By Pastor Dave Farmer
Topic#8 Misconceptions of The Tongue Movement - Part 4
Summary
Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 13:8 indicates that some spiritual gifts are temporary. What gifts of the Spirit are in the temporary category? This article examines that question.
As we work through the text of 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14, we find several mistaken beliefs held by the Church at Corinth about the gift of speaking in tongues. The same errors exist in the Charismatic churches of our day. The first misconception we investigated was the view that the most spiritually mature in the church are those who speak in tongues. Paul taught that they were the most carnal and immature. See Topic #5
The second misconception was that their ministry of the gift of tongues was superior to all the other spiritual gifts and the best way to worship God. However, this outlook did not reveal a deeper spiritual life, but their walk with God was deficient. They lacked the fruit of Christ-like love. See Topic #6
A third misconception was due to the high regard they held for the gift of tongues. They thought everyone should speak in tongues. There is no Scriptural support for this. What we learn from Paul is that God loves variety. See Topic # 7
Now, as we continue with the text of 1 Corinthians 13, we consider another misconception about the gift of tongues, "if there be tongues, they will cease." This statement must have dropped like an exploding bomb. The super duper spiritual group among the Corinthians failed to understand the nature and limitations of their spiritual gift. TONGUES CEASE? Never! It is too important! However, the pure, unadulterated truth is tongues was a temporary spiritual gift. It would be withdrawn. This introduces the Biblical principle of the temporary nature of some spiritual gifts.
There is an obvious contrast in our text between that which is permanent and that which is temporary. Three spiritual qualities are permanent: faith, hope, and love, 1 Corinthians 13:13. There are three temporary spiritual gifts: prophecy, tongues, and knowledge. At some time during the Church Age, they will be withdrawn. Paul says:
1 Corinthians 13:8
Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.
The Apostle explains that three gifts of the Spirit will be removed. Prophecy and knowledge are said "to be done away."1 Paul explains that there will come a time during the Church Age when these spiritual gifts will no longer be needed for the Church's use. For the discontinuation of the gift of tongues, Paul uses a stronger word. The verb PAUO means "to cease, to halt, and to stop." 2 This is a strong assertion for the impermanent nature of the gift of tongues. Paul could have added some other gifts to this list, such as apostleship, miracles, and healing, but they were not his concern at the moment. It was the gift of tongues that was being abused at Corinth and that needed to be regulated.
Again, Paul's point was that the Corinthians should be stressing that which is permanent. What will endure throughout the Church Age? "This Christ-like Love will not disappear." 3 Paul’s aim was to redirect their enthusiasm for the filling of the Holy Spirit and the three qualities that produce impact for Christ: faith, hope, and love, 1 Corinthians 13:13; and away from the spectacular gifts which were short-term: prophecy, speaking in tongues, and the gift of knowledge. What were these gifts?
Most people think of this gift as the ability to predict the future. The people with the gift of prophecy did much more than predict the future. They would give the church family a message of encouragement, edification, and exhortation. This is the ministry of forth-telling. The person with the gift of prophecy could also foretell the future about events that previously had not been revealed. He could expound on the Rapture of the Church or the future Bride of Christ and further amplify prophetic themes of the Old Testament.
1 Corinthians 14:3
But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation.
Now, the gift of knowledge enables a believer to communicate doctrine, which is now contained in our New Testament. He could speak about positional truth, the Trinity, or various subjects related to the death of Christ. We must realize that the early church did not have a written New Testament. These gifts were given until the New Testament was completed.
The gift of tongues was the ability to speak in a foreign language, unknown and untaught, and used to communicate the Gospel to the Jew. It was a sign to the Jew, a warning of the 5th cycle of discipline, the coming destruction of Jerusalem, and the enslavement of the Jewish people. 4 This was fulfilled in August 70 A.D when the legions of Titus Flavius Vespasian entered Jerusalem. Titus, following Caesar's orders, gave command to burn and tear down the city. At the end of the day, 115,800 corpses were removed from the city, and 98,000 Jews went into slavery.5 After the Fall of Jerusalem, this spiritual gift was no longer necessary.
