Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Religion News
Cessationism: Did God Really Stop Healing People?

Cessationism: Did God Really Stop Healing People?

Last updated on: October 26, 2026 at 7:58 pm by Shawn Paul Wood

0 Comments

Cessationism: Did God Really Stop Healing People? 2026-10-26T19:58:56-05:00 Shawn Paul Wood

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Apparently, somebody forgot to tell God that miracles have an expiration date—yes, adherents of cessationism, we’re looking at you.

That’s the impression you might get from a recent CBN News interview with Christian apologist Gavin Ortlund. Ortlund, founder of Truth Unites, believes Christians have become unnecessarily embarrassed by the supernatural. Angels, demons, miraculous healing, divine intervention.

Think about that: You need a miracle, but you’re embarrassed to ask the absolute only person who can provide one. Miracles are not embarrassing footnotes to Christianity; they’re part of its foundation.

Ortlund also reminds believers of something worth celebrating: The compassionate heart of Jesus hasn’t changed. That means he came to the realization that what God did in the first 39 books of the Bible and what Jesus accomplished in the last 27… can still happen today.

Well, hallelujah! Somebody ought to tell the rest of the church, namely those trolls sitting in overflow.

Because depending on which sanctuary you visit Sunday morning, you’ll hear dramatically different explanations of what that compassion means for someone battling cancer, facing bankruptcy, or praying over a sick child.

One pastor teaches cessationism. Another embraces continuationism. Down the street, a charismatic minister declares healing belongs to every believer through Christ’s finished work.

NOW, here’s the rub: All three carry Bibles love Jesus and can produce chapter and verse. Oh yes, all three are worship Jesus, love God’s Word and are going to heaven.

So, uh, who in the world is right?

BUT FIRST…

If you enjoy Close to Home, consider subscribing to the Patheos Close to Home newsletter. We examine the places where faith, culture, Scripture and everyday life meet, occasionally stepping on a few toes along the way. Join us for more stories that encourage believers to think about what they believe and why.

What Are Christians Actually Arguing About?

sticks with question bubbles on a country hill

(Image Credit: Pexels)

Before someone starts throwing theological furniture around, let’s establish something important.

Cessationism doesn’t mean God stopped performing miracles. Most cessationists believe God still heals and answers prayer. They contend that certain miraculous gifts, including prophecy, tongues, and gifts of healing, ceased after the apostolic era.
Continuationism holds that those gifts remain available today.
Charismatic Christianity generally falls within continuationism, although some charismatic and Word of Faith teachings go considerably further in their views on healing and prosperity.

These aren’t three neatly separated theological teams playing for the same championship.

The Greek word charismata describes gifts of grace. According to 1 Corinthians 12:7–11, the Holy Spirit distributes these gifts for the common good.

The question is whether some were intended only for the church’s infancy. And whether centuries of interpretation have created more confusion than clarity.

1. Cessationism: When Did God Retire the Miraculous Gifts?

Church in the shadows is something Christians can change, despite God's messengers

It’s a dark day when you think God is withholding something. (Image Credit: Pixabay)

John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, and modern apologists who are respected and beloved such as Voddie Baucham have represented forms of cessationism. (Yup, that can be stunning.) Their reasoning deserves more respect than the occasional charismatic caricature suggesting cessationists believe God went out of business after Revelation.

Cessationism emphasizes the apostles’ unique role in establishing Christianity.

Ephesians 2:20 describes the church as built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.
Hebrews 2:3–4 connects miraculous signs with God’s confirmation of the gospel message.
Paul tells believers to desire spiritual gifts, particularly prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:1).
He explicitly instructs them not to forbid speaking in tongues (1 Corinthians 14:39).

The argument follows that once the apostolic foundation was established, certain accompanying gifts were no longer necessary. GotQuestions presents this cessationist interpretation, emphasizing that God remains capable of miracles even if particular gifts no longer operate.

Fair enough. There’s biblical reasoning behind the position. But Paul carved the splinter in that theological floorboard when speaking to the Church of Corinth. Where does Scripture revoke those instructions?

First Corinthians 13:8–12 promises that certain gifts will cease when to teleion, the Greek expression translated “the perfect” or “the complete,” arrives.

Paul’s accompanying description of seeing face-to-face and knowing fully points many interpreters toward Christ’s return rather than the completion of the biblical canon.

