On Canon and Cessationism

Cessationist:

//The three gifts that Paul mentioned (prophecies, tongues, knowledge) were the gifts whereby God communicated authoritative truth.//

Replier:

This is your assumption. God communicated authoritative truth through the Apostles (NT) and Prophets (OT). That's why the canon was established as either written by the Apostles or nearest association therewith. The gift [charismata] of prophecy is NOT the same as that which gave us the canon. There are several noted prophets in the NT whose prophecies were not recorded, so this is not a logical claim at all. Those prophecies were not as authoritative as the writings of Paul, else they would have been recorded as scripture. The church has always been able to tell the difference.

Apostles had a specific ministry which included bringing us the word of God. Prophets in the church are a separate issue. Calvin and Knox both affirmed the existence of prophets apart from the canon. This is not a novel concept by any means.

Cessationist:

//What is the completed thing (perfect thing) that is God speaking to his church authoritatively?//

Replier:

That's not what the text is talking about at all. That's your assumption, once again. The completed thing is our maturity, which is only completed ultimately at the consummation.