Unabii, Kunena kwa Lugha, na Ufunuo LeoProphecy, Tongues, and Revelation Today

Swali Lililo Mbele YetuThe Question Before Us

Je, karama za unabii, kunena kwa lugha, na neno la maarifa zinaendelea katika kanisa leo, au zilikoma kipindi cha mitume kilipofungwa? Hili ni mojawapo ya maswali makali zaidi yanayolizunguka vuguvugu ambalo tumekuwa tukijifunza, na Wakristo waaminifu wanaoipenda Biblia wamelijibu kwa njia mbili zinazotofautiana sana. Sehemu hii inaweka majibu yote mawili mbele yako kwa haki, kama tulivyofanya kuhusu utawala wa miaka elfu na kuhusu maana ya "ile iliyo kamili" katika sehemu iliyotangulia — si ili kukupa hukumu, bali kukusaidia kuyapima Maandiko wewe mwenyewe.Do the gifts of prophecy, tongues, and words of knowledge continue in the church today, or did they cease when the age of the apostles closed? This is one of the sharpest questions surrounding the movement we have been studying, and honest, Bible-loving Christians have answered it in two very different ways. This unit sets both answers before you fairly, as we did with the millennium and with the meaning of "the perfect" in an earlier unit — not to hand you a verdict, but to help you weigh the Scriptures for yourself.

Maswali mawili lazima yatenganishwe, la sivyo mjadala wote unaangukia katika machafuko. La kwanza ni kama karama za ufunuo zinaendelea kabisa. La pili ni swali tofauti linalojitokeza tu ikiwa zinaendelea: jinsi unabii wowote unaotolewa leo unavyohusiana na Biblia — mkusanyiko wa Maandiko uliokamilika na kufungwa. Sehemu kubwa ya hofu na joto linalozunguka somo hili linatokana na kuyachanganya maswali haya mawili, kana kwamba kuamini kwamba karama zinaendelea lazima kumaanishe kuongeza juu ya Neno la Mungu. Sivyo, kama tutakavyoona. Tuyachukue maswali haya moja baada ya jingine.Two questions must be kept apart, or the whole discussion falls into confusion. The first is whether the revelatory gifts continue at all. The second is a different question that arises only if they do: how any prophecy given today relates to the Bible — the completed, closed collection of Scripture. Much of the fear and heat around this subject comes from running these two questions together, as though believing the gifts continue must mean adding to the Word of God. It does not, as we shall see. Let us take the questions one at a time.

Kile Ambacho Pande Zote Mbili ZinakubalianaWhat Both Sides Agree Upon

Kabla ya kutokubaliana, inafaa kupumzika juu ya uwanja mpana ambao pande zote mbili zinashiriki, kwa maana ni mpana kuliko ugomvi unavyoashiria. Wanaoamini kukoma kwa karama na wanaoamini kuendelea kwa karama walio na uwajibikaji wote wanakiri kwamba kanoni ya Maandiko imefungwa. Vitabu sitini na sita vimekamilika; hakuna anayeandika kitabu cha sitini na saba; hakuna kinachosemwa katika mkutano leo kinachosimama kando ya Isaya au Warumi kama Neno la Mungu. Maandiko ndiyo mamlaka ya mwisho na yanayotosha:Before the disagreement, it is worth resting on the wide ground both sides share, for it is wider than the quarrels suggest. Both cessationists and responsible continuationists confess that the canon of Scripture is closed. The sixty-six books are complete; no one is writing a sixty-seventh; nothing said in a meeting today stands beside Isaiah or Romans as the Word of God. Scripture is the final and sufficient authority:

"Kila andiko, lenye pumzi ya Mungu, … ili mtu wa Mungu awe kamili, amekamilishwa apate kutenda kila tendo jema."2 Timotheo 3:16–17 (SUV)"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God… that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NKJV)

