Hi msc

Well I'm not of the norm on this board. I just firmly believe exactly what the Bible says and so I believe the gifts of the Spirit are for the church today and that all Christians should desire spiritual gifts, which edify and build up the body of Christ.

I believe the Holy Spirit makes his abode in a Christian at the new birth, and that all Christians do not have the gift of tongues, but all Christians should earnestly desire spiritual gifts and be willing for the Holy Spirit to work in their lives and use them for God's glory, rather than limiting him through unbelief based on doctrinal error, as so many do today.

Those that believe the gifts have passed away with the Apostles use one scripture to base their doctrine on:

Quote:
1 Cor. 13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.


Taking this one scripture and attributing verse 10 to mean the Word of God as that which is perfect, they state these gifts are no longer necessary or available to the Church today, because the Word is all the church needs. But they limit the Holy One of Israel with their unbelief.

Although truly the Word of God is perfect, our knowledge of the Word of God is far from perfect and every Christian only knows and understands in part, not in full all that God has for us in His Word. No Christian is perfected in understanding of God's Word, So knowledge obviously (both in the natural and the spiritual) has not vanished away, so that can't be what verse 10 refers to, or else we would have no need to study to show ourselves approved unto God or grow in the knowledge of God's Word. We would have already obtained full knowledge.

That which is perfect is Jesus Christ. When he comes back and sets up his kingdom, bringing perfect peace on this earth, we, his saints will be perfected and our knowledge and our understanding will be full and complete. For the Bible tells us this mortal body will put on immortality, and we'll be translated into his likeness and his image and rule and reign with Him for a thousand years.

He IS the Word and He IS that which is Perfect and when He comes to rule and reign, He will put all his enemies under His feet, bringing in an everlasting Kingdom that will never end. Then and only then will the gifts of the Spirit not be necessary or needed, for then and only then will the body of Christ be perfected in His likeness.

So for us to not need the gifts of the Spirit, the church would need to be perfected in Christ and have come into the full unity of the Faith. For the ministries (apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists) and the gifts of the Spirit God gave to the Church are for the perfecting, edifying and building up of the body of Christ. [ Ephesians 4 ]

I don't see a perfect church here or a perfect Christian here just yet...and certainly we haven't come into the full unity of the Faith yet or received the fullness of knowledge...so I would say we need all of the ministries and all of the gifts until we do.

To discard the gifts of the Holy Spirit and count them as unimportant and unnecessary to our spiritual growth and lives, I believe is to quench the Holy Spirit whereby we are sealed unto redemption. Basically we are telling the third person of the Trinity, we don't need you other than salvation. But His work is much more than that. He's our comforter, our teacher, he's there to convict us of sin and ungodliness and to lead and guide us into all truth, perfecting us in righteousness and holiness, and all of the gifts of the Spirit, if a vessel is truly yielded unto God, operate for those purposes.

Emphasis should not be place on tongues over the other gifts, in fact the gift of prophecy is an even greater gift...but none of them should be discarded as unnecessary because God is not finished with his Church yet. If the early church needed them, and they had the apostles who walked with Christ with them in the flesh, certainly we need them now more than ever!