ARE WE DISPENSATIONALISTS GUILTY OF “LIMITING GOD?”
by Shawn Brasseaux
In order to maintain their traditional view of “God healed bodies in the past so He is still doing it,” Charismatics (spiritual-gift people) and their sympathizers claim we dispensationalists are “limiting God” and “putting God in a box.” Who are we to tell God He cannot heal the sick? Who are we to tell God He cannot empower today’s Christians to exercise the spiritual gift of tongues? Charismatics default to these arguments when dealing with those individuals who question their beliefs and activities. Are these claims answerable? (Indeed, they are, and we start replying to them by asking two of our own questions. Who are we to tell God He must heal bodies? Who are we to tell God He must distribute the spiritual gift of tongues to us?) Here in this, our special-edition 700th Bible Q&A article, we gladly take this opportunity to respond to these claims in greater detail.
I. ISSUE #1: THE GREAT DELUGE—TO BE REPEATED, OR NO?
Dear friend, we are all familiar with the Bible story of the Great Deluge, the global flood that came in Noah’s lifetime. The historical record is chapters 6-8 of Genesis, the first Book in the canon of Scripture. What we are interested in here is what Almighty God said following that most catastrophic event. Turn to Genesis chapter 9 and read the facts: “[8] And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, [9] And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; [10] And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. [11] And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
“[12] And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: [13] I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. [14] And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: [15] And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. [16] And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. [17] And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.”
God thrice promised man in the form of a covenant or agreement: “neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood” (verse 11), “neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth” (verse 11), and “the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh” (verse 15). The rainbow in the sky is the “token” or symbol of that Divine promise (verses 12-13,17). Never again will He flood the entire world with water. (This shows us that it was a global flood—certainly not the regional flood that scoffers allege happened.) God swore to us He will never destroy the planet with another flood and we believe He told the truth.
But… wait… if we extend and apply the aforementioned philosophy of the Charismatics, we have generated a real dilemma here. Remember, never should we limit God. It is wholly inappropriate for us to tell Him He cannot flood the whole world again. After all, He can do whatever He wants. How dare we “put God in a box,” how audacious of us to “limit Him,” by saying He will never cause another global deluge! If He wants to flood the world again, He can. Well, dear friend, as you have probably guessed, much sarcasm was employed here to prove a point. These statements are made in complete rebellion to the revealed Word of God.
Is not Almighty God bound to keep His Word? The fact of the matter is that if He promises to do something, He must do it—or He is a liar. We are not putting God in a box. We are not limiting Him. He has put Himself in a box; He has limited Himself. In faith, we are simply acknowledging what He Himself has said concerning the issue! Likewise, when we say that God is not healing physical bodies today and He is not issuing spiritual gifts today, we are merely repeating what God Himself has said in His Word, the Holy Bible. We will deal more fully with that issue later. For now, we must consider a second matter.
II. ISSUE #2: THE MIDDLE WALL OF PARTITION—UP OR DOWN?
Dear friend, Ephesians 2:11-13 is another clear example of God changing His dealings with man: “[11] Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; [12] That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: [13] But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” Is there not a difference between physical circumcision and physical uncircumcision? Yes, there surely is. There was even a time when Almighty God saw a spiritual significance in being physically circumcised and a spiritual disadvantage in being physically uncircumcised (see Genesis 17:1-27). That is not true today. We would have to not want to see it not to see it.
“For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love” (Galatians 5:6). “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature” (Galatians 6:15). Again, who are we to “limit God” and “put God in a box?” Why can we say that physical circumcision is not spiritually beneficial today? Because God said so through the Apostle Paul. How can we say that physical uncircumcision is not spiritually detrimental today? Again, because God said it through Paul. God limited Himself. He is bound by His words today not to treat a Jew any differently than He treats a Gentile (non-Jew). The ground is level at the foot of Calvary’s cross.
In the “but now” (Ephesians 2:13), in the “Dispensation of Grace” (3:2), God sees “no difference” between Jew and Gentile. “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference” (Romans 3:22). “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all” (Colossians 3:11). “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Certainly, this was not true in time past!
