“To another (is given) prophecy … to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues” – 1 Corinthians 12: 10.
Follow after charity, and desire spirituals [gifts], but rather that you may prophesy. … I would that you all spoke with tongues, but rather that you prophesied: for greater is he that prophesies than he who speaks with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying – 1 Corinthians 14: 1-5.
Frequently those who oppose the Pentecostal/Charismatic position claim that “speaking in tongues” is the least of the gifts, but that is not what the Bible teaches or claims. The only comparative statement relating to the evaluation of one spiritual gift compared to another is that quoted above. This is in line with Paul’s entire argument about the “pneumatikos” = “spirituals”. Nothing in the spiritual area is self centred. Every expression is for the benefit of the entire body. This factor alone places “prophecy” at the head of the list, being as 1 Corinthians 14:3 puts it “unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort” edification = to build up; exhortation = to stir up; comfort = to cheer up. This is what makes the person who prophesies GREATER than the person who speaks in tongues unless he interprets.
Speaking in tongues on its own is “self edifying” –
He who speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself; but he who prophesies edifies the church – 1 Corinthians 14:4.
… greater is he that prophesies than he who speaks with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying – 1 Corinthians 14: 5.
Contrary to what many cessationists claim it is not wrong to engage in self-edification – cf. Jude 20 – “But you, beloved, building up {epoikodomeo = to finish the structure of which the foundation has already been laid, to give constant increase in Christian knowledge and in a life conformed thereto} yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit” – provided it is not done in the public congregation where everything should be for the benefit of all. This rules “out of order” wholesale congregational speaking in tongues with no interpretation of tongues. As a Pentecostal I openly admit that this “wholesale speaking in tongues” does go on in Pentecostal and Charismatic “churches” and it is biblically wrong – completely out of order. It produces a babble and sadly it is frequently encouraged by leaders of Pentecostal/Charismatic meetings –
If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that you are mad? – 1 Corinthians 14:23.
Contrary to what many “Charismatics” claim “speaking in tongues” is NOT always God-ward. The logical conclusion of Paul’s teaching based on 1 Corinthians 14: 3, 4 and 5 is that speaking in tongues plus the gift of interpretation of tongues equals prophecy and is therefore a message to men “to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.”
Classic Pentecostals were insistent on this, whereas the later Charismatic teaching falsely claimed that all “tongues speaking” is God ward and not man ward. There is no basis in Scripture for this idea and it is restrictive, forcing the person who exercises the gift of interpretation of tongues to direct his utterance to God as a prayer or an expression of praise. Paul contradicts this idea in the above verses. Then later he says,
I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all: Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue – 1 Corinthians 14:18-19.
Paul the apostle is NOT here denigrating speaking in tongues; he is providing a regulatory principle of how we should operate within the Church, where everything should be done for the benefit of everyone. For this reason he affirms that if the speaking in tongues is in fact a prayer and it is in the congregation then it should be interpreted just as a message in tongues should be interpreted –
For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Else when you bless with the spirit, how shall he who occupies the room of the unlearned say Amen at your giving of thanks, seeing he does not understand what you say? For you verily give thanks well, but the other is not edified – 1 Corinthians 14:14-17.
THE DAY OF PENTECOST WAS A PROTOTYPE AND AN EXCEPTION
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance – Acts 2:1-4.
When the Holy Spirit “fell on” (cf. Acts 10:44; 11:15) the 120 gathered in the upper room there were three supernatural virtually simultaneous events – “a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind …. Cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them …. They … began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Traditional (classic) Pentecostals would point out that two of the three occurrences were external and entirely sovereign. The third “speaking in tongues” was divinely initiated requiring human cooperative response. The expression suggests that those who received the Holy Spirit spoke forth that which the Holy Spirit gave them to articulate. It was divinely, not humanly, initiated. This is completely in line with the summary expression by Paul in his teaching passage on the gifts (manifestations) of the Holy Spirit cf. “But all these work that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will” – 1 Corinthians12:11.
