I grew up in a very evangelical fellowship, as I’ve explained before. They taught me much about the Lord, and I am grateful for my spiritual heritage. Many do not have the blessings that God afforded me through those early relationships (of course, those things will be required of me, as well, but that’s a discussion for another time).
Most Christians that I knew were also evangelical in their doctrinal viewpoints. Since we lived in Georgia, the Bible Belt, the South, your Protestant side of the fence was incredibly important. Those of the more charismatic camp were in the minority where I lived. Catholics were practically unknown. I’ve met people who lived north of the Dixon line and did not grow up tearfully singing along with Elvis Presley, “Glory, glory, hallelujah,” at the lasershow in Stone Mountain. Many truly did not have the same experience in their religious upbringing. Religious diversity was more common and expected in most northern areas.
In the South, at least when I was younger, it was a serious issue.
In discussions with those of different doctrines, two things kept coming up. One of the main discussions hinged around the security of our salvation, which even I won’t touch here … someday maybe. But the other main issue was speaking in tongues. That more than anything seemed to set charismatics and pentecostals apart.
Being the self indulgent intellectual that I am, I grew up ready to defend why said practice was wrong. This hinged, however, on a doctrine that either threw out all gifts of the Spirit or sifted out the supernatural ones and got rid of them. Or maybe the teaching only focused on speaking in tongues. Either way, there was much standing on a concept that some gifts of the Spirit are no longer in use.
Of course, as you may guess, I can’t seem to find that in the Bible.
As most of you know, my personal beliefs in regards to ALL the gifts of the Spirit have evolved over the years. This has originated from two directions. First, I have seen ample evidence of a scriptural expression of the gifts, either by first hand experience or by reading missionary accounts, generally about revivals. Second, I have read the scripture itself.
I can find a host of teaching on the gifts and what they are and how they are to be used, but I don’t find any mention of some arbitrary end to them between when the New Testament was written and today.
The main scripture I’ve heard used to support an end to gifts of the Spirit (namely tongues and prophecy) is the end of 1 Corinthians 13. Here Paul is comparing love to the gifts and lifting up love because while prophecy might fail at times or tongues may cease, love is eternal. And when that which is perfect has come, all those other things will pass away. I’ve heard taught that the “perfect” which has come is the Bible, which is the date given by many more conservative evangelicals to say that the supernatural gifts of the Spirit ended.
But here’s the problem. 1 Corinthians also says that knowledge will cease. Has knowledge ceased? In context, this is supernatural and natural knowledge, from what I can tell. If tongues and prophecy have ceased, then so has knowledge. And if knowledge has ceased, that makes our seminaries look pretty unnecessary. Aren’t we supposed to know the Bible?
Also, from what the context clearly implies, the “perfect” that will come is an eternal state of being with Christ. In our temporary physical state, love covers a multitude of sins since all is not known and will not be known until eternity is fully revealed in the Kingdom. Therefore, love is key. Otherwise, if the Bible is the “perfect,” then are we no longer held to the standard of love? Since we now know all things (supposedly because of the Bible), is it no longer necessary to do everything under the banner of love?
Of course, I would say that what Paul wrote that day in 1 Corinthians is just as valid today as then. The gifts of the Spirit are to be done in love because of our eternal natures and the many things we do not yet know. This is why the “love chapter” is in between two major discussions about the gifts of the Spirit (chapters 12 and 14).
It just seems like bad teaching of the scripture to me. Luckily, I’ve found more evangelical teachers over the years that have admitted the mistake … only to still stand on the idea that prophecy and especially tongues are no longer gifts of the Spirit. I’ve even heard one man I greatly respect as a teacher point out that there is a Greek verb used before tongues ceasing that is a more definitive verb; therefore at some point that gift especially will cease. On a verb tense we take away a couple gifts of the Spirit?
Nowhere is this expressly taught. And with the volume of teaching on the gifts and the supernatural in the New Testament, you would think that someone like Paul or Peter would have mentioned it.
