7 Myths about Cessationism

• Cessationism is the belief that only the sign manifestations of the Holy Spirit listed in the New Testament (ie. healing, prophecy, tongues, interpretation) have ceased from regular, normative, everyday use in the Church and are no longer given by the Holy Spirit to individual believers as permanent edifying abilities. The reason put forward is that the sign manifestations were given only to authenticate the new revelation of God during the time of the Apostles. When the Apostles died off, new revelation ceased, and the canon of Scripture was closed, the sign manifestations likewise ceased from regular occurrence and ceased as permanent abilities. However, the Holy Spirit has always been free to use any or all of the sign manifestations if He decides that particular circumstances require their use.

Cessationism is too often misunderstood. This leads to its frequent misrepresentation by those who believe all of the Holy Spirit’s manifestations have continued (continuationists). Due to misrepresentation, cessationists are often called unloving, uncaring, anti-emotional, divisive, cold, legalistic, or worse - cessationists are missing out on something God has for them and cannot fully experience the power of the Holy Spirit. Continuationists seem to have an all-or-nothing mentality when it comes to the Holy Spirit’s work so that the cessationist view must be the denial that the Holy Spirit fully works in the world. This mentality leads to these seven commonly argued myths…


1. Myth: The Holy Spirit is trapped in the Bible
This is a genie-in-the-lamp mentality. Just like one must rub the lamp in order to summon the genie, one must open the pages of the Bible to release and encounter the Holy Spirit.
It is often argued that the cessationist believes that the Holy Spirit no longer works in the world to bring people to Christ or to change the lives of believers, and He is only found in Scripture. In order for the Holy Spirit to be able to work, the Bible must be opened, read, and taught. The Holy Spirit does not work unless it is through the text of Scripture and He can only be encountered in it. 
Fact: Yes, the cessationist holds an extremely high view of the Bible. But the cessationist also believes what the Bible says. The Bible clearly says that “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). "And He [the Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8).
Continuationists and cessationists both reject this myth. To say that the Holy Spirit does not work outside the Bible or in the hearts of people is to deny the Bible.


2. Myth: The Holy Spirit does not do miracles
This is a deist mentality of an uninvolved, limited God. Cessationists are often accused of teaching that the Holy Spirit has ceased to do the miraculous in the world and in the lives of people. He no longer heals any physical issue, He no longer causes the saved to spontaneously speak in foreign languages previously unknown to the speaker, He no longer answers prayer for healing or help, etc. We are left to medical institutions for healing and our own abilities to serve the Lord.
Fact: No Bible-believing cessationist believes or teaches this. Obviously the Holy Spirit is God and He can do whatever He wants (Ps. 115:3). He is not limited by anyone or anything. If He wants to heal someone then He is free to do so, and He often does. We often hear medically verified stories of tumors miraculously disappearing overnight after prayers for healing, so it would be foolish to believe God doesn't do miracles anymore. The Bible clearly says that “Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps” (Ps. 135:6).
Continuationists and cessationists both reject this myth. To say that the Holy Spirit no longer does whatever He pleases, including miracles is to deny the Bible.


3. Myth: The Holy Spirit does not give gifts to the Church
This is an all-or-nothing mentality. Either the Holy Spirit gives every manifestation, whether a gift, ministry, effect, or grace (Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:4-7; Eph. 4:7-8; 1 Pet. 4:10) to the Church or He doesn’t give any. The Church can no longer have unity (Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:25), can no longer be equipped for service nor be built up (Eph. 4:12), and can no longer glorify God (1 Pet. 4:11).
Fact: This sets up a false premise that all the manifestations of the Spirit are one combined unit and for only one purpose. So if any one of them is not given to the Church then none of them are given. The problem is that some of the manifestations are clearly given for a different purpose than the rest (ie. 1 Cor. 14:22). The sign manifestations were signs to unbelievers so that they may believe the new revelation was truly from God. Once new revelation ceased and the canon of Scripture was closed, the need for authenticating sign manifestations also ceased. This is the only difference between reformed continuationists and cessationists. There are books on this subject so we won’t belabor the point.
The Bible clearly says of the saved, “each one has received a special gift… so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 4:10-11). 
Continuationists and cessationists both reject this myth. To say that the Holy Spirit no longer gives gifts to the Church is to deny the Bible.


