On the Cessation of the Charismata: The Protestant Polemic on Post-biblical Miracles (Word & Spirit Monograph Series) by Jon Mark Ruthven

Author:Jon Mark Ruthven [Ruthven, Jon Mark]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Word & Spirit Press
Published: 2012-01-08T16:00:00+00:00

IV.3. Conclusion

The understanding of Luke’s use of Isa. 59.19–21 as the fulfillment template of Acts 2 and elsewhere solves a number of puzzles:

1) Against the tradition in scholarship that Acts is a confused jumble of sources, the narrative of the Isaiah passage corresponds compellingly with the narrative sequence of Acts, providing a coherent, detailed structure of the Pentecost story. No other Old Testa­ment passage provides a similar sequence.

2) The Isaianic passage outlines the very essence of the new covenant Gospel: its universality and the centrality of the Spirit identified with the redeemer. This correlation of Isaiah and Acts 2 also explains: 3) the choice of supporting prophecies in their sequence, Joel 2 and Ps. 16, respectively; 4) Peter’s address to those in Zion/Jeru­salem contrasted against the actual audience who represented the nations of the world as well as Jesus’ earlier insistence on the disciples’ waiting in Jerusalem/“the city” for the promised/covenant Spirit; 5) Luke’s puzzling fascination with speech/“words” at the various comings of the Spirit (Acts chapters 2, 8, 9, 10–11, 19). It would seem that, beyond the fascination of Pentecostals with Luke’s association of speech with the coming of the Spirit as “evidence” of the Baptism of the Spirit has merit beyond mere rationalistic apologetics. Luke is making a larger point: that the essential fulfillment of the promised new covenant in Spirit and speech is pounded home at each stage the promised covenant advances.

6) The emphasis of the new covenant promise of the Spirit of inspired speech is on its permanence from generation to generation. Isaiah almost obsessively repeats the consequence of the covenant as being permanent to all earthly generations, as does Paul, paraphrasing the same citation in Rom. 11.29.

7) The emphasis upon the power and speech of the Spirit through­out the narrative and in its template, Isa. 59.19–21, shows that the con­clusion of the Pentecost narrative is not simply a call for repentance. Traditional theology simply does not comprehend the full nature of this new covenant: it is not a matter of becoming regenerated by the Spirit as a way of dealing with the cost of sin and attaining heaven. Rather, the reverse: the new covenant sees repentance and baptism only as preparation for the gift and mission of prophethood on all generations, indeed, “all flesh.” The “wonders, signs and mighty works” of Jesus and of his apostles, are normative for every recipient of the promised covenant and are part of the “commission” of the new Israel (Luke 9 and 10; Acts 1.8).

Finally, 8) it would seem that, just as Isaiah 61.1–2 is the “pro­gram­matic” and defining passage for Luke’s first volume, Isaiah 59.21 serves the same role for Luke’s second volume, the Book of Acts. The second programmatic prophecy builds upon the first: the prophetic Spirit of the Lord bestowed upon Jesus in Luke now in Acts is extended to his “children and [his] children’s children” forever. Understanding the sequence of these programmatic passages is important because, just as the church has largely neglected the central

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.