Heb 2 verse 3 and 4?

[earl40]

3How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

4God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

Can this be a scriptural evidence that signs and wonders have already ceased by the time Hebrews was written?

 

[baron]

I read some where that is what John MacArthur teaches. That is why he says Paul did not write Hebrews. This is a second generation christain and the gifts had ceased. I do not have a link though.

My HCSB says: The gospel was verified to its first hearers by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts, from the Holy Spirit as the church was in its foundational stages. The word of God is now verified by the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit, so there seems no further need for such spectacular acts of verification. Page 2116.

 

[eqdj]

After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.

NASB
That's how I read it.

 

[Peairtach]

and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

4God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

The signs and wonders were done by those that had heard Christ in the flesh. Although it is an argument from silence, it could be inferred that signs and wonders weren't done by those who hadn't heard Him in the flesh.

Signs and wonders wouldn't be evidence of someone having received a commission from Christ while He was on Earth, if all subsequent Christian generations had people with the spiritual gifts of healing, miracles, prophecy, tongues and the interpretation of tongues.

It would cause confusion particularly in that early period, but also in subsequent periods.

Some believe that the sign gifts were only for the Thirteen Apostles and those who were under their ministry to whom they imparted them. See e.g. Walter Chantry's "Signs of the Apostles" (BoT). After that, true sign gifts died out.

But there is more biblical evidence against ongoing signs and wonders in the Church, than this text.

 

[schwarzeneggerchia]

What is proof text for cessationism? Since God is sovereign, why can't He break into history as in the time of the Great Awakening of Jonathan Edwards where the Holy Spirit brought great conviction into the hearts of the people?

 

[Peairtach]

What is proof text for cessationism? Since God is sovereign, why can't He break into history as in the time of the Great Awakening of Jonathan Edwards where the Holy Spirit brought great conviction into the hearts of the people?

No cessationist says that God has stopped bringing "great conviction into the hearts of the people" with the close of the canon of Scripture.

Cessationism is about the ceasing of the offices of apostle and prophet and the gifts of prophecy, gift of tongues, gift of the interpretation of tongues, gift of healing and gift of miracles along with the close of the canon of Scripture.

Try doing a search in the Pneumatology section of the PB for the biblical evidence for such a cessation.