jlay wrote:Paul said in 1 Cor 12 v 7 that the manifestations of the Holy Spirit is given to ALL to profit the Church. All had some wisdom, some knowledge, some faith, all could speak in tongues, all could lay hands on the sick etc.
I'm very confused as to how you would read v7 this way. In the context of chapter 12, v7 is making the distinction that the varieties of gifts are all manifest from the same spirit. It would appear you are adding to the plain meaning.
v8 'For to
one is given the word of (M)wisdom through the Spirit, and to
another the word of (N)knowledge according to the same Spirit.'
v8-10 clearly indicate that what is given to one, may not be given to another. Thus the distinction, "one vs. another," which is made repeatedly through this section. If I said, I am giving a TV to one, and a football to another," why would you conclude that I am giving some of each to both? By what method do you come to this conclusion? Paul further emphasizes this point by using the distinct and differnt parts of the human anatomy. That each distinct and different part makes up one body. The ear doesn't have the gift of picking things up. And the hand can't hear sounds. But all work together. The hand doesn't have partial hearing, nor the ear partial grasping abilities.
In fact, let's look at what Paul says. v15 "If the foot says, "Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body."
If a person says, "I do not speak in tongues, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
But this is EXACTLY what you are saying. And I agree with Bart. It is heresy.
Nor does this passage even indicate that what Paul references as 'tongues' is what we see today. Babbling nonsense.
On the day of Pentecost, and when the Gentiles received the same, it is clear that people understood each in their own native tongue.
10and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.
Why would anyone read into this, that this describes the babbling we hear today? Various kinds of tongues can simply be translated, various kinds of languages.
That means you would be inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak and be heard in various kinds of languages. I have challenged TM and I challege you to give one example of this in your personal life. TM never would. Interpretation simply means you are able to understand a variety of languages. Being that the middle East in those days was a multi-lingual culture, this wouldn't be that surprising. The Apostle Paul was likely well spoken in a variety of languages.
I have been around many speaking in so called 'tongues' and I've yet to recoginze, or hear anyone else recognize a word they've said in any language, their own or otherwise. I know of no events occuring today that replicate what was happening in the day of Pentecost. The Bible gives only one clear example of what 'tongues' looks like, and none of this babbling looks remotely like what the Bible describes in Acts 2.
As best I can tell, people like TM and Fred have bought into this distortion of what the scriptures say, PLAINLY.