Defending the Perseverance of the Saints

The debate of whether or not a Christian can lose his/her salvation has been in full swing for hundreds of years, and I am sure that I will not convince anyone who has already made a decision to change his or her mind. Because I feel urged to stand for what I believe is a correct Biblical (not Baptist) doctrine, I will write this short, but pointed research essay. I will begin with the obvious verses that point to eternal security, and then will give some insight into the verses that appear to contradict this doctrine.

 Before going any further, I wish to point out that I do not, in any way, believe that when a person comes to Christ he/she can continue in a sinful lifestyle and have grace abound. Grace is given when righteousness is imputed unto the believer once he becomes ‘born-again’ into the family of God through putting his trust and faith in Jesus Christ.

 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)

 When this happens, a person is given new desires, a new heart, and a new life.

 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2^nd Corinthians 5:17)

 My point is, and always has been, that if a person apparently comes to Christ, and then falls away, there is a good chance that he was never truly saved initially. People often say, “Yeah, I know brother ‘so and so’, he used to be a Christian, but now he is a drunk and doesn’t believe in God.” Well, brother ‘so and so’ is either the most miserable person on the planet, under the chastisement of God, or he is a heathen who has never been saved.

 “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” (Hebrews 12:6-8)

 If a Christian lives in sin, God will chastise him. If God does not chastise him, he is not a Christian, and has never been – he is an illegitimate child.

 Look now at a few of the verses that support the position of eternal security. In an attempt to keep these verses in the correct context, I have included the entire thought instead of single verses in the cases where necessary

 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.” (John 10:28-29)

 The main argument about this verse lies in whether or not it is we who keep ourselves saved. Contenders say that even though no man can steal us from God, we can walk away on our own volition. This leads to an interesting question: Who is holding on to whom? Does God only make a down payment on our salvation, and we must keep up with our monthly installments to insure salvation? Though I believe that a person of faith will bear the fruit of the Spirit, one must concede that the fruit of the Spirit is a product of salvation, not a payment for salvation. We are saved by God’s firm grip on us, and He has promised not to let go. A good illustration of this truth is a father walking his child across a busy street. In those times when dangers arise, the father doesn’t release his grip, but holds stronger than ever, even though the child may not hold on at all.

 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13)

 Like the seal of a mason jar keeps fruit preserved, the seal of the Holy Spirit preserves the soul of the believer until the great day that it will be released to true life in heaven. C.I. Scofield says, “Assurance is the believer's full conviction that, through the work of Christ alone, received by faith, he is in possession of a salvation in which he will be eternally kept. And this assurance rests only upon the Scripture promises to him who believes.”

 “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)

 Notice that the believer is not sealed until he falls away, or until he sins, or until he stops going to church. The Scripture says, “Sealed unto the day of redemption”. The true convert to Christ is given the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is how one is born again, or regenerated (Titus 3:5), and that same Spirit seals that believer until the day of redemption.

 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

 Paul was convinced of his eternal security. He was excited about God’s grace, because he had experienced it to the fullest. He was a persecutor of Christians; a sinner’s sinner if you will. Paul knew he did nothing to merit his salvation, and it was God’s underserved favor that allowed him to be saved.

 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (I John 5:13)

 How can I know I have eternal life if it can be lost? And how will I know if I lose it? It is curious that scripture never gives an account of anyone ever being saved a second time. The only way to have assurance of salvation is to be totally in God’s faithful hands. My hands are not faithful, and never will be totally until I am in heaven. Am I somehow juggling my salvation? If so, how can I then ‘know’ I have eternal life, as this verse promises?

 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:21-23)

 Christ did not say ‘I knew you for a little while, but you couldn’t cut the mustard, so out you go.’ He said clearly, “I never knew you”. I continue to stand on the principle that if someone falls away totally, it is likely he was never saved in the first place. “In November 1970 a number of churches combined for a convention in Fort Worth Texas and secured 30,000 ‘decisions. Six months later, the follow up committee could find only 30 still continuing in their faith.” [The Way of the Master by Ray Comfort] Do we argue that 30,000 people experienced the power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but 29,970 of them lost their salvation within six months or do we intellectually come to the conclusion that these people were never truly saved?

 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1)

 This verse alludes to there being absolutely no condemnation for the believer. It goes on to say what I have said earlier, that the true believer will walk after the things of the spirit, not the things of the flesh. This is not to say that a believer will not sin. This is to say that a believer is led by the Spirit, and while he may mistakenly fall to the lusts of the flesh, he is no longer bound by them.

 “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” (Romans 7:14-23)

 Paul explains here the constant battle between the things of the Spirit and the things of the flesh, even going so far as to separate body and spirit in his analogy. His body wants one thing and his spirit another. Paul walked according to the spirit, yet he still fought a battle with his flesh. He then ends his dissertation by thanking God and noting that his spirit follows the law of God, but his flesh follows the law of sin.

 “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.” (I Corinthians 3:1)

 It is obvious that not all believers are on the same spiritual plane. Paul refers to the Corinthians as ‘brethren’, which denotes their common salvation (Jude 1:3), however, he calls them children who are acting worldly. He never says that they need salvation again, but that they need to ‘grow up’ as believers. I would hasten to say that many Christians today should heed Paul’s advice and grow up in their faith.

 “According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” (I Corinthians 3:10-15)

 Christ is our foundation, and if that is the case, we shall not fall. If we choose to build nothing but a shack on our foundation, we will not receive much reward; we have made a bad choice in building our lives. Our salvation is in the foundation and not in our carpentry skills.

 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”. (Hebrews 12:2)

 Christ is the object of our faith, and He will see that faith through to the end for those who truly have faith in Him. It is because of the drawing of the Holy Spirit that we can have faith in Christ (John 6:44), and when we have faith in Christ, He will complete our faith for His glory. If it were up to us, we could receive some glory, but because it is up to Him, He receives all glory.

 “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:” (Jude 1:1)

 Much like the term ‘sealed’ is used to describe the work of the Holy Spirit, Jude uses the term ‘preserved’ to point to the state the believer is in, when in Christ. When something is preserved, it is well kept. That which is preserved is doing nothing, but He who seals has done all the work needed for preservation.

