Four truths stand out: 1. Biblical tongues was the supernatural ability to speak in known languages which were not understood by the speaker. It was not babbling or ecstatic speech. 2. Tongues was a special sign for the confirmation of the Word before rebellious and unbelieving Israel until the destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of the nation which began the Times of the Gentiles. 3. Biblical tongues are no longer spoken. The purpose has been fulfilled and the phenomena has ceased. 4. The Corinthians became fascinated by tongues because their use brought attention to the user. This preoccupation resulted in misuse of the gift as they edified themselves, disregarding the total spiritual life, and failed as witnesses to their city. The Corinthian catastrophe!
The Corinthian Catastrophe, 1974, Published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. p. 48. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.
So when we say that these gifts are no longer in existence, we are not limiting God by saying that God cannot do certain things – we are merely acknowledging what God has stated in His own Word. And when we do, we find ourselves conforming to that Word.
The Corinthian Catastrophe, 1974, Published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. p. 53. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.
The reception of a spiritual gift is not the result of prayer, fasting, tears or sacrifice on the part of the recipient, but is a gift of grace, for the good of the body of Christ and is received at conversion when we are baptized into that body by the Holy Spirit.
The Corinthian Catastrophe, 1974, Published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. p. 33. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.
The Lord Jesus Christ gave the proper pattern in the Gospel of John, chapter eight, verse thirty-two, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” What that truth is, is seen in the previous verse, “My Word.” God’s design is from truth to experience, not from experience to truth! The formula: “I have had an experience. I find experiences like mine in the Bible. Therefore my experience is Scriptural” is dangerously misleading.
The Corinthian Catastrophe, 1974, Published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. p. 58. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.