Chapter 3
C. The error of revering tongues above all other spiritual gifts in the Christian life.
1. I Corinthians 3:1 says, “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto ____________, even as unto __________ in Christ.”
As we study the Book of I Corinthians, it is important to remember
that the Church of Corinth was not a spiritual church, but a carnal one.
When dealing with babes in Christ, you have to understand that they often
live a roller coaster existence during that time frame (victorious in the Lord
one day, and a total washout the next day), because they are not yet grounded
in Bible doctrine. They are also very prone in that period to run with every new
thing that they learn — sometimes running too far with it. Then they are taught
more Bible doctrine which gives them the proper balance to that doctrine.
Some of the statements made in I Corinthians 12-14 are not taken in that context
by the Charismatics, and thus they misinterpret what the Bible is actually teaching.
— Please read Ephesians 4:7-16, and answer the following questions.
2. Verses 7 and 8 say, “But unto __________ one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave __________ unto men.”
3. Verse 11 lists some of those gifts, “And he gave some, ________________; and some, ________________; and some, ______________________; and some, ______________ and ________________.”
4. Verse 12 begins to list the purpose of the Lord giving those gifts, “For the ____________________ of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the ________________ of the body of Christ.”
Note: Perfecting means “to bring to final form; to improve; to refine” - (Merriam Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary)
The men with the above spiritual gifts do not personally make the people to whom they minister perfect in the sense of being without sin; but they give them the Word of God so that they might grow as Christians, and become more like Christ.
5. Verse 13 says, “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the __________________ of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the ______________ of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”
6. Verse 14 shows the desired impact of spiritual gifts in the church, “That we henceforth be no more children, ____________ to and fro, and carried about with every ________ of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”
7. Verse 15 finishes that thought by saying, “But speaking the truth in love, may ________ ____ into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”
Note: With these verses in mind, please read I Corinthians chapter 12, and answer the following questions.
8. I Corinthians 12:1 shows us that God wants us to understand what spiritual gifts are: “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ________________.”
9. God also wants us to understand that not everyone has the same spiritual gifts, as is seen in verse 4. “Now there are ______________________ of gifts, but the same Spirit.”
Note: Children see others get something, and they begin wanting the same thing (actually, many adults are guilty of the same thing, only the toys get bigger and more expensive).
The young believers at Corinth had seen some very
impressive spiritual gifts displayed, and they, like children,
all wanted to have the same gifts. So the teaching was clearly
given that not all believers have the same spiritual gifts.
10. Every born again Christian has spiritual gifts, as is seen by verses 7 and 11, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to __________ man to profit withal.” “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to __________ man severally as he will.”
11. A list of some spiritual gifts is given in verses 8-10, “For to one is given by the Spirit the word of ____________; to another the word of __________________ by the same Spirit; To another __________ by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of ______________ by the same Spirit; To another the working of ________________; to another ________________; to another ____________________ of spirits; to another divers kinds of ______________; to another the ____________________________ of tongues.”
Note: Please carefully read verses 12-27. The illustration is given of the human body to illustrate the truth about the body of Christ, the church. To have a body, you have to have different members, or else you have a mutated, handicapped body in some way.
12. Verses 12 and 13 say, “For as the body is ______, and hath many ______________, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
13. Verse 14 says, “For the body is not ______ member, but ________.”
14. Verse 15 says, “If the ________ shall say, Because I am not the ________, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?”
Note: Read verses 16 and 17. What if the members of the human body (hands, feet, ears, eyes, etc.) all decided that they wanted to be like the most prominent member of the body, the one that was always seen and noticed (let’s say, the nose).
Okay, your hands are suddenly part of the nose. You now have no hands. How are you going to carry things?
Your feet are now part of the nose. How are you going to walk anywhere?
Your eyes are now part of your nose. How are you going to see anything?
Your ears are now part of your nose. How are you going to hear anything?
This whole illustration is given to show the error the Corinthians
were doing in regard to the matter of spiritual gifts. They were trying
to say that one gift (tongues) was more important than any other gift.
And that if the members of the body (the Christians who were members
of that local church), were not speaking in tongues, then something was
wrong or lacking with them (that they did not truly have the Holy Spirit,
or had not been baptized by Him as yet). So I Corinthians 12:12,13
was given to show that that was false teaching. “For as the body is one,
and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many,
are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized
into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond
or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
All truly born again Christians have the Holy Spirit abiding in them, and have been baptized by Him. “For BY ONE SPIRIT are we ALL BAPTIZED into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and HAVE BEEN ALL MADE TO DRINK INTO ONE SPIRIT.”
