Originally posted by hrhema:
"Love will last forever, but prophecyand speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will all disappear. Now we know only a little, and even the gift of propehcy reveals little! But when the END comes, these special gifts will all disappear." I Corinthians 13:8-10.
Where did you quote this from, hrhema? It wasn't from a translation of the Bible was it? It was probably a paraphrase, which is only one man's opinion of what the Bible says. If that be so, his opinion is of no greater value than mine.
Then in Chapter 14 Paul writes: "Let love be your highest goal, but also DESIRE the Special abilities the SPIRIT GIVES, especially the gift of prophecy. For if your gift is the ability to speak in tongues, YOU WILL BE TALKING TO GOD BUT NOT TO PEOPLE, since they won't be able to understand you. You will be speaking by THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT, BUT IT WILL ALL BE MYSTERIOUS, But one who prophesies is helping others grow in the Lord, encouring and comforting them. A person who speaks in tongues is STRENGTHENED PERSONALLY IN THE LORD, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church.
---The contrast throughout this chapter is a contrast of understanding and not understanding. With the prophetic gift the people were able to be taught and edified. With the gift of tongues they were not. No one could understand them. What is given here is a rebuke. Tongues was never given as a personal gift, but a gift to edify the church. But Paul, rebuking them says, you are just strengthening yourself; you are using your gift selfishly. But one who prophecies strengthens the entire church. It was a rebuke, rhema, not an encouragement to speak in tongues.
I WISH YOU ALL HAD THE FIT OF SPEAKING IN TONGUES, but even more I wish you were able to prophecy.
---Again this is a rebuke, but in a loving way. He only wished the best for the believers at Corinth. He is saying I wish you could have everything--all the spiritual gifts, that all of you could speak in tongues. But rather (as the KJV accurately translates it) that you would prophecy. He is not contradicting what he previously said. Previously he already said in chapter 12 there is a diversity of gifts. Some have one gift and some another. Not all speak in tongues. In this verse there is a note of sarcasm. I wish you could all speak in tongues--NOT! But rather that you prophecy. He does not contradict what he said in chapter 12. There is a note of sarcasm here.
Then he wrote: FOR IF I PRAY IN TONGUES, MY SPIRIT IS PRAYING, BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM SAYING. Well, then what shall I do? I will do both. I will PRAY IN THE SPIRIT, and I will pray in words I understand, I WILL SING IN THE SPIRIT, and I will sing in words I understand.
---There is no contradiction here. He is simply saying, if I use my gift of speaking in tongues selfishly, no one understands me. That is not what it is meant for. It was never meant to be a prayer language. Praying in the Spirit is not speaking tongues. He does not equate the two. He does things that the people of Corinth can understand.
This seems to contradict what Paul said that Tongues is not a sign to a believer but to the unbeliever but if you understand about tongues period there is no confusion. Tongues are a sign to the unbeliever. The supernatural manifestation shows the unbeliever the presence of God is in the place.
---No, tongues are a sign to the unbelieving Jew. Read verses 21 and 22.
Also to those who said that there is no such thing as praying in the spirit the scriptures contradict you. Paul made it very clear that he prayed in the spirit and that was praying in tongues.
---He made no such statement. Again, get a valid translation, not one man's opinion of what the Bible says. Here is what verse 14 says:
14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
---You have it backwards. Paul said that if he prayed in an unknown language, his spirit prayed also. The two are not identical. If I were praying in Hindi, I hope that my Spirit would also be praying. He goes on to say that his understanding is unfruitful. It is unfruitful because he doesn't understand what is being said. I have been on the mission field where I didn't understand the language. When the people prayed, I could pray in my Spirit. But I could not understand what they prayed. It was in an unknown tongue as far as I was concerned. My understanding of it was unfruitful.
There are so many various beliefs amongst Pentecostals.
---You're right. And they all believe in a "Second Blessing," whether or not it is a requirement to salvation, it is a false doctrine. And in order to get this "Second Blessing" you must speak in tongues.
"It has been a proven fact that those who believe in the infilling of the Holy Ghost live a deeper and closer walk with God. Why is this? It is obvious a supernatural thing. No these people are not perfect and they sin and make mistakes but yet their lives seem more Godly then others."
---We also believe that one must be filled with the Holy Spirit. It is a command of God. But it has nothing to do with speaking in tongues. Tongues have ceased.
YOu can argue about tongues but what I wrote was from the scriptures. These things will cease when the End comes. There is a thing called Praying in Tongues. If people who don't understand this subject would listen instead of shoving man made doctrines down peoples throats they might understand that there is different kinds of tongues.
---Like I said at the beginning, I don't believe you quoted Scripture. That is not what the Scripture says. It is what a paraphrase, or one man's opinion of what the Scripture says. If people who don't understand this subject would listen to the Word of God instead of shoving man made doctrines down peoples throats they might understand that tongues have ceased, and the tongues spoken today is mere gibberish and not even Biblical.
"Paul said let everything be done in decency and in order so there are a lot of charismatic churches out there that are totally out of order."
---That's one mark against the Charismatic movement right there.
"Paul did not promote a bunch of people sitting around chattering in tongues like monkeys. The gift of tongues is when a person gives a message in tongues and a second person interprets that message. That message is to be judged against the word. If it is not Biblical then it should be judged as such. There are no new revelations or new messages from Heaven. The tongues a person manifests when they receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost is a one time evidencial thing."
---If there are no new messages or revelations from Heaven, then tongues are not for today. That was precisely the function of this gift.
Then as Paul said there are tongues when someone prays. This is the spirit speaking expressly to God. Mysteries as Paul said.
---Mysteries when no interprets. If no one interprets, Paul said to SHUT UP!!
DHK
[ July 02, 2002, 05:26 PM: Message edited by: DHK ]