Are the Spiritual Gifts for Today?

Are spiritual gifts for today? Most Christians agree that God still gives gifts like teaching, serving, giving, and encouragement. The debate is over the more dramatic gifts, such as tongues, prophecy, healing, and miracles. Some Christians believe these gifts ended with the apostles in the first century. Others believe they are still active, and some even teach that every Christian should speak in tongues. There are strong opinions on every side. It can be hard to know what to think, and the arguments often generate more heat than light.

In this post, I want to look at the main reasons some Christians believe certain gifts have ceased. Then I will explain why I am not convinced by them. My conclusion is that God still gives all of the spiritual gifts. Some of them may simply look different now than they did in the Book of Acts. I also want to show why this question matters for the health of the church. If we say that some of the gifts are no longer given, we may be telling some members of the body of Christ that the church does not need them.

What Cessationists Believe About the Spiritual Gifts

The view that some gifts have ceased is called cessationism. The view that all gifts continue is often called continuationism. Cessationists usually draw a line between two kinds of gifts. On one side are the ordinary gifts, like teaching, service, administration, and mercy. On the other side are the so-called sign gifts, like tongues, prophecy, miracles, and healing. Cessationists believe the sign gifts were needed to launch the church and confirm the message of the apostles. But once the church was established and the New Testament was written, those gifts were no longer necessary. So God stopped giving them.

This view is held by many sincere Bible teachers, and it is not hard to see why it appeals to people. Most of us have seen the gifts abused. We have watched television preachers put on a show, claim healings that never happened, and use the language of the Spirit to raise money. When people see these things, they want to protect the church from error. And one easy way to do that is to say that these gifts are no longer given at all. But as we will see, I do not believe Scripture supports this conclusion.

Three Arguments That Some Gifts Have Ceased

The first argument is about frequency. People notice how often tongues, healings, and miracles show up in the Book of Acts, and how rarely they seem to happen today. So they conclude that something must have changed. But this argument depends entirely on who you ask. Some Christian groups say miracles are more common now than in the first century. Whether we agree with them or not, this shows that frequency is not a reliable way to decide what God is or is not doing.

The second argument comes from the words of Jesus, who said, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign” (Matt 12:39). Since large crowds today often chase after signs and wonders, some apply this warning to anyone who seeks the sign gifts. The warning may well apply to some people. But the fact that people can chase after signs in the wrong way does not mean the gifts have ended. It only means they can be misused, which was just as true in the first century as it is today.

The third argument is the most important, and it comes from 1 Corinthians 13. We will look at it in the next section.

Are the Spiritual Gifts for Today According to 1 Corinthians 13?

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul writes that “whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away” (1 Cor 13:8). He then explains when: “when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away” (1 Cor 13:10). Many cessationists believe “that which is perfect” refers to the completion of the New Testament, or to the full establishment of the church. Once that happened, they say, the partial gifts of prophecy and tongues were no longer needed.

But there are several problems with this reading. First, Paul lists knowledge right alongside prophecy and tongues. Hardly anyone who believes prophecy and tongues have ceased also believes that knowledge has ceased. If all three are mentioned together, why would two of them end while the third continues? Second, if “the perfect” refers to the birth of the church, then it had already come by the time Paul wrote this letter. And if it refers to the spread of the church over the whole earth, then it still has not come. In that case, the gifts should still be in use today.

What Is “That Which Is Perfect”?

I believe Paul is most likely looking ahead to the new heavens and new earth, when God makes all things new (Rev 21:1-5). Paul goes on to say, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face” (1 Cor 13:12). That sounds much more like the day we stand before Jesus than the day the last book of the New Testament was written. In that perfect future, we will not need the gifts the way we need them now. But until then, while we live in this broken world and in these imperfect bodies, all of the spiritual gifts remain in use.

The Problem with Dividing the Gifts into Categories

Part of the problem is the way we sort the gifts. When we divide them into ordinary gifts and sign gifts, we make it easy to set one group aside. But Scripture never sorts the gifts this way. Paul mixes them together in his lists (Rom 12:6-8; 1 Cor 12:8-10, 28; Eph 4:11). When I studied the gifts, I found that every attempt to divide them neatly breaks down somewhere. In one sense, every gift is a sign, because every gift points people to the God who gives it. And if there is no clear line between the gifts, there is no clear reason to say some have ended.

It also helps to recognize that the gifts are broader than we often think. The gift of healing, for example, is not only about miraculous cures. God also uses doctors, nurses, and counselors to bring health to the sick. Many people with this gift work in medicine and psychology. I believe the oil in James 5 points the same way, as I explain in Should Christians anoint with oil for healing? In the same way, the office of Apostle is no longer filled as it was in the first century. But God still sends out missionaries who have the gift of apostleship. I write more about this in Church Leaders Who Help Church Growth.

What About Speaking in Tongues Today?

No gift raises more questions than tongues. I believe that whenever tongues appear in Scripture, they are real human languages, not a heavenly prayer language. At Pentecost, people heard the apostles speaking in their own native languages (Acts 2:6-8). Paul also insists that tongues in a church gathering must be interpreted, which assumes they can be translated. He writes that “tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers” (1 Cor 14:22). And if no one can interpret, the person should “keep silent in church” (1 Cor 14:28).

So are tongues for today? I believe they might be, but probably not in the way they are practiced in many church services. The clearest purpose of tongues in Acts was to help carry the gospel across language barriers. So if God gives this gift today, I would expect to see it used where the gospel is being shared with people who speak another language. I have also written about speaking in tongues during prayer meetings, and why love and understanding must guide how any gift is used.

Why It Matters That All the Spiritual Gifts Are for Today

So why does this matter? Because the church is a body, and every part of the body is needed. Paul writes that “the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’” (1 Cor 12:21). God gives gifts so that the members of the body would care for one another (1 Cor 12:25-26). When we declare that some gifts have ceased, we risk telling some of our brothers and sisters that the body does not need them. That does not protect the church. It weakens it.

Yes, the gifts can be abused, and some people fake them. But the answer to abuse is not to forbid the gifts. Paul did not respond to the chaos in Corinth by shutting down the gifts. Instead, he taught the church to use them in love and in order. He even told them, “do not forbid to speak with tongues” (1 Cor 14:39). The cure for misuse is right use. When we understand what the gifts are and why God gives them, we can use them well. We can build up the church and serve the world, which is what God intended.

Discover Your Spiritual Gifts

So are spiritual gifts for today? I believe they are, every one of them. The Spirit has not stopped giving gifts to the church. He has not stopped calling each of us to use what we have been given. As Peter writes, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Pet 4:10). The question is not whether God is still giving gifts. The real question is whether we have discovered our gifts and are using them to serve others. If you are not sure what your gift is, you can start with my free online spiritual gift test.

If you want to go deeper, my book What Are the Spiritual Gifts? Discover Your Spiritual Gifts and How to Use Them explains each gift in Scripture and how the gifts work together. It also shows how to avoid the common problems that come with them. You will also find a longer look at tongues and a spiritual gifts inventory to help you find where you fit in the body of Christ. Get What Are the Spiritual Gifts? on Amazon and start using the gifts God has given you.