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Final Word: A Biblical Response to the Case for Tongues and Prophecy Today
A Biblical response to the case for tongues and prophecy today. A call for freshness, spontaneity and life in worship has been resounding through the churches of the English-speaking world, together with a desire to hear God speaking here and now to his people. Many have called for a return to the pattern of worship found in 1 Corinthians 14, merging the biblical emphasis of the Reformation with the vitality of the modern Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. Dr O. Palmer Robertson, pastor and Seminary teacher, currently Director of African Bible College, Uganda, argues from Scripture that preoccupation with tongues and prophecy shows a failure to grasp the fullness of New Testament privileges. The Christ of the Scriptures is the Final Word. All the church will ever need is to be found in him.
136 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1993
10 people are currently reading
168 people want to read
About the author
O. Palmer Robertson
32 books59 followersOwen Palmer Robertson (born August 31, 1937) is an American Christian theologian and biblical scholar. He taught at Reformed Theological Seminary, Westminster Theological Seminary, Covenant Theological Seminary, Knox Theological Seminary as well as at the African Bible Colleges of Malawi and Uganda. He also served as principal of the latter institution.
Robertson is perhaps best known for his book The Christ of the Covenants. His definition of a biblical covenant being "a bond in blood, sovereignly administered" has been widely discussed.
In 2008, a Festschrift was published in his honor. The Hope Fulfilled: Essays in Honor of O. Palmer Robertson included contributions by Bruce Waltke, Richard Gaffin, Robert L. Reymond and George W. Knight III.
Robertson is perhaps best known for his book The Christ of the Covenants. His definition of a biblical covenant being "a bond in blood, sovereignly administered" has been widely discussed.
In 2008, a Festschrift was published in his honor. The Hope Fulfilled: Essays in Honor of O. Palmer Robertson included contributions by Bruce Waltke, Richard Gaffin, Robert L. Reymond and George W. Knight III.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 27, 2013
Excellent book. Robertson traces the foundation and development of prophecy from the Old Testament Scriptures, demonstrating the prophecy of the New Testament to be the same gift. He focuses on the purpose of the revelatory gifts, shows that purpose fulfilled, and thus demonstrates those gifts are no longer operative nor needed. Robertson also gives a careful response to specific objections and arguments from a continuist perspective. Well worth the read to sort this knotty subject.
July 30, 2019
This short read is so helpful in speaking on prophesy and if it is still happening today. Very relevant for those who use the term “God told me to...” I would recommend it as it has practical implications for decision making and holding Scripture as sufficient
February 12, 2019
Helpful and succinct book to consider if you are looking to understand the cessationist perspective concerning supernatural gifts of the Spirit and their place in the church today.
October 12, 2020
Wow. This is one of those books you expect to be good for sure, but nowhere near as good as it actually was. I used to be a continuationist, then in the past few years I started to lean cessationist. And now, after reading this book especially, I am very firmly in the cessationist camp—more firmly than I ever thought I could be. (Previously, I would say that I see great arguments on both sides. Now I think the Bible very heavily is cessationist.)
Specifically, Robertson shows that prophecy in the Old and New Testaments was speaking God’s very words, as it always was. Joel prophesies in Joel 2 a time when God’s gospel and Spirit would come and there would be many prophets—many people he would infallibly speak through. Then Peter says that day began at Pentecost. Moreover, tongues was prophecy in foreign languages—both as a sign of judgment on unbelieving Israel (as God prophesied it would be) and as a way for the gospel to go to the nations. And now that the “mysterion” of the gospel has been delivered by God’s foundational apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20; 3:5), and since the good deposit of the faith (see the Pastoral Epistles) has been delivered by the apostles and prophets in the last days, we should expect no more for God to infallibly speak through people. He has spoken through his apostles and prophets, declaring the new covenant gospel mystery, and it has been inscripturated. In this way, the prophetic role has been fulfilled—he has spoken to us in his Son (Hebrews 1).
More could be said; please don’t take that weak summative paragraph as Robertson’s whole argument! But this book was incredibly persuasive biblically and even scholarly as he deals with many of Grudem’s points.