Pande zote mbili pia zinakubali kwamba Roho anafanya kazi katika kanisa sasa — katika kuhakikisha dhambi, kuongoka, utakaso, na neema za kawaida za maisha ya Kikristo — na kwamba karama zozote anazotoa Mungu zinakusudiwa kuujenga mwili na kumtukuza Kristo, kamwe si kumwinua mtu binafsi. Kwa hiyo mabishano si juu ya kama Roho anafanya kazi leo, wala juu ya kama Biblia imekamilika. Ni mabishano finyu zaidi kuhusu kundi moja la karama. Kulikumbuka hilo kutatuepusha na kuwachukulia ndugu zetu wa kiume na wa kike kama maadui juu ya swali ambalo kanisa lote limelijadili kwa muda mrefu kwa nia njema.Both sides also agree that the Spirit is at work in the church now — in conviction, conversion, sanctification, and the ordinary graces of Christian life — and that whatever gifts God gives are meant to build up the body and glorify Christ, never to exalt an individual. So the argument is not over whether the Spirit works today, nor over whether the Bible is finished. It is a narrower argument about one class of gifts. Keeping that in view will spare us from treating brothers and sisters as enemies over a question the whole church has long debated in good faith.

Msimamo wa Kukoma kwa KaramaThe Cessationist Position

Anayeamini kukoma kwa karama (cessationist) anashikilia kwamba karama za ufunuo na za ishara za miujiza — unabii, kunena kwa lugha, kuponya, neno la maarifa — zilikuwa na kusudi maalum katika kipindi cha kuasisiwa kwa kanisa, na zilipita mara kusudi hilo lilipotimizwa. Hoja inakwenda hivi. Kanisa lilijengwa "juu ya msingi wa mitume na manabii"; msingi huwekwa mara moja, si mara kwa mara, na karama zilizoambatana na huduma ya mitume zilikuwa sehemu ya kazi hiyo ya kuweka msingi.The cessationist holds that the revelatory and miraculous sign-gifts — prophecy, tongues, healings, words of knowledge — had a particular purpose in the founding era of the church, and passed away once that purpose was fulfilled. The case runs like this. The church was built "on the foundation of the apostles and prophets"; a foundation is laid once, not repeatedly, and the gifts that accompanied the apostles' ministry belonged to that founding work.

"Mmejengwa juu ya msingi wa mitume na manabii, naye Kristo Yesu mwenyewe ni jiwe kuu la pembeni."Waefeso 2:20 (SUV)"…having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone."Ephesians 2:20 (NKJV)

Karama hizi, anasema anayeamini kukoma kwa karama, zilitumika kuwathibitisha mitume na ujumbe wao kabla Agano Jipya halijaandikwa na kukusanywa. Mwandishi wa Waebrania anazungumza juu ya wokovu mkuu uliothibitishwa kwetu na wale waliomsikia Bwana, "Mungu naye akishuhudia pamoja nao kwa ishara na maajabu, na kwa nguvu za namna nyingi, na kwa karama za Roho Mtakatifu" (Ebr 2:3–4). Mara ushuhuda huo ulipothibitishwa na Maandiko kukamilika, jukwaa la ujenzi lingeweza kuondolewa. Kwa usomaji huu, "ikija ile iliyo kamili" (1 Kor 13:10) inaelekeza kwenye ufunuo uliokamilika na ukomavu unaouleta — mtazamo tuliokutana nao awali kama Usomaji A — na utoshelevu wa Maandiko yaliyokamilika unamaanisha kwamba kanisa halihitaji tena karama mpya za ufunuo. Katika hali yake yenye nguvu zaidi, msimamo huu ni mtazamo wa juu wa ukamilifu wa mwisho wa Maandiko: Mungu amesema kikamilifu katika Mwanawe na katika Neno, nasi tunapaswa kutazama huko, si kutafuta sauti mpya.These gifts, the cessationist argues, served to authenticate the apostles and their message before the New Testament was written and gathered. The writer to the Hebrews speaks of the great salvation confirmed to us by those who heard the Lord, "God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit" (Heb 2:3–4). Once that testimony was confirmed and the Scriptures completed, the scaffolding could come down. On this reading, "when that which is perfect has come" (1 Cor 13:10) points to the finished revelation and the maturity it brings — the view we met earlier as Reading A — and the sufficiency of the completed Scripture means the church no longer needs new revelatory gifts. At its strongest, the position is a high view of Scripture's finality: God has spoken fully in His Son and in the Word, and we are to look there, not for fresh voices.

