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NASB | Acts 2:39 "For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Acts 2:39 "For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is for you and your children and for all who are far away [including the Gentiles], as many as the Lord our God calls to Himself." [Is 57:19; Joel 2:32] |
Bible Question:
Is Peter saying here that the Holy Spirit is for ALL generations? If yes, does this mean speaking in tongues? Regards, Huron |
Bible Answer: No Cessation of Gifts 'There is no exegetical warrant for claiming that any of the gifts have ceased. They are God's characteristic endowments for Christian service in the New Testament age, arguably the most fundamental way ministry occurs (Acts 2:17-21; 1 Cor 1:7). Against the view that maintains, from the lack of the more supernatural gifts throughout much of church history, that these charisms were limited to the apostolic age, three points must be noted: '(1) these gifts did not end at the close of the first century, but continued well into the third; '(2) their subsequent diminution can best be attributed to a growing, unscriptural institutionalization of the church and an overreaction to the abuse of the gifts in heretical...circles; '(3) even then, no era of church history was completely without examples of all the gifts. The twentieth century resurgence of the gifts cannot be attributed to the arrival of the last days, since for the New Testament "the last days" refers to the entire church age. They may, however, reflect a recovery of more biblical, spontaneous, and all-inclusive worship and ministry. 'In short, attempts to attribute all current charismatic phenomena to the devil or mere human fabrication are misguided. Still, there is no guarantee that any alleged manifestation of the Spirit is genuine; each must be tested. First Corinthians 14:39-40 concludes Paul's treatment of the topic with remarkably clear commands, which, if obeyed, could go a long way toward eliminating divisiveness in the church over the gifts. On the one hand, none of the gifts should be forbidden, even tongues (v. 39). On the other hand, "everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way" (v. 40), as illustrated by the regulations for prophecy and tongues in verses 26-38. A growing number of charismatics and noncharismatics alike are beginning to heed these twin commands, but many still do not, to the detriment of the unity of the church and the success of her mission.' Craig L. Blomberg ____________________ (http://bible.crosswalk.com/Dictionaries/BakersEvangelicalDictionary/) Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Edited by Walter A. Elwell, 1996, published by Baker Books |