I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. Please read it if you’re struggling with the topic at all or are curious. You’ll be amazed at how clear, readable, and biblically convincing Robertson is.
Specifically, Robertson shows that prophecy in the Old and New Testaments was speaking God’s very words, as it always was. Joel prophesies in Joel 2 a time when God’s gospel and Spirit would come and there would be many prophets—many people he would infallibly speak through. Then Peter says that day began at Pentecost. Moreover, tongues was prophecy in foreign languages—both as a sign of judgment on unbelieving Israel (as God prophesied it would be) and as a way for the gospel to go to the nations. And now that the “mysterion” of the gospel has been delivered by God’s foundational apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20; 3:5), and since the good deposit of the faith (see the Pastoral Epistles) has been delivered by the apostles and prophets in the last days, we should expect no more for God to infallibly speak through people. He has spoken through his apostles and prophets, declaring the new covenant gospel mystery, and it has been inscripturated. In this way, the prophetic role has been fulfilled—he has spoken to us in his Son (Hebrews 1).
More could be said; please don’t take that weak summative paragraph as Robertson’s whole argument! But this book was incredibly persuasive biblically and even scholarly as he deals with many of Grudem’s points.
I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. Please read it if you’re struggling with the topic at all or are curious. You’ll be amazed at how clear, readable, and biblically convincing Robertson is.
February 18, 2020
As the debate over the "sign gifts" of the Holy Spirit is such a nuanced one, it's difficult to find writing on either side of the fence that satisfactorily establishes one viewpoint or refutes another. Not being a Biblical scholar, I would need to sit down with a Greek New Testament and some reference works and pore over each argument and bullet point made in this book to feel comfortable offering a detailed review, so this will be a somewhat basic overview from a novice on the topic at hand.
Robertson in this book argues for what is generally referred to as the "cessationist" viewpoint. In doing so, he takes particular aim at Reformed continuationism, devoting special attention to the arguments of Wayne Grudem. In light of the many books that address the mainstream charismatic movement and its more visible excesses, this book, in addressing a more nuanced viewpoint that claims to avoid the shortcomings of the charismatic movement, has the potential to be a welcome addition to the literature.
At the risk of simplification, Palmer's argument for cessationism can be boiled down to a few key points:
1) The prophetic ministry of the New Testament is a continuation of the prophetic ministry of the Old Testament. It represents prophetic utterances of inspired revelation. There is no other prophetic ministry depicted in Scripture, and so the cessation of "OT prophecy" is in fact the cessation of all prophecy.
2) We should make a greater effort to find our joy in the sufficiency and finality of the Word of God, and to have a fuller appreciation of the "ordinary" (yet truly amazing) means of grace (Scripture, prayer, sacraments, fellowship) and their gradual but unmistakable work in the lives of believers.
3) Continuationism (more specifically, the brand of Reformed continuationism advocated by Wayne Grudem), is a flawed attempt to find some good in the errors of the charismatic movement by blending charismatic beliefs with Reformed theology. In so doing it introduces confusion into the church and into the life of the believer, denigrates the prophetic office, and actually risks binding consciences and imposing spiritually distracting burdens on Christians.
Although I find the main lines of Robertson's argument helpful, some red flags were raised along the way. First, his statement that all prophecy was divinely inspired leads him to the conclusion that there is divinely inspired material not recorded in Scripture. In one sense, this is not terribly far-fetched; I already acknowledge that Scripture, while it only contains truth, does not contain all truth about every subject ever. However, in light of his desire to emphasize the superiority of the final and complete revelation of God in Scripture over and against the incompleteness of Old Covenant revelation, this conclusion might perhaps be weighed more carefully or balanced by clear assertions that any truth not contained in Scripture is intentionally deemed by God not to be of central import. John's statement about the voluminousness of Jesus' words and deeds must be explained in light of his decision not to include anything other than what is contained in his gospel.