Can God lie? Does He lie? Well, if we are to avoid “limiting God,” then how could we confine His words to the realm of truth? After all, as the Charismatics claim, we cannot put Him in a box! The fact of the matter is Hebrews 6:18 already told us “it [is] impossible for God to lie.” We can therefore “limit Him” because He Himself is limited here. He always tells the truth. He never lies. This is an absolute boundary He does not cross at any time. It appears as though we must “put God in a box” here… lest we make Him out to be a liar!
III. ISSUE #3: WHO IS GOD—HE OR WE?
Make no mistake: God is God. As the Creator, He makes the rules. Sinful human flesh rebels against that fact. Man wants to do what he wants to do! “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way…” (Isaiah 53:6). Like a child defying his parents, man challenges God by creating his own set of rules. He deviates from the path God ordained him at Adam’s creation. At this point, it should be stressed that man’s heart misleads him: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). He thinks he is doing God’s will but he is not. He assumes he is doing right but he is not. The defense mechanisms echo even today: “I am not all that bad. Sure, I make a mistake here and there, but I try to do a good deed here and there to make up for my wrongs. In the end, I think I have something good to offer God.”
Human nature has two extremes—asceticism and lasciviousness. The former is the “religious crowd,” those who meticulously observe the rules of piety for the sake of self-discipline. They take great care in denying themselves of worldly pleasures. “We do not drink alcohol, we do not smoke cigarettes, and we do not carouse and commit illicit deeds.” Prayers, fasting, almsgiving, commandments, ceremonies, rites, and rituals mark this course of life. Asceticism promotes human goodness, a way to show God how a human can “self-reform” and “behave.”
The latter is the “loose crowd,” the rough and rowdy bunch. Instead of observing rules as the ascetics, the lascivious crowd has no rules. It is an example of human misbehavior—a complete disregard for order and decency. To the degree the ascetics have “given up” debauched conduct, the lascivious indulge in it. Neither is acceptable to God, for asceticism and lasciviousness alike are but futile attempts to substitute man’s thoughts and works with those of the Lord Jesus Christ. God wants neither self-righteousness (asceticism) nor selfishness (lasciviousness).
Dear friend, Christians need to be careful in that both extremes creep into daily thoughts and behaviors. If we mind the things of the flesh, we will walk after the flesh—and that can result in asceticism, lasciviousness, or both! The Charismatic Movement is a mixture of both. For example, they tend to shy away from profanity, vulgar clothing, and so on (going so far as to forbid women from wearing pants, prohibiting jewelry and makeup, and so on). Yet, chaos and confusion mark their services. Individuals will actually tremor, roll around on the floor, jump and run across auditoriums, raise their voices in “unknown tongues,” and so on. This is a combination of human lasciviousness and human asceticism. It has the appearance of human good: they shout “Praise Jesus!” in a church setting. Yet, it also resembles a drunken party at a nightclub—their “alcohol” being emotions and religious tradition.
Again, it is a tricky situation. Our heart is so sinful that, unless we are walking in the spiritual light that we have (minding the Scriptures we know), we will fall into the trap of opposing God’s will and yet believing we are fulfilling it. For instance, if there is a course of action we want to take, if we desire to adopt a particular view, we can flip through the pages of the Bible and find something somewhere to justify it. It is no secret that people, for centuries, have grabbed verses and taught innumerable outlandish ideas. All cults, sects, and denominations have at least a few Bible passages to support their teachings to some extent. Their doctrinal statements did not just appear out of thin air. Even with a weak biblical foundation, the founders and hierarchies of these groups present quite a convincing case when scouting for new members. Enamored, prospects exclaim and surrender: “It is a group that uses the Bible, so it must be God’s group for me!” (Check Matthew 4:6, where Satan uses the Bible too!)
Dear friend, never should we want to limit God. We, such fallible and weak beings, are unable to do that anyway. However, we can see ourselves as God… and then believe that any limitations placed upon us are actually limitations of God’s work. We are now living in a world of delusions instead of reality. If we are not aware of what God is or is not doing, we cannot accurately judge what is and what is not acceptable. Unquestionably, God behaved a certain way in time past. However, that does not mean He is still working in that same manner today. Before we go around accusing anyone of “putting God in a box” or “limiting God,” perhaps we had better study our Bible and see what restrictions God has placed upon Himself.
