Cessationism

Cessationism is the Christian theological view that certain miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased after the apostolic age. Its scope varies, especially over whether prophecy, healing, and tongues continue.

Spiritual gifts: Abilities or forms of service understood in Christian traditions as given by the Holy Spirit for the common good. Cessationism concerns whether some gifts in this broader category remain active.
Continuationism: The Christian theological view that miraculous gifts described in the New Testament continue in the church. It directly rejects cessationism’s claim that certain gifts ended after the apostolic age.
John Calvin: A sixteenth-century French theologian and Protestant Reformer whose writings shaped Reformed Christianity. Calvin’s critiques of claims to extraordinary gifts became influential in later cessationist arguments.
Christian healing: Prayer and religious practice seeking recovery from illness through divine intervention. Cessationism affects whether healing gifts are expected as ongoing ministries.
Apostolic age: The formative period of early Christianity associated with Jesus’s apostles and the establishment of the church. Cessationists commonly locate the gifts’ endpoint at the close of this period.
Pentecostalism: A Christian movement emphasizing the Holy Spirit’s baptism and gifts such as tongues, prophecy, and healing. Pentecostal teaching typically affirms ongoing gifts that cessationism restricts or denies.
Benjamin B. Warfield: A Princeton theologian whose book Counterfeit Miracles argued that extraordinary gifts belonged to the church’s founding era. His historical and theological defense became a landmark modern statement of cessationism.
Christian prophecy: Claims of Spirit-inspired messages within Christian communities, interpreted according to differing views of authority and fallibility. The view determines whether contemporary prophetic claims can be genuine spiritual gifts.
New Testament canon: The collection of 27 books recognized as authoritative scripture by mainstream Christianity. Some cessationist arguments connect the completion of scripture with the gifts’ purpose.
Charismatic movement: A movement across Christian denominations that emphasizes the present activity of spiritual gifts. Its acceptance of contemporary gifts offers a prominent alternative to cessationist theology.

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