Gina: It says they were not to speak in tongues IN CHURCH.
That is right Gina. They were not to speak in tongues IN the church. And that is the only place tongues were permitted to speak for anyone. ALL the spiritual gifts were given to the church. The letter to the Corinthians was written to the
church at Corinth. The entire context is the local church at Corinth.
1 Corinthians 12:28 And
God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
--All the gifts, as listed here, are for the local church.
God never intended gifts such as tongues or prophecy to be used anywhere else but in the church.
Does not Paul himself say that he was grateful for the gift of tongues he possessed? Did he also not inform ALL, including men, that there was no point in the church using tongues among themselves?
Paul said that he was grateful that he spoke in tongues more than them all, because of the great misuse of tongues that they had. It was a rebuke. It doesn't say that Paul never used tongues outside of the local church. He above anyone would have opportunity to use this gift because of the missionary journeys that he went on. Going to different nations, encountering people of different languages, I am sure that the Lord gave him the gift of tongues to communicate the gospel message to those who otherwise would not understand it. He did not say or infer that he used it either privately or outside of the local church.
And, no, he never informed anyone that there was any point in using tongues among themselves. Please cite Scripture from where you get this idea. Tongues were only for the church, and to be spoken only in the church. It was a gift given to the church to edify those in the church, and at the same time a sign to the unbelieving Jews. How could that be? Remember that many of their meetings were first held in the synagogues. That is the first place that Paul usually went to. There were unbelieving Jews that heard his message there.
A brief study will show that this was a problem particular to the church Paul was speaking to.
Since First Corinthians was one of the first epistles to be written you ought to think about this more carefully. The gift at this point was passing away even as Paul was writing this letter, and had no further reason to refer to it in his second epistle or in any other epistle that he wrote afterward. That would indicate that tongues were dying out and then ceased soon after. It also indicates, as does the rest of the book, that church at Corinth was the most carnal church that Paul wrote to. See 1Cor.3:1-3. Apart from the Day of Pentecost, two other mentions in the Book of Acts, and this sole mention of it in just this one epistle of the New Testament, means that: 1. it wasn't a problem in other churches, and 2. it was quickly fading out.
He did not say that tongues were no longer to be used. He did not say they were bad. He did not say they were on their way out the door, and he did not say they were insignificant.
You have NOT shown where that was said in any of these ten pages. You've taken a verse here, a verse there, and used it to "prove" a belief that simply isn't stated in the bible and a conclusion that is usually only drawn by those who have only studied enough of it to support what they already believe.
Paul indicates that tongues have ceased. If I tell you that Paul indicates that Christ arose from the dead and present you with the evidence, would you deny that evidence too. Some people deny whatever evidence you give, so it doesn't matter what I tell you if your mind is so closed so as not to believe.
I have explained to you 1Cor.13:8-13, how that when the perfect Word of God came the gift of tongues ceased. Dr. Bob also posted to the same effect. Read his post as well. While your at it go back and read Briguys. Then go back and read Walguys. Tongues have ceased.
Not only have they ceased for the reasons cited in 1Cor.13:8-13, they have ceased for the reasons cited in 1Cor.14:21,22. Tongues was a sign to the unbelieving nation of Israel. That sign was a fulfillment of prophecy given in Isa.28:11,12. It has been fulfilled, in the destruction of Jerusalem for the Jews refused to believe in spite of the sign of tongues that was given to them. Thus judgement came upon them and their city was destroyed, and their nation was scattered. Thus the gift of tongues is no longer needed in that respect either. Tongues, therefore have ceased. There is no more need for them.
Paul says in 1Cor.12:28 that tongues is, of all the gifts, the most insignificant gift. I have already quoted that verse above. The gifts are listed in order of importance. Look at the adverbs: "Firstly, secondly, thirdly, and after that…" There is an order there, and the last in that order is tongues. It was the least important, and Charismatics have ironically put it as the most important. Go figure.
Have you ever tried to defend the gift of tongues? If not I challenge you to do so, even if you only do it in the privacy of your home. Debate yourself. If you are right in your interpretation it will only strengthen your faith and your argument. At the least it will help you understand why others disagree with you so strongly.
This is not an attempt to teach you, only to challenge you and have a discussion on a message board. Gina
I have gone through it many times, Gina. The more I read through 1Cor.14, the more I am convinced that most Charismatics have never read that chapter, or have ripped it out of their Bibles deliberately so that they don't have to read it. Anyone with an open mind reading that chapter, would have to come to the conclusion that:
1. the tongues being spoken today are not the Biblical tongues of the first century.
2. if the restricitions that Paul put in place for the first century were applied today, there would be no speaking in tongues today.
3. What goes on in churches today, compared to what is described in 1Cor.14, is a farce, and makes a mockery of God.
DHK
