The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Sign Gifts

Tom,

It is not saying that only the apostles had the gifts - that would be clearly contrary to Scripture. Rather, what it is saying is that the purpose of the gifts was to validate the apostolic ministry - that is, the message the apostles preached was proven by the gifts that accompanied the message. The gifts were present in all quarters of the church, but only during the apostolic era, where they were necessary to validate the passing of the Mosaic Covenant because of the death & resurrection of Christ, & the expansion of the visible church from the nation of Israel to professing believers of all nations.