Truth On Tough Texts
ISSUE 4 – November/2005
Temporary
Spiritual Gifts (2)
(I Cor. 12:8–11; 13:8-13)
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n our last issue, we
began a study of the temporary spiritual gifts. We first examined the
“Finality of Inspiration,” second, “The Reason Some Spiritual Gifts Were
Temporary,” and third, “The List of Spiritual Gifts.” Continuing that list, we
come to the last two temporary gifts.
Tongues were the
supernatural ability to speak a human language without previous knowledge of
it. This gift also has direct bearing on our study, so let us take the time to
deal with it.
First, consider exactly
what tongues were. Definitions are always essential when dealing with any
issue. The Greek for “tongues” is glossa,
which has three meanings: (1) the physical organ; (2) figurative for speech and
language; (3) an obscure expression that needs explanation. Which one of those,
then, is meant in a discussion of the spiritual gift of tongues? The physical
organ is obviously not what is referred to since Paul points out that there are
“different kinds of tongues” (I Cor.
12:10). Neither can this refer to an “obscure expression” or an “unintelligible
sound” because Paul clearly and sharply criticizes the Corinthians for using
“unknown languages,” that is, ecstatic utterances, because no one could
understand them (14:2, 9, 11, 26). All gifts are for edification, so how can
anyone be edified if they can’t understand what is being said?
Therefore, there can be no valid argument
against “tongues” being known, earthly languages. This is made quite plain in
Acts 2:6 and 8:
. .
.the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because they were each one
hearing them speak in his own language. And how is it that we each hear them in
our own language to which we were born?
Verses 9-11 go on to list many of the
regions from which these languages came. The dear, sincere Christians today who
claim tongues to be “an ecstatic heavenly language” are simply wrong. This
is absolutely impossible by the words used in Scripture. As we said, this
was exactly the practice Paul condemned in the church at Corinth, and we’ll see
this in greater depth in a moment. Clearly, tongues were earthly languages that
people, by supernatural means, were able to speak without having any previous
knowledge of them.
Second, what was the
purpose of tongues? May we say clearly and with no mistake: the purpose of the “sign gifts” was always
and only a sign to Jews. Throughout their history the Jews have required
“signs,” outward proofs of what God was doing. That was the only purpose
of the “sign gifts.” This fact is proven beyond argument by the three
occurrences of tongues in Acts.
The first occurrence of tongues was, of
course, in Acts 2. This sign was to validate to the Jews who were present the
partial fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy of the coming Holy Spirit. Luke even
quotes Joel’s prophecy in verses 16-21 (we’ll come back to Joel’s prophecy
later). The second occurrence is in Acts 10:44-47. At his conversion to Christ,
Cornelius (a Gentile) spoke in tongues. This was not for his benefit but was
for the benefit of the Jews who were present (v. 45). This sign was for the
purpose of validating to the Jews God’s acceptance of Gentiles. The third
occurrence is in Acts 19:1-7. In Ephesus there were some disciples of John the
Baptist who had not yet received the New Testament message of Christ. We are
told that they believed, were baptized by Christian baptism (baptizō, which always means immersion), and spoke
in tongues. The tongues were a sign to the Jews who were present that Paul’s
message was authoritative. So, we can conclude, these three occurrences of tongues are the only valid occurrences on
record.
But the question arises, “What about the
occurrence of tongues in I Corinthians?” Many base today’s “tongues movement”
on the situation in Corinth. But let us please remember that the Christians in
Corinth were not doing anything
right. I once heard a charismatic preacher on the radio who in his excitement
blurted out: “Oh, I wish all our churches were just like the one at Corinth!”
Indeed, many churches are striving for this, but what a grave error. There is
nothing in that church after which we should pattern churches today. The
believers there had perverted everything they touched.
To answer our question about how we should
view the occurrence of tongues in Corinth, let us carefully trace the Biblical history. The last occurrence of
tongues (Acts 19) was at the beginning of Paul’s three year ministry in
Ephesus, and it was actually during that time period that Paul wrote his letter
to the church at Corinth. So, since tongues had occurred in Ephesus, and since
Paul mentioned them in his letter to the Corinthians (far down on the list, we
might add), tongues were not yet past at that time. But, as we have pointed out
already, Paul condemned the Corinthian
practice. The “tongues” in Corinth were clearly self-produced “ecstatic
speech” only, not valid occurrences of the supernatural gift. I Corinthians
14:6-15 makes this clear. The tongues in Corinth were totally useless because
no one could understand them. This is, in point of fact, exactly what we see in
today’s modern “tongues movement.” The occurrences today do not even remotely
resemble the Biblical occurrences of tongues in the book of Acts.