4. Myth: The Holy Spirit does not lead believers
This is a pirate-treasure-hunt mentality. Cessationists are accused of saying that God’s direction for the believer’s life is only found in the text of the Bible. So if the Bible does not clearly command something then God cannot and does not lead a believer. The believer is left to figure out on his own what God wants him to do in life. God does not give impressions or put desires and peace in the heart of the believer about life decisions.
Fact: While it is true that the cessationist believes the Holy Spirit no longer uses dreams, visions, or voices, they emphatically reject the idea that the Holy Spirit does not lead the believer or reveal His will via their intuition (Rom. 9:1) or desire (Ps. 37:4) as they are filled and walking with the Spirit (Eph. 5:17-18). In fact, the Bible-believing cessationist would argue that if the Holy Spirit does not lead a person then they are not truly saved. However, we must be wary of saying phrases like "the Lord led me to..." because it is not possible to empirically verify such claims. Furthermore, two believers could claim they are being "led by God" but their "leadings" could be opposed to each other. In that case, at least one of the two would be in error since God does not oppose Himself. The authority then for discerning God's leading must be sought in the Bible. But notice that the previous statement does not say God only leads through biblical commands or principles.
The Bible clearly says, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). 
Continuationists and cessationists both reject this myth. To say that the Holy Spirit no longer leads believers is to deny the Bible.


5. Myth: The Holy Spirit is a Pharisee
This is a grace-less God mentality. Cessationists are often called Pharisees who teach that believers must follow a set of rules in order to be filled with the Spirit and to please the Lord. There is a set of standards that we must meet in order to merit blessings from the Lord and to grow in our walk with Him. Until we meet those standards we cannot please God, He cannot lead us, we cannot become sanctified or Christ-like, we cannot do His work rightly, and we cannot gain His favor. Following the rules is the only way that a believer must encounter the Holy Spirit and merit growth in the Christian life.
Fact: It is true that there are cessationists who are pharisaical, however it is also true that there are continuationists who are also pharisaical. The belief of cessationism is not a cause of legalistic systems and teaching.
The truth is that in the Christian life there can never be growth by works. Christian growth, as with salvation, is always by grace through faith alone. That being said, any faith without the subsequent evidence of good works is useless and dead (Jas. 2:20, 26). And God has prepared good works for every believer to do (Eph. 2:10). And there is a “law of the Spirit of life” (Rom. 8:2) that believers are to obey.
Any legalistic teaching that places rules on believers to “help” them grow in their faith is contrary to the Spirit’s work, unless the rules are explicit commands and prescriptions found only in Scripture. Therefore the Holy Spirit is absolutely not pharisaical! The Bible clearly says, “now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter” (Rom. 7:6).
Continuationists and cessationists both reject this myth. To say that the Holy Spirit is a Pharisee is to deny the Bible.


6. Myth: The Holy Spirit is quenched by cessationist theology
This is similar to the genie-in-the-lamp mentality and the all-or-nothing mentality but with a different nuance. This is the nuance that says cessationist theology quenches (limits, suppresses) the Holy Spirit so that He cannot use His full power. The Holy Spirit is unable to fully work in the lives of the saved and unable to give them full, powerful, godly experiences because they are not in full belief concerning the fullness of His gifts. Limited theology means a quenched Holy Spirit. Thus the Holy Spirit cannot fully move in the hearts of believers, He cannot fully lead believers in life decisions, He cannot give the full outpouring of specific gifts to believers, He cannot fully rid the believer of sin’s power, and He cannot fully express the love of Christ to and through believers. All because of a so-called “cold and quenching theology” that seemingly disallows the Holy Spirit the giving of all the spiritual manifestations.
Fact: The problem with this myth is that no Bible-believing cessationist teaches a limited Holy Spirit. As stated before, the Holy Spirit is God so He is able to do anything He wants (Ps. 115:3; 135:6). Just because there are biblical reasons to believe in the cessation of the regular use of the sign manifestations does not mean that the Holy Spirit will never again use those manifestations should He choose if particular circumstances require their use. No cessationist would say that the Holy Spirit must adhere to their theology, or that never again can He use a sign manifestation under the circumstances of His choosing. In fact the cessationist would say that we are to follow the Spirit, not a system of theology (although we are to primarily follow Him by applying what the Bible clearly prescribes, not by doing whatever we want and saying it’s the Spirit’s leading). The Bible clearly says, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25).
Informed continuationists and cessationists both reject this myth. To say that the Holy Spirit is quenched by cessationist theology is to deny the Bible.


7. Myth: The Holy Spirit does not stimulate emotions
This is a vulcan mentality. Just like a vulcan rejects emotion and seeks logical intellectualism, so the cessationist is accused of teaching that the Holy Spirit does not care about, or want us to experience emotional worship. The Holy Spirit does not fill us with emotion or help us worship the Lord Jesus. We worship the Lord merely by gaining biblical knowledge and by obedience, but certainly not by expressing emotions. It is wrong to express strong emotions of the Lord.
Fact: No Bible-believing cessationist believes this. In fact, just the opposite. The cessationist believes and experiences the clear teaching of the Bible that the Holy Spirit gives grand and intense emotions and calls for their full expression in worship. The Bible clearly says, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” (Gal. 5:22-23). And believers are to “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16). There is however one precondition that goes along with the fruit of the Spirit. True Holy Spirit emotions are never fleshly (Gal. 5:16-17). It is possible for fleshly emotions to be expressed in the same way that true, Spirit-filled emotions are expressed. So we must be careful to discern the cause of our emotions. The Bible says that true fruit of the Spirit always “consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth” (Eph. 5:9).
Continuationists and cessationists both reject this myth. To say that the Holy Spirit does not stimulate intense emotions is to deny the Bible.


