It is fascinating to read about the apostles laying hands on early Christians, in order that they might receive a miraculous endowment of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-18). It is exciting to know that a variety of these gifts were thus imparted, including the working of miracles, healings, prophecy, tongues, direct knowledge of divine will, etc. (1 Cor. 12:7-11). It is significant to note that the purpose of the early Christians possessing and exercising these gifts was to “confirm the word” they were speaking was, in fact, the word of God Himself (Mark 16:20; Heb. 2:3-4).
The question that must be answered is—are miraculous, spiritual gifts still in existence today and being exercised by followers of Christ? Scripture is our only source of authority to answer this question, and the most extensive section of Scripture that discusses spiritual gifts is in First Corinthians 12-14. While we think of chapter 13 as extolling the greatness of love, the emphasis of the chapter is the abiding nature of love in contrast to the temporary nature of spiritual gifts.
Scripture emphatically affirms the end of the spiritual gifts. While “love never fails,” the miraculous endowments of the Spirit would “fail,” “cease,” “vanish away” and “be done away” (13:8-10). God could have combined these thoughts and just used one word, but in order to emphasize His point, He accentuated the ending of the gifts multiple times.
Scripture emphatically identifies what was ending. Paul selects a sampling of the spiritual gifts listed in chapter 12 to specify for the readers what was actually “ceasing” and “vanishing away.” God explicitly stated that “prophecies,” “tongues,” miraculous “knowledge,” et al. would “be done away,” and would not “abide” perpetually throughout the Christian age.
Scripture emphatically stipulates when the end of spiritual gifts would come. At the time of Paul’s writing, he spoke in the present tense—“we know in part and we prophesy in part” (13:9). What they had in Paul’s day was “in part.” Look at the first two words of verse 10, “But when…” “But” emphasizes a contrast—the “in part” would not last. “When” tells us when. “But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away” (13:10). The “perfect” was the “complete” of the “in parts.” The revelation of God’s will, at that time, was “in part.” But when the “complete” revelation of the will of God came (i.e., the completed New Testament), the spiritual gifts would cease.
Spiritual gifts could only be imparted by an apostle and had a limited purpose for the days of “in part” revelation. But now, the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit have ceased!