Anayeamini kukoma kwa karama mara nyingi huongeza uchunguzi mwingine unaotokana na umbo la Maandiko yenyewe: makundi makubwa ya miujiza na unabii hayakuenea sawasawa katika vizazi vyote bali yalikusanyika kwenye bawaba za historia ya ukombozi — kumzunguka Musa na kutolewa kwa Torati, kuwazunguka Eliya na Elisha walipopigania agano, na kumzunguka Kristo na mitume wake injili ilipoingia ulimwenguni — na yakawa machache katika vipindi virefu vilivyokuwa katikati. Kwa usomaji huu, kumwagwa kwa Roho kulikoambatana na kuzaliwa kwa kanisa ni sehemu ya bawaba kama hiyo. Zaidi ya hayo, cheo cha utume hakikuwa na warithi; kilifungwa pamoja na wale watu waliomwona Bwana aliyefufuka na kutumwa naye, na karama za ishara zilizofungamana na cheo hicho cha msingi zilifungwa pamoja nacho. Kinachobaki kwa kila kizazi kinachofuata ni Maandiko yaliyokamilika ambayo mitume na manabii hao waliyaacha nyuma, nayo yanatosha.The cessationist often adds a further observation drawn from the shape of Scripture itself: the great clusters of miracles and prophecy did not fall evenly across the ages but gathered at the hinges of redemptive history — around Moses and the giving of the Law, around Elijah and Elisha as they contended for the covenant, and around Christ and His apostles as the gospel broke into the world — and grew sparse in the long stretches between. On this reading the outpouring that accompanied the church's birth belongs to such a hinge. The apostolic office, moreover, had no successors; it closed with the men who had seen the risen Lord and were commissioned by Him, and the sign-gifts bound up with that founding office closed along with it. What remains for every later generation is the completed Scripture those apostles and prophets left behind, which is enough.

Msimamo wa Kuendelea kwa KaramaThe Continuationist Position

Anayeamini kuendelea kwa karama (continuationist) anashikilia kwamba karama zinazoelezwa katika Agano Jipya zinabaki zinapatikana kwa kanisa mpaka Bwana atakaporudi, naye anajibu hoja za anayeamini kukoma kwa karama moja baada ya nyingine. Maandiko, anasema, hayasemi popote waziwazi kwamba karama za ufunuo zingekoma kabla ya kuja kwa mara ya pili. Maagizo ya Paulo kwa Wakorintho yametolewa bila dokezo lolote la tarehe ya kwisha muda wake:The continuationist holds that the gifts described in the New Testament remain available to the church until the Lord returns, and answers the cessationist point by point. Scripture, he observes, nowhere plainly states that the revelatory gifts would cease before the second coming. Paul's instructions to the Corinthians are given without any hint of an expiration date:

"Ufuateni upendo; na kutaka sana karama za roho, lakini zaidi kwamba mpate kuhutubu (kutoa unabii)."1 Wakorintho 14:1 (SUV)"Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy."1 Corinthians 14:1 (NKJV)

Anasisitiza hoja hiyo kwa andiko jingine. Akiwaandikia Wakorintho hao hao, Paulo anasema kwamba "hamkupungukiwa na karama yo yote, mkikungoja kufunuliwa kwake Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo" (1 Kor 1:7) — akifungamanisha kuwa na karama kwa kanisa na kipindi chote cha kungoja kinachoishia tu kwenye kufunuliwa kwa Kristo, si mwishoni mwa karne ya kwanza. Naye anatoa changamoto: anayeamini kukoma kwa karama na alilete andiko linalotangaza waziwazi kuondolewa kwa karama, kwa maana anayeamini kuendelea kwa karama anatafuta na halioni hata moja. Pale ambapo Maandiko hayajasema, anahoji, hatuko huru kukataza kile ambacho mahali pengine yanaamuru. Kwa maelezo haya karama si jukwaa la muda la ujenzi lililoondolewa jengo lilipokwisha kusimama, bali ni sehemu ya samani za kawaida za kanisa, zinazotolewa na kuzuiliwa kama Roho apendavyo, mpaka Bwana atakaporudi.He presses the point with a further text. Writing to these same Corinthians, Paul says they “come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 1:7) — binding the church's possession of the gifts to the whole stretch of waiting that ends only at Christ's appearing, not at the close of the first century. And he lays down a challenge: let the cessationist produce the verse that plainly announces the gifts' withdrawal, for the continuationist searches and finds none. Where Scripture has not spoken, he argues, we are not free to forbid what it elsewhere commands. On this account the gifts are not a temporary scaffolding taken down once the building rose, but part of the ordinary furniture of the church, given and withheld as the Spirit wills, until the Lord returns.

