Are there prophets today?
Question 09013
The question of whether prophets exist in the church today sits at the intersection of several important issues: the nature of spiritual gifts, the sufficiency of Scripture, the closure of the canon, and the practical experience of many believers who have received what they understand to be prophetic words. The answer requires careful biblical thinking rather than a reflexive yes or no, because the New Testament itself presents a picture that is more nuanced than either extreme allows.
Prophets in the New Testament Church
The New Testament clearly describes prophets as a functioning part of the early church. Ephesians 4:11 lists prophets among the gifts Christ gave to the church alongside apostles, evangelists, and pastor-teachers. Acts records prophets by name: Agabus predicted a famine (Acts 11:28) and later prophesied about Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem (Acts 21:10-11). The daughters of Philip prophesied (Acts 21:9). In Corinth, prophecy was a regular feature of gathered worship, governed by specific instructions (1 Corinthians 14:29-33). Paul urged the Thessalonians not to despise prophecies but to “test everything” and “hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21). The gift of prophecy was active, valued, and regulated in the apostolic church.
The Cessationist Argument
The cessationist position holds that the gift of prophecy, along with other revelatory and sign gifts, ceased with the death of the apostles and the completion of the New Testament canon. The principal text cited is 1 Corinthians 13:8-10: “As for prophecies, they will pass away… but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.” Cessationists identify “the perfect” (to teleion) with the completed canon of Scripture.
This interpretation faces serious exegetical difficulties. The context of 1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known,” points with far greater naturalness to the return of Christ than to the formation of the canon. No believer, however well versed in the completed Scriptures, currently knows “fully, even as I have been fully known.” That language describes the consummation of all things, not the publication of the twenty-seventh New Testament book. The cessationist reading requires “the perfect” to refer to something Paul’s original audience would not have anticipated or understood, which is an unusual way for a pastoral letter to communicate.
Prophecy and Scripture: A Critical Distinction
Affirming that the gift of prophecy continues does not mean affirming that prophets today operate with the same authority as Old Testament prophets or New Testament apostles. This distinction is essential. Old Testament prophecy carried the authority of “thus says the Lord,” and a prophet whose words proved false was to be put to death (Deuteronomy 18:20-22). The stakes were absolute because the prophet was speaking as God’s mouthpiece with canonical authority.
New Testament congregational prophecy operates on a different basis. Paul instructs the Corinthians to “let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said” (1 Corinthians 14:29). The instruction to weigh or judge prophetic contributions presupposes that not everything spoken under the banner of prophecy is necessarily accurate or authoritative. If congregational prophecy carried the same inerrant authority as apostolic revelation, there would be nothing to weigh. The very command to evaluate implies that the prophetic gift in the local church involves a genuine human element that requires testing against the standard of Scripture.
This is not the same thing as saying prophecy is merely “inspired preaching” or “forthtelling,” as some commentators have suggested. Agabus’s predictions involved genuinely predictive content. Paul’s list of what prophecy accomplishes, “upbuilding and encouragement and consolation” (1 Corinthians 14:3), does not exclude predictive elements; it describes the effect of prophecy on the congregation. The gift of prophecy can involve the Spirit-given communication of something the speaker could not have known by natural means, including future events, but such communications must always be tested against Scripture and received with humility rather than treated as infallible directives.
The Practical Dangers
The abuse of prophetic claims in contemporary Christianity is widespread and damaging. The language of “God told me” or “God says” carries an authority claim that can be wielded manipulatively. When a church leader says, “God has shown me that this is the direction for our church,” and presents this as prophetic revelation, the congregation is placed in a position where disagreement feels like disobedience to God. This is spiritually dangerous. Honest language, such as “I believe God may be saying” or “I feel impressed to share this for you to weigh,” reflects the genuine human element involved and respects the congregation’s responsibility to evaluate what is said.
Personal prophecy, where an individual receives a specific prophetic word about another person’s life, career, relationships, or future, requires particular caution. The primary function of such words, where genuine, is confirmation of what the Spirit has already been communicating through other means, not a vehicle for directive guidance in major life decisions. A person who uproots their family, changes career, or enters a relationship on the basis of a prophetic word from someone at a conference has placed an extraordinary amount of weight on a single, untested communication. The New Testament’s instruction to weigh prophecy applies to personal words as much as to congregational ones.
A Balanced Position
The gift of prophecy has not ceased. The exegetical case for cessationism is not strong enough to override the straightforward reading of the New Testament texts that describe, regulate, and encourage the gift. At the same time, contemporary prophecy does not carry canonical authority. It is always subordinate to Scripture, always to be tested, and always to be received with humility rather than blind obedience. The Spirit who inspired the Scriptures is the same Spirit who gives the gift of prophecy, and He will never contradict Himself. Any prophetic word that conflicts with the teaching of Scripture, no matter how impressively delivered, is to be rejected.
So, now what?
Do not despise prophecy. Do not be gullible about it either. If someone claims to have a prophetic word, test it against Scripture, weigh it with mature believers, and see whether it bears fruit over time. If the Spirit is genuinely speaking, the word will align with what Scripture teaches, will be confirmed through other means, and will produce the fruit of the Spirit rather than confusion, manipulation, or dependency on the prophet. Guard against the extremes: the church that has no room for the Spirit to speak through the gifts, and the church where every subjective impression is treated as the voice of God. The Spirit is active, the Word is sufficient, and both work together.
“Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 (ESV)