 In an attempt to be balanced I will include the verses often quoted by those who argue against eternal security. It is not my point to have a preconceived idea and ignore important Scriptural passages, but to look at the Word as a whole and exegete the proper answer to the puzzling question of eternal security.

 “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:5-10)

             This set of verses again testifies that if a person says he is saved and continues in habitual, continual, unrepentant sin, then he was never saved in the first place. If one has been truly saved, all sin is forgiven. If we say, though, that now we have no sin, we are liars. But if we confess our sinful nature to God, with a heart that is broken for Him, He will forgive forever. [Note: Martin Luther’s biggest problem with the Catholic Church was the belief in confession of all sins to a priest. Luther would spend up to six hours in the confessional, until the priest finally said not to come back until he had some serious sin to confess. Luther knew that sin was sin, and no sin is worse than another. He also knew that there are sins we forget and sins that we do without knowing. He met a paradox: If you must confess every sin, and there are some sins you will not know you did, how do you confess something that you do not know you did? He became distraught until he began to study justification by faith as described by Paul in Romans. Luther knew he needed something, some miracle, that would forgive his sin once and for all – and he found it in the blood of Jesus Christ.]

C.I. Scoffield said, “What it is to "walk in the light" is explained by 1 John 1:8-10. ‘All things. . .are made manifest by the light’ (Ephesians 5:13). The presence of God brings the consciousness of sin in the nature (1 John 1:8) and sins in the life (1 John 1:9,10). The blood of Christ is the divine provision for both. To walk in the light is to live in fellowship with the Father and the Son. Sin interrupts, but confession restores that fellowship. Immediate confession keeps the fellowship unbroken.”

 John, chapter 2, continues to strengthen the point that a person who continues in darkness has never received the light. In fact, here are a few basic truths from First John:

I.          We will all sin. (1 John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”)

II.         When we sin, God will forgive us if we are in Christ. (1 John 2:1 “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.)

III.       Our lives should not be lived in habitual unrepentant sin. (1 John 3:9 “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.”) [Note: The Greek term for sin in this verse refers a lifestyle marked by sin]

IV.       We are now made perfect in Christ, but not sinless until we are with Christ in glory. (1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”)

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:1-6)

Christ used agricultural metaphors in many of His illustrations. The branch that bears no fruit in this passage is obviously the unsaved person. The branches that bear the fruit of the Spirit are being purged (or cleaned) in order that they will be able to bear more fruit. Christ goes on to say that if a person is not in Him [has not been born-again] he may look forward only to eternal hell fire.

 Revelation, chapter three, gives us the condemnation of churches that are full of false converts. There are a few in the church who are saved…

 “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.” (Revelation 3:4)

 … but the church is, for the most part, dead in its trespasses and sins.

 “And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.” (Revelation 3:1)

 The sad thing is that many people today believed they are saved, yet have never experienced the new birth required for salvation. They think they live and yet they are dead.

 “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:12-19)

 We must establish the grounds for what is salvation and what are rewards. I Corinthians 3:10-15 tells us that a person may lose rewards, yet still be saved. Our rewards are based on our works, yet our place in heaven was bought and paid for by Christ’s work on the cross. A fictional story is told of a man who enters heaven and sees many mansions. He then gets to his mansion, and it is not very attractive, and smaller than the rest. He questions God as to why his abode is so small, and God replies, “You did not send much wood for me to build with.”

 “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (I Corinthians 9:19-27)

 Paul here says that he brings his body into subjection, so that he would not be a castaway. Is he a castaway from God, or men? Read the preceding verses and you will see that he is a Jew to the Jews and a Gentile to the Gentiles so to win the approval of the Gospel for all. He disciplines himself so that no fault will be found in him, lest he be cast away and lose his reward of being a preacher of the Gospel.

 In conclusion, I again say that I cannot force anyone to change their minds about eternal security, once that mind has been determined. One will either look at my work here and consider it true or untrue based on his pre-conceived ideas. I do hope, however, that I have shed light on the doctrine of eternal security and my reasoning for supporting it.

 One final thought: If a person does believe that his or her salvation can be lost, then there is need to ask a few more questions:

1. Since I did nothing to get saved, but am saved because of Christ’s finished work on the cross, what must I do now to lose my salvation?
2. If sin causes me to lose salvation, then how many sins must I commit to lose it? What is the demarcation point for losing salvation? Have I sinned today?
3. If adultery is a worse sin than telling a “white” lie, what did James mean when he said, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all”? (James 2:10) What was Paul saying when he said, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall”? (I Corinthians 10:12) We will all sin; whether sin is big or small in our eyes is of no consequence to how God sees sin. It is a breech of His law.
4. Would someone who was raised from the dead, want to die again? A person who has been born-again has been brought from the death of trespasses and sins into a new life in Christ. If it is a choice to be unsaved, what person, who has been truly saved, will want to go back to being dead?
5. Do you really believe that Christ’s work is simply a down payment for our salvation, and if we miss our monthly payments, God may foreclose on our salvation?

 In addition, I believe that at salvation a relationship is formed. A person becomes a child of God by being born into His family. I am a child of my father by birth, not by anything I did. And now, while I may not always have good fellowship with my father, he is still my father. God begins a relationship with the believer at the new birth. While fellowship may be broken, I believe the relationship will stand. God did not draw us in, accept us, forgive us and give us His Holy Spirit simply to look for reasons to snatch it away. It is not God’s will that we perish…without Christ we would…with Christ we will not.

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What is Authentic Worship?

Worship is not something that should be reserved for Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. Our corporate worship with like-minded believers is important because it helps to keep us in the Spirit. This, however, should not be the only time when are worship. Worship is a daily experience and should be life changing. To have this life-changing event we must acknowledge God’s presence at all times in our lives. The downfall of most of us is that we allow ourselves to become concerned with “church” and not with worship.

What does it mean to worship? The word comes from the original root word ‘woerth scipe’; it then became ‘worth ship’, and now has become ‘worship’. Simply translated, it means ‘something you attribute worth to’. Attributing worth to God in our daily lives has a profound effect on our ability to walk with a Christ-like attitude toward the world. God is definitely worthy of our praise. Psalm 29:2 says, “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of his holiness.” Worship is turning your self over to God and giving Him all of the praise, glory and honor He is due.

