What is cessationism?

The view that miraculous sign gifts (e.g., tongues, prophecy, healing) served a foundational, confirmatory role in the apostolic era and are not normative for the church today, while the Spirit continues to work powerfully through the Word.

Does Hebrews 2 support a fading of sign gifts?

Hebrews 2:1–4 describes signs and wonders confirming the message of those who heard the Lord (the apostles), which many interpret as indicating a confirmatory role tied to the apostolic witness.

How does church history bear on this question?

From the early Fathers through the Reformers and later theologians, many witnesses argued that sign gifts ceased with the apostolic era, while affirming God’s ongoing, direct providential miracles.

Does cessationism deny the Holy Spirit’s work?

No. Cessationists affirm that all true conversion, sanctification, and spiritual fruit are the Spirit’s work and emphasize His ordinary means: the inspired, sufficient Scriptures.

A Biblical Case for Cessationism with Dr. Tom Pennington

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A Biblical Case for Cessationism with Dr. Tom Pennington

Show: Sound Theology & Biblical Discernment with Justin Peters

Show Summary

Justin Peters interviews Dr. Tom Pennington (Countryside Bible Church) about a biblical case for cessationism: what it is (and isn’t), how Scripture distinguishes edifying vs. miraculous gifts, Hebrews 2 and the NT’s confirmatory signs, the testimony of church history, and why the sufficiency of Scripture matters for the church today.

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Show Notes & Scriptures

Key passages mentioned: Acts 3–4; Hebrews 2:1–4; 1 Peter 4:11; 2 Timothy 3:15–17; John 11; Deuteronomy 13 & 18; Matthew 7; Matthew 13.

Resources

A Biblical Case for Cessationism — Dr. Tom Pennington
Countryside Bible Church (Southlake, TX)
Justin Peters – Sound Theology and Biblical Discernment
Justin Peters Ministries — justinpeters.org

Justin Peters

Born and reared in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Justin earned his undergraduate at Mississippi State University (1995) and then a Master of Divinity and Master of Theology (2000, 2002) from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.Justin met his bride, Kathy, at an evangelism conference near Los Angeles, California, in 2009. They were married in August of 2010. From 2014 until 2019, they lived in Sandpoint, Idaho, and were members of Kootenai Community Church.They now reside outside of Billings, Montana, along with their little dog, Mia. They are members of Laurel Bible Church, where Justin currently serves as an elder.

A Biblical Case for Cessationism with Dr. Tom Pennington

A Biblical Case for Cessationism with Dr. Tom Pennington

Show Summary

Listen

Watch

Show Notes & Scriptures

Resources

Justin Peters

A Biblical Case for Cessationism with Dr. Tom Pennington

The Danger of Christian Universalism

Overview of 2 Kings — God’s Faithfulness in Judgment (September 14, 2025)