Before graduating from seminary, one professor said something to me in class as his answer to my question I had asked him. He said, “Cultural convictions for some are often stronger than biblical ones.” When I landed a pastorate in a Chinese Church where the nature of the church was half overseas born Chinese and the other half American born, I understood what he meant.
Having served closely with Charismatics, I can also attest to this: “For some, experiential convictions are often stronger than biblical ones.”
I have had people get upset with me when I take the time to show how the Baptism of the Spirit, or being Slain in the Spirit, or praying in tongues as interpreted by Charismatics is shady at best. When I encourage the same people to use the Bible and offer a biblical rebuttal, I receive silence.
I know from hearing from my wife, that many prefer to speak to her about me rather than go directly to me to debate the issues -- of course in a civilize learning environment.
I never did accept the Charismatic interpretation of the Baptism of the Spirit, or its practice of being Slain in the Spirit. But for many years, I did practice praying in tongues.
No one really challenged me on it at the time. I was with a group of people who predominantly accepted the practice. When I questioned the practice of praying in tongues, when i stopped and having been there myself, I observe four responses from people as to why they prefer to simply be left alone and not even deal with the issue.
First, some were taught to pray in tongues by a well-known respected pastor, professor or teacher. If he said it, or if she said it, and if he practices it, or if she practices it, it’s good enough for me.
Second, it is humbling to admit you may be wrong after having done the practice for so many years and perhaps even having taught others to do the same.
Third, experiential convictions have a high value and priority than biblical ones.
Fourth, how can praying in tongues be so bad or wrong if it helps me and it works in my own personal ministry?
I understand these thoughts and feelings having been there myself. But if the church is going to fortify its faith and show the world that its reliance on the Bible as God’s Word is truly sufficient for faith (salvation) and practice (sanctification), why are some afraid to allow the Word to bring correction, or at the very least, to cause people to think and question what they are doing? We have scores of people in the church who know what they believe but who do not really know why they believe it.
Robert Morris does the best he can trying to support from the Bible the practice of praying in tongues. After all, he really does not have much to work with.
Pastor Morris in his message on praying in tongues takes us to 1 Corinthians 14. He starts quoting verse 2, but never takes the time to open up the context to his audience so the people have a better understanding as to why Paul said what he did.
Let’s take a look at verse 1: “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.”
Paul just got through showing the preeminence and priority of love in the previous chapter.
Love seeks to edify others - “it is not self-seeking” (13:5)
Love does not preclude the use of spiritual gifts, it simply desires the “greater gifts” (12:31). Which means not the showy ones that were abused by the Corinthians, but the ones used to build up the church in both unity and faith.
Even the legitimate use of speaking in tongues as a known language supernaturally given to a person who does not know the language is only given by the Holy Spirit to “some” in the church (12:29-30). But we are told that praying in tongue is given by the Holy Spirit (at the Baptism of the Spirit, which occurs subsequently after salvation -- to each one it varies in time) to everyone!
So everyone is supposedly to have this enablement which gives them the right to build themselves up and not others. Pretty soon you have people in the church who work apart from and independently of others because they do not need anyone else to build themselves up. They can do it alone.
Paul said this: The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty (12:2-23).
So when Paul says in 14:1, “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy,” he means, esteem highly those gifts of the Spirit that can be used to build one another up in the most holy faith. Don’t worship and perform independently from one another.
So with this as a context, Paul then states in verse 2: “For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit.”
Don’t you now get a better picture of what Paul is saying in verse 2? He is not commending them for being selfish, but correcting them.
I say this with respect and love, but pastors or bible teachers that want to make a point so badly using a bible verse, but they leave out the context so as not to give people that are listening to them a better and proper rendering of the verse, are not only guilty of teaching something that could very well be wrong, but they also show their people the wrong way to read and to interpret the Bible.
At the end of 14:1, where Paul says to desire the greater gifts “especially prophesy,” you need to compare this with verse 5 in order to understand better the heart of Paul.
Verse 5: “I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.”
What is Paul’s greatest desire? For everyone to speak in tongues or for the church to be edified (built up)?
What does Paul say is the best way to do this? By speaking in tongues or by prophesy?
It is prophesy, the practice of preaching and teaching the Word in a clear and understandable manner that the Holy Spirit can use to build the church up that takes preeminence over the practice of tongues without interpretation. But what do we see most are many seeking to gravitate toward in the church? Not prophesy, but praying in tongues (without interpretation). Totally the opposite of what was the desire of Paul’s heart.
End of Part 6
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