The writer, referred to above, felt that by the time all the apostles had died the church had been brought into unity and he stressed the idea that the word “till” (in verse 13) meant the gifts were given only until that unity was obtained and then they would no longer exist in the church.
Such reasoning is not sound! In the first place the church was in unity on the day of Pentecost: “ And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all in one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1). It is very questionable whether the same could be said by the time the apostle John died, and all you need do to see whether my statement is correct is to read the seven letters found in Revelation, chapters two and three.
Another point: the gifts of the Spirit were not given by the apostles but by the Spirit Himself! They are not, or were not, the gifts of the apostles, but gifts of the Spirit. That the apostles may have laid hands on some in the imparting of the gifts we will not deny, but the gifts were still the gifts of the Spirit.
Since the gifts are the gifts of the Spirit, and since the church needed them in the morning time of this gospel day, we firmly believe they are still available to the church, and are greatly needed today.
Some years ago, I received a number of copies of a magazine put out by a certain minister in Texas. In it he branded all healings of today as the work of the devil. I do not deny that the Bible speaks of spirits of devils working miracles, and Jesus spoke of false prophets, and false christs that would arise, showing “signs and wonders,” which, of course, has come to pass. Yet we strongly disagree with the idea that all “healings” are the work of evil spirits.
We firmly believe that divine healing is taught in the Bible: “The Scriptures record instances of healing as performed, not. only by Jesus, but also by the apostles and other New Testament preachers, and by the prophets of the Old Testament period. Notable among the healings described in the Old Testament are those of Naaman and Hezekiah. The first of these men was a great Syrian military leader and the other one of the greatest kings of Judah. Both were men of intelligence thoroughly competent to judge as to the reality of their diseases and cures. Naaman was afflicted with leprosy, a disease incurable by any human method then known. But by obedience to the command of Elisha, the prophet, in dipping himself seven times in the waters of the Jordan he was instantly cured entirely of the leprosy. Elisha ascribed the healing to the power of God.
“In fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies (Isaiah 35:4-6; Matthew 8:16, 17) Jesus healed many. He healed’ all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people’ (Matthew 4:23; 9:35). He healed all who came to Him. None were turned away. ...
“After the crucifixion of Jesus His apostles continued to perform wonderful healings. Peter healed the lame man at the gate of the temple (Acts 3:2), also Aeneas of Lydda, who was similarly afflicted (Acts 9:34). Paul healed the lame man at Lystra (Acts 14:10), and many at Ephesus and elsewhere (Acts 19:12). Neither was power to heal limited to the apostles as is sometimes affirmed. Stephen and Philip, the evange- lists, were instrumental in wonderful healings (Acts 6:8; 8:7). To deny the reality of these miracles of healing is to deny the credibility of the Scriptures. “Contrary to a prevalent idea, divine healing did not cease with the death of the apostles. Because of the early declension of true Christianity and spirituality there came gradually a cessation of divine healing in a great measure, yet reliable history testifies to healings as being common in the second and third centuries, and there is evidence it did not entirely cease at any time, even during the Dark Ages.” R. R. Byrum, Christian Theology, pages 488-490.
Divine healing is: being healed by divine power without the aid of drugs, operations, etc. Some people get well through the operation of the laws of nature, and I’m sure such people are grateful for being made well, but such is not divine healing. Divine healing takes place when God sets aside the law of nature, and through His intervention a person is made well. It is true that in some cases of divine healing the laws of nature play a part. For instance, if a person had a disease that was in the process of killing them, and God, in answer to the prayer of faith, destroyed the disease germs, and thus stopped the disease, nature could take over and bring the person back to health.
Some would try to reason away divine healing by saying it is not in the atonement; to this Byrum replies: “Because physical disease and pain are the consequence of sin and in a measure a penalty for sin, it is proper to expect provisions in the redemptive work of Christ for the overcoming of physical disease. It is true that redemption is not complete until the resurrection of men’s bodies, but the sting of death is now removed so it is ‘gain’ to the Christian rather than a penalty. But reason leads one to believe the great work of Christ’s redemption ought to include provisions for deliverance from physical suffering in this life. Unless it does provide for physical healing it is certainly not a complete redemption. But we believe it is a perfect redemption and should therefore expect to find healing for the body therein. And in this expectation we are not disappointed.