Dr. John Cawood writes:
"Tongues were to cease". . . This passage clearly says tongues shall come to a halt. Now when this is may be subject to discussion, but they are in the temporary gift category." 6
Dr. Cawood raises an important issue that divides the Church on Tongues. The question that we must now consider is, “When would the temporary Gifts of the Spirit be withdrawn?” Paul anticipates this question in 1 Corinthians 13:9,10:
1 Corinthians 13:9
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.
Paul says, "As I write this epistle in A.D. 55, our knowledge is partial.” The Church Age is unique and has been given a new body of doctrine for its instruction [Ephesians 3:1-10]. The New Testament was in the process of being composed. When Paul was writing this passage, the Gospel of Matthew, James, Galatians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians had been written. The first epistle to the Corinthians would be the fourth of thirteen letters Paul would write and be placed into the Cannon of Scripture 7. From Paul's vantage point, the instruction manual for the Christian Way of Life was moving toward completion. This is what is meant in verse 10, "But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part (temporary spiritual gifts) shall be done away."
The key to interpreting this passage lies in the adjectival phrase "the perfect." The word perfect [TELEIOS] means brought to its end, finished. Perfect also means completed. Since it contrasts with "partial or in part," complete would be preferable. Something, not someone, will be completed, which would do away with the temporary spiritual gifts. Paul says, "Our knowledge is partial [the New Testament is being composed], but when the Apostle John writes down the word “AMEN" on his manuscript in the Book of Revelation [chronologically the last word of the New Testament], "the completed" has arrived. This is variously interpreted. So, let's look at two views which are false.
Some in the Charismatic community hold to the belief that "the perfect" is a reference to the coming of Jesus Christ for His Church. As Erwin writes:
Great as is the value even of prophecy, knowledge, and tongues, their function is confined to the brief interval till the Lord returns . . . Certainly, he was looking forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ when he penned these words, when his own fragmentary knowledge, though superior to most, would be completed. 8
If this is true, all temporary gifts, such as knowledge, prophecy, and tongues, still operate today. They will cease at the Rapture of the Church. So they were given on the Day of Pentecost, and they continue until the coming of Christ, which concludes the Church age. How can they be viewed as temporary since they span the entire period? Even so, the Greek text does not support this interpretation, for Jesus Christ is never referred to in the neuter gender. He is not an "it." The word "perfect" contrasts with the word "part." Something will be completed that will do away with that which is temporary, and it has to do with our knowledge.
Others interpret "the perfect" as a reference to Jesus Christ coming to earth at the end of the Tribulation. The temporary gifts will be done away with when Jesus returns to earth and sets up His Millennium reign. How can this be? The Bible reveals that when Jesus returns to earth, it will be attended by a resurgence of prophesying:
Joel 2:28
and it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.
There is an apparent contradiction here. Joel says many will be involved in prophesying when Jesus returns, but 1 Corinthians 13 says (according to their interpretation) that prophecy will cease at the Second Advent. There is no hope for people who reason in this way. Those who hold this view must be reminded that "Scripture is of no private interpretation." Scripture must be compared with Scripture.
As has been demonstrated, something will be completed that will remove certain spiritual gifts. The Perfect signifies the completion of the New Testament. 8 When the New Testament is written and circulated, the temporary gifts given to the Church would no longer be necessary.
I would also like to point out that another passage in the Bible aids us in interpreting what the perfect stands for. Actually, this helps us understand 1 Corinthians 13:8 under the principle that we interpret the obscure by the clear. This passage uses our word perfect, and it refers clearly to the Word of God.
James 1:25
But one who looks intently at THE PERFECT law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
James calls the Word of God "The PERFECT Law of Liberty." It is also interesting to note that James was written ten years before Paul wrote 1 Corinthians. It does not seem far-fetched to me to believe Paul had an opportunity to read James since it was circulated in many areas where Paul ministered. It would not stretch one’s imagination to believe James influenced Paul's words here.