There are at least two other reasons why
the occurrence of tongues in Corinth was not valid. First, we repeat,
tongues (and all “sign gifts”) were for Jews and Jews only. There is no
indication that there were Jews present in that church, nor is it even
realistic to think that there might
have been Jews in that church. How silly it is to see Gentiles today doing
something that existed centuries ago only for the benefit of Jews. Second,
in every valid occurrence of tongues there was an Apostle present to
authenticate and validate the occurrence. In fact, the occurrence of any “sign gift” was either done by or, at the very least, confirmed by an Apostle. There were no
Apostles in Corinth at this time. If there had been, they certainly would not
have allowed the terrible things that were going on there to continue. So, to
conclude, tongues could have been
valid in Corinth under the right circumstances, but under the circumstances
that existed, they were far from it.
Finally, a point that is usually totally
overlooked on this issue is that if tongues are so vital, so mandatory for
spirituality, why are they not taught in at least the majority of the
New Testament Epistles if not all of them? Why do we see them only in a
single letter written to a totally messed up church? An important principle of
Biblical interpretation is analogia scriptuea (the analogy of Scripture,
comparing Scripture with Scripture), but here we see an isolated practice in a
twisted church that is used to build the foundation for an entire
theology—Charismatic Theology.
Interpretation was the supernatural ability
to translate a human language without previous knowledge of it. Our discussion
of tongues, also applies here.
IV. The Importance of this Position
Why is the position we have offered here so
important? Why is this such an important issue? There are at least four reasons
for taking the position that all the gifts listed in I Corinthians
12:8–11 were temporary.
First, and most
important, this position emphasizes the absolute
authority, completeness, and sufficiency of Scripture (a doctrine that is being
attacked in every way possible in our day). Without this position, we can quite
literally do anything we want with the “sign gifts.” Why? Because many of the
proponents of these gifts today say they are receiving new revelation. But if
we accept the Word of God as authoritative and complete, then we immediately
rule out any such “new revelation.” Are we saying that God no longer heals, for
example? Of course not. God still heals and does other supernatural things that
confound the mind of man. What we are saying is that God no longer gives such
power to men because the Word of God replaced any such need for outward signs.
Second, this position
is the only one that fits the context of I Corinthians 12-14. This we have
already emphasized.
Third, this position
is the only one that is consistent. Here is an important point. Some
evangelicals go down through the list of gifts in I Corinthians 12:8-10 and
literally “pick and choose” which gifts are valid for today and which ones are
not. Many will go through the list and say, “The gifts of wisdom, knowledge,
faith, and discernment are for today, but the gifts of healing, miracles,
prophecy (foretelling the future), tongues, and interpretation are not.” Those
in the Charismatic Movement are quite justified in their criticism of this practice.
This kind of Biblical interpretation is sad indeed. The position we have
presented here, however, is consistent; it proves grammatically, contextually,
and historically that all these gifts
are past and no longer needed because we now have the completed Word of God,
God’s final revelation to man.
Fourth, this position
destroys the false teachings about the “sign gifts” that are prevalent today.
There are many today, both charismatic and non-charismatic, who are guilty of
what we might call “Corinthianism,” that is, the over-emphasis and/or the
incorrect emphasis on spiritual gifts. Many evangelicals, for example, speak of
“how to find your spiritual gift” and then list principles of how to ascertain
the gifts in yourself and others. But the Word of God contains no such listing
of principles, nor does it ever say to “seek your gift.” True, it says we
should desire spiritual gifts (I Cor.
14:1), but it never says that we should in our own effort go out and find our gift. We don’t need to find it
because it was never lost. What the Scripture does say is that the Holy Spirit bestows gifts as He wills (I Cor.
12:11), and that we should earnestly desire the best gifts (v. 31). Therefore,
as we yield to the Spirit and desire to serve the Lord, He will give us and
make us aware of the gift(s) that will best glorify Him and edify the Church (I
Cor. 12:7; 14:12).
Further, may we for a moment examine the
“sign gifts” in historical perspective.
In I Corinthians 13:8 we read that certain gifts “shall cease.” In fact, by way
of example, Paul even lists three such gifts: prophecy, tongues, and knowledge.
The Greek construction indicates that these would literally “cease of
themselves,” that is, just fade away. The Greek also indicates that these would
not return. As one studies Church History he finds that that is exactly what
happened—the temporary gifts faded away, never to return. We offer the
following historical facts.
