P4 - What the Christian "has" to live the Christian life - Person of Jesus Christ

2 Corinthians 4:6 "For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."

Introduction:
Over the last few days, we have considered what Jesus gives the Christian to live the Christian life. Whenever it comes to the Christian life, the New Testament urges the Christian to understand what all they have in Christ. The world, the flesh and the Devil work hard to detract followers of Jesus from their true identity. In 2 Corinthians 3-4 we find at least four things in the Christian's possession. We have noted two of them in the last two posts...

1. Positional Standing with God. 2 Corinthians 3:1-6

2. Power to live for God. 2 Corinthians 3:7-4:1

Today's post is going to continue by noting the third and perhaps most important blessing Jesus could give to the Christian - namely Himself. Thus we find that the Christian "has"...

Person of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:2-12
In the opening passage of today's post we discover the profound truth about our salvation: we don't merely receive grace as some type of abstract power from God to live the Christian life. Instead, we obtain the Person of Jesus Himself. In the argument of 2 Corinthians 3, Paul reminded his readers that they are heirs along with him of the New Covenant promises in Jesus. Indeed, the Christian receives a positional standing in God at saving faith. Such positional standing is what the New Testament refers to as "justification", which is to say - God's legal declaration and crediting of the sinner as having Christ's righteousness at saving faith. 

But then we also found that with the position comes the power to live the Christian life by way of the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. All of these wondrous truths are spelled out in the New Covenant promises predicted in Old Testament passages like Jeremiah 31:31-34, proclaimed by Jesus Himself as the Mediator of the New Covenant in Luke 22 and initiated in the church at Pentecost in Acts 2. 

To have position with God and power from the Holy Spirit is indeed remarkable to think about when it comes to how we live the Christian life in a hostile world. However, we have the remarkable truth elaborated in 2 Corinthians 4 that we also have the Person of Jesus Christ. To have Him with us through the Holy Spirit's ministry is cause for wanting to renounce the world and its allurements and embrace Jesus Christ as Savior, Lord and Treasure (2 Corinthians 4:1-4). Once the blinders are taken off by God through the hearing of the proclamation of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 4:5), it is at that juncture that Christ is brought to us, and we to Him, by the agency and work of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Though Christians have the Person of Christ in this life, no one said it was going to be an easy life
2 Corinthians 4:7 notes the "treasure" we have contained within these "earthen vessels" of our humanity - "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves." The "treasure" that Paul refers to points back to the prior verse which makes mention of the "glory of God revealed on the face of Jesus Christ". 

Christ Himself is the treasure. We have Jesus in terms of all He achieved, all that He is in His ascended glory and Person and all His activities that He works forth on our behalf. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary makes the following observation:

"Self was not the matter or the end of the apostles' preaching; they preached Christ as Jesus, the Saviour and Deliverer, who saves to the uttermost all that come to God through him. Ministers are servants to the souls of men; they must avoid becoming servants to the humours or the lusts of men. It is pleasant to behold the sun in the firmament; but it is more pleasant and profitable for the gospel to shine in the heart. As light was the beginning of the first creation; so, in the new creation, the light of the Spirit is his first work upon the soul. The treasure of gospel light and grace is put into earthen vessels."

Albert Barnes in his commentary on this text observes:

"Paul in the previous verses had spoken of the gospel, the knowledge of Jesus Christ, as full of glory, and infinitely precious. This rich blessing had been committed to him and his fellow-laborers, to dispense it to others, and to diffuse it abroad. His purpose in this and the following verses is, to show that it had been so entrusted to them as to secure all the glory of its propagation to God, and so also as to show its unspeakable value."

We have the Savior, delivered to us by way of the Gospel by the Person of the Holy Spirit. With that truth affirmed by the apostle, why then must this treasure have included the hardships of trial and testing? After summarizing all that he and his ministry partners had to endure for Jesus' sake, Paul notes in 2 Corinthians 4:10 "always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." 

It is quite interesting how, in the ancient world, to access various substances of great value, their less valuable containers would need to be broken. A rose's scent, when crushed underfoot, would emit its sweet aroma. In Luke 7:36-39, when the woman with the alabaster box of perfume poured such upon Jesus' head, she had to break the alabaster box that contained that valuable perfume. Or again, we find Mary in John 12:1-3 pouring a type of perfume called "nard", which could only be accessed by the breaking of the small vessel she had with her. 

So Paul closes out with these words in 2 Corinthians 4:11-12 "For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death works in us, but life in you." The Christian life has as its treasure Jesus Christ in the Gospel. The point Paul is making though is that such a treasure must needs be accompanied by the testings and trials for it to be distributed to those who find no value in it. Once the treasure of Christ in the Christian is unleashed, God's grace by His Spirit attends such a life devoted to Him. Christ is disseminated among those who are lost. Saving faith issues forth from such hearts that respond to such overtures of grace from God through the believer. 

Closing thoughts
Today we considered how the Christian has the treasure of Christ in the Gospel. The Christian is an earthen vessel. We have Christ and all He is and all He has done and all He is doing. He our prophet speaks to us through the scriptures. He our Priest prays ever for us and appeals to the Father on our behalf. He as our King reigns over us by the scepter of His Word. Thanks be to God, Jesus Christ is not hermetically sealed off in history nor in Heaven. By the Person and work of the Holy Spirit, the Person and work of Jesus is made available to the Christian. In sharing with the Deity of the Spirit, the Person of Jesus as truly God is enjoyed. In like-manner, though the Son's glorified humanity is localized in Heaven, yet by the Spirit's work, His humanity is also enjoyed by His people who are united to Him in saving faith. We enjoy the whole Savior, deity and humanity - and rejoice in the fact that Jesus Christ is accessible to us 24/7. By the Gospel of Jesus we have the royal decree of the King concerning His commitment and love to us. 

P3 What the Christian "has" - power to live for God

2 Corinthians 4:1 "Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart."

Introduction:
In yesterday's post we considered what the Christian "has" in Jesus Christ. We first of all noted that the Christian has a position before God. 2 Corinthians 3:4-5 states: "Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God." Today's post wants to consider a second reality possessed by the Christian - namely "power to live for God". 

