Seeking, Open, but Cautious

I am often asked about the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit and the Christian life. They were a dominant part of the New Testament and any attempt to follow the Christianity of the New Testament should ask both God and ourselves some probing questions.

In the early church, after conversion and the laying on of the apostles hands, a significant number of Christians in the Bible were able to exercise miraculous spiritual gifts, such as speaking in foreign tongues, interpreting tongues, healing, and predicting the future (1 Corinthians 12–14). These miraculous gifts helped establish and confirm the Christian faith. When unbelievers saw miraculous healings, or heard some suddenly speak about the things of God in a foreign language which they had not previously known, it drew attention to the validity of the Christian message. Signs and wonders of this type caused many to become Christians. Yet once Christianity was established and the apostles died out, these types of gifts became less and less common, as historical research confirms (Hebrews 2:3-4).

In the Bible there was also a clear link between these miraculous gifts, the unique first century ministry of the apostles and those people upon which the apostles laid their hands (Romans 15:15-19; 2 Corinthians 12:12). Because of this linkage, many believe that these gifts were not given to the church for all time – they were just given to Christians in the first century. Others differ and so there is a hot debate about this among Christians because many Christians (especially outside North America) believe that the miraculous gifts are for the church of today and are available.

Factually, as stated above, miraculous gifts were rare in the ancient, pre-modern world and throughout history in mainstream Christianity, which has emphasized objective biblical doctrine. And, as the television evangelists easily show us, too often claims about miraculous gifts have been proven to be false and too often they have been associated with heresy.

But there is no Biblical basis by which we can rule them out or categorically deny the experience of these gifts as being available in our day. Countless Christians claim to be richly blessed by them – if not through public experience, through private personal prayer time. And contrary to what some say, there is nothing in the Bible that says God will stop giving people these miraculous abilities. We must be careful not to restrict God or lack faith in his miraculous abilities.

Yet again, given what has been learned in history and from the abuses in the Pentecostal, Charismatic, or Third Wave movements in our day, it is also wise to be cautious in these matters. Too many people attribute things to God that may not be from God. We want to be seeking, open, but cautious and carefully examine all practices in the light of what the Bible teaches.

The following four points summarize the “Seeking, Open, but Cautious” approach to this topic which encourages us to seek God, to be objective, grounded in the lessons of history, and open, all at the same time.

1. Seek God "full out" - and be open to God moving in unique ways. Christians should not just seek God with a rational and cognitive approach, at the expense of a deeply personal experiences. We should seek to be close to God in all things. Some Christians have denied the emotional and intuitive parts of the Christian life. We need all that God wants to give us, and as we seek him, we should be open to how he might be present with us to help us in fresh ways, while maintaining a balance with biblical and rational thinking.

2. A Christ-centered and Christ-like life - not speaking in tongues - is the strongest validation of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life. The Bible makes it clear that character and sacrificial love are the clearest validations of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 13:1-4; 2 Corinthians 3:16-17; Galatians 5:16-25). All other experiential manifestations of the Spirit – including the miraculous ability to speak in tongues, prophecy, and healing - should be understood as peripheral issues, compared to how we trust Christ, live, and love in our daily lives (Matthew 7:21-23).

3. Test everything by the Bible and rational thought. We are to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength - this includes using our minds and critical thought. The study of miraculous gifts should be done with the leaders of a local congregation. In this way the leaders can ensure that there can be a careful examination of the scriptural basis of all things (2 Timothy 3:16-17). For example, according to Biblical teaching, if someone believes he or she can speak in tongues, it should not be allowed in a church setting unless there is an interpreter (1 Corinthians 14: 27-28). And prophecy is to be tested and evaluated by scripture and Christian leaders before being accepted (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21; 1 John 4:1; and 1 Corinthians 14: 29). Consequently, people should be free to privately speak in tongues. But if they want to do it at a public meeting, we should insist on having an interpreter and objective evaluation.

4. Pursue God from and for your heart. We must encourage all Christians to pursue a deep, personal, and abiding intimacy with God. Our yearning should be for God’s presence and the habits of prayer, Bible study, fasting, meditation, etc., We should seek to be in touch with God through his Holy Spirit on a daily basis.

A good way to think about miraculous gifts, then, is to pursue the fullness of the spiritual life and be open to all that the Spirit of God is doing, while being grounded in scripture, history, and critical evaluation. This approach does not answer every question. On the one hand it subjects all spiritual experiences to a careful evaluation – and yet, on the other hand, it encourages us to be open to and seek surprising new movements of God in our lives every day. The “Seeking, Open, But Cautious Approach” seeks to avoid extremes.