Spiritual Gifts
We present as the ground-work of the scriptural doctrine of the
perpetuity of spiritual gifts, the original commission.
Mark 16:15-20
. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel
to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; But
he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow
them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils, they shall
speak with new tongues, they shall take up serpents, and if they drink
any deadly thing it shall not hurt them. They shall lay hands on the
sick and they shall recover. So then, after the Lord had spoken unto
them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with
them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.”
Matthew 28:18-20
. “All power is given unto me in heaven and in
earth. Go Ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and Lo,
I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
This high commission relates to the gospel, to faith, to baptism,
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to salvation, and to spiritual gifts. The gospel was to be preached
as long as there were sinners to hear it. Faith is equally requisite
throughout the Christian age. Baptism is a perpetual ordinance in the
church, and the ministers of the nineteenth century baptize “In the
name of the father, and of the son, and of the Holy Ghost,” Because
the original commission requires it. The terms of salvation stated
in this commission were to be held out as long as sinners might be
saved. Running parallel with all these, we find in the same commission
spiritual gifts. In the absence of proof that the gifts were to be restricted
to any particular age of the Christian Church, this commission alone
is sufficient evidence of their perpetuity.
Some make a distinction between the apostles, and those who
should believe on their word, on this wise: the apostles had the gifts,
the believers were not to have them; and they think they see this distinc-
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