudaemonism. I use this word for the belief that God means to spend our time in this fallen world feeling well and in a state of euphoria based on that fact. Charismatics might deprecate so stark a statement, but the regular and expected projection of euphoria from their platforms and pulpits, plus their standard theology of healing, show that the assumption is there." Many charismatics (though not all!) throughout the world espouse the health and wealth gospel, and it is clearly the most popular false gospel in the world. When we read the New Testament, it is apparent that God often calls upon his people to suffer, and the role of suffering in the Christian life is often neglected among charismatics.
8. "Demon Obsession." Some see demons everywhere, and identify every sin with a demon. Also, the emphasis on "territorial spirits" in some circles is off-center and often quite speculative.
9. "Conformism. Peer pressure to perform (hands raised, hands outstretched, glossolalia, prophecy) is strong in charismatic circles." People may feel compelled to have the same spiritual experiences, and we may measure how spiritual someone is by the emotions expressed or by physical movements.
10. Experience Centered. A danger in the charismatic movement and in evangelicalism generally is a focus on experience so that experience takes precedence over and trumps Scripture. Powerful experiences of God are a gift of God, but Scripture must play a foundational role so that experience is not accepted as self-authenticating. Experience is subordinate to Scripture so that experiences do not become the arbiter of what is permitted. Instead, Scripture is the final authority and experiences are only to be accepted if they accord with Scripture.
The charismatic movement has both strengths and weaknesses, areas where they challenge non-charismatic churches, and areas where they could learn from traditional churches. For a genuine understanding of the gifts, we must turn to the Scriptures, and that is our next task.
Discussion Questions
1. Which of the strengths of the charismatic movement stood out to you? Which of the weaknesses?
2. If you don't come from a charismatic background, what can you learn from your brothers and sisters who do?
3. If you do come from a charismatic background, what can you learn from your brothers and sisters who do not?
CHAPTER 2Defining Spiritual Gifts
Terminology
When we think of spiritual gifts, it is helpful to think about what spiritual gifts are. In this chapter, I offer definitions for the spiritual gifts found in the Scriptures.
Paul uses various words to denote spiritual gifts. For instance, we find the word pneumatika (1 Cor. 12:1; 14:1), and in the latter verse it is translated, "spiritual gifts." The word pneuma in the plural also designates spiritual gifts. The believers in Corinth are "zealous for spiritual gifts (pneumaton)" (1 Cor. 14:12). And "the spiritual gifts (pneumata) of the prophets are subject to the prophets" (1 Cor. 14:32). Spiritual gifts are also identified as a "manifestation of the Spirit" (phanerosis tou pneumatos, 1 Cor. 12:7). These various terms all stress the spirituality of gifts, showing that they come from the Holy Spirit, and since the gifts come from the Holy Spirit they are supernatural.
Other terms emphasize that we are given gifts. For instance, Paul uses the term charismata (1 Cor. 12:4; 12:31; Rom. 12:6) to designate the gifts. In Ephesians 4:7 the word "grace" (charis) is used for the spiritual gifts given to believers. In the next verse (Eph. 4:8) we find the word "gifts" (domata). We learn from these terms that the spiritual abilities or activities (they are identified as "activities" [energemata] in 1 Corinthians 12:6) are granted by God. They don't testify to native or inherent human potential but are giftsof God. In addition, the word "ministries" (diakoniai, 1 Cor. 12:5) shows that the gifts aren't designed to help oneself but are given to serve and build up others. I would define spiritual gifts as gifts of grace granted by the Holy Spirit which are designed for the edification of the church.
Ken Berding argues that when Paul refers to spiritual gifts, he doesn't have in mind special abilities a person possesses. Instead, the gifts designate ministry functions and roles people are to fulfill. Resolving this issue isn't the main purpose of this book, but a few comments should be made. Berding rightfully emphasizes that gifts are given to believers so that we will serve and minister to others; they don't focus on our own abilities. It does seem to me, however, that ministry roles and abilities are not enemies but friends. Gifts like prophecy, teaching, tongues, etc., seem to be special abilities granted to believers, but the gifts are given for the edification of the church; they are used wrongly if we turn them into platforms for self-admiration.