Na waziwazi, "msizuie kunena kwa lugha" (14:39). Anayeamini kuendelea kwa karama anasoma "ikija ile iliyo kamili" kuwa ni kurudi kwa Kristo — Usomaji B kutoka sehemu iliyotangulia — kwa kuwa kuona "uso kwa uso" na kujua kikamilifu kunakotajwa katika mstari unaofuata (13:12) ni mambo ya utukufu, si ya kufungwa kwa kitabu; na ikiwa karama zinadumu mpaka wakati huo, zinadumu sasa. Anamwonyesha Petro siku ya Pentekoste akimnukuu Yoeli: "siku za mwisho," asema Mungu, "Nitawamwagia watu wote Roho yangu… Na wana wenu na binti zenu watatabiri" (Mdo 2:17–18) — na "siku za mwisho" zinataja kipindi chote kati ya kuja kwa Kristo kwa mara ya kwanza na kwa mara ya pili, enzi yetu ikiwemo. Naye anaona kwamba Paulo anaziweka karama juu ya uchaguzi unaoendelea wa Roho: "kazi hizi zote huzitenda Roho huyo mmoja, yeye yule, akimgawia kila mtu peke yake kama apendavyo" (1 Kor 12:11). Katika hali yake yenye nguvu zaidi, msimamo huu ni usomaji wa wazi wa maagizo ambayo hayakubatilishwa kamwe na kukataa kukataza kile ambacho mtume aliliambia kanisa lisikikataze.And plainly, "do not forbid to speak with tongues" (14:39). The continuationist reads "when that which is perfect has come" as the return of Christ — Reading B from the earlier unit — since the "face to face" seeing and full knowing of the next verse (13:12) belong to glory, not to the closing of a book; and if the gifts last until then, they last now. He points to Peter at Pentecost citing Joel: "in the last days," God says, "I will pour out of My Spirit… your sons and your daughters shall prophesy" (Acts 2:17–18) — and "the last days" name the whole span between Christ's first and second comings, our age included. And he notes that Paul grounds the gifts in the Spirit's ongoing choice: "the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills" (1 Cor 12:11). At its strongest, the position is a plain reading of commands that were never revoked and a refusal to forbid what the apostle told the church not to forbid.

Unabii na Kanoni IliyofungwaProphecy and the Closed Canon

Hapa tunafika kwenye swali linalowasumbua wengi, nalo linastahili jibu la uangalifu: ikiwa unabii unaendelea, je, hilo halitishii Biblia? Jibu, kwa maelezo yoyote yenye uwajibikaji ya anayeamini kuendelea kwa karama, ni hapana — na sababu ni tofauti ambayo lazima ieleweke. Unabii uliokuwa Maandiko, uliotolewa kupitia mitume na manabii, ulibeba mamlaka kamili ya Mungu na sasa umefungwa; hakuna kinachoongezwa juu yake. Unabii wowote katika kusanyiko leo ni wa aina tofauti na ya chini zaidi: si Maandiko mapya, hauna mamlaka ya kikanoni, na daima unapaswa kujaribiwa.Here we reach the question that troubles many, and it deserves a careful answer: if prophecy continues, does that not threaten the Bible? The answer, on any responsible continuationist account, is no — and the reason is a distinction that must be grasped. The prophecy that became Scripture, given through apostles and prophets, carried the full authority of God and is now closed; nothing is added to it. Any prophecy in a congregation today is of a different and lesser kind: not new Scripture, carrying no canonical authority, and always to be tested.