Earlier, we saw two examples, two issues, which highlighted how God’s dealings with man have changed. Let us briefly consider a third one. Should we offer animal sacrifices as instructed in Leviticus and Numbers? After all, if God commanded them back then, why will He not accept them today? Once again, should we be “limiting God?” Yet, we remind ourselves we never read anywhere in the New Testament Scripture about animal sacrifices required today. We will have to “limit God” here as well because He has restricted His current dealings with man so they do not involve animal sacrifices. Although God accepted such practices in time past, He does not accept them today.
Here is what religious people want to do. They think that they can draw a box and then make God jump into it. If someone questions their actions, then they are under the impression their critic is “limiting God.” In reality, God has placed restrictions upon Himself—and He will not break His Word in order to cater to the whims of sinful man. Unlike them, He does not value church traditions, denominational systems, and so on. Such is the case with bodily healings and the gift of speaking in tongues. While these are certainly components of a program God once operated, that is the very point—that program is no longer in effect!
IV. ISSUE #4: IN WHICH DISPENSATION DO WE LIVE—LAW OR GRACE?
Dear friend, we would do well to see that, in light of the dispensational change from prophecy to mystery, God has stopped doing things that He once did. The Holy Spirit Himself provides many such examples in the Books of Romans through Philemon, but we will focus on just two of them: physical healing and the gift of tongues.
“Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities” (1 Timothy 5:23). How unfortunate that the great Apostle Paul, under the leading of the Holy Spirit, “put God in a box.” Paul was under the impression he—and all other people—no longer had the spiritual gift of healing. He also believed Timothy could not heal himself either. Paul’s advice to use wine as medicine was evidently given under the assumption that no “Divine healing” would be bestowed upon Timothy. The absence of supernatural healing is surely striking here, is it not—especially since Paul performed numerous such miracles throughout his Acts ministry?! In one of the final inspired statements he wrote, Paul penned: “Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick” (2 Timothy 4:20). Did Paul expect Trophimus to be healed? No. Is there any indication Trophimus was healed after Paul’s departure? No, there is none. Second Timothy was the last Bible Book Paul wrote. (Paul “limited God?!”)
It would seem as though Paul knew the frail, dying condition of any and every human body. Lost and saved alike, non-Christian and Christian, we are all under the curse of sin. Bodily sickness is inevitable. Romans 8:18-25 comments: “[18] For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. [19] For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. [20] For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, [21] Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. [22] For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. [23] And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. [24] For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? [25] But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”
What Paul hoped for, what his expectation was, was not a temporary healing of a physical body that would die anyway. He looked forward to a resurrection—commonly called the Rapture—wherein these ailing bodies would be exchanged for eternal bodies. You can also look at 1 Corinthians chapter 15 for more information, but, here, we will see Paul’s second epistle to Corinth.
We read in 2 Corinthians: “[4:16] For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. [4:17] For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; [4:18] While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. [5:1] For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. [5:2] For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: [5:3] If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. [5:4] For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. [5:5] Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. [5:6] Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: [5:7] (For we walk by faith, not by sight: ) [5:8] We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
The Holy Spirit guiding his mind and pen, Paul spoke of these physical bodies—the “outward man”—as “perishing” (4:16). As one brother said long ago, “All the ‘healing’ claims aside, the death-rate is still one apiece!” The Greek word rendered “perish” is “diaphtheiro,” used of the moth that “corrupteth” (eats) clothing and other transitory possessions in Luke 12:33. Our bodies are likewise being consumed with the passage of time—the aging process is diminishing our vigor and strength. It is depressing, but rather than deny it, Paul had the Divine mindset to overcome the despair. “Yes, this old body of flesh and blood is indeed headed for a cemetery plot, but, with every passing day, the spiritual body inside is becoming stronger and more vigorous!” Ephesians 3:16 says of Paul’s prayer for the Christians at Ephesus, “That he [Father God] would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.” Until our physical bodies are redeemed, we patiently waiting for bodily resurrection, we enjoy a spiritual healing like nothing else!