Second, Robertson explains New Testament references to prophesy in 1 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians by arguing that different New Testament writings fall in different stages of the church's development. In other words, epistles like Ephesians and the Pastorals, with their diminished emphasis on miraculous gifts and greater focus on church offices and structures, reflect a growing recognition of an accepted and finalized body of inspired revelation not present in earlier writings. Robertson defends this by noting the many ceremonial and civil laws imposed on the nation of Israel that, while representing divinely inspired content, are clearly no longer applicable to us today. However, he establishes no basis for taking a hermeneutical principle used to interpret Old Covenant ceremonial law and applying it to New Testament epistles. It seems possible that this might undermine the universal relevance of some New Testament writings, make them "lesser" or "inferior" in some way; and this contextualization seems to me to be a risky thing, no different in principle from contextualizations of Paul's views of women in ministry, or of his views on homosexuality. At the very least, it's a problematic application of a valid hermeneutical principle in the wrong place.
Thirdly, his attempt to counter a wrongly "precisionist" approach to Biblical prophecy falls somewhat short. He simply argues that prophecies are "broadly accurate" rather than showing the way in which many of the prophecies mentioned actually do come true in more than just the broad brushstrokes.
Lastly, he focuses primarily on the gifts of prophesy and tongues. He does not give much attention to the gift of healing; nor does he give sufficient space to the issue of paranormal happenings on the frontiers of gospel ministry, such as visions of Jesus, demons, or angels. He does not address reported instances of speaking in tongues that DO appear to be modern-day iterations of this gift as described in Scripture, or the possibility that if the sign gifts have ceased that God can still choose to work miraculously. In pointing out these omissions I am not intending to argue for or against these things, but instead merely stating that I wish he would devote some more space to addressing them, even if it's just to point out that they are not properly speaking pertinent to the topic at hand.
Overall, I found this book to be a well-written and helpful read on a challenging topic. I hope at some point to be able to devote its arguments to closer scrutiny, and I would recommend it to those interested in the debate over the sign gifts.
Robertson in this book argues for what is generally referred to as the "cessationist" viewpoint. In doing so, he takes particular aim at Reformed continuationism, devoting special attention to the arguments of Wayne Grudem. In light of the many books that address the mainstream charismatic movement and its more visible excesses, this book, in addressing a more nuanced viewpoint that claims to avoid the shortcomings of the charismatic movement, has the potential to be a welcome addition to the literature.
At the risk of simplification, Palmer's argument for cessationism can be boiled down to a few key points:
1) The prophetic ministry of the New Testament is a continuation of the prophetic ministry of the Old Testament. It represents prophetic utterances of inspired revelation. There is no other prophetic ministry depicted in Scripture, and so the cessation of "OT prophecy" is in fact the cessation of all prophecy.
2) We should make a greater effort to find our joy in the sufficiency and finality of the Word of God, and to have a fuller appreciation of the "ordinary" (yet truly amazing) means of grace (Scripture, prayer, sacraments, fellowship) and their gradual but unmistakable work in the lives of believers.
3) Continuationism (more specifically, the brand of Reformed continuationism advocated by Wayne Grudem), is a flawed attempt to find some good in the errors of the charismatic movement by blending charismatic beliefs with Reformed theology. In so doing it introduces confusion into the church and into the life of the believer, denigrates the prophetic office, and actually risks binding consciences and imposing spiritually distracting burdens on Christians.
Although I find the main lines of Robertson's argument helpful, some red flags were raised along the way. First, his statement that all prophecy was divinely inspired leads him to the conclusion that there is divinely inspired material not recorded in Scripture. In one sense, this is not terribly far-fetched; I already acknowledge that Scripture, while it only contains truth, does not contain all truth about every subject ever. However, in light of his desire to emphasize the superiority of the final and complete revelation of God in Scripture over and against the incompleteness of Old Covenant revelation, this conclusion might perhaps be weighed more carefully or balanced by clear assertions that any truth not contained in Scripture is intentionally deemed by God not to be of central import. John's statement about the voluminousness of Jesus' words and deeds must be explained in light of his decision not to include anything other than what is contained in his gospel.