Maandiko yenyewe yanalinda ukamilifu wao wa mwisho. Yuda anaandika juu ya "imani waliyokabidhiwa watakatifu mara moja tu" (Yuda 3) — mara moja tu, si kuongezewa katika kila kizazi — na kitabu cha Ufunuo kinamalizia kwa onyo zito dhidi ya kuyaongeza maneno ya kitabu hicho (Ufu 22:18–19). Kwa hiyo kanoni imefungwa. Hata mwamini anayetarajia karama ya unabii iendelee hatarajii ishindane na Biblia, iisahihishe, au iipanue; anatarajia, kwa kiwango cha juu kabisa, neno linaloweza kukosea la kutia moyo au la onyo ambalo lenyewe lazima lipimwe kwa Maandiko na huenda likawa na kosa. Ishike tofauti hii kwa uthabiti na hofu inayeyuka: kuthibitisha karama inayoendelea si kulifungua tena Neno la Mungu.The Scriptures themselves guard their own finality. Jude writes of "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3) — once for all, not added to in each generation — and the Revelation closes with a solemn warning against adding to the words of the book (Rev 22:18–19). So the canon is shut. Even the believer who expects the gift of prophecy to continue does not expect it to rival, correct, or extend the Bible; he expects, at most, a fallible word of encouragement or warning that must itself be weighed by Scripture and may well be mistaken. Hold this distinction firmly and the fear dissolves: to affirm a continuing gift is not to reopen the Word of God.

Agano Jipya lenyewe linaonyesha unabii wa aina hii ya chini ukifanya kazi. Nabii aitwaye Agabo alitabiri njaa iliyokuwa inakuja (Mdo 11:28), na baadaye, akiutwaa mshipi wa Paulo na kujifunga mikono na miguu yake mwenyewe, alionya juu ya kukamatwa kwa mtume huyo huko Yerusalemu (Mdo 21:10–11). Huu ulikuwa unabii wa kweli, lakini haukukusanywa kamwe kuwa Maandiko; na katika tukio la pili wanafunzi walitoa kutoka katika neno la Agabo hitimisho ambalo Paulo mwenyewe hakulikubali, wakimsihi asipande — hivi kwamba hata ujumbe wa nabii wa kweli ulilazimika kupimwa, na matumizi yake yangeweza kukosewa na wale walioisikia. Hapa, ndani ya kurasa za Biblia, unasimama unabii ulio halisi na wenye manufaa na bado unapaswa kujaribiwa: si mshindani wa Maandiko bali mtumishi chini yake. Hii, asema anayeamini kuendelea kwa karama, ndiyo hasa aina ya karama anayotarajia iendelee — inayojenga, inayoweza kukosea, na daima chini ya Neno lililoandikwa.The New Testament itself shows prophecy of this lesser kind at work. A prophet named Agabus foretold a coming famine (Acts 11:28), and later, taking Paul's belt and binding his own hands and feet, warned of the apostle's arrest at Jerusalem (Acts 21:10–11). This was genuine prophecy, yet it was never gathered into Scripture; and in the second instance the disciples drew from Agabus's word a conclusion Paul himself did not accept, pleading with him not to go up — so that even a true prophet's message had to be weighed, and its application could be mistaken by those who heard it. Here, within the pages of the Bible, stands prophecy that is real and useful and still to be tested: not a rival to Scripture but a servant beneath it. This, says the continuationist, is exactly the kind of gift he expects to continue — edifying, fallible, and always subordinate to the written Word.

Jaribuni Mambo YoteTest All Things

Lolote mwamini atakalohitimisha kuhusu kuendelea kwa karama, Maandiko yanamwekea kila mtu wajibu mmoja, nao ndio kinga kuu ya kivitendo: kila kitu kinachodai kutoka kwa Roho lazima kijaribiwe kwa Neno. Paulo haamuru kukubali bila kufikiri wala kukataa kwa dharau, bali kupima:Whatever a believer concludes about continuation, Scripture presses one duty on everyone, and it is the great practical safeguard: everything claiming to be from the Spirit must be tested by the Word. Paul commands neither a reckless acceptance nor a scornful dismissal, but a weighing:

"Msitweze unabii; jaribuni mambo yote; lishikeni lililo jema."1 Wathesalonike 5:20–21 (SUV)"Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good."1 Thessalonians 5:20–21 (NKJV)

