Cessationists often claim that the “sign” gifts have ceased, but the Bible does not distinguish some gifts as “sign” gifts. The distinction has been invented in order to separate some spiritual manifestations into their own category to be targeted.

In fact, the Bible rarely uses the language of “gifts” to talk about God’s miraculous power at work through men. Paul uses it in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12-14, and Ephesians 4. In almost all other instances – hundreds of them – the Bible uses terms like “faith,” “grace,” “power,” “the Spirit of the Lord,” “the hand of the Lord,” or it describes what happened, like “Then God said to Abraham,” “The word of the Lord came to me,” “The LORD heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him,” “Your faith has healed you,” “The Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away,” and so on.

Comparatively speaking, the Bible almost never uses the language of “gifts” when referring to the miraculous power of God working through men. To impose the “gifts” terminology upon the whole debate contrary to the biblical pattern and proportion makes it easier to employ a “divide and conquer” strategy against God’s power. It cuts up what God has never divided, so that what is undesirable could be discarded without appearing to reject the whole thing.

However, the way the Bible talks about God’s power prevents this abuse. When this is taken into account, the issue is not whether this or that gift has ceased, but whether God has ceased, whether the Holy Spirit has ceased, whether power has ceased, whether grace has ceased, whether prayer has ceased, and whether faith has ceased.