Satan has possessed the hearts of cessationists to make the Bible turn against itself, so that the more these people claim that they cherish the Bible, the more they put an end to what this Bible promises and commands. They make the Bible into a mere memorial of the word of God, when the Bible is the living word of God, permanent in content, but expanding in action and effect (Hebrews 4:12).

When Peter witnessed the glorious revelation of the transfiguration of Christ, he said, “Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Matthew 17:4). The Bible explains, “For he did not know what to say, because they were terrified” (Mark 9:6). The apostle said it in a moment of fear and delusion. But Christ, the revelation himself, was not interested in making memorials of revelation. He was interested in putting the revelation to work. Thus he walked back down the mountain to reprimand unbelief and overpower demons (Matthew 17:15-18). Peter suggested a memorial to revelation. But Jesus continued a ministry of miracles. This is the difference that faith makes. He said that if you would have faith, then nothing will be impossible for you (Matthew 17:20).

People who are spiritually delusional build memorials. They like to make traditions out of the word of God. They like to divide the word of God into three eras — Moses, Elijah, and Jesus — and make statues out of them. They are obsessed with rituals, special days, and man-made documents. This is the theology of delirium. On the other hand, people who are spiritually awake perform miracles. They like to make explosions out of the word of God. They like to unleash the word of God in all its power and wisdom, to capture the hearts of men, to destroy the works of Satan, to reverse the effects of sin, and to demonstrate the acts of God. What does God’s revelation produce in us? A memorial or a miracle?

Although we often refer to it, cessationism is only one form of unbelief and heresy. There are other ways to teach unbelief and to spread false ideas about the gospel. Here is an example that I have used before. At least on paper, Carson and Grudem are not cessationists, and both of them acknowledge that healing is a benefit secured by the atonement. However, they add that the issue is whether this is something that believers can fully receive at this time by faith. Both of them refer to the resurrection body as an example of a benefit that belongs to us right now, but that we will not receive in this life. This is then applied to healing to caution against an “overrealized eschatology.” Balanced? Convincing? No. This is mind-bogglingly STUPID.

The resurrection body is not something that we can receive by degrees. You either have a resurrection body, or you do not. And the Bible explicitly teaches that it is reserved for the next life. In contrast, healing is something that we can receive by degrees. You can receive healing in an instant, or gradually recover in an hour or in a week. And the Bible explicitly teaches that it is intended for this life. The two are different in both what they are and how they are fulfilled. The Bible promises healing to faith, just as the salvation of the soul is promised to faith. The accusation of “overrealized eschatology” is a criminal excuse, because the Bible offers healing to faith without reservations. Carson and Grudem appear to affirm faith in healing, but in fact disguise their unbelief by a theology of appeasement.

Resurrection is not healing. It is not a high degree of healing. It is not even like healing. The Bible says that when we are resurrected, we will be changed, not healed. Thus it would be wrong to compare healing to resurrection, or to say that healing is completed at the resurrection, because healing does not happen at all at the resurrection. If any healing is going to happen, it must happen NOW, or this benefit from the atonement will remain unfulfilled even at the resurrection. But it is promised to faith, and that is the problem. The trouble has nothing to do with eschatology, but faith. When there is no faith, people will look for an excuse. Behold the theology of unbelief! Look how degrading it is to live this way. You see two seasoned theologians resorting to a basic categorical error so ridiculously obvious that it is laughable and distressing at the same time. If they are so STUPID, is there hope for others? Of course. Any ordinary person who will read the Book with faith will see the truth: healing is for this life, and it is received by faith.