QUESTION 21
What
Does Scripture Say About Charismatic Gifts?
Godly wisdom is essential
for discernment in such matters.
The charismatic gifts have
become a subject of increasing controversy among Christians In particular,
that of 'speaking in tongues' has divided congregations and broken
many a fellowship. Many who claim to have this gift look with disdain and
condescension on those who 'do not possess it', claiming that the
fact proves that these do not have holy spirit and are, therefore,
not really Christians!
Of course, many of those
on the receiving end of such an insinuation are aroused into indignation
over the charge. But, because of an insufficient grasp of Scripture on
the subject, they are usually reluctant to refute the claim, for fear of
committing what is termed the 'unpardonable sin' by not ascribing
the claimed gift to the work of holy spirit.
Such fear is unfounded. It
is a very clear indication, however, that all is not well with the growth
of knowledge of Scripture among Christians. There is a deplorable lack
of emphasis on the study of the word of God in Christian congregations
and this particular controversy is just one of the results. It should be,
for any Christian, that the first and last word - and every word in between
them - on any subject must come from the word of God in spirit and
in truth! We cannot afford to assume anything without its authority! The
logic should be very simple. When Scripture speaks to us on any particular
subject, can we set aside its comments and instructions and, rather, accept
personal experiences and non-scriptural pronouncements as more 'with
it'? If we can, then do we really take Scripture as God's word?
Do we believe in an omnipotent and omniscient God?
Christianity has become riddled
by concepts that are the result of compromise. For example, when
Scripture says 'Creation', what has been accepted as Science says
'Evolution'! So, not wanting to appear less educated, less
scientific,
less progressive, or less wise, many Christians are confusing
themselves with the concept of 'Creation through Evolution'. The
Scriptural position is seen as too simplistic, too narrow,
out
of keeping with reality, or as figurative.
1Cor.3:18-20
Let no one be deluding himself.
If anyone among you is presuming
to be wise in this eon,
let him become stupid, that
he may be becoming wise,
for the wisdom of this
world is stupidity with God.
For it is written, "He is
clutching the wise in their craftiness."
And again, The Lord knows
the reasonings of the wise, that they are vain.
As mentioned earlier, the ways
of the world must always be suspect in our thinking. Just because
compromise gets things done in the affairs of the world is no excuse for
us to employ it in the sphere of doctrine and operation within the ecclesia.
It is an insidious trap that the cunning Adversary has laid for the unwary.
1Pet.5:8
Be sober! Watch! For your plaintiff, the Adversary,
is walking about as a roaring
lion, seeking someone to swallow up;
For us, Scripture must
be the guideline for knowledge and understanding of the truth of
things. Stepping out of its revealing light plunges us into the disoriented
realm of speculation. And, when we accept such speculation as fact we come
into audacious confrontation with God! We enter into the realm of spiritual
insanity.
2Tim.3:16,17
All scripture is inspired by God, and is beneficial
for teaching, for
exposure,
for correction, for discipline in righteousness,
that the man of God may
be equipped, fitted out for every good act.
2Tim.4:2 Herald
the word.
Stand by it, opportunely,
inopportunely, expose, rebuke, entreat,
with all patience and teaching.
Tit.1:9,10 upholding
the faithful word according to the teaching,
that he may be able to entreat
with
sound teaching
as well as to expose
those who contradict.
For many are insubordinate,
vain praters and imposters,
Confusion reigns in the area
of doctrine. Many prefer to appoint and listen to 'teachers' who
advocate concepts that accord with their feelings and emotions.
They do not want to hear things that would 'rock the boat' and upset
their pleasant reverie in their 'comfort zone' of self-indulgence.
They do not want teachers who will not compromise on the truth. They prefer
men with charisma who appear to be stalwarts in the faith in accord with
their
own criteria. They want 'yes men' up in the pulpits and are happy
to pay for the dubious privilege! They are unknowing victims of the 'They
want what they want when they want it' syndrome!