One of the differences between what happened with the “tongues speaking” on the Day of Pentecost and that specified in the Christian Assembly at Corinth relates to the gift of the interpretation of tongues. Paul says the gift of interpretation of tongues is required in a properly conducted Christian Assembly, where speaking in tongues occurs. Luke, in Acts 2, describes how it was not required on the Day of Pentecost on account of the speaking in tongues being understood by various bystanders. So what happened at Pentecost was both an exception and a prototype – a prototype in the sense that it was, as all manifestations of the Spirit should be, initiated by the Holy Spirit and not by man; and an exception in that an interpreter was not required.
TONGUES – AN INITIAL SIGN
The early Pentecostals made much of the idea that “speaking in tongues” was the initial biblical evidence of a person being “baptized” into the Holy Spirit. To support their position they would point to such verses as:
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance – Acts 2: 4.
And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, as on us at the beginning – Acts 11:15 cf. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God – Acts 10:46.
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spoke with tongues, and prophesied – Acts 19:6.
The above are three of five incidents when the Bible records people being initially baptised into or filled with the Holy Spirit and in each case “speaking in tongues” is mentioned. The other two cases are those recounted in Acts 8 and 9 where we are told that the new converts at Samaria received the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands by the apostles – Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit – Acts 8:17 and when Ananias laid his hands on Saul of Tarsus -to “receive your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit” – Acts 9:17. In neither of the two latter cases is speaking in tongues overtly mentioned. Early Pentecostals claimed that it is implied in both cases, but it’s a weak argument based on silence and a sort of circular reasoning and in this writer’s opinion created a wrong focus and emphasis. Assemblies of God, of which I was an integral part for many years, turned it into a tenet of faith called The Initial Evidence, which in essence required people to speak in tongues as evidence that they were baptised in or filled with the Holy Spirit. This was pursued with vigour in so called Tarry Meetings. I always had problems with the idea and was encouraged to discover that one of the Pentecostal Pioneers, Howard Carter, who taught extensively on Spiritual Gifts found a unique way around the problem though I now think his argument was contorted. He maintained that a person baptised in or filled with the Holy Spirit would have the innate ability to speak in tongues even if he didn’t practice it. That conclusion was (is) I think an unnecessary copout. Better to simply face the facts. Biblically NOT everyone who was baptised into the Holy Spirit spoke in tongues – the majority did. As discussed in an earlier blog the result of the so called Initial Evidence doctrine promoted by the Assemblies of God and other denominations changed the focus from seeking God and His fullness to seeking “tongues speaking”, with detrimental and even disastrous effect.
I would go so far as to say it more than anything else gave rise to The Strange Fire which John MacArthur addressed in his book and through his recent Conference. Speaking in tongues far from being the “initial evidence” of the mighty baptism in the Holy Spirit, which was promised to be the power (Greek dunamis) to witness to Christ became a conforming evidence that you were “in the Pentecostal club”. It led to huge abuses as I have discussed elsewhere.
The biblical evidence for having been filled or baptised in the Holy Spirit is the divine enabling to witness to Christ in life and if necessary in death –
You shall receive power {Gr. dunamis = ability}, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses {Gr. martus = martyr} to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth – Acts 1:8.
Speaking in tongues was and is incidental to the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Assemblies of God and others made it fundamental and that was a tragic mistake which led to all sorts of evils including con-tricks to force the “evidence” without the reality. I have already referred to this kind of thing happening in Pentecostal and Charismatic meetings with psychological manipulation such as deep breathing exercises which can produce an altered state of consciousness. Sadly it had to do with numbers being the measure of success and opened the way to the present deception of the Church Growth movement etc when the bottom line is always numbers or more insidiously money. I say that to say this, “I am more in favour of John MacArthur’s Strange Fire emphasis than against it. My only concern is relating to the old analogy of “the baby and the bathwater”.
Don’t reject the real on account of the false and the phony. I have seen too much of the genuine to be put off by the proliferating of the false in our time. Our Lord promised that His followers would be endued with power from on high. He has never retracted that promise. As a biblical Pentecostal I stand by the Immutability of Him whose promises never change irrespective of the Strange Fire created by men and women.
Next – Is Cessationism truly biblical? What is the evidence – pro and con?
See Cessationism v. Biblicism as a prelude to the next blog.
http://www.christian-witness.org/archives/cetf2000/cess62_1.html
Respectfully submitted,
Philip L. Powell – 18-11-2013.
PhilipLPowell 