V. ISSUE #5: WHAT IS OUR PREFERENCE—TEMPORARY PHYSICAL HEALING OR ETERNAL SPIRITUAL HEALING?
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Friend, as we study and come to a greater and greater awareness of God’s Word, as we believe what we read, it gives the Holy Spirit more and more control of our thoughts and lives. This leads to spiritual health—the “inner man” or “inward man” maturing, strengthening. Read 1 Timothy 6:3: “If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness….” The Greek word for “wholesome” is “hygiaino,” which obviously gave rise to our English term “hygiene.” Christ’s words to us through the Pauline Epistles, Romans through Philemon, can heal our soul to the degree the healing miracles cured physical bodies in Bible days.
Notice: “And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole [hygiaino] need not a physician; but they that are sick” (Luke 5:31). Here is spiritual healing. The word is employed now for physical healing: “And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole [hygiaino] that had been sick” (Luke 7:10). The “sound” doctrine of the Scriptures rightly divided can lead to spiritual healing, strengthening, health: “For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound [hygiaino] doctrine; According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust” (1 Timothy 1:10-11).
“Hold fast the form of sound [hygiaino] words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13). “But speak thou the things which become sound [hygiaino] doctrine:…” (Titus 2:1). “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound [hygiaino] doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers” (Titus 1:9). Here is the spiritual health that sound Bible doctrine actually produces: “This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound [hygiaino] in the faith;…” (Titus 1:13). “That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound [hygiaino] in faith, in charity, in patience” (Titus 2:2).
Of course, “sound [hygiaino] doctrine” is said to be that which the professing church will disregard. Second Timothy chapter 4 says to this point: “[1] I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; [2] Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. [3] For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; [4] And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
Did you catch verse 3? There are those who follow their “own lusts” or personal desires—spiritual lasciviousness! How do these people operate? Tossing out sound Bible doctrine—that which promotes spiritual health or integrity—they embrace “fables.” Such stories become the basis for their teaching, morality, and so on. Certainly, the “healing testimonies” of the modern Charismatic Movement fit right in here! Such storytellers do not know what God is doing today (as found in Paul’s epistles—our earlier comments), but they certainly want to go back to what God in the previous dispensation (healing miracles and the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues). Walking by sight and not faith, they look for signs and wonders. Instead of emphasizing spiritual health, they stress physical healing. They have not learned Romans chapter 8, and 2 Corinthians chapters 4 and 5!
VI. ISSUE #6: WHAT SHALL WE CHOOSE TO HEAR—THE WORD OF GOD, OR THE TONGUES OF MEN?
Charismatics will tell us that one of the signs of the Holy Spirit working is when individuals speak in a “heavenly tongue,” some ecstatic utterance. They point to Acts chapter 2, obviously, as their main proof text: “[1] And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. [2] And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. [3] And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. [4] And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
First Corinthians chapters 12 and 14 are also used to defend this practice of tongue-talking (although, upon closer inspection, most of chapter 14 is actually ignored). The fact of the matter is that chapter 13, sitting in the middle, attaches a major condition to spiritual gifts: “[8] Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. [9] For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. [10] But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.”
Even if we were to adopt the erroneous view that the gift of tongues will cease once we get to Heaven (Heaven and the Lord’s coming absent from this context!), that itself is an embarrassing admission that God does not always do the same thing forever. If God never changes, then, by the Charismatics’ own claim, He will always (without end!) issue the gift of tongues and that would render 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 meaningless. Even in Heaven there would be the gift of tongues! Remember, as the anti-dispensationalists claim, “Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). So, we are now forced to believe the gift of tongues will never, ever pass away. It never ceased after Acts, and it will never terminate—even in Heaven. (Which even Charismatics do not believe!) Do you see how dangerous this gets, friend? If we do not recognize God limiting Himself, we open ourselves to all sorts of possibilities. Nothing in the Bible will mean anything. Scripture will become destructive rather than edifying.