 What are some of the key elements that should be included in worship? The worship experience should include these three events:

·        Desperation for God

·        Humility of Heart

·        Gratitude

Desperation for God does not mean to come to God and worship only in time of crisis. It is knowing that you cannot live without God, no matter how good things are in your life. Being desperate, when you do not feel desperate, is the key to truly coming to God in search for His will. Psalm 42:1-2 says, “As the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”

 Humility of heart is the act of exalting Christ and debasing yourself. Pride is the enemy of worship. Pride keeps you from doing certain things during worship such as singing out loud, raising your hands and saying “amen”. Anytime you feel embarrassed to worship is when your pride is being lifted up instead of Christ. Satan wants us to have pride, because it blocks our ability to worship. James 4:6 says, “…God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble”.

 Gratitude is the ability to truly appreciate all of the wonderful things God does for us in our lives. A gracious heart allows us to come to the throne of God boldly and not demand. It is entering into His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts. Our praise and worship music is a way of graciously giving Him thanks. Psalm 95:2 says, “Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms.”

 Corporate worship that includes the elements of desperation for God, humility of heart and gratitude will edify God in His home, the Church. It should be an activity that involves emotions, but is not created through emotions. Corporate worship is not a matter of individuality, but of mutual love, praise and edification. Corporate worship should be a good combination of edification, evangelism, and worship, which is facilitated by a dedicated place to worship.

 Worship should lead to edification of God. Our worship experience should be designed to lift God up and to edify Him. Edification of God leads naturally to evangelism because it helps us contact the Holy Spirit who lives within us, and gives us strength to witness. Evangelism leads to worship by bringing more people to God and the cycle then begins with them.

 Authentic corporate worship is not about crowd pleasing or entertainment. It deals less with what style of worship than the heart from which true worship emanates. God desires that we worship. He is unconcerned with how we worship, as long as our worship is pure. James 1:22 says, “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves”. This means we should not be simply ‘pew sitting’, but worshipping God.

 Whether it be corporate worship or individual worship, the purpose should always be to glorify and lift up the Lord. We should not allow ourselves to become creatures of habit when glorifying God. God is revealing Himself in a fresh way and today there is much opportunity for evangelism. Our worship and edification of God leads to our ability to evangelize others. Acts 2:47 says, “…And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved”.

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Does the Holy Spirit come at Baptism, or at the moment Saving Faith is exercised?”

John 7:38, 39 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

Ephesians 1:13 “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,”

Examples in Acts of the Spirit coming before Baptism

Acts 10:47 “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

Example of the Spirit coming after Baptism

Acts 8:14-17 “Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”

What about the specific passages relating Baptism to salvation?

Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

            The phrase “for the remission” could actually be translated “because of the remission”

Illustration: "For" (as used in Acts 2:38 "for the forgiveness...") could have two meanings. If you saw a poster saying "Jesse James wanted ‘for’ robbery", "for" could mean Jesse is wanted so he can commit a robbery, or is wanted because he has committed a robbery. The later sense is the correct one. So too in this passage, the word "for" signifies an action in the past. Otherwise, it would violate the entire tenor of the NT teaching on salvation by grace and not by works.

I Peter 3:21 “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:”

Interestingly, Peter puts his own commentary in this verse. He explicitly says that it is not the outward cleansing that is important, but the good conscience towards God. The word “answer” actually means “appeal” which is made on account of “the resurrection of Jesus Christ”.

NOTE: If any ‘baptism’ saves us, it is the Baptism of the Spirit, which John the Baptist indicated was not with water, but with Holy Spirit fire. Matthew 3:11 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire”

Acts 22:16 “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”

The latter half of this verse is so very often overlooked. One could surmise that baptism is what washes away sins. Or one could translate that earnestly ‘calling on the name of the Lord’ in faith is the answer. If we let Scripture interpret Scripture, the answer becomes evident: Romans 10:13 “For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."”

Mark 16:16 “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

NOTE: Some would argue that this portion of Mark is from an unreliable text to begin with, but in keeping with the Authorized Version and King James only believers, that stance is really not one that holds water too well.

Again “faith” is emphasized here. It does not say ‘he that is not baptized will be damned’, as that was carefully worded, but he that ‘believeth not’. In fact, nowhere in Scripture does it say that someone who is not baptized will not be saved’.

It is obvious that a believer WILL be baptized if they are followers of Jesus Christ and are trying to live by His example. But this verse does not prove that Baptism is the saving agent of God. Grace is the saving agent of God. And faith (not baptism) is the vehicle by which it is delivered.

John 3:5 “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

This verse lays the claim that being born “of water” is a necessary requirement for entrance into the Kingdom. But is this the water of Baptism? Well this is debatable, but the answer seems to lie in the word “and”, which could also be translated “even” with a new rendering being “born of water, even the Spirit”.

This translation is interpreted in light of these other passages:

Ezekiel 36:25-27 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”

Isaiah 44:3 “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring”

Titus 3:5 “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit”

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Made white through the washing of regeneration)

Water and washing are equated with the work of the Spirit in these passages. The Spirit’s washing in regeneration is, of course, an internal change.

Ephesians 5:26 “that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word”

This verse goes a step farther equating God’s Word with cleansing water. Preaching God’s Word is how someone comes to faith in Christ. Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Because faith is the vehicle for grace, which is regenerative, God’s Word is seen here as that which cleanses.

NOTE: Even if the water is indicating the waters of baptism (which I do not believe it is), think of it like this: Christ also said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” (John 6:53) Does this mean that a person MUST partake in communion to be saved or is Christ being symbolic? God gives us earthly symbols that have heavenly meanings – Eating and drinking Christ is obviously metaphoric, which he later showed through the symbols of communion. Through communion we ‘remember’ Christ’s sacrifice, we do not sacrifice Him again, nor do we apply His sacrifice to our hearts through this action. Likewise, Baptism is a Holy action that symbolizes a spiritual truth. When a person exercises faith in Christ a washing occurs, but it is not an external washing, but an internal one.