These are the common myths put forward by continuationists in attempt to falsify cessationism and call for balance. However, they are mere rhetoric and straw-man arguments based not in fact nor in Scripture, but in personal bias against cessationism. This personal bias leads to either a stubborn refusal to further understand cessationism or a deliberate misrepresentation of cessationist beliefs. Refusal to seek the truth is not pleasing to God. Any believer, whether continuationist or cessationist, who truly loves the Lord will sincerely seek after His truth, love it, and abide by it. The Holy Spirit illuminates our minds and hearts as we seek to understand the truths of Scripture. So the primary place where we can fully encounter Him and be filled by Him is in the Bible as He glorifies Christ to us.

“I will bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name” (Ps. 138:2).


Nehemiah Ryan © 2013

The 2 Most Important Goals for Every Believer

October 1, 2013 FB

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33)

These goals are not goals for our desire. Our one great desire is to be for the Lord Himself (Ps. 27:4; 73:25). These are goals for our every day decisions/actions and for our character.

Both of these goals are to be “first” in the life of every believer. This doesn’t mean first in sequence, but first in priority. It means to make these goals the highest/foremost priority. These goals are to be above all other priorities and they are to be the goals of our every day lives.

1. Seek God’s Kingdom
This is to be the goal for our actions. It can be taken in two senses. First, we are to seek the things that are above in heaven. We are to work toward our future eternal life, not our brief existence here in this life. Second, and more importantly, we are to seek to glorify God and His kingdom in our actions here and now in our lives. Everything we do should be aimed toward bringing the Lord glory. We should give Him praise and thanks for everything. We should seek to exalt the Lord and magnify His beauty and His holiness in the eyes of others. Before we decide on any action, no matter how small, we should ask ourselves if it would glorify the Lord.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt. 6:19-21).
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:1-4).
"...let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16).

2. Seek God’s Righteousness
This is to be the goal for our character. The question we believers must ask is, “Are we to seek to obtain God’s righteousness?” The answer is no. If we are believers then we already have His righteousness (Rom. 3:21-22) so there is no need to obtain it. For a believer, to seek God’s righteousness means to live according to His righteousness/holiness. Our lives should be marked by holiness for the purpose of pleasing the Lord. To be holy for the purpose of bringing glory to oneself, whether glory from others or glory in our own eyes (self-righteousness) is sin (Matt. 6:1-5). The purpose for holiness is to please God. Everything we do should be aimed toward bringing the Lord pleasure. This means setting up limits for oneself, cutting off access to sinful habits, making time for the Lord, learning how to apply the Bible to our lives, etc., in order to please the Lord. Before we decide on any action, no matter how small, we should ask ourselves if it is holy and if it would please the Lord.
“…walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth) trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord” (Eph. 5:8-10).
 “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.” (2 Cor. 5:9)
“…live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.” (1 Thess. 4:1).
“…walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10).

Nehemiah Ryan © 2013

The 2 Most Important Questions for Every Believer

February 11, 2009 FB

1. How important are you and your life to Jesus, and how does he show it?

2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.”
Romans 5:6-8 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Galatians 2:20 …the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
John 10:11, 15, 18 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep… I lay down My life for the sheep…No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.”
Titus 2:13-14 …Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
Romans 8:34-39 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jesus humbled himself by leaving his Father in heaven, becoming a man, living a poor life, being tempted in all points just like you yet without sin, and dying a degrading and shameful death that he did not have to, so that you could have eternal life with him. He gave literally everything of himself only because he loves you and wants to be involved in your life.


2. How important is Jesus to you, and how should you show it to him?
John 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
John 14:15, 21 “If you love Me, keep My commandments… He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Matthew 10:37-39 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”
Matthew 16:24-26 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Luke 14:26-27, 33 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple...So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."
John 8:31 "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine."
John 12:25-26 “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.”
John 15:9-10 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love."

The only way we believers may show Jesus our love is by keeping Him as our Lord, not being concerned with our own lives, lovingly obeying Him, and being willing to endure every hardship when, not if, they come. Every day should be for Jesus and we must always remember that the love of Jesus is the most worthwhile, beautiful, and satisfying thing in the universe. Nothing can separate us from Jesus and his love, but without holding him in the place he deserves this love cannot be felt. We must always keep Jesus as the one person in our lives who we seek to please above all, and in light of what he has done for us no sacrifice is to small.

