Cessationism and Residency

Cessationism errs concerning residency.  Take a gift that's not controversial as evidence:  The Word of Knowledge.  Those who have it thank God as they see it happen to them, but they don't really break things down into cases.  It's not based on their own desire, per se, but they are glad when God allows them to know a thing.  Or take Helps as the example, seeing that no desire to help another Christian is based on the goodness of the Christian with the gift, but the desire and means to accomplish it all come from God, Who has all the glory of it and is the only praiseworthy person involved.  So it is with healing.  It never was the case that any Christian with that gift could heal every person, even if he wanted to.  But every person whom God wants to use a similarly gifted Christian to heal is healed.  The Christian is the conduit for the power that's expressed, whether in mind, body or spirit.  The Holy Spirit is resident in Christians, and He empowers us to perform the gifts.  A helpful Christian who whores himself to evil becomes less able to help and less able to see where help is truly needed - his gift is not taken away, but God's presence is experienced from a further away distance, and so the practical use of that gift is blunted.  So it is with healing or prophecy.  The Holy Spirit is resident, not the gift, per se.

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