Second, Robertson explains New Testament references to prophesy in 1 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians by arguing that different New Testament writings fall in different stages of the church's development. In other words, epistles like Ephesians and the Pastorals, with their diminished emphasis on miraculous gifts and greater focus on church offices and structures, reflect a growing recognition of an accepted and finalized body of inspired revelation not present in earlier writings. Robertson defends this by noting the many ceremonial and civil laws imposed on the nation of Israel that, while representing divinely inspired content, are clearly no longer applicable to us today. However, he establishes no basis for taking a hermeneutical principle used to interpret Old Covenant ceremonial law and applying it to New Testament epistles. It seems possible that this might undermine the universal relevance of some New Testament writings, make them "lesser" or "inferior" in some way; and this contextualization seems to me to be a risky thing, no different in principle from contextualizations of Paul's views of women in ministry, or of his views on homosexuality. At the very least, it's a problematic application of a valid hermeneutical principle in the wrong place.
Thirdly, his attempt to counter a wrongly "precisionist" approach to Biblical prophecy falls somewhat short. He simply argues that prophecies are "broadly accurate" rather than showing the way in which many of the prophecies mentioned actually do come true in more than just the broad brushstrokes.
Lastly, he focuses primarily on the gifts of prophesy and tongues. He does not give much attention to the gift of healing; nor does he give sufficient space to the issue of paranormal happenings on the frontiers of gospel ministry, such as visions of Jesus, demons, or angels. He does not address reported instances of speaking in tongues that DO appear to be modern-day iterations of this gift as described in Scripture, or the possibility that if the sign gifts have ceased that God can still choose to work miraculously. In pointing out these omissions I am not intending to argue for or against these things, but instead merely stating that I wish he would devote some more space to addressing them, even if it's just to point out that they are not properly speaking pertinent to the topic at hand.
Overall, I found this book to be a well-written and helpful read on a challenging topic. I hope at some point to be able to devote its arguments to closer scrutiny, and I would recommend it to those interested in the debate over the sign gifts.
December 31, 2021
Helpful in some respects, and unhelpful in others. I have found a worrying trend in these sorts of books which cover controversial doctrine. They seem to devote far too much of their book to negating the arguments of one specific person on the other side of the debate. Now, I think in any good argument one should be able to negate the opposing side’s arguments, but in a book as short as this one, to devote as many pages as it does is only a detriment. To be fair to this book, it has some very eye-opening and marvellous points, but I don’t think it is convincing enough for the side it takes, and that is coming from someone who leans in that direction doctrinally.
March 5, 2012
This small and dense book is not the easiest read, but it's definitely worth reading if you've ever had questions about the gifts of tongues and prophecy. Robertson argues well for a cessationist position, interacting not only with Scripture, but also in particular with Wayne Grudem and his formulation of ordinary, congregational prophecy as it exists in the church today. Even if you are not a cessationist, Robertson's views are certainly worth considering.
I highly recommend this book.
I highly recommend this book.
Read
July 22, 2013The most honest look at the gifts of tongues and prophecy in light of Scripture and the present confusion. Agree 100% with this very scholarly work.
December 3, 2022
I picked up this book because my wife and I disagreed on the question of gifts and their continuation into the present day. Admittedly I am a cessationist, so this book was confirming my point of view, but my point of view prior to reading this book was not a biblical argument and more of a "it just seems absurd" and "I've never personally experienced it." I therefore owe Dr. Robertson a great deal for providing the exegetical truth on this matter.
The first thing is that this book is deceptively small, and yet densely packed. Although I've finished the book, I am rereading the section on tongues. If you find yourself zoning out and finishing an entire page, you NEED to go back and read it carefully. Robertson wastes no space or ink on inconsequential ponderings.
The cessationist point is well made, and I feel equipped to provide some basic arguments for holding the position. In short, my understanding is: prophecy is always revelational, but revelation has ceased. Revelation was necessary in the apostolic age to build the foundation of our faith, but with the foundation laid by the apostles, the need for continuing revelation no longer exists, since we have the full written Scriptures. These Scriptures provide all that the church needs to exercise faith and continually grow in grace and understanding. Furthermore the continuation of revelation would destabilize the church and hinder its growth and freedom, as well as remove the authority of Scripture.