Interesting Trivia

The book of Romans, the great doctrinal work of the New Testament, mentions Baptism only 3 times in 16 chapters, all of which using it as a symbol of Christ’s death and resurrection. (Romans 6:3, 4) Faith, however, is mentioned 35 times. Romans 4, which concerns the believer’s justification (forgiveness of sins), never mentions baptism. But 9 of the 35 times Faith is used in Romans, it is used in chapter 4.

In fact, any words containing Baptize, Baptism or any other root word meaning Baptism only appear 15 times in all of the Epistles following Acts. (Appearing only in Romans, 1^st Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, Hebrews and 1^st Peter) The word faith appears 225 times and is contained in all of the Epistles except 2^nd John.

This proves nothing, but is interesting concerning how some place Baptism equal with faith in the work of salvation. If these Epistles (letters to the churches) were for instructive purposes, and each contain the plan of salvation, why do not all mention Baptism if it is the necessary component of salvation?

Undeniable evidence of Grace ALONE through Faith ALONE

Ephesians 2:8, 9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Baptism does not seem like much work, and for most it is not. To equate it as a good work, for some, seems silly. But it does require:

(1) Someone to do the Baptizing

(2) Enough water for immersion

(3) The ability to be immersed.

This is saying a person could never get saved on an airplane or in a desert or alone or in a hospital bed.

It may not seem like much of a ‘work’, but when baptism is equated with salvation, baptism, and not grace, becomes the saving agent of God. Illustration: Circumcision is really not much work either. But Paul blasted those believers who claimed that it was necessary for salvation, because outside changes mean nothing without a change of heart.  Acts 15:1, 2 “And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.” Acts 15:7-11 “And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: "Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they."

Baptism and Circumcision are closes related at symbols in Colossians 2:11, 12 “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”

1^st John, the Epistle written “that you may know that you have eternal life”, never mentions Baptism. It mentions “belief” 7 times as the way to be assured of eternal life and uses the word “faith” once. 1^st John 5:4, 5 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

Why did Paul make a distinction between the Gospel (which is the power of God unto salvation according to Romans 1:16) and water Baptism if water Baptism is God’s salvation? I Corinthians 1:17a “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel…”

All these Scriptures (among countless others) refer to faith as the saving agent with no mention of Baptism:

John 6:29 “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

Acts 3:19 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord”

Acts 10:43 “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”

Acts 13:39 “And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”

Acts 15:9 “And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.”

Acts 16:31 “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

Romans 4:5 “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”

Galatians 3:24 “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”

1 Peter 1:5 “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

In closing, I would like to remind you of the familiar hymn that boasts good theology:

 What can wash away my sin
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
What can make me whole again
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
 
For my pardon this I see
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
For my cleansing this my plea
Nothing but the blood of Jesus

This is all my hope and peace
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
This is all my righteousness
Nothing but the blood of Jesus

 Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow
No other fount I know nothing but the blood of Jesus

One last thought. If salvation is found in the waters of Baptism, answer these questions:

(1)    Can a person be baptized without really being saved?

Of course a person can go through the motions of being immersed and not have a true heart conversion. Getting in the water does not automatically or magically produce faith.

(2)    Is there any Biblical evidence of anyone being saved without being baptized?

Baptism is never mentioned in Christ’s dealings with the people in Mark 2:5, Luke 7:50, Luke 8:28-39, Luke 17:19, Luke 18:10-14, Luke 23:39-43

(The thief on the cross being the most powerful as Christ assured him of a place in Heaven by His own words)

(3)    Is there any evidence of anyone being saved apart from faith?

No. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

(4)    By deductive reasoning we see that ‘faith’, not ‘baptism’ must be the saving agent.

Baptism is the result of saving faith, not the administrator of it. When Philip spoke to the Eunuch he was asked, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” And Philip answered “If you believe with all your heart, you may” (Acts 8:36, 37) Obviously Philip stressed the importance of Baptism, which is obvious in Scripture – but he said that faith must be its prerequisite, because faith is the saving agent, not baptism.

The message of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is that salvation is a free gift of God's grace, accepted through faith alone. "The just shall live by faith" (Habakkuk 2:4)

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Five "Solas" of the Reformation Movement

The Five Solas are five Latin phrases (or slogans) that emerged during the Protestant Reformation and summarize the Reformer's basic beliefs and emphasis in contradistinction to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church of the day.

Sola fide ("by faith alone")

Justification (that is, becoming right before God) comes through faith only, not good works, though in the classical protestant scheme, saving faith will always be accompanied by good works. This doctrine can be summarized with the formula "Faith yields justification and good works" and is contrasted with the Catholic formula "Faith and good works yield justification." This doctrine is sometimes called the material cause of the Reformation because it was the central doctrine disputed by Martin Luther.

Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone")

The Bible is the only inspired and authoritative Word of God and is accessible to all (that is, perspicuous and self-interpreting). This doctrine is directly opposed to the teaching of the Catholic Church that scripture can only be authentically interpreted through Holy Apostolic Tradition by the Magisterium (that is, the Pope and bishops at church councils). This doctrine is sometimes called the formal cause of the Reformation because it was the underlying cause of disagreement over sola fide.

Solus Christus ("Christ alone"; sometimes Solo Christo, "by Christ alone")

Christ is the exclusive mediator between God and man. Neither Mary, the saints, nor priests (other than Christ himself) can act as mediator in bringing salvation. This doctrine is contrasted with the Catholic doctrines of the intercession of saints and of the function of priests.

Sola gratia ("by grace alone")

Salvation comes by grace only, not through any merit on the part of the sinner. Thus salvation is an unearned gift. This doctrine is a response to the Catholic doctrine of merit.

Soli Deo gloria ("Glory to God alone")

All the glory is due to God alone, since he did all the work — not only the atonement on the Cross, but even granting the faith which allows men to be saved by that atonement. The Reformers believed that human beings (such as the Catholic saints and popes) and their organizations (the Church) were not worthy of the glory that was bestowed on them.

Copied from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_solas

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Is The Gift of the Tongue For Today?

Part I: Speaking in Tongues

It is important to note that, while some churches make the practice of “speaking in tongues” the cornerstone of their movement, very little is said about it in Scripture.

