Apostle Paul On Tongues In 1 Corinthians

[reneweddaybyday]

When Paul wrote that the NT was not complete. The Apostles were preaching from the OT scriptures not the NT.

According to Acts, Paul taught at Corinth.

Acts 18:

1 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;

...

4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

...

11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.


At that point, Paul was accused of persuading men to worship God contrary to the law (Acts 18:13). He was brought before Gallio (Acts 18:12).

And Acts 18:18 indicates Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren and went to Syria.

Did Paul teach only OT Scriptures, or did Paul teach NT realities to the Church at Corinth?

Jesus said that the church He established would prevail even against the gates of hell. Still is to this day.

Right. And we are part of the church which was begun at Day of Pentecost, which includes the church at Corinth where Paul taught (according to Acts 18). Do you really believe Paul taught from OT Scriptures???

 

[UnderGrace]

If Paul was teaching the Gentiles it would seem reasonable to be giving background information, teaching about the character of God , defining sin by falling short of the Law, who God is and how He worked through His people.

Even he was teaching the Jews again I think the OT would be an important point of reference, even when we witness today we tell people they cannot fulfill the demands of the law so we start with the OT and arrive at the NT.

So yes the OT is important in both situations I believe.

I guess I am jumping in ...oops.

According to Acts, Paul taught at Corinth.

Acts 18:

1 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;

...

4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

...

11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.


At that point, Paul was accused of persuading men to worship God contrary to the law (Acts 18:13). He was brought before Gallio (Acts 18:12).

And Acts 18:18 indicates Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren and went to Syria.

Did Paul teach only OT Scriptures, or did Paul teach NT realities to the Church at Corinth?




Right. And we are part of the church which was begun at Day of Pentecost, which includes the church at Corinth where Paul taught (according to Acts 18). Do you really believe Paul taught from OT Scriptures???

 

[reneweddaybyday]

I guess I am jumping in ...oops.

I am not having a closed conversation with notuptome. And I believe I "jump into" some of your conversations if/when I see something that catches my eye.


I'll respond later to the points you brought up --- gotta run and errand right now.

 

[kohelet]

Perhaps you can give me some insight as to why you understand 1 Cor 14:2 to be Paul actually advocating speaking to God in an unknown language? Why would God desire such a thing? Jesus taught the disciples to pray but not in tongues?

I confess that the idea of speaking to God in a language I do not comprehend sounds very pagan. The God I know and worship and Who has saved my soul speaks to me from His word through His Spirit and never in a language I do not comprehend.

Is my experience outside the norm?

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

Hi Rodge,

Good questions. Welcome to this end of the chapter!

I'm not sure I can give you much insight - I'm not very insightful myself. And actually, regardless of what I think, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write:

"One who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men, but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.... He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself.... If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and sing with the mind also.... Do not forbid speaking in tongues" (14:2,4,14,15).

So, why would Paul actually advocate speaking to God in an unknown language, you ask? To edify us, is the reason Paul gives. He doesn't go into the technicalities of how this works but since the scripture is Spirit-breathed, we can accept it as being something good.

Paul speaks throughout the chapter of praying in tongues both privately and corporately, so we read, "Nevertheless in church I would rather speak five words with my mind, than ten thousand words in a tongue" (v.19). In church, tongues without interpretation is out. Privately it's very much in. Paul reckoned he spoke more in tongues than all in the Corinthian church - and thanked God that this was so (v.18)!

You're right. Jesus taught the disciples to pray in their language. Jesus was the Comforter. When he went away he sent another Comforter, the Spirit of truth, who, he said, would "guide [the disciples and us] into all truth" (John 16:12). He would also give gifts, one of which would be speaking in tongues.

You say that the idea of speaking in languages you don't understand sounds very pagan. It might be worth considering that Paul never expressed such a concern, even in Corinth, where pagan temple worship was rife and where "pagans offer to demons and not to God" (1 Cor. 1);20). Rather, he says, "I want you all to speak in tongues" (v.5). He gives no warning that they should beware of demonic counterfeits or think this would be a possibility when they use this gift.

Is your experience outside the norm? Without wanting to sound provoking, I'd say it is the norm for people wanting to explain away what can hardly be plainer in these chapters. Of course, you won't be setting out to sidestep scripture and push a preconceived idea deliberately, but it kind of seems to be what you are - inadvertently - doing.

It strikes me that though the Corinthians were guilty of gross misuse of the gift, Paul doesn't forbid its use. By contrast, despite what Paul says, many Evangelical Christians today simply jettison the lot. Bathwater, baby, everything! What's that all about? It’s not wrong to imagine the phenomenon of tongues sounding pagan (provided we don’t stop there) but wouldn’t effectively removing a lot of what Paul says on the matter - and which is inspired Scripture - be at least as wrong?

We don’t have to look far to find people who have had negative experiences with one group of Christians completely abandon everything to do with it and swerve to the opposite extreme. I understand why they would but it isn't the approach described in this part of Scripture. I don't know whether D.A. Carson's writing and teaching appeals to you, but his book Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1 Corinthians, 12-14 is well worth reading. He is moderate, sober and, I think, right in his understanding of these things.

 

[reneweddaybyday]

If Paul was teaching the Gentiles it would seem reasonable to be giving background information, teaching about the character of God , defining sin by falling short of the Law, who God is and how He worked through His people.

Even he was teaching the Jews again I think the OT would be an important point of reference, even when we witness today we tell people they cannot fulfill the demands of the law so we start with the OT and arrive at the NT.

So yes the OT is important in both situations I believe.

I posted this question to notuptome (last question in post #641):

"Do you really believe Paul taught from OT Scriptures???"

Upon re-reading it, the question was clumsily written on my part. Please allow me to clarify.

When Paul taught from Scripture, of course he taught from OT as that was all he had available. However, I do believe Paul opened up the OT Scriptures and showed how they revealed the Lord Jesus Christ. So, while Paul did use OT Scripture, he also revealed NT truth. We know from Acts 18:13 that when the Jews brought Paul before Gallio, the accusation was This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.

As we read Acts 18 we find Paul lived with Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:3).

Some time after Paul left Corinth, Aquila and Priscilla met Apollos (an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures – Acts 18:24) in Ephesus. Apollos spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John (Act 18:25). When Aquila and Priscilla heard Apollos, they took him aside and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly (Acts 18:26). Apollos left Ephesus and traveled to Achaia (Acts 18:27). And in Acts 18:28, we find Apollos mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

Then in Acts 19, we find Paul at Ephesus (where Apollos had been teaching before meeting up with Aquila and Priscilla):

Acts 19:

2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.