One will find not even a hint in the
writings of the Post Apostolic Fathers that tongues were valid after the first
century. Some of the great theologians of the ancient Church (Clement of Rome,
Augustine, and others) considered tongues to be a practice of the early Church
only. In the early centuries of the Church only followers of Montanus (who, along
with his disciple Tertullian, was branded a heretic) spoke in “tongues.” In the
seventeenth century a group called the Cevenol priests were also branded
heretics when their “prophecies” went unfulfilled. One of the most shocking
facts is that of the group called the Shakers. The founder, Mother Ann Lee
(1736-1784), regarded herself as the female equivalent of Christ and
established the Shaker community in Troy, New York. She claimed that God
revealed to her that sexual intercourse, even within marriage, was wicked. So,
to “mortify the flesh” and give victory over temptation, she had her followers,
men and women alike, dance together in the nude while they spoke in “tongues.”
There was another group, the Irvingites (founded by Edward Irving in 1830), that
declared prophecies (which went unfulfilled), claimed healings (which were
followed by death), and practiced “tongues.” I hope the reader notices that a
supposed “new revelation” was claimed in most of these instances. That is one
reason we strongly emphasize the passing away of such things when the
Scriptures were completed.
But the focal point occurred in 1901 at the
Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas. A woman named Agnes Ozman claimed that
she received the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” and proceeded to speak in
“tongues.” The practice quickly became part of the Holiness Movement and gave
birth to the mainline Pentecostal denominations. The modern Charismatic
Movement was born in an Episcopal church in Van Nuys, California in 1960.
One of the most disturbing and dangerous
things about the Charismatic Movement is how “tongues” can be added to one’s
Theology without affecting anything else. This practice has spread to many
denominations such as Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and even Baptist.
It has become a common and dangerous ground for “fellowship.”
At this point a question arises, “If
tongues did cease back in the first century, why are they so prevalent today?”
Some Pentecostals and Charismatics view Montanus and Mother Ann Lee as their forerunners,
but this puts them in an obviously heretical position. Realizing this fact, the
majority of Charismatics say that tongues did
cease but have returned as God pours out His Spirit once more upon the earth.
Their strongest “proof” of this is Joel 2:28 and Peter’s reference to that
prophecy in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:16-21). Joel prophesied
that there would be a great outpouring of the Spirit in the last days. But as
one reads those verses, he quickly finds that Joel’s prophecy was not fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost.
Furthermore, his prophecy has not been fulfilled since Pentecost nor can it be
fulfilled in the Church Age. Why? Because that prophecy can only be fulfilled
at the end of the Jewish age, which itself cannot come as long as the Church is
on the earth. So, this prophecy will be fulfilled in connection with Christ’s
return to the earth for the Millennium.
Why, then, did Peter even refer to this
prophecy? Peter was saying that what the people were witnessing on the Day of
Pentecost was similar to what Joel
prophesied. The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was only an “earnest,” a
first installment, of what was to come. Paul used this very word in Ephesians
1:14 to show that the Holy Spirit is the “earnest” (first installment) of our
inheritance in Christ. The Holy Spirit was sent to “bind the contract.”
Additionally, Peter was saying to those people who thought the Spirit-filled
believers were drunk that they should have recognized what they were
seeing as the work of the Holy Spirit, not drunkenness.
May we lovingly say, the practice of
speaking in tongues, as well as the other sign gifts, is clearly not valid
today. Those who hold to these do so from incorrect exegesis and historical ignorance.
We should not try to use that which God says is past. These gifts are from an
immature age and are retained today only by immature Christians.
V. God’s Sovereign Control Of
Spiritual Gifts (12:11)
But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
What then of the gifts that remain? Let us
close with three brief considerations.
First, the gifts in
Romans 12:6-8 and two of the office gifts in Ephesians 4:11 still remain. If I
might interject at this point, two gifts spoken of in I Corinthians 12:28, even
though in the same context with the gifts that are past, are still valid today
because they are mentioned elsewhere in Scripture (namely, in the Romans list).
Second, God wants us
to manifest those gifts. Some might think, in light of our study, that there
really aren’t very many gifts left. But these gifts are more than enough to
edify the body of Christ.
Third, let us beware
of today’s unbalanced emphasis on the spiritual gifts. May we please remember: as we are yielded to the Holy Spirit, He
will empower us and impart to us the spiritual gifts that will glorify God and
edify the Church. The
Holy Spirit is the one dividing to every man severally as he will. It’s not our place to seek the gifts, but to be yielded and
wait for Him to give them.
Dr. J. D. Watson
Pastor-Teacher
Grace
Bible Church