The Gift of the Tongues is mentioned in only three books of the Bible (Mark, Acts, and 1 Corinthians)

Notable also is the reference in Mark 16:17 is not found in the most reliable Greek manuscripts which could mean it was added later. (This is why textual criticism is important, and why I say the Bible was inerrant in its originals. What we have today must be judged against our most reliable manuscripts). And even if it is a part of Jesus’ closing words, it would be very hard to conclude ecstatic speech from the term “new tongues”. Most likely Jesus was referring to the gift of languages given to the Apostles to speak in languages formerly unknown to them.

Which is what we see in Acts: The gift of tongues was a useable sign which gave Christians the ability to break the language barrier and spread the Gospel, not a reference to any special type of prayer.

Nor was it a reference to “ecstatic speech” or “gibberish” that is what is commonly known today as “speaking in tongues”. It was an actual ‘language’ that could be understood.

So that leaves us to study the final book that contains information about our question: 1 Corinthians.

Important Note: Remember when you are reading 1 Corinthians that it is written as a rebuke against a “carnal” church.

The Corinthians were the most worldly of all of the churches Paul wrote to. Consequently, much of what is contained in its pages is a rebuke.

His treatment of the subject of Spiritual Gifts in chapters 12-14 is properly read as a rebuke for improper use.

POINT #1: Not all will have the gift of tongues (as some churches believe); because the Holy Spirit gives to each person the gifts He chooses to give them based on His sovereign will.

READ: I Corinthians 12:4-11

Illustration: “Evidence of Sanctification” I was at a camp meeting once where I was inquiring about the churches involved. When the person I was speaking to found out I had graduated from a Baptist seminary he immediately informed me that their group believed the “Evidence of Sanctification is manifest by the utterance of speaking in Tongues”. I had not even mentioned Tongue speaking! But it was such an important thing for this person, that he made sure I understood their position. 

By saying that Speaking in Tongues is a sign of sanctification is saying that it is a universal gift, as all those who are saved are being sanctified. (Acts 20:32)

But Paul reiterates the point that “no gift is universal” in 12:29-31.

Now the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22 “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness”) is universal and should accompany all believers. But there is no spiritual gift that is for everyone.

The first mistake many churches make is believing that tongues are a universal gift. They cite Acts as showing that all those who were saved spoke in Tongues, but that is not the case at all.

NOTE: Actually the only three manifestations of “Tongues Speaking” in Acts were the events in chapters 2 (The Apostles in Jerusalem), 10 (Cornelius the Roman Guard) and 19 (The men at Ephesus). It is not mentioned at all in the cases of the Roman Jailer, Ethiopian Eunuch, the family of Lydia or many others.

In fact, the Greek word “Glossa” (where we get our word ‘Tongue’) is only used four times in Acts to refer to a gift of the Spirit.

POINT #2: The gift of tongues does not prove any higher level of spirituality in a person (as some churches teach); Godly love is the highest level of spirituality anyone can attain.

I Corinthians 13

The point of this entire chapter is that all of the gifts of the Spirit are useless apart from love.

The “tongues of Angels” mentioned here is an example of the apostle writing in general hypothetical terms.

 There is no biblical teaching of any special “angelic language” that people could learn to speak. Every Angel who spoke in Scripture spoke in a normal human language.

We see hypothetical terms used again when he speaks of being able to “understand all mysteries and all knowledge” (13:2) which is a claim that even Paul himself did not make.

There is no warrant for any type of “prayer language” within this text.

Paul was speaking theoretically, saying that even if such things were possible, they would be pointless without love.

POINT #3: God’s gifts are designed to edify His Kingdom, not the individual believer.

I Corinthians 14 (The most Scripture devoted to the subject, so we will go verse-by-verse)

v.1-3 The gift we should desire most is the gift of being able to share God’s message with others (Prophecy). In light of the first verse, this is not an encouragement to speak in tongues, but a reason not to. Some would say that ‘speaking to God’ and not ‘men’ is good, but Paul is rebuking this because it does not edify the church. Prophecy is seen as the more important of the two gifts, while tongues is lacking because the church is not edified.

v.4 What is our purpose? Edification for self. Edification for the church. Obviously for the church, which makes the other a form of self exaltation and pride (which is not a gift from God). “Love does not seek its own” according to 1 Corinthians 13:5.

v.5-9 Again Paul makes the edification of the Church our main purpose. He says here, “what good is it if I come speaking a language that you do not understand?” He uses the illustration of musical instruments as examples of the uselessness of speaking gibberish in the group.

v.10 A powerful thought is put out – there are no UNKNOWN tongues. In the King James Bible the word “unknown” is italicized when referring to the gift of the tongue, because it is not in the original Greek manuscripts.

NOTE: This is why many believe that ‘ecstatic and uncontrolled speech’ was never what the term “tongues” referred to, but actual languages. Paul refers to having an interpreter – someone with a divine gift of interpreting a language that is unknown to them. How can anyone interpret a language that is not really a language at all, only gibberish? It seems that these ‘tongues’ were known tongues, just not known by the people speaking them (as in Acts 2).

v.11-12 If a person speaks in gibberish, they appear as an unlearned or ignorant person. We are not called to desire self building gifts, but church building gifts.

v.13 Those who possess the gift of the tongue alone do no good for the church without an interpreter.

v. 14-18 Here is where many get the idea of ‘praying in the Spirit’. They argue that this ‘perfect prayer’ is between you and God and your mind doesn’t even understand it. They pray and even sing in this spiritual language.

NOTE: Many believe Paul was illustrating the foolishness and pointlessness of speaking in ecstatic gibberish. The speaker himself could not even understand, and what virtue is there in praying to God or praising God without understanding? He goes on to say that no one can “Amen” gibberish.

By saying, “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding” Paul could be saying, “I will pray with the Spirit ‘along with’ praying with understanding. I will sing with the Spirit ‘along with’ singing with understanding.”  

Since “praying in the spirit” is not ever again equated with ecstatic speech in the New Testament, this interpretation is very possible.

