Are the gifts of the Spirit still for today?
Answered by New Wine
Yes. The gifts of the Spirit are active and available to believers today, and nothing in Scripture marks an expiration date on them.
What the Text Actually Says
Paul grounds the gifts in purpose, not in the apostles' credentials:
"To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."
1 Corinthians 12:7
He is writing to ordinary Christians in Corinth, not to authors of Scripture. If the gifts exist to build up the body, the need they meet has not gone anywhere.
Then he tells them to act on it. Believers are to earnestly desire the higher gifts (1 Corinthians 12:31), to desire to prophesy, and not to forbid speaking in tongues (1 Corinthians 14:39).
Paul also commands the church not to quench the Spirit or despise prophecies, but to test everything (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21). Testing assumes the gifts are in operation.
Continuing Until the Lord Returns
According to Derek Prince, Paul's opening words to the Corinthians settle the timeline. The church is enriched in all utterance and knowledge, lacking no gift as it waits for the revealing of our Lord (1 Corinthians 1:7-8). The gifts continue until Jesus comes.
Peter's quotation of Joel on the Day of Pentecost points the same direction. God pours out His Spirit on all flesh, and sons and daughters prophesy (Acts 2:17-18). Daniel Kolenda observes that Peter called this the last days, and we have been in them ever since. Scripture never says the outpouring tapers off.
No passage in the New Testament treats the gifts as passing away before Christ returns.
Why This Matters
Cessationist friends hold a different view, and many of them love the Lord and the Word deeply. The disagreement is settled by the biblical case, not by tone: the texts that govern the gifts are written to the whole church, in the present tense, with commands attached.
Robert Girouard adds a guardrail worth keeping. The gifts are not for selfish use or vain display. They are given for the common good, and love is what gives them meaning.
The same Spirit who gave the gifts to the first church is still distributing them as He wills.
Desire them, steward them in love, and test everything.
Sources
New Wine drew this answer from these teachings.
- The Heresy of Cessationism 1 (The Scriptures) — Daniel Kolenda
- Selected Bible Studies — Robert Girouard
- How To Exercise Spiritual Gifts — Derek Prince
- Expositions of Holy Scripture - 1 Corinthians — Alexander Maclaren
