by Pastor Joey Carroll
As we continue our journey through 1 Corinthians, we move into chapter 14 and back into spiritual gifts, but we have not left the subject of love. Love remains the motivation and foundation of every spiritual gift. And if any spiritual gift is ever exercised apart from love, they fail to exalt Christ and His great love.
In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul compares two spiritual gifts. He compares the one that Corinth was misusing, speaking in tongues, and the one that the church was not valuing enough, prophesying.
Speaking in tongues remains a point of controversy in the church even after 2,000 years. It was causing problems in the first century because it was misunderstood, and it continues to be misunderstood today. My greatest concern, as with everything else in life and faith, is that the principles of Scripture are upheld. Far too many people rely on personal experience or emotions as a basis for opinion. Every experience and opinion must bow before the authority of Scripture, or we wind up having man-made traditions and religion rather than God-ordained religion.
The greatest blessing to any person is to enjoy the presence of God and to hear and understand His Word. During the days of the Old Testament, God chose out of all the peoples on the planet the nation of Israel to enjoy those two great blessings. The nation of Israel experienced that great and terrifying day when the Lord descended atop Mount Sinai and spoke to them. There would finally be a people to know the requirements of living in the presence of God as the people of God. Knowing or experiencing God’s presence and obeying God’s Word is the essence of heaven. In fact, His presence and His Word will define our eternal existence.
But back to first century Corinth, the church had become mesmerized by the new abilities the Holy Spirit had given them, especially the gift of speaking in tongues. No matter how you understand what it was (either speaking in known languages as in Acts 2:7-11 or speaking in some unknown language that is not defined in the Bible), the church had forgotten that the blessing for the congregation came when they heard and understood what God was saying to them. After all, not being able to understand what God was saying has always been and continues to be the curse of God (1 Corinthians 14:20-21). The Church today must realize that to hear from God as He has spoken to us in His Word is His blessing, and to hear from the hearts and minds of men is to be accursed. That being said, if you belong to a church where the preacher does not open up the Bible and lead you in understanding what God has said is a church you need to leave, like yesterday. Men who speak from themselves are not the men of God. The phrase “thus says the Lord” is used over 400 times in the Bible to help the reader know who’s word it is that you are reading. In the New Testament, we have the Apostle Peter’s confirmation when he says, “for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:21, NASB).
Now, the primary concern with all spiritual gifts is the edification of the church as a whole (1 Corinthians 14:26), not the edification of the individual who is exercising the gift. How unfitting would it be for a man to stand in the pulpit and make a show of himself on the Lord’s day. Equally offensive is anyone using any gift in the church to make much of themselves and not of our Savior. If someone is going to do that, they would be better off staying home (14:20). The principles governing spiritual gifts are clear in Scripture. Now, if we could just care enough to let go of personal experience and the wisdom of men, and instead listen to what God has said.
This article originally appeared in The Clarion Newspaper.
