Why I Left The Tongues Movement - By Alfred H. Pohl

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REASON # 12

THE VIEW THAT THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH WAS A MODEL CHURCH

Because tongues speaking is so much in prominence in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, and, incidentally, is not even mentioned in any of the other twenty church epistles, it became a very important epistle to us. I personally , as I'm sure many others did too, looked upon the Corinthian church as a model in the area of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, particularly the gift of tongues.

HERE, THOUGH, LET US ASK OURSELVES SOME QUESTIONS:

1) WAS THIS EPISTLE WRITTEN TO ENCOURAGE THE ALL-OUT USE OF TONGUES, OR WAS IT WRITTEN TO CORRECT IT'S OVER-EMPHASIS AND ABUSE IN THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH?

2) IS EVERYTHING THAT TRANSPIRED IN THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH DOCTRINALLY CORRECT AND CAN THUS BE USED AS A BASIS FOR DOCTRINE BY ALL CHURCHES THROUGHOUT THE AGE?

Can we build upon their church conduct as being exemplary and such as will please the Lord? In short, should our churches today strive to be like the Corinthian church ? Is it a "model" church?

I, for one, did not approach the Book of First Corinthians with these questions in mind. Because of the tongues-emphasis teaching that I was raised in, I felt and believed that we should be more like the Corinthians, for did they not have the gifts of the Spirit in operation in their church?

Chapter 1:7 tells us that they came "behind in no gift." And they, of all churches, must have been most spiritual because of the great prominence of tongues in their services, for only in this church are tongues mentioned in the epistles. They excelled in tongues speaking!

How wrong I was ! Isn't it strange how doctrinal extremes can blind a person to truth! I have since learned, and not overnight, either, that I was wrong in my approach to the Book of 1 Corinthians.

Answering our questions now, first, Paul did not write this epistle to commend the Corinthians for their emphasis on tongues speaking, or to urge them to do more of the same, but rather to bring them back to a more restrained and orderly use of this gift. In fact, he urged them to major more on the "best gifts" (12:31). He said: "Covet earnestly the best gifts, " one of them being the gift prophecy (14:5): "I would that ye all spoke with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied." In 14:19 he adds these words: "Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue." In other words, he is plainly telling them that they were putting their emphasis in the wrong place.

Second, Paul makes it very plain in his letter that the Corinthian Christians, though they had the gifts of the Spirit in operation in their church, were nevertheless "carnal" (3:1-4). Notice a few of the "carnal" or unspiritual fleshly manifestations present in their church:

contention--1:11; division--1:10, 12, 13; carnality--3:1-4; fornication--5:1; taking one another to court--6:6-7; disorders at the Lord's table--11:17, 20-22; immaturity in spiritual matters--3:1, 12:1, 14:20; disorders in church meetings--14:40.

What does all this tell us? The lesson is plain. It is possible to have gifts and yet be unspiritual. Read 1 Cor 13:1-3 again! Remember, spirituality is not gauged by your gifts but by the fruit you bear ! In this area, then, the Corinthian church was certainly not to be followed as a model church !

3) THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH FALLS SHORT OF BEING A MODEL CHURCH BECAUSE OF THEIR LACK OF THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT!

This is what Paul is trying to get across to them in chapter 13 particularly. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance ..." (Gal. 5:22-23). But these were in short supply in the Corinthian church. That is why they took each other to court, were contentious, divided, and exhibited selfishness and pride, etc. No, the Corinthian church was far from being a model church. It would have been preferable to take the Philippian church or the Thessalonian church as our model, but then, there was no indication in their epistles that they were tongues speakers!

Reason #13--The danger of claiming extra-biblical revelation