Summary
The time we are living in is called the Church Age. This dispensation began on the Day of Pentecost [see Acts chapter 2], ten days after our Lord's Ascension into Heaven [see Acts chapter 1], about 30 A.D. The Church Age will conclude at the Rapture, which is the resurrection of the Church [See 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18]. In between these two events, some spiritual gifts were withdrawn. These are gifts of the Spirit that are temporary. On that list is the gift of tongues.
The Church Age is divided into two parts: (a) The pre-canon period, about 30-97 A.D., and (b) The post-cannon period, 97 A.D. till today, and will continue until the Lord's return for His church.
During the Partial Knowledge Period or pre-canon period, certain spiritual gifts were necessary to provide the church with teaching about the Christian Way of Life. Believers learned through the face-to-face teaching of those who possessed the temporary teaching gifts, such as the gifts of apostleship, knowledge, and prophesy.
Once the New Testament was completed, the temporary gifts were withdrawn. Our knowledge is complete. We have complete knowledge today in the sense that we have all that God wants us to know and all that is necessary for us to live in a way that pleases Him.
The abuses of the spiritual gift of tongues made it necessary for Paul to reprimand them and to show them how they ought to be stressing that which is permanent and, therefore of greater value: faith, hope, and love.
1 Corinthians 13: 9,10 Expanded Translation
For you see, we know in part (we have some New Testament books and certain spiritual gifts), and we prophesy in part (our knowledge is incomplete, so our prophesying will be incomplete). But (in contrast to the partial knowledge period) when the completed [New Testament] has come, then that which is partial shall be done away (temporary spiritual gifts will be removed.).
__________
ENDNOTES
1 Katargeo means to abrogate, make void, do away with, and put to an end. This is not a predictive future but a gnomic future that looks at the future with great certainty. This will occur; it is fixed and certain, the gift of knowledge and prophecies will be withdrawn, and this is associated with “when the perfect comes.” In the passive voice, the subject [prophesy and knowledge] receives the verb's action [they will be discontinued]. The Holy Spirit will no longer distribute these spiritual gifts to believers [1 Corinthians 12:11]. The indicative mood is declarative and expresses a dogmatic fact of doctrine.
2 Pauo means to stop, to halt, and to cease. The gnomic future is repeated. Tongues will cease. This is certain. It too is associated with the event “when the perfect comes.” The verb is in the middle voice. If the voice were passive, it would mean tongues would be forced to cease. However, in the middle voice, the subject participates in the action of the verb, and this is a willing cessation. Those who speak in tongues in the future will recognize the temporary nature of this gift and cease to employ it, and the Holy Spirit will cease empowering it and distributing it. The indicative mood is declarative and expresses a dogmatic fact of doctrine.
3 Notice that between Love never fails 1 Corinthians 13:8a and Love is the greatest 1 Corinthians 13:13 is a parenthesis 13:8b-12.
4 See study on the 5th Cycle of Judgement in Reference Section.
5 Josephus, Wars Of The Jews, Book VI, chapter 9,3.
6 Dr. John W. Cawood, The New Tongues Movement, from a booklet published by Philadelphia College of the Bible.
7 The Canon of Scripture refers to the 66 books of the Bible: 39 Old Testament Books and 27 New Testament Books. These are the authorized books of the Orthodox Church for all matters regarding faith and practice.
8 Howard M. Ervin, These Are Not Drunken As Ye Suppose (Plainfield, New Jersey, 1968).
Summary
Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 13:8 indicates that some spiritual gifts are temporary. What gifts of the Spirit are in the temporary category? This article examines that question.