I think Robertson explores a heavily exegetical topic in a way that is simultaneously accessible to those not trained in theology, philosophy, or logic, and to those that are. I highly recommend this book to anyone asking questions about the charismatic gifts and their place in the new convent church.
The first thing is that this book is deceptively small, and yet densely packed. Although I've finished the book, I am rereading the section on tongues. If you find yourself zoning out and finishing an entire page, you NEED to go back and read it carefully. Robertson wastes no space or ink on inconsequential ponderings.
The cessationist point is well made, and I feel equipped to provide some basic arguments for holding the position. In short, my understanding is: prophecy is always revelational, but revelation has ceased. Revelation was necessary in the apostolic age to build the foundation of our faith, but with the foundation laid by the apostles, the need for continuing revelation no longer exists, since we have the full written Scriptures. These Scriptures provide all that the church needs to exercise faith and continually grow in grace and understanding. Furthermore the continuation of revelation would destabilize the church and hinder its growth and freedom, as well as remove the authority of Scripture.
I think Robertson explores a heavily exegetical topic in a way that is simultaneously accessible to those not trained in theology, philosophy, or logic, and to those that are. I highly recommend this book to anyone asking questions about the charismatic gifts and their place in the new convent church.
July 5, 2022
Do spiritual gifts exist today? A lot of Christians usually assert that they do but does it hold biblically true? The author does a good job of demonstrating the original purpose of the gifts and he also makes a case why they aren’t for today but rather ended with the apostolic age. Once he demonstrates that he deals with the historical flaws that have come with people that have advocated for a continuation of the spiritual gifts for today and he has chanted the desperate need to be like the Reformers and hold tight to the word of God rather than looking for something more than what’s been revealed.
December 22, 2025
In the Final Word, O. Palmer Robertson does an excellent job refuting the popular idea of continuing revelation in the New Covenant Church. In the first half of the book, Robertson establishes the cessationist position--explaining the original purpose of prophecy and tongues. He then moves to successfully dismantling the continuationist position by refuting the arguments of Wayne Grudem in the second half of the book. Although a relatively short read, it is packed with careful exegesis and clear argumentation.
December 16, 2024
An excellent book on the issue of the cessation of new revelation and the marvelous sufficiency of scripture. Does a great job arguing that scripture is enough to guide believers today and reveals the problems in the charismatic view of the miraculous spiritual gifts. The author makes great biblical arguments, is fair towards those he disagrees with, and he is an incredibly clear writer. The book is also relatively concise. My new favorite book on prophecy/revelation.
January 1, 2025
A thorough refutation of the idea that the gifts of prophecy and tongues continue today. Robertson demonstrates that the case for tongues and prophecy rests on little to no firm exegesis, and requires a belief that God’s revelation in the Scriptures is incomplete. Such a position would be disastrous for the Christian Faith. The chapter where he takes Wayne Grudem to the woodshed is particularly well done. If I were Wayne I wouldn’t write anymore after this book was published.
November 2, 2023
Exceptionally good book. It was out of print for a while, it seems. The Banner of Truth appears to have re-printed it recently!
I think it is more engaging than Johnny Mac's Strange Fire. Wayne Grudem's weak arguments are quite well refuted, too. A small book but has substantially good and sizable contents!!
I think it is more engaging than Johnny Mac's Strange Fire. Wayne Grudem's weak arguments are quite well refuted, too. A small book but has substantially good and sizable contents!!
May 21, 2024
A really solid refutation of the modern prophecy and tongues movement. He is particularly strong on showing the weakness of the fallible New Testament prophet idea. He also has some good insight on I Corinthians 14.
May 6, 2020
Read this two times in the past two years. Great reminder of the sufficiency of God's word.
April 10, 2021
Short but meaty defense of cessationism. Very good.