“In praying and singing both the mind and the spirit are engaged. When we pour out our feelings to God in praise or prayer that does not mean we must turn off our capacity to think. True Christianity is not barren intellectualism or thoughtless emotionalism.” (Life Application Bible)

Whether this verse is referring to a type of ‘spiritual prayer’ or not, it is obvious in the next verse that it is not a gift that has a place in edifying the church.

v.19 Because ecstatic speech does nothing to edify the body, Paul desires to speak understandable words that do.

v.20 The Corinthian church was the opposite of what Paul was exhorting. They were being mature in their evilness and babes in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1). This further shows that this whole letter is a rebuke for wrong behavior.

v.21 The quotation here is from Isaiah, and it explains that centuries earlier the Lord had predicted that one day He would use men of other tongues, that is, Gentile foreigners speaking languages unknown to the Jewish people, as a sign to unbelieving Israel, who “will not hear Me.” These “other tongues” are what they knew as the gift of languages, given as a sign of rebuke to unbelieving Israel. Again, they were real languages, not gibberish.

v.22 How is the gift of Tongues a sign for unbelievers? Acts 2 shows us that men of many different nations heard the Gospel in their language (not an ecstatic speech) and they believed. Prophecy is how a person, once a believer, grows in faith.

v.23 Again we see how ecstatic and uncontrolled speech is not the intent of this gift – as it doesn’t fulfill its purpose as a sign if it is unintelligible. How is it profitable for unbelievers (as verse 22 indicates it is supposed to be) if it is used improperly?

v.24-25 Even though the gift of prophecy is for believers (v.22), even an unbeliever can benefit from the preaching of God’s Word as it leads to conviction, which will lead him to repentance. Ecstatic speech will only turn him away.

v.26 What is the final verdict? All things are to be done for the good of the church.

v. 27-28 I have been in countless churches that practice speaking in tongues, but have never seen even one that obeyed this command. It is very simple that no more than two or three speak, in turn, and always with an interpreter. If no interpreter is present than no tongue speaking is allowed at all in the church according to this Scripture. They are to keep silent.

QUOTE: John Macarthur states: “even if one granted that the gift was still in use today, the modern movement would be totally discredited as illegitimate by its failure to follow the clear, controlling commands in these verses.^”

v.29-32 These verses deal with the office of a prophet. Since Paul’s Pastoral Epistles (1, 2 Tim.; Titus) do not mention prophets, it seems evident that this unique office had ceased to function in the church even before the end of the apostolic age. John’s revelation from Jesus ends with a strong benediction that not only closes his book, but the entire NT canon.

Think About It: Revelation is the last book, written by the last apostle; it refers to things that will happen in the last days. I believe, as do many, that because we now have the completed Word of God, we are no longer in need of prophets. (Hebrews 1:1, 2)

v.33 God is not the author of confusion, but nothing brings more confusion than ‘tongue speaking’, even among those who practice it. Anyone who would argue that constant ecstatic speech is not confusing should refer back to verse 23 which says that unbelievers will say we are “mad”.

v.34-35 The context in this verse concerns prophecy and the gift of tongues. It is not coincidental that many modern churches that have tongues-speaking and claim gifts of healings and miracles also permit women to preach and openly speak in tongues. It is also apparent that certain women were out of order in disruptively asking questions publicly in the chaotic services. That is why they are told to “ask their husbands” rather than causing a scene.

v.36-37 Paul continues his rebuke, knowing that the Corinthians would not like it, but making sure they understood his authority as an Apostle. He says if anyone in the group is truly spiritual, he must recognize that what he has said is the truth.

v.38 If anyone doesn’t recognize Paul’s authority on this subject, then he shouldn’t be recognized as a teacher of the Word.

v. 39 This verse is the cornerstone of the Tongue Speaking movement. They say that any church that does not allow open tongue speaking is in violation of Scripture. They obviously, however, miss the preceding verses that tell how tongue speaking is to be handled by letting tongue speaking go on wildly within their own church, which brings discredit to any argument they cast about denying the rule of Scripture.

NOTE: When done properly and with an interpreter the tongues are freely to be used and should not be hindered.

Many believe that the time for the tongues has passed (as I will revisit later), and this could be the reason for all of the misuse and forgery of the gift in the church today.

v.40 The proper end to this whole passage. If what is being done is not properly and orderly it ought not to be done. It’s just that simple.

Illustration: “What makes it out of order” I was questioned by a person one time who asked me, “What makes the service disorderly, maybe this is how we maintain order?” My answer was simple, “God’s word gives the prescription for orderly worship that includes the tongues (one speaks at a time and with an interpreter), and if it is done another way it is disorderly in the church.”

PART II: Praying in Tongues

We have just looked at the Scripture verses that discuss the gift of the Tongue. As you can see, the Scriptures do not speak extensively on the subject. Chapter 14 of 1 Corinthians is the only passage that gives any extensive study on the subject, and it must be interpreted in light of Paul’s rebuke to the church for its carnal use of Heavenly gifts.

In fact Paul actually rebukes the Corinthians specifically for seeking what they considered the “better gifts” (1 Corinthians 12:31 “But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.”).

The way this verse is translated in most Bible’s gives some complications because it leads most to interpret this verse as a command to “seek” the gifts of God – but this is misleading as to Paul’s meaning and the original grammar in which it is spoken.

The NIV translation gives the best rendering of Paul’s original intent as an alternate reading in the footnotes: “But you are eagerly desiring the greatest gifts”.

With this rendering of Paul’s words, we better understand the thrust of his message as being: “Because you are zealously desiring the better gifts, I will show you a more excellent way” or “Because you are jealously coveting the showy gifts, I will show you the proper way”.

Understood in this way, we see Paul’s words not as a command to seek gifts (as they are given by the will of the Spirit; I Corinthians 12:11) but a statement that they were desiring gifts for “showing off”.

The “better way” talked about by Paul is “love” which he expounds on in Chapter 13. It is not wrong to desire spiritual gifts, as the first verse of chapter 14 indicates, but we are not to pursue the gifts just to “show off” and above all we should pursue love.

I believe that a right understanding of the Scriptures in chapter 14 can see two distinct types of Tongues (which most Tongue Speakers would agree with).

          (1) The gift of speaking in a language formerly unknown to give God’s message.

          (2) The gift of ecstatic speech where not even the speaker understands his own words.

