Dr Paul Allen

1 Corinthians 12:27–31 Now you are the body of Christ , and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing , those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Paul does apply this to the Church, mentioning the body of Christ to indicate that the gifts are given within the body and have the primary purpose of building up the body. He draws attention to “unity first, then diversity of individual members.” Each one has an important part in the body of Christ . To make his application clear, Paul mentions that God has specifically appointed in the Church first apostles (sent by Jesus personally while He was on earth, with the exception of Paul who was appointed later), second prophets (Spirit-directed speakers for God), third teachers, then workers of miracles, those having gifts of he...

English: Riverside Reformed Presbyterian Church Information Board (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Daniel Doriani’s commentary on James contains an interesting quote. It is my experience that these people often typify cessationists as those who do not believe in supernatural or miraculous healings but this is really not the case. The disagreement really arises over whether or not the spiritual gift of healing is operative in the church today. This quote describes something that happened in a conservative, Reformed , Presbyterian context and something that I think is consistent with cessationist theology (even though cessationists may have some disagreement about what James refers to by anointing a person with oil). Doriani is not the only Reformed Presbyterian who has experienced this kind of blessing. During the autumn when I first studied James in earnest, a friend suffered a viral infection of the heart. While it was not a heart attack, it mimicked many of the symptoms of one. ...

The Aleppo Codex is a medieval manuscript of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), associated with Rabbi Aaron Ben Asher. The Masoretic scholars wrote it in the early 10th century, probably in Tiberias, Israel. It is in book form and contains the vowel points and grammar points (nikkudot) that specify the pronunciation of the ancient Hebrew letters to preserve the chanting tradition. It is perhaps the most historically important Hebrew manuscript in existence. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Author: Cripplegate. Are list of spiritual gifts in the New Testament is comprehensive. At my count, the New Testament lists 18 spiritual gifts: For to one is given through the Spirit the  utterance of wisdom, and to another the  utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another  faith by the same Spirit, to  another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the  working of miracles, to another  prophecy, to another the  ability to distinguish between s...

Saint Augustine of Hippo, a seminal thinker on the concept of just war (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) By cripplegate: A Cessationist perspective. (So we like Augustine when we agree with his view but ignore him when it goes across our beliefs?) Augustine ’s “City of God ”, book 22, chapter 8 where he records many miracles taking place in Carthage. Some sound doubtful — making the symbol of a cross over the malady. Augustine trustworthy but am sensing some overtones of superstition. Are there other sources that might shed some light on his testimony? Regarding miracle and healing accounts throughout different eras of church history. Though each instance is different, Augustine’s testimony in The City of God provides an interesting case study. From a cessationist perspective, here are a few thoughts in response to Augustine’s healing accounts: 1. In everything, the Word of God is our authority. Human experiences, whether contemporary or historical, must be evaluated against th...

Image via Wikipedia Gifts of God enabling the Christian to perform his or her (sometimes specialized) service.  There are several words in the NT used for spiritual gifts. Dōrea and domata are so used but are rare ( Acts 11:17; Eph. 4:8). Pneumatikas and charismata are frequently found, with charismata being the most common. The term charisma (“spiritual gift”), except for 1 Peter 4:10, is used only by Paul. Charisma signifies redemption or salvation as the gift of God’s grace (Rom. 5:15; 6:23) and a gift enabling the Christian to perform his service in the church (1 Cor. 7:7), as well as defining a special gift enabling a Christian to perform a particular ministry in the church (e.g., 12:28–31). Paul offers instruction on spiritual gifts in Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 12:4–11, 28–30; and Ephesians 4:7–12. Spiritual gifts were unusual manifestations of God’s grace (charis) under normal and abnormal forms. Not every spiritual gift affected the moral life of the one w...