Energy to run
I'll admit that I'm one of those crazy people who love to run. About every morning I lace up the shoes and go out for a good 5 mile run. Admittedly, when I crawl out of bed, my body is tired and tempted to crawl back into bed. However, I grab hold of a special can of power that, when mixed with water, provides energy. Such a mix is called "pre-work-out" powder. Once I have consumed that liquid, in 30 minutes the sleepiness is gone and I'm ready to hit the road or treadmill. 

Whenever it comes to living the Christian life, we have a continuous power-source on the inside - the Person of the Holy Spirit. The Christian life is a marvelous life not only because of one's positional standing before God, but also because of the power to live it and proclaim it. 

The need for power to live for God
Paul refers to the "ministry" he and his readers had a share in with respect to the great commission and the commonality of Christian experience. The question is: what was the ministry of which he spoke? When one traces back through 2 Corinthians 3, we come to 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."

The ministry in which we all share is none-other than the Holy Spirit working in and through the Christian to point them and others to Jesus. Such a task is impossible in the flesh. However, whenever we think of how much the Holy Spirit works in the Christian to empower them, we find out the blessing of what we have - power to live!

As one goes back further to 2 Corinthians 3:6, we find Paul making the comment of how the Holy Spirit gives life. Indeed, we are reminded of the miracle of the New Birth granted by the Holy Spirit at saving faith. Then Paul traces through a comparison between what is called "the ministry of death" vs what will be the ministry of which he describes the Christian having. 

Moses in the Old Testament represents what the Bible calls "the Old Covenant" and giving of the law. The Law of God, summarized in the Ten Commandments and their attendant subsidiary commands, ceremonies and rituals - was meant to express what God expected of His people. The Law of God demanded the people to be a holy people, demanded that the people forsake their worldly ways and demanded that the people worship God. The Old Covenant or law provided a context in which the Old Testament saint (saved by grace alone through faith alone in the promise of God) could live out their walk with God. 

The problem was that the Old Covenant was never designed to impart life. Instead, whenever the Old Testament believer would interact with the Law of God or Old Covenant, all they could conclude was that they could not live out what God had commanded. Paul speaks of how the law of God was intended to show "sin-as-sin" and point to the need for grace. In Romans 7:7-12 we read:

"What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; 10 and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; 11 for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good."

The Old Covenant or law of God could only command and demand, but not deliver and create the power necessary to live the Godly life. Indeed, the Old Testament believer drew what they could from the promises and prophecies about the coming Messiah, as well as the Holy Spirit's ministrations in the Old Testament. Indeed, the saints of God did have "the Spirit of Christ" as described in 1 Peter 1:10-11 "As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow." However, it was very clear: the Old Testament's pattern for the walk of faith was in need of an upgrade. 

My computer will once in a while have a little box pop-up, informing me that it wants to install "up-grades". Now I'll admit, whenever I'm working on something and that little box suddenly appears, I push it off until a later time. But do you know, once the computer has done its upgrading, it works better and is able to handle more demanding tasks. 

Power to live for God
Paul's point in 2 Corinthians 3:7-4:1 is that the ministry which Moses had was no-doubt glorious. He had came off of Sinai with the glory of God on his face (Exodus 34:29-35). The problem was though was that the glory with which he had on his face would soon begin to fade. One writer has noted that the veil he placed over his face was not so much intended to curb the fear of the people in seeing his face glow, but instead, to prevent them from seeing what was the fading away of such glory. Whenever people buy flowers, the florist will sometimes spray the bouquet with a special solution that promotes longevity. The enjoyment of the flowers is prolonged. As we all know, after a week or so, the flowers fade and wither way. 

But to think that for the Christian, there is no a limitation of power, but unlimited. Paul's point is to show us that unlike Moses and the people of the Old Testament, we can behold and enjoy the glory of God that won't fade. The Holy Spirit is the Agent of such power. Jesus describes Him as being likened unto a fountain of living water springing up inside the Christian (John 7:37-39). The Christian is commanded to be filled-by, led-by and influenced by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:16,25). We have the power of the Holy Spirit made available to us by obedience (Acts 5:32); prayer (Luke 11:11-13) and taking in of the scriptures (Colossians 3:16). 

Closing thoughts
Thus when we arrive again at 2 Corinthians 4:1, we understand then the nature of the ministry we "have": namely the ministry of the Spirit Himself working in us and through us. The Holy Spirit's main task is to make me in experience whom I already declared to be in position by God. We tie together our position in justification and process of sanctification by the daily, living reality of surrender and obedience to the known will of God that welcomes the Holy Spirit to fill-us anew. He will empower-us with what we need to understand the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:10-13); excel in prayer (Romans 8:26); witness to unsaved loved ones and friends (Acts 1:8) and live out the daily realities, struggles and triumphs, disappointments and joys of this thing we call the Christian life. Amazingly enough, as we live by the power of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we discover that all along it is He living the life through us! 

P2 What the Christian "has" - positional standing with God

2 Corinthians 3:4 "Such confidence we have through Christ toward God."

2 Corinthians 4:1 "Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart."

Introduction
I'm sure readers can remember the first car they ever had the privilege of either purchasing or being purchased for them. After my first year in Bible College, my father and I went down to a used car lot to look over some potential automobiles. It had become very clear that I needed a car to drive the two hour trip to and from college to home. When we started meandering our way up and down the rows of pre-owned vehicles - there it was: a 1979 yellow Pontiac Firebird. I remember begging and pleading with my dad for that car. Sure, it was faded in the paint, the tires were worn and the motor was on its last leg; nevertheless, it still had the famous Phoenix (which by now was a little faded, or is it my memory of the car?). Anyway, my dad denied my request. Instead, we ended up purchasing a 1988 Ford Tempo, like the one pictured below:


At the time I was not completely happy with the choice of the Ford Tempo, but as always, my dad knew best. As I got to driving that car, I began to realize what I truly had. For one thing, that little car was unbeatable in the snow. The gas mileage was great for a guy like me who lived on a shoe-string budget. Truly to have my own set of wheels made the initial disappointment fade away. My wife and I had that little Tempo as our first vehicle. I'll admit the day we had to sell that car was a sad day. It had been a good little car. 

