Sola Scriptura and the Revelatory Gifts

Can we expect spiritual gifts to be operative in the church today as they were in the New Testament, or has God changed the way He relates to His church and through His church to the world? This is no peripheral issue, but it strikes at the heart of our ability to fulfill the commission Jesus Christ has given His church to attack the very gates of Hell by discipling the nations. If the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit indeed have ceased to function, those who attempt to exercise them are deceived, and they are wasting their time and energy on a gigantic effort in the flesh which is not only useless to accomplish anything of genuine spiritual value, but may even be counter-productive. On the other hand, if spiritual gifts are to be a part of our spiritual arsenal to accomplish the task before us, by ignoring them or resisting them we are severely limiting ourselves by removing God-given weaponry from the church. So the question of the present-day legitimacy of spiritual gifts, including the revelatory gifts, is of utmost importance. Don Codling’s in depth analysis of this crucial question is both comprehensive and evenhanded. He is able to avoid much of the obvious bias so prevalent on both sides of this volatile issue as he seeks to confine his discussion to “Sola Scriptura.” You will appreciate his scholarship and the calm tone with which it is presented. This is a must read for anyone who has wrestled with this question.