Cessationism must therefore demonstrate not merely that gifts will cease, but that Scripture establishes their cessation before Christ returns.

That’s a considerably harder case to make.

2. Continuationism: What If God Still Gives Miraculous Gifts?

Cessationism believes certain gifts from God do not exist.

A gift from God would look like this (Image Credit: Plusrekeisha Dunlap via Freepik)

John Piper is an outspoken continuationist. Billy Graham likewise affirmed the continuing work and gifts of the Holy Spirit, although his approach was less closely identified with contemporary charismatic practice.

Their theological emphasis recognizes an important truth: The Holy Spirit hasn’t surrendered His authority.

First Corinthians 12:11 says the Spirit distributes gifts according to His will.
James 5:14–16 instructs church elders to pray for the sick and anoint them with oil.

No expiration date appears in either passage.

In fact, Andrew Wilson’s scholarly defense of continuing spiritual gifts argues that New Testament commands to pursue these gifts remain binding unless Scripture provides compelling reasons to the contrary.

Church history complicates cessationism further. Continuationism therefore has substantial biblical and historical support (scholars: read Irenaeus and Augustine), with recorded accounts of miraculous activity after the apostles.

And if the question of modern prophecy interests you, a recent post of ours, “This Filmmaker Is Making a Movie to Find a Real Prophet,” explores how the same controversy continues playing out in contemporary Christianity.

However, it doesn’t follow that every prayer produces the requested miracle.

Paul describes his own unanswered plea concerning a persistent affliction (2 Corinthians 12:7–10). The guy was not some spiritual amateur who forgot how faith works. Paul was that dude, and even he got beyond frustrated with his life and a spell with no answers.

Paul or Peter, Abraham to Jacob, and all the rest of us have to realize that divine sovereignty and human expectation aren’t interchangeable. Continuationism recognizes that God’s kingdom has arrived through Christ, while its complete restoration remains future (Revelation 21:4).

God still heals. God still intervenes. Whether He has promised to do so every time is another question entirely, which is why this topic and question exists.

3. Charismatic Christianity: Doesn’t God Want Us Healed?

Hand raised in praise of Jesus in front of neon Jesus sign.

Hand to God! Going to Church is good for your health. (Image Credit: Matt Botsford via Unsplash)

Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Jack Hayford, and Bill Johnson have helped generations of Christians embrace the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.

Their doctrines aren’t identical. Particularly within Word of Faith teaching. However, divine healing is often understood as a present benefit secured through Christ’s atonement.

Consider Isaiah 53:5, where the suffering servant’s wounds bring healing.
Peter applies that passage to Christ in 1 Peter 2:24.

The Hebrew rapha and Greek iaomai can both describe physical healing. Yet their meanings must be established by context, not simply selected from a dictionary.

Peter connects Christ’s wounds to believers who are dying to sin and living in righteousness. That verse in 1 Peter describes wandering sheep returning to their Shepherd. That context unmistakably concerns spiritual restoration. It doesn’t necessarily preclude physical healing, but it doesn’t automatically guarantee perfect physical health today either.

Then there’s 3 John 2, where John expresses his desire that Gaius prosper and enjoy good health as his soul prospers. It’s a beautiful sentiment. Who wouldn’t want that blessing? Still, a personal greeting isn’t necessarily a universal covenant promising every Christian financial abundance and lifelong health.

Likewise, Jeremiah 17:14 expresses extraordinary confidence in God’s healing power. Its immediate context is a prophet’s prayer amid opposition, not a systematic promise concerning every future illness.

This is where interpretation can get expensive. As explored in No, Jamal Bryant, Abracadabra Doesn’t Mean Romans 4:17, there’s a difference between trusting God’s Word and treating biblical language like a spiritual vending machine.

Charismatic Christianity deserves credit for refusing to relegate God’s compassion to ancient history. The difficulty arises when confidence in God’s ability becomes certainty about what God must do.

Scripture invites believers to pray with faith. It also teaches them to trust God’s wisdom when the answer differs from their expectations.

4. The Real Authority Problem Isn’t God. It’s Us.

A man kneeling in church praying at the altar.

Feeling alone in church? Evidently, it’s common. (Image Credit: Pexels via Pixabay)

The Bible hasn’t changed. Yet Christians continue developing competing interpretations of what its promises mean.