Every gift of the Spirit is just as necessary as it was before, even tongues. And even though many might even deny them, I would say that most Christians interract with gifts more than they know. ALL of the gifts are for the edification of the Body. Why would God take any of them away? The Bible is for equipping and is complete as from the Spirit, but the Bible cannot replace the gifts of the Spirit. It was not meant to. And where certain gifts are not allowed, certain levels of edification cannot take place and will serve to create an unhealthy Body. Take one major vitamin or nutrient completely out of your diet and see what happens. You will get sick with something.
Just like nutrients, the gifts are for the Body while here on this temporal plane. There are standards for how they are used to truly be edifying. Taking too much zinc can poison you, but you need it to survive and fight of disease. Gifts are meant to edify, but they can also be abused. This is why Paul had to write 1 Corinthians 14 in the first place. Just because someone abuses zinc does not support any argument in favor of eliminating it altogether. The same can be said for any gift of the Spirit. If some abuse the gift, that does not invalidate the gift, only possibly the vessel.
In Heaven, however, we will not need Vitamin C or zinc. We will have a heavenly body. We shall also not need the gifts. We will be one with Christ. What more shall we need?
Until then, we have been given the gifts to edify one another. If you are of Christ, you have them. In fact, if you have the Spirit, you have access to them all when called upon to use them! We have each been given strengths at one time or another for leadership and certain roles in the Body. Either way, you have gifts from your renewed, resurrected spirit to share with others. Use them in love as the scripture directs and the Holy Spirit leads.
Peace.
My biggest beef about this subject is simply this: as far as I can figure it out, what is described in the New Testament as “tongues” is simply (and more accurately translated, by any Greek scholar’s reckoning) “language.” And if you believe that “speaking in unknown tongues” is quite literally meaning “speaking a foreign language that you have never spoken before,” then ALL North American churches fall way short of this standard. Even the charismatic and penecostal ones.
One unique aspect of the New Testament period was how cosmopolitan and multicultural it was. It would not have been uncommon to encounter people from multiple lingual backgrounds in any setting. And for some guy to speak fluently in YOUR language, when you know that guy has NEVER spoken your language before, would be quite a sign from God indeed. What is being passed off today as “speaking in tongues” is little more than what was known then as “ecstatic utterances,” which was a common practice in Hellenistic pagan rituals.
I’m not trying to ignite a debate on this, really, but the gift is really straightforward, and the modern charismatic movement has misunderstood it. Perhaps if we knew what it was really about, and prayed earnestly for it, and let ourselves be put in situations that required it (like more foreign missionary work), we’d see it happen for real.
so one side abuses it and the other side discounts it … either way its unhealthy to me.
I would say, however, that speaking or praying in tongues without an interpretation is completely biblical if you are doing it privately. Paul describes this as self-edification (when you don’t know what you’re saying but its by the Spirit), but self-edification is unbiblical when in the midst of other believers. You are to regard others as higher than yourself and to minister to them first … if all do that, all are blessed, hence Paul’s directives regarding tongues.
And I’ve read about it happening the way you describe quite often in missionary works within the past 50 to 100 years. It does happen scripturally today and some do have the spiritual wisdom to properly use it and teach it. Just like most things, though, those are rare, precious people.
Ultimately, though, I believe that tongues are one of the least emphasized of the gifts. Vitally important, still, mind you, but not up there with like an apostolic or prophetic gift. Why would God want us divided over a more minor thing? He doesn’t. And to me, it is our lack of love in this area towards one another that is the most tragic of all.
Peace.
Amen to much of your writing. I found out about your blogger from Larry Vick. Have you read any of Frank Viola (ptmin.org), Gene Edwards (seedsowers.com), or Bill Freeman (thechristian.org)? If not, you owe it to yourself. I have been rubbing shoulders with those gentlemen the last couple of years while in Florida and have been practicing church as is portrayed in their writings.
Best to you brother,
Jon Slusser
http://www.amcrex.com