But where those who do not speak in tongues differ from those who speak in tongues is in the belief that only one is a valid gift from God – the one that is useful for building the church.

I Peter 4:10 “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another…”

I Corinthians 12:7 “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all”

Those who advocate Tongue Speaking would argue that the gift of ecstatic speech is for private devotion to God (which I would never say is absolutely impossible) but is ‘unfruitful’ to the mind (v.14), as it is strictly a ‘spiritual experience’.

NOTICE: Often what is called Praying in Tongues is an ecstatic repetitive and chant-like flowing of gibberish. But this is nothing like the prayer described by Jesus when He was asked by His Apostles how to pray.

Matthew 6:7 “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do…”

For Jesus, the model of proper prayer began, “Our Father, who art in Heaven…”

Not once, in all of Jesus’ known prayers and discussions concerning prayer (even in His profound ‘Priestly Prayer in John 17), did He ever indicate ecstatic speech as a proper way to pray.

Some even go as far as to say that the two types of tongues are:

(1)   Genuine

(2)   Counterfeit

Because the gift of tongues in the Scripture is a language that can be interpreted, a real distinct language (1 Corinthians 14:6-12), and what is used today is not any type of language, but ecstatic gibberish, then it seems to be counterfeiting that which God has set in place.

Illustration: “Speaking in Other languages today” I have heard stories of people who were able to speak with someone in another language without being taught. This is a true example of what tongue speaking is in Scripture, and a gift that edifies the Kingdom and not the individual.

Again, I am not totally discounting the idea of praying in tongues, I am just pointing out that Scriptural support for such a claim is based on interpretation, which ultimately goes back to the heart of the person.

If a person wants to believe ecstatic speech is the intent of the gift of tongues, or has been taught from childhood that this is the case, then it is easily interpreted from these verses as such.

Likewise someone who wants to discount it as counterfeit can also interpret these Scripture to be supporting only the gift that edifies the Church is valid.

Either way, one will glean from it what one wills, based on their desire to prove a point.

I cannot adamantly say that praying in tongues is invalid, but I also cannot see that it is supported in Scripture either.

As indicated earlier, however, I believe that if it were the ultimate and most profound way to pray, Jesus would have mentioned it as a form of prayer at least some time in His ministry and He never did.

This leads me to another, more profound thought: “If praying in tongues is a ‘gift’ of the Spirit, given by the Spirit, can it be taught?”

There is kindergarten Sunday School literature available that is designed to teach children to speak and pray in tongues.

It is entitled “I Have Been Filled with the Holy Spirit!!!” and is contained in an eight page coloring book.

One of the pages has a body builder with a T-Shirt that says “Spirit-Man”. Under him is printed 1 Corinthians 14:4 “He who speaks in an unknown tongue builds himself up.”

Another page features a boy with his hands lifted up. A dotted outline pictures where his lungs used to be, evidently representing his spirit. Inside the lung shaped diagram is printed “Bah-le-odoma-ta-lah-se-ta-no-mo”.

A cartoon-style balloon coming out of his mouth repeats the words “Bah-le-odoma-ta-lah-se-ta-no-mo”. A brain shaped cloud is above his head, with a large question mark inside.

Printed below it is 1 Corinthians 14:14 “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful”

This is typical of what is often taught about the tongues – the gift is viewed as wholly mystical and that it somehow operates by by-passing the mind entirely. Some are even told that they MUST purposely turn off their minds to enable the gift to function.

Frances and Charles Hunter hold special “Healing Explosion” meetings at which they say that they can teach people how to speak in tongues.

Again I ask: If it is a gift, should we have to “fanaticize” it for children and “teach” it to adults? Is the Holy Spirit so impotent to bestow gifts that we must take the bull by the horns and instruct people?

This is probably the biggest problem I, and many others, have with those who speak in tongues. They feel as if everyone should display this gift, if they do not they should seek it, and the way to seek it is to have someone teach it to you!

PART III: Has the Gift of Tongues Ceased?

The verse that carries the idea of the Tongues ceasing to function is in 1 Corinthians 13

v.8 “Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away”

The word used for “cease” is the Greek word “Pauo” which means to stop permanently.

The debate among those who speak in tongues and who don’t has never been whether or not the tongues “will” cease, as this verse is clear that they will. The debate is over “when” they will cease.

vv.9 and 10 go on to say, “For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.”

Macarthur writes: “There may be a distinction made on how prophecy and knowledge come to an end, and how the gift of languages does. This is indicated by the Greek verb forms used. In the case of prophecy and knowledge, they are both said to “be abolished” (in both cases the verb indicates that something will put an end to those two functions. Verses 9, 10 indicate that what will abolish knowledge and prophecy is “that which is perfect.” When that occurs, those gifts will be rendered inoperative.

The “perfect” is not the completion of Scripture (as some teach), since there is still the operation of those two gifts and will be in the future kingdom (cf. Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17; Rev. 11:3). The Scriptures do not allow us to see “face to face” or have perfect knowledge as God does (v. 12). The perfect must be the eternal state, when we in glory see God face to face (Rev. 22:4) and have full knowledge in the eternal new heavens and new earth. Just as a child grows to full understanding, believers will come to perfect knowledge and no such gifts will be necessary.

On the other hand, Paul uses a different word for the end of the gift of languages, thus indicating it will “cease” by itself, as it did at the end of the apostolic age. It will not end by the coming of the “perfect,” for it will already have ceased. The uniqueness of the gift of languages and its interpretations was, as all sign gifts, to authenticate the message and messages of the gospel before the NT was completed (Heb. 2:3, 4). That tongues have ceased should be clear from their absence from any other books in the NT, except Acts. Tongues ceased to be an issue of record or practice in the early church, as the Scripture was being written. That tongues has ceased should be clear also from its absence through church history since the first century, appearing only sporadically and then only in questionable groups.”

A study of history, theology and the Bible all point to this gift having ceased at the end of the apostolic age.

The most convincing of all these being a serious look at Scripture.

The gift of the tongues, as a usable gift, is only mentioned in one of Paul’s letters (1 Corinthians), which was written early in his ministry. Paul never again mentions this gift in any of his twelve other Epistles including the later written Romans and Ephesians which both deal with Spiritual gifts at length. Peter, James, John and Jude never mention the gift at all.

