Theology in the Raw - Are Spiritual Gifts Still for Today? (Bonus Q&A Preview)

Episode Date: June 25, 2025

Subscribe to Theology in the Raw on Patreon to instantly unlock this full Bonus Q&A, as well as a huge archive of bonus episodes, Extra Innings, and free video content from the Exiles in Babylon archives. Check out all the questions Preston tackled on today’s episode: * What are your thoughts on spiritual gifts, cessationism vs continuationism? * Should Protestants read the deuterocanonical books even if they don't agree they are inspired? * What are your thoughts on Open Theism? * Many people are converting to Catholicism and Pentecostalism. Do you have a theory for why these denominations are particularly reaching people in this time? * Have you ever heard of the miracle of the holy fire? How should western Christians think about and relate to traditions and rituals in the eastern church? * Matt. 16:19, 18:18. What does Jesus mean here: “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”? * If events/people in Gen. 1-11 weren't "real," what about the Noahic covenant, genealogies, doctrines, etc based on them? * Creative ideas for how we can biblically engage with pride month? In the past we have done prayer walks but that is kind of behind the scenes. * Is marriage always to be officiated in public with witnesses? In other words, if vows were made privately does that count biblically as marriage? * What unique challenges do you think a father faces when raising a daughter, and how should he address them? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Okay, so Sarah wants to know, what are my thoughts on spiritual gifts? Cessationism versus continuationism. That's, you know, are all spiritual gifts for today or have some ceased or have they all continued. That's what those terms, cessationism or continuationism, means. I am a continuationist. I used to not be. I used to, you know, I was raised in a very strong cessationist background. And for several years early on, I would say I strongly supported that view. I would say when I was strongly supporting it, it had to do more with me trusting the leaders who taught me that view. It wasn't really from a raw, unbiased, thorough study of Scripture, and I was just driven

from the text of Scripture to say some spiritual gifts have ceased. When I did start to evaluate the exegetical arguments for cessationism, I became more and more just unimpressed or under impressed with the exegetical arguments. I think, you know, some are better than others. I think some are just really bad. They just seem to be forced onto the text from a prior disdain for how some churches exercise the spiritual gifts. At least that was my impression. So let me give a few qualifications for my current view that all of the gifts have continued

into the present day. I hold this view for exegetical reasons. It really is. I typically am not in church environments where the gifts are being exercised. It's not like I'm motivated to be a continuationist because of my social or ecclesiological environment. I am in charismatic circles from time to time when I speak at different churches, but I typically have not been a member of a church where the gifts have been exercised with the same passion that they are exercising in other churches. So, for me, it really is just

exegetical. Like, when I read the text, I know way arguments on different sides, the continuationist arguments seem to be more exegetically persuasive. arguments seem to be more exegetically persuasive. I also, another, I guess, caveat is that, you know, when we talk about the spiritual gifts, have some ceased, are they all for today, I'm really thinking about the gifts that the New Testament talks about and the manner in which they are exercised in the New Testament. Again, my view is really New Testament driven. Okay, so not every modern claim of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit or an

exercise of a spiritual gift today, not every one of those modern claims, I think, reflects how it was exercised in the first century. So, I really want to say the gifts as they are exercised in the first century, the best we can see from the text, those gifts haven't ceased. I mean, I think 1 Corinthians 14 is a really important chapter here where Paul is pretty adamant that all gifts should be exercised in an orderly manner. So, especially prophecy, he spends a lot of time talking about, you know, the exercise of the gift of prophecy being done in an orderly manner. If you go to like chapter 14 verses, the whole chapter really, but I mean, especially like verses 29 and following 29 to 30, what is it, 33, you know, where he talks specifically of how prophecy should be exercised. Tongues, Paul

is clear that if someone speaks in a tongue in a gathering, there must be an interpreter present so that all can be edified. He seems to say that very clearly. And I would also say, I think there's probably many abuses of the gifts in continuationist circles, you know? I think cessationist people rightly draw attention to that. Some of the things going on today don't seem to reflect how they were intended to be exercised in the first century. I would also say, I don't need to see loads of miracles happening all over the place, all the time, in the church, across the world, for me to believe that miracles in particular can happen. I mean, throughout salvation history, you know, in the Bible, there's periods of time

where there seems to be a cluster of miraculous activity. You know, in the Old Testament, around the time of like Moses and Joshua, there seems to be a cluster of miraculous activity. You know, in the old Testament around the time of like Moses and Josh, where there seems to be a lot more miraculous activity. Um, then you skip forward Josh hundreds of years. Hey friends, I hope you enjoyed this portion of the Patreon only Q and a podcast. If you'd like to listen to the full length episode and receive other bonus content like monthly podcasts, opportunities to ask questions, access to first drafts of my research and monthly Zoom chats and more,

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