Chapter 1—The Role of the Prophetic Gift in the NT

In the basic New Testament lists of spiritual gifts the “prophetic gift” is listed as second—between that of apostles (first) and that of teachers (third). See 1 Corinthians 12:28-30; Ephesians 4:11. The gift did not usurp the role of the apostles, but its function affected the apostles at times as well as the church membership in general. Some of the apostles were themselves endowed with this gift. The activities of persons so endowed in NT times may be summarized as follows:BBMP 2.4

1. They were commissioned at times to forewarn of coming difficulties (Acts 11:27-30; 20:23; 21:10-14). In the first instance (Acts 11) the warning of coming famine resulted in a brotherly bonding of the Gentile Christians in Antioch with the Jewish Christians in Judea. The former, contrary to ethnic customs, willingly sent relief to their Jewish brothers in Christ.BBMP 2.5

2. Through the gift the foreign mission outreach of the church was initiated (Acts 13:1, 2). It also had a part in directing where the early missionaries were to labor (Acts 16:6-10). In Paul’s second missionary tour it is noted that he was accompanied by Silas, a prophet (Acts 16:40).BBMP 2.6

3. In a doctrinal crisis the gift functioned to encourage and to confirm the membership in the true doctrine. The crisis pertained to the relationship of the Jewish ritual to the salvation of Gentile Christians. A large church council made a decision in harmony with the Spirit’s directive (Acts 15), although the decision was not inwardly accepted by all. The controversy had broken out in Antioch to which church the decision of the council was related by letter. Judas and Silas ministered for a time to this group: “And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, exhorted [parakaleo, appeal to, urge, exhort, encourage] the brethren with many words and strengthened [confirmed, KJV; episterizo, strengthen] them” (Acts 15:32, RSV).BBMP 2.7

4. The prophets built up, encouraged, and consoled the church. “He who prophesies speaks to men for their upbuilding, (oikodome, metaphorically, ‘building up the spiritual life’) and encouragement [paraklesis, encouragement, exhortation] and consolation [paramuthia, encouragement, comfort, consolation]” (1 Corinthians 14:3, RSV).BBMP 2.8

5. The prophets tended (along with the other gifts) to unify the church in the true faith and to protect it from false doctrines. “And his gifts were ... until we all attain to the unity of the faith ... so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles” (Ephesians 4:11-15, RSV).BBMP 3.1

6. The prophets along with the apostles assisted in founding the church. “You are ... built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20, RSV; cf. 3:5; 4:11).BBMP 3.2

“The couplet ‘apostles and prophets’ may bring together the Old Testament (prophets) and New Testament (apostles) as the basis of the Church’s teaching. But the inverted order of the words (not ‘prophets and apostles’ but ‘apostles and prophets’) suggests that probably New Testament prophets are meant. If so, their bracketing with the apostles as the Church’s foundation is significant. The reference must again be to a small group of inspired teachers, associated with the apostles, who together bore witness to Christ and whose teaching was derived from revelation (Ephesians 3:5) and was foundational.”—John R. W. Stott, God’s New Society [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979], 107. For a similar viewpoint, see The Expositor’s Greek Testament, W. R. Nicoll, ed. [Grand Rapids, MI: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, reprint 1961], 3:299, 300.BBMP 3.3