2Tim.4:3,4
For the era will be when they will not tolerate sound teaching,
but,
their hearing being tickled,
they will heap up for themselves teachers
in accord with their
own desires, and, indeed,
they will be turning their
hearing away from the truth, yet will be turned aside to myths.
Some of those who are appointed
to the pulpits look on their positions as opportunities for fulfilling
their own agenda. Many of these are not up there to serve the members of
their congregations but to take advantage of the respect and authority,
which go with their appointment, to indulge and relish in the power of
exercising control over their fellow-man and to work things out for their
own benefit! We really need to heed the warnings of Scripture concerning
such situations. We have to be careful about what we listen to - and who!
2Tim.3:4-7
traitors, rash, conceited,
fond of their own gratification
rather than fond of God;
having a form of devoutness,
yet denying its power. These, also, shun.
For of these are those who
are slipping into homes
and are leading into captivity
little women,
heaped with sins, being
led by various lusts and gratifications,
always learning and yet
not
at any time able to come into a realization of the truth.
2Pet.2:1-3 Yet
there came to be false prophets also among the people,
as among you also there
will
be false teachers
who will be smuggling in
destructive
sects,
even disowning the Owner
Who buys them, bringing on themselves swift destruction.
And many will be
following out their wantonness,
because of whom the glory
of the truth will be calumniated,
and in greed, with
suave
words, they will traffic in you,
Mt.7:15
Take heed of those false prophets
who are coming to you in
the apparel of sheep, yet inside they are rapacious wolves.
2Cor.11:13-15
For such are false apostles, fraudulent workers,
being transfigured into
apostles of Christ. And no marvel,
for Satan himself is being
transfigured into a messenger of light. It is no great thing, then,
if his servants also are
being transfigured as dispensers of righteousness--
whose consummation shall
be according to their acts.
Diligence and Care
are required
Christians should have the
mind of Christ, enabled to discern truth from error, with faculties
trained
to distinguish between what is truly spiritual from what is brought
on by mere emotion. This mind-set of Christ, this
disposition
that He displayed in His absolute dedication towards obedience to God and
for God's glory, is the ideal we, also, should strive for. We must
ensure that we are useful in true service to the Lord. Our feelings, controlled
by so many unrealised forces, are very unreliable and, therefore, the gratification
of our senses should never be the determining factor for ascertaining
truth. Adherents of other religions also find real comfort and fulfilment
through their various rites and rituals and ceremonies. They feel satisfied
and sure that they have an on-going relationship with the Deity; they sense
a rapport with Him. Can we, consequently, say that they have the
truth of God and really worship the Father of Jesus Christ?
2Tim.2:15
Endeavor to present yourself to God qualified,
an unashamed worker, correctly
cutting the word of truth.
2Tim.2:21 …
he will be a utensil for honor, hallowed, and useful to the Owner,
made ready for every
good act.
Eph.4:13,14
… we should all attain to the unity of the faith
and of the realization of
the son of God, to a mature man,
to the measure of the stature
of the complement of the Christ,
that we may by no meansstill
be minors,
surging hither and thither
and being carried about by every wind of teaching,
by human caprice, by craftiness
with a view to the systematizing of the deception.
Heb.5:14
Now solid nourishment is for the mature, who, because of habit,
have faculties exercised
for discriminating between the ideal and the evil.
Scriptural terms are
important
Truth does not reveal itself
through an element of chance. It does not fall under the assault
of conjecture and guesswork, no matter how incessant these may be. It needs
faith
in the character of God. It needs dedication and careful handling
in its contexts.
We must always have in the
forefront of our minds that this arena is a favourite hunting ground of
Satan. The Adversary, this cunning strategist, just thrives on the distortion
of truth. He was there in the garden with Adam and Eve. He was there in
the temptations of Christ at the beginning of His ministry. He will be
where
the word of God is being looked at - to give it a twist or two and
thus mislead the unwary.
2Tim.1:13
Have a pattern of sound words, which you hear from me,
in faith and love in Christ
Jesus.