The Charismatics teach that you have to pray and
plead for the Holy Spirit; and to then be baptized of Him
(and when He baptizes you, you will speak in tongues).
That is totally contrary to what the Bible teaches here.
If God does not teach in the Bible what they are
experiencing, then who is giving them their experiences?
15. Isaiah 8:20 says, “To the law and to the __________________: if they speak not according to this ________, it is because there is no light in them.”
What you will find, if you begin to talk with those inIllustration: Here is a good example of that fact. In the book, Holy Laughter, by Charles and Frances Hunter, they write, “Once you begin to walk in the supernatural you really have to be ready for anything and everything and NEVER QUESTION the way God does it!” (What they mean is, “If you want to get in on the supernatural events in the Charismatic movement, you must not question what happens by the Word of God, because there will appear to be a contradiction.”)the Charismatic movement, is that they no longer accept
the written Word of God, the Bible, as the final authority.
They have replaced it with their own experiences.
Whenever they have an experience that is contrary
to the Word of God, they then take the experience
as more authoritative than the Bible.
She continues writing, “...when Charles and I were married and we began TO NIBBLE AROUND where the Holy Spirit was concerned, we saw 'those' people with both hands raised! ... Whenever you begin to nibble, however, sooner or later you're going to get caught! ... We began to hear a lot about a woman named Kathryn Kuhlman. ... What was this peculiar, unspiritual thing that made her push them all down ["slaying in the Spirit"]? We rejected it, of course, but our hungry little 'SPIRITUAL PIG' HEARTS drew us to one of her [Kathryn Kuhlman] meetings the next morning after the experience at the Charismatic Conference. I [Francis Hunter] stepped into the aisle. She merely said, 'Jesus, bless my sister,' and bless me He did! Faster than you can blink an eye, I was lying on my back on the floor of the First Presbyterian Church in my very best dress. ... All the arguments I previously had about the baptism with the Holy Spirit and speaking with other tongues disappeared instantly! (pp. 13,19,20).” (April 16, 2002 David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, fbns@wayoflife.org)
And there you have it. At one time, based on the Bible,
they rejected what the Charismatics were doing.
“What was this peculiar, unspiritual thing that made her
push them all down ["slaying in the Spirit"]?
We rejected it, of course…”
They rejected slaying in the spirit as unscriptural, and yet, they went to hear a woman preacher who practiced that very thing. It was unscriptural to even go and hear a woman preacher.
16. I Timothy 2:11-14 says, “Let the __________ learn in ______________ with all subjection. But I suffer ______ a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being ________________ was in the transgression.”
Note: So they were placing themselves in an unscriptural position under a woman preacher who practiced unscriptural things. Notice it was Mrs. Hunter who was first deceived in the meeting.
“I [Francis Hunter] stepped into the aisle. She merely said, 'Jesus, bless my sister,' and bless me He did! Faster than you can blink an eye, I was lying on my back on the floor of the First Presbyterian Church in my very best dress. ... All the arguments I previously had about the baptism with the Holy Spirit and speaking with other tongues disappeared instantly!”
Mr. Hunter then later followed her into error, just like with Adam and Eve. Eve was deceived, and then caused her husband to sin.
17. Genesis 3:4-6 says, “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the __________ saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she ________ of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and ________ also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”
After Mrs. Hunter had her experience, she said,
“All the arguments I previously had about the baptism with the
Holy Spirit and speaking with other tongues disappeared instantly!”
It was right there that experience became her authority — not the Bible.
That is exactly why the Charismatic movement is setting the stage for
the end-time deception of the antichrist. They are teaching that the
Bible is not the final authority, but signs and wonders are; and that
fits the exact plan of deception that the antichrist is going to use.
18. II Thessalonians 2:9, 10 says, “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all __________ and __________ and lying ______________, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”
19. Remember the clear picture of the Charismatic movement given in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the ________ of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not ____________________ in thy name? and in thy name have cast out ____________? and in thy name done many __________________ works? And then will I profess unto them, I __________ knew you: ____________ from me, ye that work iniquity.”