Whenever it comes to the Christian life, the New Testament urges the Christian to understand what all they have in Christ. We may at times be tempted by the world, the flesh and the Devil. Yet, all three conspire to detract followers of Jesus from their true identity. In 2 Corinthians 3-4 we find at least four things in the Christian's possession. Today's post will cover the first - positional standing with God.

1. Positional Standing with God. 2 Corinthians 3:1-6
When the Christian understands who they are and whose they are in Jesus Christ, they realize that they are accepted in Him. God accepts the Christian due to the fact that at salvation, His life and achievement were exchanged for my sin and rebellion. On the cross, Jesus had already exchanged Himself for me so that He could be treated as the chief of sinners (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). 

So what does the Christian have in their new position with God in Jesus Christ? Whenever we survey 2 Corinthians 3:1-6 and other passages, we discover the following:

a. New Heart. 2 Corinthians 3:3 "being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

b. New role. 2 Corinthians 3:6 "who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

c. New Guest. 1 Corinthians 3:16 "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"

d. New Wealth. Ephesians 2:6-7 "and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."

e. New identity. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

f. New Address. Philippians 3:20 "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." 

The Christian is valuable to God due to who they are in Christ and what He is expressing Himself to be in them. Now when we look through 2 Corinthians 3:1-6, we find Paul making mention of how the Holy Spirit as written on our hearts in such a way as to make us a living epistle or "letter" of Jesus Christ. 

In my desk drawer is an envelope with my late-father's handwriting. Do you know that what makes that envelope so precious? it is not the paper, nor the ink; instead, its knowing that he had written on that envelope. Do you know dear Christian what makes you valuable in God's sight? your new life in Jesus. As a Christian, your life has upon it the handwriting of Deity. The Holy Spirit began writing on your heart at the moment of saving faith. The Father had planned from all eternity what He was going to do in His loving intentions toward you (Ephesians 1:4-5; 2 Peter 1:1). He sent His Son to purchase you (Acts 20:28; 1 Timothy 4:10) and His Spirit in the Son's name to call you to Himself (John 16:8-12). Ever since the beginning of your salvation, God had declared you worthy by justification. The Spirit of God is working forth a process, called sanctification, whereby He is conforming you to the image of Jesus Christ. Once God begins writing His letters on your heart - those words of love cannot be erased, nor repealed. 

So in Jesus Christ, the Christian has a position with God. In the next post we will consider a second thing possessed by the Christian - power for living. 

P1 Four things that the Christian "has" to live for God

2 Corinthians 3:4 "Such confidence we have through Christ toward God."

Introduction:
The last several days have been devoted to discovering how it is we have our adequacy in God. Such a discussion speaks to "who we are" and "whose we are" in God, in Christ. As one begins to scan the remainder of 2 Corinthians 3 and 4, we find four particular possessions which the Christian has from God. 

Now before we get underway into this line of thinking, an illustration can be offered to help orientate our thinking. I can recall years ago when one of the great-American past-times was inviting your friends or neighbors to come and take a ride in your new car. Whenever we would take such rides, the fresh aroma of "new-car" smell and the glimmer of gadgets would fill our senses. Such experiences served to discover what all different sorts of "options" were possessed by the owner. 

Whenever it comes to the Christian life, the New Testament urges the Christian to understand what all they have in Christ. The world, the flesh and the Devil work hard to detract followers of Jesus from their true identity. In 2 Corinthians 3-4 we find at least four things in the Christian's possession. In other words, there are four things that the Christian "has"....

1. Positional Standing with God. 2 Corinthians 3:1-6

2. Power to live for God. 2 Corinthians 3:7-4:1

3. Person of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:2-12

4. Promise of a heavenly home. 2 Corinthians 4:13-18. 

Over the next several days, I would like us to explore these four wonderful areas possessed by all Christians. The main thought will be that once we understand what we have in God through Jesus Christ, we will be less inclined to fret over and get distracted by what the world, the flesh and the Devil tells us that we need to "have".  

More tomorrow...

How God's Covenants Guarantee our adequacy in God

2 Corinthians 3:5-6 "Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

Introduction
Yesterday we considered how the Christian comes to find their adequacy in God. We noted that the way in which we discover such adequacy is by three interrelated truths:

1. Indwelling Holy Spirit
2. Identity in Jesus Christ
3. Empowerment to do God's will

Today we want to note the guarantee we have that we can find our adequacy in God. The Apostle Paul connects our adequacy in God to the concept of covenant. All that was looked at in yesterday's post has its guarantee from God by what Paul unfolds for us here in 2 Corinthians 3 and chapters 4 and 5 - namely the New Covenant.

God's covenant making relationships with His people expresses His guarantee of finding our guarantee in Him
God is a covenant making God. A covenant in the Bible refers to a binding agreement made between two people or two parties. We see all sorts of examples in the Bible where God made covenants with His creation (Jeremiah 33:19-20); Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:15, 20-21); Noah (Genesis 9); Abraham (Genesis 12;15;17;22); Moses and Israel (Exodus 19-20); David (2 Samuel 7:13-16) and Israel (Jeremiah 31). Without question, God's relationship with His people was expressed in terms of covenant. After all, covenantal language was something the people would had readily understood, since the ancient world included the idea of covenants made between various people.

We can note elsewhere in the New Testament how God's covenantal promises (connected to what the Old and New Testaments refer to as His "New Covenant") provides the guarantee of our adequacy in God. Hebrews 9:11-15 states: But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"   

By the Person and work of the Lord Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant, we find in His achievements on the cross and from the empty tomb the basis for our adequacy. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit's application of Christ's achievements at salvation grants us the experience of this adequacy. As Hebrews 9:15 summarizes: "For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance."