1Tim.4:1,2
Now the spirit is saying explicitly, that in subsequent eras
some will be withdrawing
from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits
and the teachings of
demons, in the hypocrisy of false expressions,
their own conscience having
been cauterized;
Care must, therefore, be exercised
at all times for there will be many apparently upright people who will
preach against the tenets and principles of Scripture. And not that they
want
to distort the truth! They may preach what they truly believe is
the word of God - but what they have believed is not from God's
revelation in Scripture. Thus, unaware, unknowing, and in all sincerity,
they preach and propagate error! They are, effectively,
Satan's dupes
through whom he operates, as a sprinkling of leaven within the ecclesia.
Of such we must beware.
Mt.7:22,23
Many will be declaring to Me in that day,
`Lord! Lord! Was it not
in
Your name that we prophesy,
and in Your name
cast out demons,
and in Your name
do many powerful deeds?'
And then shall I be avowing
to them that
`I never knew you!
Depart from Me, workers of lawlessness!'
2Tim.2:24-26
Now a slave of the Lord must not be fighting, but be gentle toward all,
apt to teach, bearing with
evil, with meekness training those who are antagonizing,
seeing whether God
may be giving them repentance
to come into a realization
of the truth,
and they will be sobering
up out of the trap of the Adversary,
having been caught alive
by him, for that one's will.
These principles, which
we have outlined above, should be diligently applied for an understanding
of the charismatic gifts. It is not a matter of what we think we
have. It is not even what we would very much like to have. What
counts is whether it is there to have at this time!
We cannot afford to be naïve,
to be ever-ready and ever-willing to open ourselves to everything that
seems to be the 'outpouring of the spirit'. Some other spirit,
or even spirits, may take the opportunity to masquerade as God's spirit
and wreak untold harm within the fellowship.
1Jn.4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit,
but test the spirits to
see if they are of God,…
Where we are concerned,
truth resides only in the working of holy spirit through Scripture.
And, if we pay heed to the directions and the outlining principles of the
true revelation for this administration, we will know that these
gifts were dispensed for a particular purpose and for a particular
time-frame! They fall into redundancy with the fulfilment of that purpose
at its pre-determined time.
1Cor.12:7-11
Now to each one is being given the manifestation of the spirit,
with a view to expedience.
For to one, indeed, through
the spirit, is being given the word of wisdom,
yet to another the word
of knowledge, according to the same spirit,
yet to another faith, by
the same spirit,
yet to another the graces
of healing, by the one spirit,
yet to another operations
of powerful deeds,
yet to another prophecy,
yet to another discrimination
of spirits,
yet to another species
of languages,
yet to another translation
of languages.
Now all these one and the
same spirit is operating,
apportioning to each his
own, according as He is intending.
We should be able to see, immediately,
that different gifts of that period were dispensed to different individuals.
How much clearer can it be presented than this? So the present claim that
those who do not speak in tongues do not have holy spirit is anti-scriptural,
panders to pride, is divisive and, therefore, should not be condoned! Scripture
repeats for emphasis that:
1Cor.12:29-30
Not
all are apostles. Not all are prophets. Not all
are teachers.
Not all have powers.
Not
all have the graces of healing.
Not all are speaking
languages. Not all are interpreting.
At that time, the revelation
of the present administration had to be given in instalments. Incidents
had to take place and situations had to be developed to create the needed
environment for the salient parts to be addressed for our benefit.
It should be remembered that
the methods for dissemination of information at the time of Paul's writings
were a far cry from what operates today in a hi-tech multimedia environment.
Writing material was scarce, the duplication process was totally and painstakingly
by hand, and time for delivery of letters was contingent on terrain and
weather conditions.
It was expedient for that
time, therefore, for relevant and timely disclosures to be made through
the various charismatic gifts within the ecclesias. The gift of prophecy
was exercised for God's word for continuing growth among the believers.
On the other hand, the gift of speaking in languages was expedient, necessary
for the time, to disclose God's revelation to unbelievers.
1Cor.14:22
So that languages are for a sign,
not to the believers,
but to the unbelievers.