20. It is through the written Word of God, the Bible, that we prove what is God’s will, and what is not. John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy ________ is truth.”
Note: Sanctify means “to set apart to a sacred purpose or to religious use; consecrate” (Merriam Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary)That sacred purpose is God’s will and plan for our lives. It is only through God’s Word, the Bible, that we confirm that sacred purpose for our lives.
21. Romans 12:1, 2 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye ______________________ by the renewing of your _________, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, ________ of God.”
— Referring back to I Corinthians chapter 12, here are more questions:
22. Speaking of the church, verse 18 says, “But now hath ______ set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath ______________ him.”
23. Verses 22 and 23 say, “Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more ____________, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be ________ honourable, upon these we bestow more ________________ honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.”
24. Verses 29 and 30 say, “Are ______ apostles? are ______ prophets? are ______ teachers? are ______ workers of miracles? Have ______ the gifts of healing? do ______ speak with tongues? do ______ interpret?”
The Charismatics make the gift of tonguesthe test of spirituality or of being Spirit-filled.
But the Bible is very clear that the Holy Spirit does
NOT give the SAME GIFTS to every Christian.
So to make tongues a test of being Spirit-filled,
and to urge every Christian to seek that gift,
is to go exactly opposite of what the Bible teaches.
Note: Please read I Corinthians chapter 14, and answer the following questions. Also remember that this passage was written to babes in Christ. At the moment, they were all clamoring like little children for the best gift (tongues, in their thinking). Please stop for a few minutes, and read I Corinthians chapter 13, to see what is to be the motive behind all gifts.
The delicate balance was to get these immature Christians to see that there was a place for tongues (to reach unbelieving Jews with the gospel), but that they were using the gift in a carnal way for personal prestige in the eyes of others.
-- So, once again, please read I Corinthians chapter 14, and answer the following questions.
25. Verse 1 says, “Follow after ______________, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may ________________.”
Note: Prophesy means “to give instruction in religious matters; to preach; to make a prediction” - (Merriam Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary)
26. Verse 2 says, “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man __________________________ him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.”
27. Verse 3 says, “But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to ______________________, and exhortation, and comfort.”
Note: Edify means “to build; to establish; to instruct and improve”- (Merriam Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary)
Speaking in an unknown tongue does not help anyone, because it is unknown what was said. But prophesying does help others, because it builds them up in the faith and comforts them.
28. Verse 4 says, “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth ______________; but he that prophesieth edifieth the ____________.”
Remember, this was being spoken to babes in Christ.This was a gentle way of showing them that this business
with tongues was a selfish thing. It was only building up
themselves — not others in the church. But instruction
and preaching that people could actually understand,
would result in building up the church.
29. Verse 5 goes on with the same gentle rebuke, “I would that ye all spake with tongues, but ____________ that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the ____________ may receive edifying.”
30. Verse 9 says, “So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be ____________________, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the ______.”
31. Verse 12 says, “Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the ________________ of the church.”
Note: Anything done in the church needs to have the good of the people in mind — building them up and establishing them in the faith. But if they cannot understand what is being said, they are not going to be edified (built up and established).
32. Verse 13 says, “Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may __________________.”
Note: We are going to look at verses 27 and 28 a little later. Those verses forbid anyone to speak in tongues in a service, unless an interpreter is found first. So there should never be anyone speaking in tongues in a service, unless there is already someone there who is going to be able to interpret it for the rest of the congregation (either the person himself, or some other person).
33. Verse 16 says, “Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth ______ what thou ____________?”
34. Verses 18 and 19 say, “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all: Yet in the ____________ I had rather speak ________ words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ______ thousand words in an unknown tongue.”
Note: Have you ever visited a church on a foreign mission field? Even though you are there to be a blessing and a help, if you do not know the language, you do not get anything out of the message. You see the people laugh sometimes, and be serious at other times, but you are left out of it.
Even though the gift of tongues was still being used
(to be a sign to the Jews and to reach them with the gospel),
Paul made it very clear that even in those days, he would
rather speak 5 words with his understanding
(so that he could teach people in the congregation),
than get up and speak 10,000 words in a
tongue unknown to those people.
Note: This principle is not followed at all in the vast majority tongues-speaking churches. They count it much more spiritual to speak in tongues in a service, than to teach the people in the language that they actually know.
Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, Final Test Liberty Bible Course Directory