Subject: when do I spake in tounges |
Bible Note: Dear Jesus is God, I've been a follower of the Forum since its' inception and only recently a participant. I believe I speak for many when I say we would all be better served by limiting personal agendas when coming to this Forum.In essentials we should have unity, but liberty in disputable matters(Rom. 14:1). We all have our doctrinal biases if we're honest, yet I'm not here to promote mine. With that said lets look at 1 Cor. 13. Paul prefaces this in 12:31 when he says "And now I will show you a more excellent way". He then goes into the beautiful treatise on LOVE. The focal point on Chap. 13 is LOVE, not the gifts! He concludes in vs 13,"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the GREATER (comparative) of these is LOVE. Brother, I'll ask you, do you have the gift of love? If we love one another we'll be tolerant of others views in the NON-ESSENTIALS (cf vs.1). Finally, I'll respond to your assumption that "you can't back what you say..." My friend there are sound exegetical principles that guide interpretation. They must be followed for us to have a Biblically-based, coherent theology. It is not my intention to debate the sign gifts with you. This falls into the category of non-essentials as far as I'm concerned. We'll never resolve it until we are with the Lord. With regards to 1 Cor. 13:8 there was no attempt on my part to "bed it to make life easy"(did you mean bend?) I merely quoted a verse that plainly states what you deny it does!? If it doesn't say what it says, what does it mean? God is not the author of confusion! (Rom. 14:33) You may want to consult AT Robertson, Word Pictures in the NT as a source for 1 Cor. 13:8-10. He is a recognized and renown Greek scholar.Also, in 1 Cor. 12:29-30 the rules of Greek grammar demand a negative answer. It is clear from SCRIPTURE that we DO NOT all have the gift of tongues. Further, the "perfect" in vs. 10 is a nueter-noun. It must agree in gender. Jesus is masculine so you have a problem on this debatable verse. Paul again says in vs 31 "But earnestly desire the greater gift. And I show you a still more excellent way". What is that way? Tongues or love? Enough said, time to move on. Abiding in Him, Bradk |