Review
As we work through the text of 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14, we find a number of mistaken beliefs held by the Church at Corinth about the gift of speaking in tongues. The same errors exist in the Charismatic churches of our day. The first misconception we investigated was the view that the most spiritually mature in the church are those that speak in tongues. Paul taught that they were the most carnal and immature. See Topic #5
The second misconception was that their ministry of the gift of tongues was superior to all the other spiritual gifts and the best way to worship God. However, this outlook did not reveal a deeper spiritual life, but rather that their walk with God was deficient. They lacked the fruit of Christ-like love. See Topic #6
A third misconception was due to the high regard they held for the gift of tongues. They thought everyone should speak in tongues. Actually, there is no Scriptural support for this. What we learn from Paul is that God loves variety. See Topic # 7
Introduction
Now as we continue with the text of 1 Corinthians 13, we consider another misconception about the gift of tongues, "if there be tongues, they will cease." This statement must have dropped like an exploding bomb. The super duper spiritual group among the Corinthians failed to understand the nature and limitations of their spiritual gift. TONGUES CEASE? Never! It is too important! However, the pure, unadulterated truth is tongues was a temporary spiritual gift. It would be withdrawn. This introduces the Biblical principle of the temporary nature of some spiritual gifts.
There is an obvious contrast in our text between that which is permanent and that which is temporary. There are three spiritual qualities that are permanent; faith, hope and love, 1 Corinthians 13:13. There are three temporary spiritual gifts; prophecy, tongues, and knowledge. At some time during the Church Age, they will be withdrawn. Paul says:
1 Corinthians 13:8
Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.
The Apostle explains that three gifts of the Spirit are going to be removed. Prophecy and knowledge are said, "to be done away."1 Paul explains that there will come a time during the Church Age that these spiritual gifts will no longer be needed for the Church's use. For the discontinuation of the gift of tongues, Paul uses a stronger word. The verb PAUO means "to cease, to halt, and to stop." 2 This is a very strong assertion for the impermanent nature of the gift of tongues. Paul could have added some other gifts to this list; such as apostleship, miracles, and healing, but they were not his concern at the moment. It was the gift of tongues that was being abused at Corinth, and that needed to be regulated.
Again, the point Paul was making was that the Corinthians should be stressing that which is permanent. What will endure throughout the Church Age? "This Christ-like Love will not disappear." 3 Paul’s aim was to redirect their enthusiasm for the filling of the Holy Spirit and the three qualities that produce impact for Christ: faith, hope, and love, 1 Corinthians 13:13; and away from the spectacular gifts which were short-term; prophecy, speaking in tongues, and the gift of knowledge. What were these gifts?
The Gift Of Prophesy
Probably most people think of this gift as the ability to predict the future. The people with the gift of prophecy did much more than predict the future. They would give the church family a message of encouragement, edification, and exhortation. This is the ministry of forth-telling. The person with the gift of prophecy could also foretell the future about events that previously had not been revealed. He could expound on the Rapture of the Church or the future Bride of Christ, and further amplify prophetic themes of the Old Testament.
1 Corinthians 14:3
But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation.
The Gift Of Knowledge
Now the gift of knowledge enables a believer to communicate doctrine which is now contained in our New Testament. He could speak about positional truth, or the Trinity, or various subjects related to the death of Christ. We must realize that the early church did not have a written New Testament. These gifts were given until the New Testament was completed.
The Gift Of Tongues
The gift of tongues was the ability to speak in a foreign language, unknown and untaught, and used to communicate the Gospel to the Jew. It was a sign to the Jew, a warning of the 5th cycle of discipline, the coming destruction of Jerusalem, and the enslavement of the Jewish people. 4 This was fulfilled in August 70 A.D when the legions of Titus Flavius Vespasian entered Jerusalem. Titus, following the orders of Caesar, ordered that the entire city be burned and torn down. At the end of the day, 115,800 corpses were removed from the city, and 98,000 Jews went into slavery.5 After the Fall of Jerusalem, this spiritual gift was no longer necessary.
Dr. John Cawood writes:
"Tongues were to cease". . . This passage clearly says tongues shall come to a halt. Now when this is may be subject to discussion, but they are in the temporary gift category." 6
Dr. Cawood raises an important issue which divides the Church on the matter of Tongues. The question that we must now consider is “When would the temporary Gifts of the Spirit be withdrawn?” Paul anticipates this question in 1 Corinthians 13:9,10:
1 Corinthians 13:9
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.