Closing thoughts Truly this concept of "covenant" unlocks for us avenues into which we can begin to understand the relationship God's people have with Him, and He with them. The concept of "covenant" sheds much light on explaining how we have the guarantee that our adequacy is indeed in God as revealed in Jesus Christ. In each of the covenants of scripture we find the identity and confidence of God's people anchored in the God who made covenants with them. 

Why God used covenants in the Bible

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 "Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

Introduction
Yesterday we began considering how God's covenant-keeping-relationship with His people guarantees our adequacy in Him. I thought we would dive a little deeper into what the Bible has to teach us about the nature of covenant, how we see various covenants expressed in the scripture, and how they relate to us today with respect to finding our adequacy in God.

The nature of covenants 
In the Old Testament we see examples of covenants made between people like Jacob and his uncle Laban in Genesis 31:43-55. In a typical covenant, there would first be some sort of preamble or rehearsing of the prior history of relationship between the two people (Genesis 31:43-44). Next we would see a visible sign to indicate that the relationship and exchange of promises were being made (Genesis 31:45-47,51). Thirdly, oaths, promises and sanctions were verbalized to express blessings and curses associated with the keeping of or the breaking of the covenant (Genesis 31:48-50, 53-54). In the oath-making part of the covenant, it was common for the parties to evoke the name of God so as to communicate the binding nature of the relationship. Then finally, there was the reaffirmation of the covenantal agreement, with both parties agreeing to the terms (Genesis 31:51-55). 

How we see various covenants expressed in the Bible
Such a covenantal arrangement like the one we see in Genesis 31:43-55 was common in the ancient world. Such a covenant was called a "conditional-covenant", meaning "I do my part, you do your part". The one major example of a "conditional covenant" we see God making with Israel is in terms of the blessings and cursings He issued forth in the covenant at Sinai at Exodus 19-23. For the people to enjoy the relationship of which God was prepared to have with them, there needed to be a response on their part. As theologian Michael Horton notes on page 543 of his systematic theology: 

"Conditioned as it was on Israel's faithfulness, the theocratic kingdom was shakable, as the exile - and the destruction of the temple - testified." 

We do find of course that the Mosaic Covenant was not just strictly a pure conditional covenant. The blessings and cursings were connected to the wider backdrop of what God unconditionally pledged to their forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Such promises were initially to be fulfilled by Israel, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, inaugurated in the life of the church today and will at Christ's return be expressed when Israel is restored as a nation. The person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ is the key to fulfilling all the promises and covenants God made with His people. Michael Horton again notes:

"However, the kingdom has been inaugurated in Christ's death and resurrection is inviolable. It has come, is coming, and will one day come in all its fulness". 

There were of course covenants which entailed a superior party agreeing to provide both the basis and means of fulfillment in the covenant. In other words, whenever a weaker party had no way of bringing about the goals of the relationship, the stronger party would pledge to bring about the outcomes desired in the covenant upon pains of great cost to them. In most extreme cases, the greater party would pledge themselves to suffer the curses if in the event they broke the covenant. These types of covenants were deemed "unconditional covenants". 

Usually such a covenant would be symbolized by the stronger of the two people walking through slaughtered animals as proof of their commitment. In Genesis 15 we find God making such an "unconditional covenant" with Abraham. The prophet Jeremiah also makes mention of such a ritual in Jeremiah 34. The Reformation Study Bible notes: 

"As other Ancient Near Eastern texts and Jeremiah 34:18 indicate, by passing between the torn animals (signifying the punishment due those who break the covenant) God invokes a self-maledictory oath or curse upon Himself should He fail to keep His covenant. Because He could swear by no higher authority, God swears by Himself to keep the covenant terms."

How the New Covenant replaced the Old Covenant and how it guarantees our adequacy in God
Thus when God made His covenant with Abraham and His descendants, He was making an unconditional covenant. Certainly the Mosaic Covenant at Sinai was designed to regulate the terms of the relationship between God and His people. In as much as the Mosaic Covenant (called later in scripture "The Law" and in the New Testament "The Old Covenant") served to spell out what kind of life the people of God were to live in relationship to God, it could not grant the power to live such a life. Such a covenant was designed to show the people how inadequate they were to pull-off the promises given to them by God. 

In short, the point of the Old Covenant was that the people of God needed God - since He is their adequacy! The Old Covenant could only demand that people find their adequacy in God, but could never deliver the desire to pursue Him as such. 

Closing thoughts: How the New Covenant connects us to Jesus, Who is our adequacy in God (since He Himself is God in human flesh)
Thus when we come to later passages like Isaiah 12; Jeremiah 31-33; Ezekiel 20; 36-37 and Joel 2:28-31, we find God had intended all along to issue forth a second covenant, a new covenant, that would provide the power needed to live for Him! Hebrews 8-9 explain why there was a need for the New Covenant, since the Old Covenant could not empower the people to see their adequacy in God. Instead, all the Old Covenant could do was point and demand the people to find in God their sufficiency and completion. This is why Paul makes such a big deal of his calling (and really every Christian's calling) to be sharers and ministers in the New Covenant. Our adequacy in God results from what Jesus achieved on our behalf. Remarkably, all who follow Him in saving faith have the opportunity to participate in the blessings of the New Covenant which He won for them and to find their adequacy in God. 

How the Christian finds their adequacy in God

2 Corinthians 3:1-6 "Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? 2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
4 Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

Introduction
As the Apostle Paul wrote this second letter to the Corinthian church, his apostolic credentials were called into question. In Acts 18 Paul planted the church at Corinth. For 18 months he gave his heart and soul to the people of that small, fledgling church. Upon his departure he left it in the hands of Priscilla and Aquilla. Sadly, the Corinthians had lapsed into their former ways of life. Divisions, disagreements and doubt characterized this struggling church. Paul knew that if he was going to urge his readers to find their adequacy in God, he would need to make sure he was doing it himself.

