It seems to me that questions about spiritual gifts are essentially questions about the Holy Spirit and His work in the church today. Thus, the continuationist/cessationist discussion is ultimately a discussion about the Holy Spirit. Does He still impart the same gifts in the same way as He did during the time of the apostles? The continuationist says Yes. The cessationist says No.
But before we dive into that question, we have to ask ourselves an earlier, more foundational question–namely: Where are we going to go to find our answers on all of this?
Inevitably, there are some who will quickly point to personal experience. This is true in both charismatic circles and non-charismatic circles. In both cases, the experientialist (for lack of a better term) argues his case based on what he has either experienced or not experienced (or heard third-hand or read about fourth-hand or watched on TBN).
But, at the end of the day, how good of an authority source is personal experience?
Not so good, actually. It’s subjective, unverifiable, and usually unrepeatable (not to mention the fact that it’s often contradictory with someone else’s experience). So if we are going to answer the “charismatic question” definitively, we need an authority source that is more sure than human experience.
The apostle Peter recognized this very principle when he wrote about his experience at the Transfiguration.
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. (2 Pet. 1:16-19; ESV)
That is truly amazing. At the Transfiguration, Peter personally experienced something that transcended anything we can even comprehend. Yet, as astounding and life-changing as that experience was, Peter saw the Word of God (“the prophetic word”) as “more sure” than his experience. After all, human experience is fallible, because human beings are fallible. But the Word of God is perfect, because its Author is perfect. It stands alone as an infallible authority, because its Author reigns alone as the ultimate authority.
And who is the Author of Scripture?
Peter tells us just two verses later: “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21; cf. Eph. 6:17).
Thus, when we go to the Word of God for our instruction on this subject, we are going to the Spirit Himself, since He is the One who has inspired every word of this wonderful and all-sufficient revelation from God. In other words, when we look to the Scriptures regarding the work of the Holy Spirit, we are in essence asking the Spirit about Himself.
And this is exactly what we ought to do.
Before we can turn to any personal experience (which may or may not have come from the Holy Spirit), we must first turn to His Word (which unquestionably comes from Him). If our experience coincides with Scripture, we can be encouraged that it meets with His approval. But if it does not, we must be willing to reconsider and repent.
In the end, only the Word of God, inspired by the Spirit of God, can be our final authority on these matters.
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