Analipa kanisa kanuni kwa ajili ya mikutano yake: "Na manabii wanene wawili au watatu, na wengine wapambanue" (1 Kor 14:29). Yohana anaongeza, "msiiamini kila roho, bali zijaribuni hizo roho, kama zimetokana na Mungu" (1 Yoh 4:1). Kipimo katika kila hali ni Maandiko, ambayo yanasimama juu ya maneno yote yanayodaiwa na hayawezi kupinduliwa na lolote kati yake. Unabii unaopingana na Biblia ni wa uongo, hata nguvu yoyote inayoonekana kuambatana nao; unabii unaokubaliana na Biblia hautuambii jambo lolote ambalo Biblia haikusema tayari kwa mamlaka zaidi. Kujaribu huku kunalilinda kanisa kutokana na makosa yote mawili yanayozunguka karama — wepesi wa kuamini unaomeza kila dai, na ubaridi unaoizima kazi halisi ya Roho.He gives the church a rule for its meetings: "Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge" (1 Cor 14:29). John adds, "do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God" (1 John 4:1). The measure in every case is Scripture, which stands over all claimed words and cannot be overturned by any of them. A prophecy that contradicts the Bible is false, whatever power seems to attend it; a prophecy that agrees with the Bible tells us nothing the Bible did not already say with more authority. This testing protects the church from both errors that surround the gifts — the credulity that swallows every claim, and the coldness that quenches the Spirit's genuine work.

Kujaribu huku si jambo jipya la Agano Jipya; kunarudi nyuma mpaka katika Torati. Israeli walipewa kipimo cha pande mbili: neno la nabii lazima litimie (Kum 18:22), na hata ishara au ajabu ambalo linatimia kweli halipaswi kamwe kuwavuta watu kuwafuata miungu mingine (Kum 13:1–3). Ukweli na kutimia kwa pamoja viliunda kipimo, na cha pili kililinda dhidi ya cha kwanza kutumiwa vibaya na ajabu la uongo. Kanisa linarithi kinga ile ile ya pande mbili: hakuna neno linalodaiwa, hata liwe la kushangaza au la kugusa moyo kiasi gani, linaloweza kupokelewa ikiwa linaongoza mbali na Mungu na injili ambavyo tayari vimejulishwa katika Maandiko.This testing is no New Testament novelty; it reaches back into the Law. Israel was given a twofold measure: a prophet's word must come to pass (Deut 18:22), and even a sign or wonder that does come to pass must never draw the people after other gods (Deut 13:1–3). Truth and fulfillment together formed the test, and the second guarded against the first being abused by a lying wonder. The church inherits the same double safeguard: no claimed word, however striking or however moving, may be received if it leads away from the God and the gospel already made known in Scripture.

Neno Kuhusu Kunena kwa Lugha LeoA Word on Tongues Today

Nidhamu ile ile inahusu kunena kwa lugha. Kama karama hii inaendelea au haiendelei — swali lile lile ambalo tumekuwa tukilipima — kanuni za Agano Jipya hazibadiliki: katika kanisa lililokusanyika lugha zinapaswa kufasiriwa, kutumiwa kwa utaratibu, na kamwe zisifanywe beji inayowatenga "walio nazo" na "wasio nazo" (1 Kor 14). Na maswali mawili tuliyoyatenganisha katika sehemu iliyotangulia yanabaki yametengana hapa: kama karama ni halisi ni jambo moja; kama kunena kwa lugha kunahitajika kama uthibitisho wa ubatizo wa Roho ni jambo jingine, na kwa swali hilo la pili jibu linalotolewa katika kozi hii yote ni hapana. Wale wanaotumia karama yoyote na waitumie chini ya upendo na kwa kunyenyekea chini ya Neno, na mtu yeyote asimdharau ndugu kwa kuwa na, au kwa kukosa, karama fulani.The same discipline applies to tongues. Whether or not the gift continues — the very question we have been weighing — the New Testament's rules do not change: in the gathered church tongues are to be interpreted, exercised in order, and never made a badge that divides the "haves" from the "have-nots" (1 Cor 14). And the two questions we separated in an earlier unit stay separate here: whether the gift is real is one matter; whether speaking in tongues is required as the proof of the Spirit's baptism is another, and to that second question the answer given throughout this course is no. Let those who exercise any gift do so under love and in submission to the Word, and let no one despise a brother for having, or for lacking, a particular gift.