The key aim of Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:1-6 is to find one's adequacy in God
The great commentator John Gill notes in his commentary on 2 Corinthians 3:

"(W)e are not able of ourselves to meditate with judgment and affection upon the word of God, to study the Scriptures, to collect from them things fit for the ministry; and much less with freedom and boldness to speak of them to edification; and still less able to impress them upon the heart: for though you who are the epistle of Christ are ministered by us, yet not by any power and self-sufficiency of ours."

Paul aimed to address the issues at Corinth in his first Epistle. In this second letter we find him urging his readers to hang onto their faith and to not let the world, the flesh and the Devil run them into the ground. In these opening verses of 2 Corinthians 3, Paul's point is to show how our adequacy comes from God. As the Christian carries on their daily life, glaring inadequacies of one's own abilities will grow more clearly. It can be a great temptation to despair and to wonder how we can ever be worthy and strong enough to do God's will and live for His glory. If for nothing else, such a battle is actually a sign of victory, since such troubling thoughts urge us to flee to God who alone is sufficient. Today's post wants to consider briefly what is meant by this idea of finding our adequacy in God.  

Adequacy in God is derived from the indwelling Holy Spirit in the Christian 
We read in 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 "You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."  

Paul is going to take one last run at convincing these Corinthians of who they are and whose they are. Among the many pressures they faced in pagan Corinth, as well as the internal struggles within the church itself, Paul once more would remind them of their calling and identity. The New Covenant relationship of the Christian entails the Holy Spirit indwelling Christians from salvation. 

Unlike the Old Testament (or Old Covenant age), which had the Holy Spirit working from outward to inward, the Christian experiences the Holy Spirit's work as an inside job (see Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36; Hebrews 8). Jesus often promised how Christians who believed in Him would be indwelt by the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17, 26-27; 15:26; 16:8-12). In effect, God Himself in the Person of the Holy Spirit indwells the believer (1 Corinthians 2:10-13; 3:6; 6:19-20). 

Our adequacy in God derives from the fact that He indwells us. Just as a coffee mug is increasingly satisfying based upon the type of coffee contained within, the Christian is increasingly satisfied as he or she cultivates their relationship with the Holy Spirit within them by prayer, the word and obedience. 

Adequacy in God results from our identity in Jesus Christ 
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:4-5 "Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God." The Christian life is about what we are saved from in Jesus and what we are saved to because of Him. In Jesus Christ, we are saved "from wrath" (Romans 5:10); saved "from our sins" (1 Peter 3:18) and saved from the clutches of Satan and his kingdom (Ephesians 2:1-4). In Jesus Christ we are saved unto eternal life in saving faith (John 3:16); adoption of sonship (Ephesians 2:6-10) and unto an inheritance that won't rot nor fade, reserved in heaven (1 Peter 1:4-5; 2 Peter 1:10-12). 

Contrary to what this world may try to offer, the Christian finds all their satisfaction in Jesus. The enemy of our souls will attempt to convince us that God has some how short-changed us in salvation, and that instead, the world has all we need. Paul's point in 2 Corinthians 3,4 and 5 is to counter-act this type of thinking with the reminder that in Jesus Christ, we have inherited so much because of becoming partakers of His New Covenant promises. 

So our adequacy in God results from the indwelling Holy Spirit and our identity in Jesus Christ. Lets consider one last thought...

Adequacy in God derives from the empowerment He gives for daily living
We read these words in 2 Corinthians 3:6 "who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." As Paul threads these thoughts to urge his readers to find their adequacy in God, he makes sure he applies such truths to his own life. Truth that is most effectively preached is truth that is lived. The indwelling of the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is the wellspring of Christian adequacy. Apart from the Holy Spirit working within my human spirit, I am but a dry riverbed. 

As the Holy Spirit springs up in me like a wellspring of fresh water (see John 7:37-39), He highlights my "identity in Jesus Christ". Who I am and whose I am is identified by the credited righteousness of Jesus imputed to me in saving faith. The indwelling of the Spirit and identity in Jesus is expressed by the empowerment God gives me to live the Christian life and to do His bidding. God's power is experienced in proportion to how often I lean on the indwelling Holy Spirit and the credited righteousness and identity of Jesus.  

Closing thoughts
Today we briefly considered how the Christian comes to understand their adequacy from God. We noted two 'i's" and one "e" in 2 Corinthians 3:1-6...

1. Indwelling Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:1-2

2. Identity in Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:3-5

3. Empowerment from God for daily living. 2 Corinthians 3:6

Jesus' work and your response - John 5:1-16

John 5:17 "But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”

Introduction:

Today's post details the third miracle or "sign" Jesus performed in the Gospel of John. As one reads through John 5:1-17, verse 17 summarizes the chief purpose for this miracle account: "But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” The work that Jesus is recorded doing in John's Gospel and the other three Gospels is responded to in different ways. How you and I respond to what He is doing and where He is doing it must be considered. It is interesting when we briefly review the people Jesus engaged in John 3,4 and 5 how the Apostle John used contrasts. Contrasting persons, images or ideas is how John drives forward his narrative of Jesus' life. Let the reader quickly note the following:

Jesus’ personal work with people in John’s Gospel (note how John uses contrasts):
1. Nicodemas, a man lost in religion (John 3).

2. Woman at the well, lost in her sins (John 4).

3. Nobleman, lost in his high position (John 5)

4. Man at Bethesda, lost in his low position (John 5)

The final man is the focus of today's post. Notice how wide of a spectrum of people Jesus went to in his ministry. 