February 27, 2025
While many attempt to tackle the question of tongues and prophecies from only a few NT texts, Robertson digs into OT prophecy as well. Recommended.
August 5, 2025
As always, Robertson presents solid biblical-theological arguments. As I reassess my stance on this issue, I found his thoughts and insights extremely helpful.
August 21, 2024
I reread this book after many years, motivated by learning about the manifold “prophecies” of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) about Donald Trump. I find Robertson’s argument about the nature of NT prophets and prophecy convincing: that it was the inspired and inerrant word of God to the church. Even though Robertson is arguing against the views of Wayne Grudem (who ironically has been mixed up in the Eternal Subordination of the Son or ESS controversy of more recent years), his writings can be applied to modern day charismatic “prophecies”. If the NAR has been imbibing Open Theism, it explains why NAR adherents are not disturbed when prophecies don’t come to pass. But it does not align with the biblical view of prophecy that is backed up by the covenant and the Sovereign Lord of the covenant. Palmer Robertson’s book deserves more attention.
January 22, 2023
I really enjoyed reading this book. Robertson reads/sounds like the Grandpa you sit in the living room with and never interrupt him because he has such good things to say.
I grew up in a “charismatic” background, but for many years after coming to a Reformed understanding of soteriology (and theology at large), I still had never done much to understand how the “gifts” of the Spirit functioned in this new Reformed home. I remember hearing people refer to “cessationists” as people who “didn’t believe in the work of the Spirit” and always was confused by that since, although I hadn’t read them specifically on the subject, I had read enough Reformed writers to know that wasn’t true. Was I missing something?
“The Final Word” really helped bridge a lot of gaps in my understanding, expose “straw-men” that are made towards cessasionists for what they really were, and addressed a lot of concerns and questions that I had. Probably one of my favorite parts of the book was at the beginning of ch.3, which was titled “Revelation For Today?” where he invites the reading to consider the end of “revelation” as being not something to avoid, but rather something to welcome.
A length quote, but a worthy quote:
“Think of the end of revelation for a moment in terms of arriving at its goal. What has been the goal of God's revealing himself to sinful men all through the ages? Has the goal been that man might forever have dreams about God? That he might strain continually to make out the exact shape of a vision of deity? Or that he might puzzle through eternity, trying to put into some coherent whole the many odd-shaped pieces of random information about God that keep coming from heaven?
No. It should be obvious. The end-goal of 'revelation' is not the perpetual experience of revelation itself. Revelation instead is a means to an end. It is the way by which the eternal God makes himself known to sinful men who are hopelessly lost apart from his Son the Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation has as its end the making known to men of the one and only God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
Viewed from this perspective, the 'end' of revelation is not something to be regretted. As a matter of fact, ‘the sooner the better' might be the more natural attitude toward the ‘end' of revelation. The sooner a piecemeal process of revelation has been completed, the quicker men can come to know personally and intimately the God who loves sinners in all his fullness as the redeemer of men. So the question may be asked, ‘Where are we now in this process of the self revelation of God to sinners? Where do we stand in relation to the end?'
The writer to the Hebrews answers that question quite
specifically. He recalls the diverse circumstances and ways in which God revealed himself in the past. But noting that the last stage of human history finally has arrived, he asserts that God has now spoken definitively by the embodiment of all truth in the person of his Son (Heb. 1:1). So far as the present form of man's existence is concerned, the end has come! The goal of revelation has been realized! In Jesus Christ revelation from God, in so far as the present era is concerned, has reached its climax. Through knowing him, sinful man today reaches the limit of his capacity to know personally his creator and redeemer.
It is in this context of the arrival of the 'fullness of time' as planned by God that the matter of the end of revelation must be viewed. The termination of revelational activity by God must not be mourned as though it were something like the decease of a favoured friend. Instead it should be viewed as the full opening of a jewelled chest that exposes to view the priceless treasure within. As decoratively beautiful as the chest may be, the substance of the thing is to be found in the full revelation of the treasure within.” (pg. 52-53)
I grew up in a “charismatic” background, but for many years after coming to a Reformed understanding of soteriology (and theology at large), I still had never done much to understand how the “gifts” of the Spirit functioned in this new Reformed home. I remember hearing people refer to “cessationists” as people who “didn’t believe in the work of the Spirit” and always was confused by that since, although I hadn’t read them specifically on the subject, I had read enough Reformed writers to know that wasn’t true. Was I missing something?