The latest books of the New Testament do not mention the tongues. It seems that once the church was established, this gift ceased.

But, why did it cease?

As noted earlier, Tongues were a sign to unbelieving Israel (1 Corinthians 14:21). They showed that God’s work had spread to encompass the Gentiles as well as the Jews. The Lord would now speak to all nations. Tongues were a temporary sign of transition between the two Covenants.

History also is convincing on this subject.

Very little is said about speaking in tongues in history between the apostolic age and the beginning of the 20^th century with the modern movement of the tongues.

QUOTE: Cleon Rogers wrote “It is significant that the gift of the tongues is nowhere alluded to, hinted at or even found in the apostolic fathers.”

“Chrysostom and Augustine – the greatest theologians of the eastern and western churches – considered tongues obsolete. Chrysostom stated categorically that tongues had ceased by his time. Writing in the fourth century, he describes tongues as an obscure practice, admitting that he was not even certain about the characteristics of the gift.” (Charismatic Chaos; 284)

Augustine wrote that speaking in tongues was speaking languages “which they had not learned”. He went on to write, ‘why is it that no man speaks in the tongues of all nations? Because the church itself now speaks in the tongues of all nations’. Before, the church was in one nation, where it spoke in the tongues of all. By speaking in the tongues of all, it signified what was to come to pass; that by growing among the nations, it would speak in the tongues of all.” (Charismatic Chaos; 285)

This is not to say that there were absolutely no people who claimed to speak with tongues between the apostolic age and the 20^th century. Many small sects used ‘tongue speaking’ in their movements.

One of these being the “Shakers”, a sect of the “Quakers”, that flourished in the mid-1700’s. Mother Ann Lee, who founded the sect, regarded herself as the female equivalent of Jesus Christ.

Other tongue speaking groups, like the militant Protestants in the Cevennes region of France who were rabidly anti-catholic and advocated armed force against the Catholic Church, and the Irvingite prophets who constantly contradicted each other and finally admitted to falsifying prophecies, all did nothing to advance the idea that they were actually Christian groups.

Even today many psychics, fortune tellers and other heretical cultists advocate speaking in tongues, or ecstatic speech, as a way to dive deep into your spiritual nature.

We can thus conclude from history that there were no genuine occurrences from the end of the apostolic age until the beginning of the modern tongue speaking movement. They had ceased, as Paul said they would. (I Corinthians 13:8)

The result: The burden is not on the non-tongue speaking Christian to prove that the gift has ceased, but for the one who advocates tongue speaking to prove that their experiences are the reoccurrence of gifts that have not occurred for over 1900 years.

The Bible says they would cease (which you will remember the Greek phrase meaning “stop permanently”). History shows they did cease. I see no reason to question their cessation as being at the end of the apostolic age, when the church had been firmly planted.

CONCLUSION: Whether or not the tongues are still a useable gift today is questionable. I have seen very little evidence of actual ‘languages’ being spoke by anyone who claims to be speaking in tongues and have never been present with an interpreter (though I am aware that many do use them as prescribed in the Scripture).

IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER: If the gift of tongues is truly a gift God is still using:

(1)    It is not necessary for salvation or receiving the Holy Spirit. (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 8:9)

(2)    It is not for every saved person. (1 Corinthians 12:11)

(3)    It does not indicate a higher level of spirituality. (1 Corinthians 12:13)

(4)    It was designed to edify the church, not ourselves. (1 Corinthians 14:5)

(5)    It cannot be taught or learned. (1 Corinthians 12:18)

(6)   It has to be done orderly and without confusion in the Church. (1 Corinthians 14:33, 40)

Pastor Ron Rhodes writes, “Personally, I think much too big a deal is often made about speaking in tongues.” And you know what? I agree.

Whole church denominations have been divided over this issue and that is sad. It seems like such a small issue, but it makes big waves. I pray that our church would never get angry or divide over something that is not essential to salvation.

Let us always stand on salvation by Grace alone, through faith alone and never divide over doubtful things (Romans 14:1).

BACK TO TOP

Can Man’s will change God’s Will?

Can a man ask for something that God has not already chosen is best for him and still receive it?

 Can a man ask God to prevent something He has already ordained and it be vetoed?

 The answer must be “no”.

 This answer rests solely on the issue of the nature of God’s will.

 God’s will is perfect.

  If this is true, some things need to be properly understood:

1.      If God’s will is perfect and it changes for the better it wasn’t really perfect to begin with.

2.      If God’s will is perfect and it changes for the worse it would cease to be perfect.

3.      If God’s will is perfect and it makes a lateral change, neither positively nor negatively, it still shows a need for change which would be a sign of imperfection.

God’s will is perfect, which means that whatever He chooses to do or allow is the “right” thing, even if we cannot fathom why.

It is this truth that allows us to see tragedies such as infant deaths and natural disasters as having purpose in God’s divine plan. Almost all pastors who have ever preached an infant funeral will say, “God does not make mistakes”. And they are correct. God is perfectly sovereign and his perfect will never fails.

NOTE: Some argue that God has two wills – a perfect will and a permissive will. But God would never ‘permit’ something that would thwart His perfect will, so all things would most certainly fall under the umbrella of His perfect will.

 With these things in mind I move to the issue of prayer.

 Can we pray for things that go against God’s perfect will and receive them? James tells us “no”. “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss…” (James 4:3a).

(The immediate context of this verse deals with lust and worldliness, but the truth is still clear that it is possible to petition God and be denied because we ask “amiss” [Greek: Kakos which means “improperly”])

 How does one “improperly” petition God? By asking Him to do anything that goes against His will.

 I John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us”

The question many would raise at this point would deal with the various Scriptures where God seemingly “changes His mind” or “repents” because of the petition or willful change of man.

             These verses must all be dealt with in context.

 Some cases show that God has given a chance for men to “change His mind”.

 A reference might be made to the Ninevites in the book of Jonah.

 Jonah 3:10 “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.”

 I would like to make a bold assertion concerning this text: God’s will did not change when the Ninevites repented, His will was fulfilled by their repentance.

 God provided the prophet Jonah (very unwilling, I might