Yet prophecy is not for
the unbelievers, but for believers.
Again, how much clearer can
it be? Yet, it is interesting to note the direct contradiction of this
verse where this 'phenomenon' of tongues-speaking occurs almost
exclusively within the membership of the ecclesias and that prophecy,
expounding the word of God, has been relegated to a secondary, minor, role
or else transformed into a 'prayer session'! Do we pay attention at
all to the explicit directions and guidelines of Scripture? Are we
not, therefore, subscribing to a mere form of devoutness?
At the time when the revelation
was still incomplete it would have been difficult to see the whole
picture. It was expedient, at that time, to make use of certain
relevant facilities to paint in the 'missing' parts or to bring to sharper
perspective the areas that were not so clear. When the program of recording
revelation was completed, the relevant facets were at last in place to
reveal a finished picture of God's long-kept secret. When all
that was intended to be recorded was finally penned, once the picture
was complete, it became expedient to discard these intermediate
functions that had facilitated the needed operation, leaving only the essential
ones that still count. With this now completed revelation we are
able to see things, including ourselves, in a new perspective, the way
God sees them, from God's point of view.
Scripture analogizes this
development of God's revelation with that of natural human growth to maturity.
This revelation is now deemed to have arrived at maturity.
1Cor.13:8-10
Love is never lapsing: yet,
whether prophecies,
they will be discarded,
or languages, they
will cease,
or knowledge, it
will be discarded.
For out of an instalment
are we knowing,
and out of an instalment
are we prophesying.
Now whenever maturity
may be coming,
that which is out of an
instalment shall be discarded.
1Cor.13:11,13 When
I was a minor,
I spoke as a minor,
I was disposed as a minor, I took account of things as a
minor.
Yet when I have become
a man, I have discarded that which is a minor's.
For at present we are observing
by means of a mirror, in an enigma,
yet then, face to face.
At present I know out
of an instalment,
yet then I shall recognize
according as I am recognized also.
Yet now are remaining faith,
expectation, love--these three….
What Scripture is disclosing
is that the charismatic gifts of the initial years of the ecclesia, which
were given with the view to expedience, ceased to have a reason for
existence when the revelation as recorded in our bibles was completed.
But this is not acceptable
to those who insist to the contrary. They claim that these tongues need
not be known languages. Their position seems to be supported by
the KJV rendering of 'unknown tongues'. It will be noticed, however,
that the adjective 'unknown' is in italics in the version. This
is its translators' method of indicating that the word is not in the
original manuscripts but an insertion to signify that it was not a
language the tongues-speaker was conversant with.
The description of the effects
of the coming of holy spirit on the day of Pentecost is clear and should
be significant to all who are really interested in getting to the truth
of the matter.
Act.2:1-11 And
at the fulfillment of the day of Pentecost
they were all alike in the
same place.
And suddenly there came
out of heaven a blare, even as of a violent, carrying blast,
and it fills the whole house
where they were sitting. And seen by them
were dividing tongues as
if of fire, and one is seated on each one of them.
And they are all filled
with holy spirit, and
they begin to speak in
different languages, according as the spirit gave them to declaim.
Now there were dwelling
in Jerusalem, Jews, pious men from every nation under heaven.
Now when this sound occurs,
the multitude came together and was confused,
for each one hears them
speaking in his own vernacular.
Now they are all amazed,
and marveled, saying,
"Lo! are not all these who
are speaking, Galileans?
And how are we hearing,
each in our own vernacular in which we were born?
Parthians and Medes and
Elamites and those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea,
as well as Cappadocia, Pontus,
and the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt,
and the parts of Libya about
Cyrene,
and the repatriated Romans,
both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs--
we are hearing them speaking
in
these languages of ours of the great things of God!"
It is abundantly clear that
the multitude, made up of Jews who spoke various and different languages
according to their land of birth and domicile, understood the message
the apostles were preaching! The preaching was in different languages with
recognisable words and syntax and meaning!
Some try to circumvent this
fact by claiming that the gift is in the ability to speak the 'language
of angels', citing Paul's words. This is just clutching at straws.