The Pre-Cannon Period Of The Church Age
Paul says, "As I am writing this epistle in A.D. 55 our knowledge is partial. The Church Age is unique and has been given a new body of doctrine for its instruction [Ephesians 3:1-10]. The New Testament was in the process of being composed. At the time Paul was writing this passage, the Gospel of Matthew, James, Galatians, 1and 2 Thessalonians had been written. The first epistle to the Corinthians would be the fourth of thirteen letters that Paul would write and be placed into the Cannon 7 of Scripture. From Paul's vantage point the instruction manual for the Christian Way of Life was moving toward completion. This is what is meant in verse 10, "But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part (temporary spiritual gifts) shall be done away."
The key to the interpretation of this passage lies in the adjectival phrase "the perfect." The word perfect [TELEIOS] which means, brought to its end, finished, perfect, also means completed. Since it is being contrasted with "partial or in part" I believe "complete" would be better. Something, not someone is going to be completed which would do away which the temporary spiritual gifts. Paul says, "our knowledge is partial [the New Testament is being composed] but when the Apostle John writes down the word “AMEN" on his manuscript in the Book of Revelation [chronologically the last word of the New Testament], "the completed" has arrived. This is variously interpreted. So, let's look at two views which are false.
The Perfect Is The Rapture Of The Church
Some in the Charismatic community hold to the belief that "the perfect" is a reference to the coming of Jesus Christ for His Church. As Erwin writes:
Great as is the value even of prophecy, knowledge, and tongues, their function is confined to the brief interval till the Lord returns . . . Certainly, he was looking forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ when he penned these words, when his own fragmentary knowledge, though superior to most, would be completed. 7
lf this is true, all temporary gifts, such as knowledge, prophecy, and tongues are still in operation today. They will cease at the Rapture of the Church. So if they were given on the Day of Pentecost and they continue until the coming of Christ which concludes the Church age, how can they be viewed as temporary, since they span the entire period? Even so, the Greek text does not support this interpretation, for Jesus Christ is never referred to in the neuter gender. He is not an "it." The word "perfect" is being contrasted with the word "part." Something is going to be completed which will do away with that which is temporary, and it has to do with our knowledge.
The Perfect Is The Second Advent Of Christ
Others interpret "the perfect" as a reference to Jesus Christ coming to earth at the end of the Tribulation. The temporary gifts will be done away with when Jesus returns to earth and sets up His Millennium reign. How can this be? The Bible clearly reveals that when Jesus returns to earth, it will be attended by a resurgence of prophesying:
Joel 2:28
and it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.
There is a clear contradiction here. Joel says many will be involved in prophesying when Jesus returns, but 1 Corinthians 13 says (according to their interpretation) prophecy will cease at the Second Advent. There is no hope for people who reason in this way. Those who hold this view need to be reminded the "Scripture is of no private interpretation." Scripture must be compared with Scripture.
The Perfect Is The Completion Of The New Testament
As has been demonstrated, something is going to be completed which will remove certain spiritual gifts. The Perfect signifies the completion of the New Testament. 8 When the New Testament is written and circulated, the temporary gifts which were given to the Church would no longer be necessary.
I would also like to point out that there is another passage in the Bible that aids us in interpreting what the perfect stands for. Actually this helps us understand 1 Corinthians 13:8 under the principle that we interpret the obscure by the clear. This passage uses our word perfect, and it refers clearly to the Word of God.
James 1:25
But one who looks intently at THE PERFECT law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
James calls the Word of God "The PERFECT Law of Liberty." It is also interesting to note that James was written ten years before Paul wrote 1 Corinthians. It does not seem far-fetched to me to believe Paul had an opportunity to read James‘epistle since it was circulated in many of the areas where Paul ministered. It would not be stretching one’s imagination to believe Paul's choice of words here was influenced by James.
SUMMARY
The time we are living in is called the Church Age. This dispensation began on the Day of Pentecost [see Acts chapter 2] ten days after our Lord's Ascension into Heaven [see Acts chapter 1] about 30 A.D. The Church Age will conclude at the Rapture which is the resurrection of the Church [See 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18]. In between these two events, some spiritual gifts were withdrawn. These are gifts of the Spirit that are temporary in nature. On that list is the gift of tongues.