Here is plain truth. The gift of tongues ceased when the Bible canon was completed just after the close of the Acts period some 2,000 years ago. Exactly as 1 Corinthians chapter 13 predicted, partial knowledge gave way to complete knowledge. Limited preaching gave way to complete preaching. We have all revelation from God now—otherwise, the Bible is incomplete, and we fall into the heretical trap of “continuing inspiration.” This is the same idea that led to the Book of Mormon, the supposed “sequel” to the Bible. Various other cults equate their founders’ writings with Scripture, failing to realize God stopped issuing new revelation to man 20 centuries ago. Again, God limited Himself by saying He has nothing further to say. We have the entire will of God already manifested in the Holy Scriptures. We either believe that, or we do not! (If we do not recognize God limiting Himself here, we will always be adding to the Bible!!)
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). “Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:…” (Ephesians 1:8-10). If we understand that God’s revelation to man has ceased, then we are simply recognizing God’s own words on the subject. He has limited Himself, and is bound by that Word not to keep dispensing new revelation. There is no “hidden will of God.” With Paul’s revelation written in Romans through Philemon, all has been disclosed! Or, if we prefer, we can limit our spiritual health and understanding by ignoring the verses just presented.
VII. CONCLUSION
Try as we might, friend, we can never limit God. Furthermore, as passionately as we may attempt, we can never force God to do something He is not doing. He is God; we are not; that is that! While we can “fake” it for a while, we can never replace God’s work (either what He did in the past or what He is currently doing). Dispensationalists understand God’s revelation to man and work with man changes through time, as we move in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. If we disregard these dispensational boundaries, we have an agenda of doing whatever we want to do with the intention of blaming God for the consequences of our folly.
Would it be appropriate for us to say that God is not planning to flood the whole world again? It would be wholly disrespectful of us to tell God what He can and cannot do. Yet, we are not telling Him that. He is telling us what He will not do. We do not have to fear another global flood. After all, God Himself made that very promise. Would we be telling the truth if we said God sees a spiritual advantage to being a Jew and a spiritual disadvantage to being a Gentile? No, we would be lying. What was once true concerning God’s dealings with man is no longer true. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile today. All in Adam are equally lost, and all in Christ are equally saved.
“We cannot limit God. We cannot put Him in a box! If He healed sick bodies then, He is still doing it now! If His Spirit moved people to exercise the gift of tongues then, He is still doing it now! Jesus never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!” Considering all that we have discussed now, will we continue with this soggy, worn-out, now disproved argument? If we retain that mentality, knowing what we have already discussed in this treatise, then we have exposed ourselves as promoters of mere spiritual lasciviousness. We are doing what we want, without any boundaries. We have now also made God appear to be operating without any self-imposed limitations. His actions are no longer predictable or understandable. Spiritual darkness creeps in—and we have limited ourselves in seeing greater light from His words!
Is not God bound to keep His Word? If He promises to do something, He must do it or He is a liar. We dispensationalists are not putting God in a box. We are not limiting Him. By making promises and writing them down in the Holy Bible, He has put Himself in a box. He has limited himself. We are simply acknowledging what He Himself has said about His own work. Will you disagree with Him, friend? When we say that God is not healing physical bodies today and He is not issuing spiritual gifts today, we are merely repeating what God Himself has said in the Scriptures.
Furthermore, we rather disrespect God when we try to force Him to do things He is no longer doing. We rather limit God when He wants to have us focus on the inward man but we show more interest in perpetuating this outward man with healing miracles. Rather than emphasizing His written Word, the completed Bible, we are looking for more supernatural communication. The spiritual gift of tongues is just one of many such “experiences” that replace Bible study and sound Bible doctrine in Charismatic assemblies. “I do not care what the Bible says! I know what I saw and I know what I felt, and I want more!” Such people have limited themselves to have a limited understanding of God’s purpose and plan for the Dispensation of Grace and the Church the Body of Christ! Here is one self-limitation they do not realize… yet, they will accuse us dispensationalists of “limiting God?” Ridiculous and tragically ironic!
Also see:
» Was the Apostle Paul a false prophet?
» “But, what if I do not accept the Bible’s authority?”
» “If any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant?”