If we really look at the passage quoted, we will see that Paul makes a
hypothetical comparison - pitting non-essentials against fundamentals!
He insists that even if it were given to us to possess superlative abilities
(non-essentials to salvation), yet have no love (which will endure
always) we are just useless empty vessels making a lot of noise; we are
actually nothing!
1Cor.13:1,2
If I should be speaking in the languages of men and of the messengers,
yet should have no love,
I have become resounding copper or a clanging cymbal.
And if I should have prophecy
and should be perceiving all secrets and all knowledge,
and if I should have all
faith, so as to transport mountains,
yet have no love, I am
nothing.
Even at that time, when the
gift of languages was operative, Paul could declare:
1Cor.14:18,19
I thank God that I speak in a language more than all of you.
But, in the ecclesia,
do I want to speak five
words with my mind, that I should be instructing others also,
or ten thousand words in
a language?
The Corinthians had become preoccupied
with the showing off of charismatic gifts to the neglect of this essential
development - love for one another, the edification of one
another. They were bickering and quarrelling over who was better blessed
through possession of such gifts as if they had, through qualification,
earned
the gifts (which is an obvious contradiction). Paul chides them for this
immature approach. And this reprimand may be applied to us, too, for not
growing
along with God's revelation.
1Cor.3:1-3
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual,
but as to fleshy,
as to minors in Christ.
Milk I give you to drink,
not solid food, for not as yet were you able.
Nay, still, not even
now are you able, for you are still fleshly.
For where there is jealousy
and strife among you,
are you not fleshly and
walking according to man?
Even at the time of writing
First Corinthians, these charismatic gifts were already being phased out!
1Cor.13:13 now
are remaining faith, expectation, love--these three.
Yet the greatest of these
is love.
At the time the epistle, purportedly
to the Ephesians, was written, revelation was almost complete. Preparation
was being made for service to suit the pattern for the final
phase of this administration under the evangel of the Uncircumcision.
Eph.4:11-14
And the same One gives these, indeed, as apostles,
yet these as prophets,
yet these as evangelists, yet these as pastors and teachers,
toward the adjusting
of
the saints for the work of dispensing,
for the upbuilding of
the body of Christ,
unto the end that we should
all attain to the unity of the faith
and of the realization
of the son of God, to a mature man,
to the measure of the
stature of the complement of the Christ,
that we may by no means
still be minors, surging hither and thither
and being carried about
by every wind of teaching, by human caprice,
by craftiness with a view
to the systematizing of the deception.
Even the first two services
came to be no longer necessary once revelation was complete. In
a sense, every mature member of the body of Christ has received
the same commission as ambassadors of Christ speaking for God in entreating
people to be conciliated to God. What became important were services suitable
for consolidation - for preaching the evangel to those who have not heard
it (evangelists), for teaching and providing a better understanding of
the word to those who believe (teachers), and for the growth in fellowship
within the ecclesia (pastors).
Col.1:25-29
…in accord with the administration of God, which is granted to me for
you,
to complete the word
of God-- the secret which has been concealed from
the eons
and from the generations,
yet now was made manifest to His saints, to whom
God wills to make known
what are the glorious riches of this secret among the nations,
which is: Christ among you,
the expectation of glory-- Whom we are announcing,
admonishing every man and
teaching every man in all wisdom, that
we should be presenting
every man mature in Christ Jesus; for which I am toiling also,
struggling in accord
with His operation, which is operating in me with power.
2Cor.5:18-20
Yet all is of God, Who conciliates us to Himself through
Christ,
and is giving us
the dispensation of the conciliation, how that God was in Christ,
conciliating the world to
Himself, not reckoning their offenses to them,
and placing in us
the word of the conciliation.
For Christ, then,
are
we ambassadors, as of God entreating through us.
We are beseeching for
Christ's sake, "Be conciliated to God!"
With such a grand privilege
and responsibility, why do we bicker and contend among ourselves over supposed
present-day gifts which are no longer expedient?
September 2001
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