Thursday, December 1, 2011

An oft misquoted verse...

“Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.”
I Corinthians 13:8


People love using this to prove tongues will go away, read the rest of it, I guess knowledge will vanish away too.  I guess as soon as knowledge vanishes away tongues will too.  I think all the modern churches using tongues is not of God, but, there is not any indication anywhere that tongues are no more.  I hope I didn't step on any toes here, I just try my best to take the Bible for what it says.

11 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you for posting your thoughts on this verse. I would like to bring forward a few things, if you don't mind. Firstly, we should remember that tongues are not made-up gibberish, but different languages. ((Gen 10:20; John 5:2; Acts 2:5-8)The temporary gifts of knowledge and prophecy were only imperfect and partial gifts. Therefore the gift of knowledge has vanished away. That which is perfect has come. The Word of God, the Bible.
"For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." 1 Corinthians 13:9,10
Thank you for your consideration of my comment. May the Lord give you continued zeal to search out the truth found in His precious Word!

Flame of Jah said...

The first two scriptures you posted don't seem to speak about tongues. May you please explain, I might be missing something, thank you.
P.S. I don't mind one bit when people challenge me on what I believe, I think it is a good thing, it makes me dive even more into the Word.

Unknown said...

If you are referring to Genesis and John, then they simply show how the Lord uses the words "tongue" and "tongues" in His Bible. Meaning, they show that "tongue" is speaking of a different language. Thank you for your willingness to listen! May the Lord bless your diligent search for more and more truth! Please let me know if that is not what you were talking about. Thank you!

Unknown said...

I just made a post on tongues, and the passing away thereof on my blog. It goes more in depth, and was more clear and explicit than a comment can be. Thank you! (The post was taken from an outline of a sermon on the subject.)

Kristenea said...

Greetings!

A common fallacy is to look at the errors of the modern church and then use scripture to try and explain why there is error in the church. This is not a proper view of things, nor a proper dividing of the truth. Rather, we should look at the pattern and founding of the church, the book of Acts, and use it as the blueprint of how things aught to operate. God was gracious enough to give us the book of Acts as a chronicle of the establishment and movements of the first church…that is the picture we should strive to achieve within our modern churches. I dare say there is a grave amount of error in the modern church and not only in this area but in every area of doctrine and practice. That fact, should in no way, diminish what we see clearly portrayed in the scriptures.

We serve a Supernatural God who is known for his supernatural workings in and through mankind. He does this by way of the Holy Spirit and through the giftings of the Holy Spirit. They are as relevant today as they were in the first church, and they are just as much in need today as they were in the first church.

Two quick points:

1. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of *angels*, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 1 Cor 13:1 (notice here that there are earthly languages and heavenly ones…)

2. Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and *forbid not to speak with tongues*. Let all things be done decently and in order. 1 Cor 14:39-40 ( Paul himself, by way of exhortation to the church, admonishes them to covet to prophesy…and forbid NOT to speak with tongues…)

Of a truth, the Holy Spirit has a position and office to fulfill in this generation of believers. There is a great need in the church body as a whole to operate in the power and anointing of the Living God, and He desires to have an operational church whereby He can effectually turn the world up-side-down…just as He did through the first church.

God Bless!

Kristenea said...

Just found this excellent quote from William Booth,(1829-1912) founder of the Salvation Army, and thought it was appropriate to post here.

"There are different kinds of fire; there is false fire. No one knows this better than we do, but we are not such fools as to refuse good bank notes because there are false ones in circulation; and although we see here and there manifestations of what appears to us to be nothing more than mere earthly fire, we none the less prize and value, and seek for the genuine fire which comes from the altar of the Lord."

It gives us something to think about...
God Bless you all!

Unknown said...

Just a quick response to "Preacher K.". Paul did not say that anyone spoke with the tongue of angels. He was using hyperbole to say that if you did, it wouldn't make a lick of difference without charity! There is no where recorded in the Bible that someone spoke "angel language" Any mention of tongues in God's Word is speaking of a known language (known to some people weather Hebrew, Greek, Latin, etc.) That is why Paul said, if there is no one to interpret then keep your mouth shut(1Corinthians14:27,28).It wouldn't do me or my church brethren any good to have someone come in and start speaking Spanish. How would that be profitable without an interpreter? How would we know when to say Amen?(1 Cor 14:12-17)And why does it say unlearned(vs16)? Because learned men would know different languages! 1 Corinthians 14:11 "Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me." Also, I am not impressed with your use of a man's words to defend what you cannot truly find defended in the Bible. What that man said does not matter. What saith the Lord? Not to be rude, but do you drink poison or take up serpents too?(Mark 16:17-20)That was also part of the New Testament Church sign gifts.That is all. I will not say more. But search the Scriptures diligently to see if this is so!

Unknown said...

One more thing. I did not mean to be unduly harsh in my last comment. I get excited about the Word of God. I do not intend to offend you, Preacher K, or you, Flame of Jah, But only to bring the Word of God to bear upon this and every subject! I want to obey and honour Him with all that is in me! I hope you do as well! May the Lord continue to reveal truth unto His children! Thank you for allowing me to comment!

Kristenea said...

God Himself established the first “church”.

He set the pattern for how the church should function within society.

That pattern is clearly and unquestionably laid out in the scriptures, in the book of Acts.

It is clear enough for a child to understand and needs no additional explanation.

The Living God is a SUPERNATURAL God who delights in doing things that are beyond our natural reasoning and logic. That is one of the characteristics about Him that MAKES HIM GOD.

He commonly reveals Himself in countless supernatural ways, and this is consistent in both the old and new testaments.

With one exception: He was limited in His ability by unbelief.

And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief… Mark 6:5 -6

For more information on this subject, please see:

Valiant Christianity!
http://www.valiantchristianity.blogspot.com/

God Bless!

Kristenea said...

In response to your question, no, I do not drink poison or handle snakes…

It is not wise to tempt God, nor provoke Him…as Jesus spoke here:

And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him,
It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Mat 4:6-7

However, if the circumstance presents itself…for example, someone poisoning my food or something…I can be confident that this poison will not harm me, outside of the will of God. This same confidence was perfectly portrayed in Paul when he was bitten by the deadly viper, here:

And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.

And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god. Acts 28:3-6

Again, to reiterate. This is the power of God at work in a heart that is yielded unto Him and His service and testimony. Paul did not need to fear the venom from that snake, God had more work for him to accomplish on this earth. It is the same for all who walk with Him in faith, holiness , power and TRUTH.

God Bless you!

Kristenea said...

The quote by William Booth was not meant to impress you…it was meant to make a point and illustrate a principle.

His words are not scripture, that is obvious for anyone to see.

Nevertheless, his observation of the principle are correct. It is foolishness to stop using genuine money just because some people make counterfeit money. The fact that counterfeit money exists, does not make void the need for genuine money, etc…

The principle illustrated here holds true for the Bible and the things of God. Of a truth, there are many counterfeits in Christendom, and there always has been. False prophets, false shepherds and false brethren, etc. These things will always be among us. In no way does it mean that we should cast aside the genuine workings of God and the Holy Spirit. Nor does it minimize the need for these supernatural workings of God in the hearts and lives of men, women and children today. God established the church, in its fullness and power that they would be a living embodiment of Him upon this earth. That is why the genuine witness and testimony of a true believer is so powerful…it is the very life of the Living God moving in and through that believer.

Christianity is much more than just knowing the scriptures, (though that is part of it). It is knowing the One who wrote them and walking with Him in humility and submission to His ways, as outlined in the scriptures.

God Bless you!