Definitions
The chart on the following page lists the various spiritual gifts. Most agree that the list isn't exhaustive, though it is difficult to know what to add to the list. For instance, is musical ability a spiritual gift? It very well may be, and yet it is striking that Paul doesn't mention it. In any case, I will not speculate about other spiritual gifts that aren't listed but will restrict discussion to those named in the New Testament. Brief definitions will be given of the spiritual gifts with the exception of the gift of tongues and prophecy, which will be discussed later.
Teaching
The first gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8 are among the hardest to define. The "message of wisdom" and the "message of knowledge" ("word of wisdom" and "word of knowledge," literally) are difficult to pin down. In popular circles some have said that knowledge is academic understanding, while wisdom represents the ability to apply knowledge. Against this, there is no biblical justification for saying that knowledge is merely academic, as if knowledge in the Scriptures doesn't apply to everyday life. Others have maintained that the "word of knowledge" is a supernatural understanding of another person's sin, problem, disease, etc., so that one can discern if someone has cancer or is struggling with a particular sin. This latter definition, however, would seem to fit prophecy, which is already mentioned in this list, rather than knowledge.
I incline to the view that both "message of wisdom" and "message of knowledge" refer to the gift of teaching. Paul doesn't mention teaching in the listing of the gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8–10, and the gift is so important in Paul that it is included in every other list of spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:28–30; Rom. 12:6–8; Eph. 4:11). It seems unlikely that he would leave it out here, and other evidence points to a reference to teaching. For instance, in 1 Corinthians 1:18–2:16 wisdom is linkedwith proclaiming Jesus Christ as the crucified one. Paul's use of "word" (logos), which we find in both the "message of wisdom" (logos sophias) and "message of knowledge" (logos gnoseos) also points to teaching. Paul often refers to the message he preached as the "word of God" (Rom. 9:6; 1 Cor. 14:36; 2 Cor. 2:17; 4:2; Phil. 1:14; Col. 1:25; 1 Thess. 2:13; 1 Tim. 4:5; 2 Tim. 2:9; Titus 2:5), the "word of faith" (Rom. 10:8), the "word of truth" (2 Cor. 6:7; Col. 1:5; 2 Tim. 2:15; Eph. 1:13), "the word of the Lord" (1 Thess. 1:8; 2 Thess. 3:1), and the "word of life" (Phil. 2:16). "Knowledge" in Paul is also linked with understanding, which accords well with the role teaching plays (cf. Rom. 15:14; Eph. 1:17; 4:13; Phil. 1:9–10; Col. 1:9–10; 2:2–4; 3:9–10; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Tim. 2:25; 3:7; Titus 1:1). All of this suggests that the word of wisdom and word of knowledge relates to teaching. Nor is it surprising that the expressions refer to one gift since the distinctions between the various gifts aren't always hard and fast.
I also suggest that 1 Corinthians 14:6 supports the idea that "knowledge" refers to teaching. "So now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in other tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?" If we look at the verse closely, it seems that it has an ABAB pattern.
A Revelation A. Prophecy B Knowledge B. Teaching
Those who prophesy give a revelation, and those who teach provide knowledge, and so in both instances the consequence or result or product of the gift is listed first. If this is the case, when Paul speaks of knowledge coming to an end in 1 Corinthians 13:8, he refers to the gift of teaching. He acknowledges that those with the gift of teaching only "know in part" (1 Cor. 13:9), and full knowledge will only be given at the second coming (1 Cor. 13:12).
The gift of teaching is also noted in every other list of spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:7; 1 Cor. 12:28–29; Eph. 4:11). The importance of teaching is especially emphasized in the Pastoral Epistles (1 Tim. 1:10; 2:7, 12; 4:1, 6, 11, 13, 16; 5:17; 6:1–3; 2 Tim. 1:11; 3:10, 16; 4:3; Titus 1:9, 11; 2:1, 7, 10). Teachers expound, explicate, and unpack the Word of God, imparting instruction based on truth already revealed. It differs from prophecy in that it is not based on new revelation, and all elders should have this gift at least to some extent (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:9).
Faith
The gift of faith (1 Cor. 12:8) can't be the same as saving faith since all believers have the latter. Thus, the gift of faith must refer to an extraordinary faith and vision for the future. It seems that Paul has this gift in mind when he speaks of a faith that "can move mountains" (1 Cor. 13:2). Perhaps the "prayer of faith" exercised by elders when one is sick (James 5:15) may also be an example of the gift of faith.
(Continues…)
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