| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Main Menu
Spiritual
Gifts
|
|
PFRS Home > Doctrinal Studies > Spiritual Gifts >
Greater Works than These?
The night before Jesus' passion, He told His disciples several important things. One of those statements has been used by Pentecostals and Charismatics as a "proof text" to support the idea that spiritual "gifts" were meant for all believers of all generations. In the English translation, John 14:12 may appear to indicate that the promise of doing "greater works" is for every believer of every generation. Not so in the Greek. Jesus carefully chose His words. The verb tenses tell a much different story. John 14:12
However, in this case, the participle is used as a substantive (like a noun) because it has the definite article.2 It identifies a class of people, "the ones who are believing." The tense of the participle is not subordinate to the tense of the main verb, but functions independently in its aspect of time. Since the participle is present tense it also indicates Jesus had in mind the present "believers" rather than those who would believe in the future. Jesus was referring to those who believed at that moment — that is His own disciples (minus Judas). The whole context bears this out. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." (John 14:12-14 NKJV). We might wonder why Jesus switched between the third person plural (he who believes) and the second person plural (you). The reason seems to be He wanted to place emphasis on the continuation of their faith (that they did not abandon their faith in Him during His passion). His promise is for them, but it is conditional on their remaining "in Me." Jesus almost immediately expressed the necessity of their continuing to believe in the True Vine parable (15:1ff). Jesus warned them that they must CONTINUE "in Me." Otherwise they would end up in the fire (15:6). He had in mind the ordeal they were about to face during His passion — that they would not fall away during the ordeal. He even prayed for Peter that his faith not fail. In the passage before us, Jesus told them what those of them who CONTINUED to believe WOULD do in the future — the works Christ did, and even greater. If Jesus was referring to all those who WOULD believe in the future, He would have used the future tense or the aorist participle as in Mark 16:16. Compare: Mark 16:15-18
This verse refers to those who would believe in the future. "Aorist participles usually suggest antecedent time to that of the main verb."3 But in this case, the aorist participle has the article. It was being used as a substantive (just as "he who believes" in John 14:12). It describes a class of future "believers" due to the preaching of the Apostles. The difference between this use of the participle and that in John 14:12 is simply time (future in Mark 16:16 vs. present in John 14:12). In John 14:12, had Jesus meant those who would believe in the future would do "greater works," He would most likely have used the aorist participle or the future indicative for "he who believes." It is simply wrong grammatically to apply this promise to all future believers. Jesus did not indicate that in this text. He only spoke about the present "believers" (probably those sitting with Him at the table). Notes:
|
|