“The Final Word” really helped bridge a lot of gaps in my understanding, expose “straw-men” that are made towards cessasionists for what they really were, and addressed a lot of concerns and questions that I had. Probably one of my favorite parts of the book was at the beginning of ch.3, which was titled “Revelation For Today?” where he invites the reading to consider the end of “revelation” as being not something to avoid, but rather something to welcome.
A length quote, but a worthy quote:
“Think of the end of revelation for a moment in terms of arriving at its goal. What has been the goal of God's revealing himself to sinful men all through the ages? Has the goal been that man might forever have dreams about God? That he might strain continually to make out the exact shape of a vision of deity? Or that he might puzzle through eternity, trying to put into some coherent whole the many odd-shaped pieces of random information about God that keep coming from heaven?
No. It should be obvious. The end-goal of 'revelation' is not the perpetual experience of revelation itself. Revelation instead is a means to an end. It is the way by which the eternal God makes himself known to sinful men who are hopelessly lost apart from his Son the Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation has as its end the making known to men of the one and only God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
Viewed from this perspective, the 'end' of revelation is not something to be regretted. As a matter of fact, ‘the sooner the better' might be the more natural attitude toward the ‘end' of revelation. The sooner a piecemeal process of revelation has been completed, the quicker men can come to know personally and intimately the God who loves sinners in all his fullness as the redeemer of men. So the question may be asked, ‘Where are we now in this process of the self revelation of God to sinners? Where do we stand in relation to the end?'
The writer to the Hebrews answers that question quite
specifically. He recalls the diverse circumstances and ways in which God revealed himself in the past. But noting that the last stage of human history finally has arrived, he asserts that God has now spoken definitively by the embodiment of all truth in the person of his Son (Heb. 1:1). So far as the present form of man's existence is concerned, the end has come! The goal of revelation has been realized! In Jesus Christ revelation from God, in so far as the present era is concerned, has reached its climax. Through knowing him, sinful man today reaches the limit of his capacity to know personally his creator and redeemer.
It is in this context of the arrival of the 'fullness of time' as planned by God that the matter of the end of revelation must be viewed. The termination of revelational activity by God must not be mourned as though it were something like the decease of a favoured friend. Instead it should be viewed as the full opening of a jewelled chest that exposes to view the priceless treasure within. As decoratively beautiful as the chest may be, the substance of the thing is to be found in the full revelation of the treasure within.” (pg. 52-53)
July 24, 2020
I despise his writing. It is unclear, confusing, and difficult to follow. That being said, he makes some compelling arguments.
December 11, 2016
In the Final Word, O. Palmer Robertson does an excellent job refuting the popular idea of continuing revelation in the New Covenant Church. In the first half of the book, Robertson establishes the cessationist position--explaining the original purpose of prophecy and tongues. He then moves to successfully dismantling the continuationist position by refuting the arguments of Wayne Grudem in the second half of the book. Although a relatively short read, it is packed with careful exegesis and clear argumentation.
August 3, 2011
A considered response to the issue of tongues and prophesy and one which successfully places these topics in the context of the whole of divine revelation in scripture. Robertson Palmer contends that with the attempts to merge Sola Scriptura with lively experience can only lead to the conclusion that one is inadequate without the other...not a good direction to head. An essential read for those with questions, doubts or a general interest on the topic.
May 30, 2013
The Final Word aims to answer from the Bible questions regarding the charismatic beliefs. It is a biblical approach to understanding what the Bible says regarding tongues & prophecy from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Robertson O Palmer shows how why there is a cessation of the gifts and answers why the Bible is sufficient source of revelation for today.
December 13, 2021
Excelente trabalho exegético unido a boa teologia bíblica.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews