Deutero Q

Here is a great observation by J.I. Packer in his superb study of the Puritans, A Quest for Godliness. Packer, an expert on Puritanism's greatest theologian, John Owen, says that Owen would evaluate modern Pentecostal phenomena according to several principles. One such principle, writes Packer, is as follows:

"Since the use of a person's gifts is intended by God to further the work of grace in his own soul, the possibility that (for instance) a man's glossolalia is from God can only be entertained at all as long as it is accompanied by a discernible ripening of the fruit of the Spirit in his life" (emphasis mine).

In a time when many Christians are chasing after fads and experiences, those words should be pondered very carefully. We Christians (cessationists and non-cessationists alike) do well to examine ourselves to see if there is indeed a ripening of the fruit of the Holy Spirit--love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control--in our lives.