Cessationism argues that certain gifts fulfilled their historical purpose.
Continuationism maintains that those gifts remain available.
Some charismatic traditions insist that healing and prosperity belong to believers through Christ’s redemptive work.

Each position appeals to Scripture. Yet, appealing to Scripture and accurately interpreting Scripture aren’t necessarily the same thing.

Acts 17:11 commends the Bereans for examining the Scriptures to determine whether Paul’s preaching was true.

Think about that: They checked an apostle’s teaching against God’s Word. If Paul wasn’t exempt from examination, Calvin and Bauchman, Piper and Graham, Hagin and Copeland certainly are not either.

The interesting paradox is that they all knew that. The internet trolls who shun miracles forget that. Same for the charismaniacs who assume their way to the throne room is the only way.

MEMO: It’s not. Sure, it may take longer to experience all God has to offer, but in the end, we’ll see each other if we believe Jesus is truly the Son of God and rose for our sins.

After weighing the biblical arguments, continuationism offers the stronger case regarding the availability of miraculous gifts. Scripture repeatedly encourages their pursuit without clearly announcing their permanent withdrawal.

However, the biblical case for guaranteed physical healing and financial prosperity for every believer is substantially weaker. The distinction matters.

Luke 10:19 speaks of authority given to Jesus’ disciples, but that authority never makes believers sovereign over God’s decisions.
Even Jesus submitted His will to the Father in Gethsemane (Luke 22:42).

Christian faith rests upon God’s character and promises, not upon the certainty that every desired outcome will occur. And when a person is suffering, that difference isn’t academic.

That is the premise of authority in our lives as we connect to the heart of God.

Five Questions Before You Believe Another Teaching About Healing

A man balances on a cliff staring in the sunset facing a horizon

The point of discipleship is learning how to examine the Word rather than simply inheriting someone else’s conclusions.(Image Credit: Jacub Gomez via Pexels)

Perhaps the best thing a new Christian can do is stop asking which famous preacher to believe and start learning how to examine what the Bible actually teaches.

What does the passage say in context? Identify the speaker, audience, historical setting, and surrounding argument.
What do the original words mean? Examine the Hebrew or Greek without forcing every possible definition into one verse.
Is this a command, promise, prayer, or description? Those categories matter enormously when developing doctrine.
Does this interpretation survive comparison with other passages? Read Isaiah 53 alongside 1 Peter 2, James 5, 2 Corinthians 12, and Revelation 21.
Does this teaching point toward Christ or dependence on a particular teacher? Test everything and hold fast to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

These questions won’t resolve two thousand years of theological disagreement over Sunday lunch. They will help believers recognize the difference between the authority of Scripture and the authority someone claims while interpreting it.

And that’s the point of discipleship: learning how to examine the Word rather than simply inheriting someone else’s conclusions. It’s also why Discipleship 101: How to Help People Find What’s Right matters. Knowing what to believe begins with learning how to test what we’re taught.

The person waiting for biopsy results doesn’t need another theological cage match. They need to know they can pray for healing without being accused of lacking faith if recovery doesn’t come.

They need to know that God’s compassion remains intact even when their circumstances don’t improve. And they deserve a church willing to admit the difference between what Scripture promises and what we desperately wish it promised.

Ortlund was right to remind Christians that the compassionate heart of Jesus hasn’t changed. Perhaps it’s time we stopped measuring that compassion against our favorite theological arguments.

God’s Word never needed defending from His miracles. Maybe it needs defending from our certainty about them.

General Christian

Health, Fitness and Religion

Bible

History

About Shawn Paul Wood

Shawn Paul Wood, Th.D., is an award-winning copywriter, contributor, and content strategist, and ghostwriter of several faith-based articles, speeches, columns, and books who has worked for some of the most admirable brands in their respective industries for over 20 years. As Founder of Woodworks Communications, he leads teams of content strategists and marketing professionals to expand the brands of corporate leaders, serial entrepreneurs, and respected ministers of the Gospel. He aims to help others develop self-discovery through stories and the written word to proclaim the Word to the world. For more information about his portfolio or help telling your story, visit WoodworksCommunications.com. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

October 19, 2026

Election Day With Amos: 3 Lessons for Christian Voters

Who said, "Here am I! Send me"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Moses Isaiah Ezekiel Jeremiah