He is ever at work and aimed to do what the Father sent Him to do.1 

So for our purposes today, we want to know where then does Jesus work (as illustrated in the miracle He did in the invalid man's life) and what ought our response be? Again let's quickly note the following:

1). Where Jesus works

a. Circumstances. John 5:1-4
Jesus was making His way back to Jerusalem to attend an unnamed feast. Jesus made His way in and around that Northern district of Jerusalem. He meandered around the numerous lame and sick people. He was operating in the background to get to the foreground of this man's life. The circumstances of life, both the 38 long years and the immediate situation here in John 5 all were worked forth by Jesus in bringing about this Divine appointment. 

b. His Word. John 5:5-9

Jesus works in our circumstances, whether we realize it or not. The chief area where Jesus does His work is by way of His word. He told the man to "Pick up your pallet, and walk". Whenever we hear the scriptures read, taught or preached, we ought to expect to hear His voice through the words of the text. Jesus so chooses to work through His written word.

c. Among His people. John 5:10-14
After the miracle, the man is found at the temple worshiping with his fellow Jews. Jesus came looking for the man in the midst of that mighty throng. Do we ever realize how Jesus is very well aiming to work in our hearts and midst when we are gathered together. Jesus is present even when we may assume He is absent. He is ever with His people. Coming to be with God's people is part of where Jesus does His work. 

d. Amidst conflict. John 5:15-17
What about the places and times in life where conflict occurs. The Jewish leadership began their desire to want to kill Jesus in the aftermath of this miracle. At times we may think that the last place we would expect to find Jesus is in those seasons or places where life is barely fit for man or beast. Yet by His incarnation, Jesus expressed Himself has God in human flesh, God getting His hands dirty and God desiring to bring peace into otherwise desperate situations.

2). What your response ought to be
So in seeing where Jesus works in life, what ought our response to be? To answer that question, we can note what it ought not to be.

a. What it ought not to be….

-Neglect. (man at Bethesda in John 5:13-15). Sadly the man who was healed in John 5 never thanked Jesus and was quite negligent. When asked by the Jews who healed him, the man, even after having a second encounter with Jesus, does not evidence the saving faith that expresses itself in thanksgiving to God. R.C Sproul notes in his St. Andrew's Expositional Commentary on this text:

"Instead of rejoicing and defending the Glory of the One who had delivered Him from His malady, the healed man simply passed the buck, saying, 'This fellow who healed me told me to carry my bed."

Sproul then cross-references Luke 12:8-9 which reads - “And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9 but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God."

-Rejection (Nicodemas in John 3:11 & leaders in 5:16). Certainly the Jewish leadership increased their hostility toward Jesus. Jesus indicated early on that the Jewish officials never accepted Him. Even though Jesus so often does work in our lives, how often do we reject it out of hand or act thanklessly and recklessly? A quick survey of some verses in John's Gospel will reveal how the persistent rejection escalated all the way to the cross (John 5:15,16; 7:1; 11:54)

We ought to be very careful not to miss what is otherwise persistent work by Jesus in our lives. So then how ought we respond?

b. What your response ought to be….

-Reception (like the woman at the well)

Certainly the woman at the well in John 4 evidence reception. She told the hold town of Samaria about what Jesus had done for her.

-Intention (like the nobleman). When Jesus healed the Nobleman's son in John 5, we find him making inquiries and increasing all the more in his conviction that Jesus was who He said He was. Both the nobleman and woman at the well received and intentionally responded to Jesus' work. The result? People were receptive and intentional as well. 

Closing thoughts

As we close out today, may we take stock of the work Jesus is ever doing in our circumstances, by His word, amidst His people and in those seasons where even conflict ensues. May we be careful not to be negligent nor rejecting of His work. Instead, may we be ever receptive and intentional in our response to all Jesus has done and is doing. 

Endnotes

1. Touching His deity, the Son's will and the Father's were One divine will. Along with the Person of the Holy Spirit, the Trinity works together to achieve One ultimate plan and purpose as Almighty God. When the Son took unto Himself a second nature, a human nature, included in His incarnation was the inception of His ability to express a human will. Whenever we see Jesus walking in the Gospels, He is doing the Father's will as the Son so expressing Himself by way of His humanity. As He ever remained truly God, His shared Divine will with the Father ever molded and sculpted how He exercised Himself in His humanity. Jesus not only did the work of His Father as man, but He also, with the Father, did the work of God as God. 

P3 - Be a Blessing with your spiritual gifts - Concentrate on worship

1 Corinthians 14:26  "What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification."

Introduction
Over the last two days we have considered the importance of being a blessing with the spiritual gifts. God the Holy Spirit has gifted the body of Christ with gifts to answer the call He gives to be a blessing. We have noted that in order to be a blessing with the spiritual gifts, one must...

1. Avoid self-centered Christianity when it comes to the gifts. 1 Corinthians 14:1-19

2. Build-up others through the gifts. 1 Corinthians 14:12-25

As we have been unfolding the above thoughts, we have also attempted to expound on Paul's discussion of the gift of tongues. Such a discussion provides a major backdrop for these themes, and thus must be explored. We have attempted to handle all the pertinent Biblical passages on tongues (Acts 2,8,10,14 and 1 Corinthians 12-14) in such a way as to show their unity in the scripture. We have noted that tongues is referring to the Spirit-given ability to deliver the Gospel in a previously unlearned language. We've also commented that as the church of the living God is established, the gift of tongues will virtually cease, if not cease all-together. As a general pattern, this writer believes based upon our prior studies of 1 Corinthians 12-14 that one ought not to expect to see a genuine gift of tongues with its partner gift "interpretation of tongues" in areas firmly established with the preaching of the Word. In addition, we also noted that what is often claimed to be tongues today is in fact a different phenomena all-together, and thus is not the same as Biblical tongues. 

Today we conclude out blog series on how the gifts are to be used to bless others by noting how we ought to use them to concentrate on worship to God.

The gifts of the Spirit are to be used to concentrate on worship to God
As we focus once more on Paul's instructions in 1 Corinthians 14, we find him switching gears in 1 Corinthians 14:26 from describing what the Corinthians have been doing to prescribing what they ought to be doing. 1 Corinthians 14:26 reads -  "What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification." As we labored to show yesterday, using our gifts to be a blessing to others entails edifying or building each other up in the faith. 

Dr. John MacArthur has wisely noted that whenever God prescribes behaviors in the Bible, He always prefaces His prescriptions with sound doctrine. Now whenever we think of Paul's foregoing discussion in 1 Corinthians 14:1-25, he has been describing the misapplication of tongues by the Corinthians, and how such as led to low-levels of edification in the church and high-levels of self-centered Christianity. Paul wants to lay out the importance of concentrating on worship by way of appropriate use of the gifts in these verses. Below we can note the following points as to how we can do this today...