The Church Age is divided into two parts: (a) The pre-cannon period about 30-97 A.D., (b) The post-cannon period, 97 A.D. till today and will continue until the Lord's return for His church.
During the Partial Knowledge Period or pre-cannon period, certain spiritual gifts were necessary to provide the church with teaching about the Christian Way of Life. Believers learned through the face to face teaching of those who possessed the temporary teaching gifts; such as, the gifts of apostleship, knowledge, prophesy.
Once the New Testament was completed, the temporary gifts were withdraw. Our knowledge is complete. We have complete knowledge today in the sense that we have all that God wants us to know and all that is necessary for us to live in a way that pleases Him.
The abuses of the spiritual gift of tongues made it necessary for Paul to reprimand them and to show them how they ought to be stressing that which is permanent and therefore of greater value: faith, hope, and love.
1 Corinthians 13: 9,10
For you see we know in part (we have some New Testament books and certain spiritual gifts) and we prophesy in part (our knowledge is incomplete, so our prophesying will be incomplete). But (in contrast to the partial knowledge period) when the completed [New Testament] has come, then that which is partial shall be done away (temporary spiritual gifts will be removed.). Expanded translation
ENDNOTES
1 Katargeo means to abrogate, make void, to do away with, and to put to an end. This is not a predictive future, but a gnomic future which looks at the future with great certainty. This will occur, it is fixed and certain, the gift of knowledge and prophecies will be withdrawn, and this is associated with “when the perfect comes.” In the passive voice, the subject [prophesy and knowledge] receives the action of the verb [they will be discontinued]. The Holy Spirit will no longer distribute these spiritual gifts to believers [1 Corinthians 12:11]. The indicative mood is declarative and expresses a dogmatic fact of doctrine.
2 Pauo means to stop, to halt, and to cease. The gnomic future is repeated. Tongues will cease, this is certain. It too is associated with the event “when the perfect comes.” The verb is in the middle voice. If the voice were passive, it would mean tongues would be forced to cease. However, in the middle voice, the subject participates in the action of the verb, and this is a willing cessation. Those that speak in tongues in the future will recognize the temporary nature of this gift and cease to employ it, and the Holy Spirit will cease empowering it and distributing it. The indicative mood is declarative and expresses a dogmatic fact of doctrine.
3 Notice that between Love never fails 1Corinthians 13:8a and love is the greatest 1 Corinthians 13:13 is a parenthesis 13:8b-12.
4 See study on the 5th Cycle of Judgement in Reference Section.
5 Josephus, Wars Of The Jews, Book VI, chapter 9,3.
6 Dr. John W. Cawood, The New Tongues Movement, from a booklet published by Philadelphia College of the Bible.
7 The Canon of Scripture refers to the 66 books of the Bible: 39 Old Testament Books and 27 New Testament Books. These are the authorized books of the Orthodox Church for all matter regarding faith and practice.
8 Howard M. Ervin, These Are Not Drunken As Ye Suppose (Plainfield, New Jersey, 1968).
9 Verse 10 begins with a post-positive conjunction DE which sets up a contrast with what preceded, the discontinuation of temporary spiritual gifts of knowledge, prophesy, and speaking in tongues. This is followed by a temporal particle HOSAN which introduces the concept of time = "when." Next is the nominative neuter singular adjective from TELEIOS which means complete, or perfect. It is the subject, and it means the completed. It is neuter, so it is telling us that something is going to be completed. Remember, the neuter does not refer to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is a person, and we would have a masculine not a neuter form of the word. Finally, we have the verb ERCHOMAI. The aorist is a culminative aorist. This kind of action is used when the writer wishes to view the action in its entirety [the writing of the books of the New Testament] but regards the action from the viewpoint of its existing results or the end of the action [the completion of the New Testament Canon]. In the active voice, the subject produces the action of the verb. It represents God the Holy Spirit who through inspiration is superintending the human authors in the writing of Scripture. The subjunctive is a potential mood indicating that the process is ongoing at that time [in A.D.55] as Paul writes 1 Corinthians.