Kulishika Swali kwa UnyenyekevuHolding the Question with Humility

Juu ya swali kuu — je, karama za ufunuo zinaendelea? — kozi hii haitoi hukumu, kwa sababu Wakristo waaminifu wanaoiheshimu Biblia ile ile wamesimama kwa muda mrefu pande zote mbili, na kila upande unaweza kuyaelekeza Maandiko kwa hoja yake. Kile ambacho kozi hii inasisitiza ni msingi usio wa kujadiliana: kanoni imefungwa, Maandiko yanatosha na ni ya mwisho, kila kitu lazima kijaribiwe kwayo, na Kristo ndiye kitovu. Bwana Yesu alisema Roho alikuja ili amtukuze Yeye (Yn 16:14), na hilo linabaki kuwa lengo la kila karama ya kweli na kipimo cha kila dai. Kwa hiyo yapime Maandiko, fikia usadikisho wako, na uushike kwa unyenyekevu — ukiwapokea kama ndugu wale walioyapima maandiko yale yale na kufikia mahali pengine.On the central question — do the revelatory gifts continue? — this course renders no verdict, because faithful Christians who honor the same Bible have long stood on both sides, and each can point to Scripture for its case. What the course does insist upon is the ground that is not open to negotiation: the canon is closed, Scripture is sufficient and final, everything must be tested by it, and Christ is the center. The Lord Jesus said the Spirit came to glorify Him (John 16:14), and that remains the aim of every true gift and the test of every claim. So weigh the Scriptures, come to your conviction, and hold it with humility — receiving as brothers those who have weighed the same texts and landed elsewhere.

Tukitazama MbeleLooking Ahead

Katika sehemu inayofuata tutageukia somo lenye maumivu ambalo lazima likabiliwe kwa uaminifu: injili ya mafanikio na mambo mengine ya kupita kiasi yaliyokua sambamba na vuguvugu hili. Tutauliza Maandiko yanasema nini kuhusu utajiri, imani, na mateso, na jinsi ya kukataa upotoshaji bila kuwahukumu waamini wengi waaminifu ambao umewajeruhi.In the next unit we turn to a painful subject that must be faced honestly: the prosperity gospel and other excesses that have grown up alongside the movement. We will ask what Scripture says about wealth, faith, and suffering, and how to reject a distortion without condemning the many faithful believers it has wounded.

Maswali ya MajadilianoDiscussion Questions

• Kwa nini kulitenganisha swali la "je, karama zinaendelea?" na swali la "unabii unahusianaje na kanoni?" kunatuliza sehemu kubwa ya hofu inayozunguka somo hili?Why does keeping the "do the gifts continue?" question separate from the "how does prophecy relate to the canon?" question calm much of the fear around this subject?
• Soma 1 Wakorintho 14:1 na 14:39 pamoja na Waefeso 2:20. Kila msimamo unayaelezaje maandiko hayo yote?Read 1 Corinthians 14:1 and 14:39 alongside Ephesians 2:20. How does each position account for both texts?
• Katika mkutano halisi wa kanisa, kuna maana gani "kujaribu mambo yote" bila kudharau unabii wala kumeza kila dai?What does it look like, in a real church meeting, to "test all things" without either despising prophecy or swallowing every claim?
• Ungemweleza mwamini mwenye wasiwasi namna gani kwamba kuthibitisha karama inayoendelea hakuongezi juu ya Biblia wala hakuitishii?How would you explain to a worried believer that affirming a continuing gift does not add to or threaten the Bible?

Matumizi katika HudumaMinistry Application

Fikiria mazingira ambamo mtu fulani alidai kuwa na neno kutoka kwa Mungu. Andika sentensi mbili zinazoeleza jinsi ungelipima dai hilo kwa Maandiko, na sentensi moja ambayo ungeweza kusema ili kumheshimu mtu huyo huku Biblia ikibaki kuwa mamlaka ya mwisho.Think of a setting where someone claimed a word from God. Write two sentences describing how you would weigh that claim by Scripture, and one sentence you could say to honor the person while keeping the Bible as the final authority.