1. Humility - 1 Corinthians 14:26-33
Notice what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14:31-33  "For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; 33 for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints." Paul of course uses tongues and prophecy as examples, but the wider principle is clear: that whenever we exercise our gifts in the church or for that matter, outside the church and in the world, we ought to do so with Christian humility. Such humility before God positions us to be empowered by His grace to be more effective in His service (1 Peter 5:6-8). Moreover, humility brings us closest to the heart of Jesus, whom we are to imitate and follow (see Philippians 2:4-11; 1 Peter 2:21-22; 1 John 3:6).

2. Atmosphere. 1 Corinthians 14:34-40
This last section of 1 Corinthians 14 is perhaps the most widely discussed and at times, controversial section in Paul's letter. The concern of Paul in this final section has to do with orderliness or atmosphere in the church body. What is the meaning behind Paul's prohibition on women "speaking" in the church? The immediate context suggests that there might had been instances where women were practicing tongues freely or somehow contradicting their husbands who had exercised a gift of prophecy or exhortation. Certainly such practices by the particular women at Corinth would had led Paul to censure their actions. But then Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:34 that per the Law of God (Genesis 3:16) and the pattern of worship in all the churches, such an injunction by Paul is laid forth pertaining to women. 

Perhaps the most balanced commentary that I have read that gives multiple scriptural support is the Bible Knowledge Commentary: 

"Whether the admonition for silence was directed to all women (cf. 11:2–16) or only to those who were married may be debated. The word translated women (gynaikes) was used to refer to women generally (as in all 11 occurrences in 11:3–15), or to unmarried women (e.g., 7:34), or to married women (e.g., 5:1; 9:5; and all 14 occurrences in chap. 7 except once in 7:34). The context alone aided the readers in distinguishing between the alternative meanings." 

The commentary continues on:

"Two indications strongly suggest that married women were in view in this passage. The first is the word submission (hypotassesthōsan, v. 34). When it occurs elsewhere in the New Testament with specific reference to a woman, it always refers to a married woman who was to be subject to her husband (Eph. 5:22; Col. 3:18; Titus 2:5; 1 Peter 3:1, 5)."

If we consider what Paul says elsewhere in his letters on the boundaries drawn on how men and women are to function in the church, he is drawing such lines along marital lines in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. With respect to the distinctions we find in passages like 1 Timothy 2:8 or 1 Timothy 3:1, the boundary lines there would be drawn more so along ecclessiastical lines, allowing women much liberty in the ministries they can do with one exception: the pastorate. It is vital when discussing issues of gender in the church, that we don't draw the lines too tightly nor cast them asunder. 

To perhaps dig further in seeing the positive direction Paul is trying to aim these comments, we must consider what is brought into the church from godly marriages. Paul's remarks on women and their husbands in 1 Corinthians 14 is for the sake of keeping a proper atmosphere of worship. If the husband loves his wife like Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:22-33), then the wife will want to follow his lead and be the fragrance of grace that causes others to admire the marriage. To bring such a loving atmosphere from the home into the church is the ultimate intent of Paul in these instructions. 

Thus as Paul closes out this major chapter of 1 Corinthians 14, he notes in verse 40 the reinforcement of maintaining decency and order in the church, which is the responsibility of all concerned. Hence, concern for worship will ensure that the those who are exercising their spiritual gifts are a blessing indeed to both God and people. 

P2 - Be a blessing with your spiritual gifts - building up others and understanding the gift of tongues

1 Corinthians 14:12 "So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church."

Introduction
Yesterday we began considering the importance of being a blessing to others by way of the spiritual gifts. God has so gifted believers and His church with gifts so that they can be a blessing to others. We discussed briefly the subject of tongues and the warnings Paul gave to avoid the self-centered tendencies that the Corinthian believers we practicing. We closed out noting how whether one is a Pentecostal/Charismatic Christian or whether one is a non-Pentecostal/Charismatic Christian, self-centered tendencies can still occur. The former group of Christians can tend to over emphasize certain gifts at the expense of others (what we see occurring in 1 Corinthians 14), whereas the latter group of believers can risk under-valuing the gifts all-together, and thus being uninformed (which Paul aimed to correct from the onset in 1 Corinthians 14. 

The overall goal of these posts is to hopefully shed some light on what can be the difficult chapter of 1 Corinthians 14. Overall, the hope would be to encourage all Christians to exercise their gifts in such a way as to bless others. We've already noted the need to avoid self-centered expressions of the gifts. Today, we want to consider the second way in which we can be a blessing - namely building up others.

Building up others by way of our gifts is at the heart of being a blessing with our gifts
 1 Corinthians 14:5 sets the tone of the chapter with these words: "Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying." That term "edification" has to do with "building up", or "reinforcing" someone else in their spiritual walk with Christ. To be a blessing to other people with respect to our spiritual gifts has the goal of edification and thus, praise and worship to God. As a matter of fact, this idea of "building up others" or "edification" dominates the horizon of 1 Corinthians 14 (see 1 Corinthians 14:3,5,13,17 and 26). Thus when we say to "be a blessing" in the realm of spiritual gifts, we are saying to use our gifts to "edify others", which achieves the ultimate goal of "glorifying God". 

Certain passages bear out the importance of edification in the body of Christ:

Romans 15:2 "Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification."

We then find the following statements in Paul's letter to the Ephesians....

Ephesians 4:11 "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers". 

Why did God give these offices or gifts? Notice Ephesians 4:12 - "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ."

Ephesians 4:29 "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear."

So what benefit comes when the church-body is "built-up" or "edified"? Dr. John MacArthur comments on what we read in Acts 9:31:

And so then, we are committed to edifying.  We meet together to edify.  You say, “But what happens with evangelism.  Well, how do we reach out if all we do is edify the saints?”  Well, it’s very easy to see the answer to that if you look at Acts 9:31.  Even if you don’t look at it, I’ll read it to you.  Acts 9:31 says this: “Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria and were edified.”  All right.  The churches were doing what they should have been doing.  They were being edified or built up to maturity."

