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| Christ Rose to All |
| "Where there are tongues, they shall cea |
| 18 Oct 25 20:12:56 |
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From: usenet@christrose.news
"Robert’s" argument contains several misunderstandings of Greek grammar,
biblical context, and the purpose of sign gifts. Each point can be
answered directly from Scripture and sound exegesis.
• Robert equates the present tense with permanence. However, the
presence of a present-tense verb does not mean the action must
continue forever. Context determines duration. The present
tense in Greek expresses the type of action (continuous or
progressive), not the time span of its continuation. For
example, “cleanseth” in 1 John 1:7 describes what the blood of
Christ does whenever we sin, not that the act of cleansing
continues forever in time. It is always effective, but that is
because His work was finished once for all (Hebrews 10:10–14),
not because the action is still going on. Likewise, no Greek
form in the verses about tongues demands ongoing, perpetual
operation until Christ returns.
• 1 Corinthians 13:8 teaches the opposite of Robert’s claim.
Tongues “will cease” (πα
σονται, *pausontai*) is middle voice.
This means the action happens by itself—the gift stops on its
own, not because God forces it to stop. Prophecies and
knowledge “will pass away” (passive voice), meaning they will
be made to cease when “the perfect” comes. Tongues, however,
had a built-in expiration point and therefore ended of
themselves before the arrival of “the perfect” (1 Corinthians
13:8–10, ESV):contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}.
• The purpose of tongues was never to edify believers or prove
God’s power for every generation, but to confirm the gospel to
unbelieving Israel. Paul quotes Isaiah 28:11–12 to explain that
“by people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue the LORD
will speak to this people... yet they would not hear.” He then
says, “Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for
unbelievers” (1 Corinthians 14:21–22, ESV). Once Israel had
heard and rejected that sign, its purpose was fulfilled and the
gift ceased:contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}.
• Hebrews 2:3–4 describes the signs as a completed confirmation of
the gospel. The verb “was confirmed” (ἐβεβαιώθη, *ebebai
thē*)
is in the aorist passive indicative—an action finished in the
past. The signs “were” God’s testimony that the message was
true, not His ongoing method of attesting it. By the time the
author of Hebrews wrote, second-generation believers were to
believe based on that past confirmation, not expect further
signs:contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}.
• The prediction in Matthew 24:24 about false Christs showing
“great signs and wonders” refers to deception in the future
tribulation period, not proof that genuine sign gifts continue
in the church age. The existence of counterfeit miracles does
not prove the continuation of true apostolic gifts—if anything,
it shows the danger of trusting in experiences rather than in
Scripture.
• Robert’s appeal to Mark 16:17–18 ignores verse 20: “And they
went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with
them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.” The
signs’ purpose was to confirm the apostolic message while it
was being first preached. Once the gospel was established, God
no longer needed to keep confirming it with signs. The written
Scriptures now serve that confirming role (John 20:30–31;
Hebrews 2:3–4):contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}.
• The later New Testament letters—Ephesians through Revelation—
never instruct churches to seek or expect sign gifts. Instead,
they emphasize faith, love, endurance, sound doctrine, and the
fruit of the Spirit. Paul even left Trophimus sick (2 Timothy
4:20) and told Timothy to take wine for his ailments (1 Timothy
5:23), proving that healing gifts were no longer operative
:contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}.
• When John teaches believers how to test who truly belongs to
God, he never once mentions tongues or miracles. The marks of
genuine faith are obedience, righteousness, love, and correct
doctrine—not signs and wonders (1 John 2:3–4; 3:10; 4:1–3)
:contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}.
• Jesus Himself warned that “an evil and adulterous generation
seeks for a sign” (Matthew 12:39, ESV). Faith is not grounded
in visible proof but in God’s revealed Word.
The true continuation from Pentecost is not of outward miracles but of
inward transformation. The Spirit still regenerates, sanctifies, and
empowers believers—but not through the apostolic sign gifts that
confirmed the gospel once for all. Those gifts ceased of themselves,
exactly as Scripture said they would.
For 10 convincing Bible evidences that sign gifts ceased during the
lifetime of the apostles, see https://christrose.news/ceased
--
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raised Him from the dead?
That Christ died for our sins shows we're sinners who deserve the death
penalty. That God raised Him from the dead shows Christ's death
satisfied God's righteous demands against our sin (Romans 3:25; 1 John
2:1-2). This means God can now remain just, while forgiving you of your
sins, and saving you from eternal damnation.
On the basis of Christ's death and resurrection for our sins, call on
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of the Lord will be saved'" (Romans 10:13, ESV).
https://christrose.news/salvation
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