MacArthur then continues on....


"Now watch.  “And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, were” what?  “Multiplied.”  You see, growth is a result of edification.  As the church is built up, it will reach out and evangelism will be a by-product."

What exactly were the Corinthians doing that was not edifying? What exactly is tongues in 1 Corinthians 14?
To answer these two questions, we will answer the second in order to arrive at an understanding of the first. A definition of the gift of tongues, as so understood from studying passages such as Acts 2; 8; 10; 19 and 1 Corinthians 12 & 14, refers to a supernatural ability to speak a previously unlearned language in instances of evangelization of unreached people groups. It appears that this particular gift's use ranges from extreme infrequency (for who is anyone to limit God) to total disuse as one goes further away from the apostolic era. 1 Corinthians 13:8 hints at this general pattern with respect to Biblical defined tongues.  As a general pattern, once the Gospel has sufficiently saturated a given people group, more typical methods are employed by God: such as Bible translation and missionaries that are trained to go to such areas. 

Now we know that the tongues of 1 Corinthians 14 is a previously unlearned actual language, rather than escatic speech, by what Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 14:10-11 "There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and no kind is without meaning. 11 If then I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be to the one who speaks a barbarian, and the one who speaks will be a barbarian to me." The term "barbarian" was used in the first century to refer to those who did not speak Greek. Corinth was a major cultural center of the ancient world that preserved and promoted Greek and Roman culture.1 

So with the gift of tongues so defined, what can we say was occurring at Corinth with respect to this gift? The Corinthians were attempting to use tongues in such a way as to promote themselves. If anything, they may had been trying to replicate what was the common pagan practice of ecstatic speech. Whatever the exact manner of their use of this gift of tongues, the Corinthian church's use of the gift was leading to a decline in the overall health of the church body.  

Can 1 Corinthians 14 be a proof text for "praying in tongues" or "second-blessing theology"?
This particular point cannot be avoided, since in today's contemporary church scene we find theologies promoting "praying in tongues" and "second-blessing". As I noted in yesterday's post, I was at one time in my early Christian walk involved with both Pentecostal and Charismatic expressions of the Christian faith. Many friends and pastors have and still are very dear to me. At times I suppose I tend to be more charitable towards Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians due to the many, many ways God uses them. With that said, it is important to judge our experience by God's word, rather than God's word by our experience. 

When we view the so-called "gift of tongues" practiced in both Pentecostal and Charismatic church bodies in light of the above discussion, we find a different sort of phenomena all-together. Pentecostal believers associate tongues as a form of prayer language; whilst Charismatic believers view "tongues" as an initiatory experience into the full-range of the miraculous gifts. 

These trends and interpretations of tongues is different from the tongues we see in the scripture, and thus, for this author at least, would suggest that whatever we may call the phenomenon it is not strictly speaking the Biblical gift of tongues. It would seem that these otherwise well-meaning Christians could be calling a "right-intentioned" practice by the wrong label. No one can argue that in many cases and in many-such churches, prayer and faith in God answering prayer is far more emphasized than in non-Pentecostal/Charismatic church bodies. 

With that said, we musn't confuse practical benefits with a theological stance that lacks insufficient scriptural support. 2  To suppose that Paul is talking of a different sort-of-tongues in 1 Corinthians 14 from what we see in Acts 2,8,10 and 14 is to unnecessarily divide the Bible's teaching on tongues.3 

Closing thoughts:
It is so important that we not miss the forest of 1 Corinthians 14 (namely, the need to be a blessing to others with our gifts) for the big trees in the chapter (tongues and other issues). Certainly we need to grasp what tongues is and how we need to understand its place in the Bible and our 21st century scene. With that said, Paul lays out principles for ensuring that we use the spiritual gifts to build-up others, which is why he expounds at length on correcting what were misuses of tongues. 

Endnotes

1. Noted commentator R.C.H Lenski comments:

"We also see that what Paul describes here refers to foreign languages. The speaker uses his 'voice' when he is speaking the language that is incomprehensible to Paul. The very term 'barbarian' settles the point regarding the voice that is used in speaking a foreign language and thus also in the...case when a member of the church similarly uses his voice in speaking with tongues (foreign human languages).

2. To put it clearly, it would seem far less probable to see a genuine exercise of true Biblical tongues and its attendant gift of interpretation in today's world, given that God employs either more ordinary methods of propagating the Gospel or other spiritual gifts to achieve the Great Commission. Paul's insistence upon "praying with his spirit and mind" in 1 Corinthians 14:15 and the need to use our gifts to build-up others in 1 Corinthians 14:3,5,12,17 and 26 would appear to show the Pentecostal/Charismatic treatments of 1 Corinthians 14 to be in question.

3. To show how one must make the tongues of Acts and 1 Corinthians 14 distinct phenomena for the Pentecostal and Charismatic interpretation to work, two examples will be given from the literature. The "International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements" (Zondervan, page 786), notes in its discussion on tongues as "initatory evidence" for the Pentecostal experience of a "second-blessing": "At the same time, this individual dimension was not to be confused with the expression of the gift of tongues in corporate worship (1 Corinthians 14). Secondly, the Pentecostal theologian Guy P. Duffield in his volume: "Foundations of Pentecostal Theology", page 337, notes in a comment on "kinds of tongues" in 1 Corinthians 14:10-11: "This is literally "kinds of tongues" (Greek gene glosson). The term "kinds" doubtless refers to the fact that there are "new tongues" and "tongues of men and angels" (1 Corinthians 13:1). Some tongues are human languages, as on the Day of Pentecost (to show that the gospel was for all races and nations); some tongues are of heavenly origin (of angels, used for praise and prayer where the mind is superceded: 1 Corinthians 14:2; Rom. 8:26,27)." As can be seen in these two sources, the teaching on the gift of tongues becomes distinguished between the two main bodies of texts (Acts and 1 Corinthians 14).