Colossians 1:10 "that you may walk worthy of the Lord [Jesus], fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

Nehemiah Ryan © 2009

No Compromise!

September 17, 2013 FB

“…that in ALL THINGS he might have the preeminence.” (Col. 1:18)

I am angry and zealous for Jesus. Our western Church is UNFAITHFUL to the Lord!! Jesus is the Lord of every believer, but we do not put ourselves under His authority. We believe that His mercy allows us to compromise His glory for brief moments.

Jesus is the husband of every believer but we continually commit adultery against Him! We kiss Him with the kisses of Judas while we live our lives in outright betrayal to His glory!
Every day we should come to the Lord Jesus in humility and say to Him, “Jesus You alone are the Ruler of my life and I seek to glorify only You today. In every decision I come to today show me how to best glorify You. Convict me every moment today in which I am not bringing You glory so that I may repent and exalt You.”
Does Jesus deserve our faithful behavior? YES!!! Do you love Jesus enough to fervently seek to be faithful to Him in every moment? STOP COMPROMISING!!! If you know Jesus would not want you to go somewhere or to say or do something then DON’T DO IT!! Your relationship with Him is infinitely more important than any passing pleasure! If someone pressures you to compromise His glory then FLEE FROM THEM!!! Don’t let yourself be pulled away from the Lord Jesus, even for a moment! Jesus is with you everywhere you go and you MUST seek His pleasure and His glory alone!
Jesus only has “good and perfect” things for us (Jas. 1:17) and we reject them because our flesh wants to compromise for something that seems to allow us complete satisfaction: A little bit of worldliness along with godliness.
Jesus is Lord… NOT YOU!!!! He wants, and has, the best for you, nothing less. You MUST seek HIS WILL and let HIM tell you what to do, who to be with, where to go, and how to live. Seek FIRST the kingdom of God, and HIS righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matt. 6:33).

Jesus has an ocean of love for us and we cannot even put our toe in it unless we seek HIS glory and HIS will. When we lovingly obey Him, we have the promise of experiencing His loving presence: “Jesus answered and said unto him, 'If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.'” (John 14:23)

Make the Lord Jesus and His glory the preeminent focus and drive of your life today and every day!!! NO COMPROMISE!!!

“WHATEVER YOU DO in word or deed, do ALL in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col. 3:7).
“So whether you eat or drink or WHATEVER YOU DO, do it ALL for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).
“Set your affection on THINGS ABOVE, NOT on things on the earth. For YOU HAVE DIED and your life is HIDDEN WITH CHRIST” (Col 3:2-3).

Theology Proper (10 part study)

September 9, 2013 FB

Intro
"Theology" is the study of things to do with God. "Theology Proper" is the study about God himself. The foremost rule for our study is that we will only use the Bible as our source of information. No system of theology or worldview will be consulted or noted. We will only be concerned with what the Bible says about God.

Our study will concern God's nature and his character. The nature of God will concern the kind of being that God is. The character of God will concern the kind of Person he is and how he relates to his creation. Hopefully this study will produce a reverence for God, a humbling of ourselves, and give us a richer relationship with the Lord.


I. God is a person and He can be known
(A) God is a person. The essential and mandatory elements that make a person a person are three things: (1) a will (the ability to choose/act), (2) intellect (the ability to reason), and (3) emotion (feelings about things). If God is a person then he must have all three elements.
All three elements are found in Ephesians 1:9:
"He made known to us the mystery of His will (will), according to His kind intention (emotion) which He purposed (intellect) in Him."
According to this verse, God is indeed a person, not a feeling nor a state of being nor a higher level of consciousness. Furthermore, on every page of the bible we see all three elements, in one way or another, in God. We cannot read the bible without seeing God as a being with personhood.

(B) God can be known. "The Lord has made Himself known..." (Psalm 9:16)
While there are things about God that our finite minds will never understand (Ps. 145:3, Rom. 11:33), in this verse and others (Ps. 77:14; 98:2; 111:6, Isa. 66:14, etc) we are told that God has nevertheless revealed himself to mankind in ways that we are able to understand. This verse implies that we cannot know him apart from him revealing himself because he is too great. Furthermore, the verse denotes that he has given us true knowledge of himself, not erroneous knowledge. In other words, he hasn't given us a false or slightly skewed view of himself, but a view of him as he really is.
Jesus spoke of the bible as the source of true knowledge of himself (John 5:39, 46; Luke 24:27). So the bible is also the source of knowing Jesus.

Application: The Lord God desires us to know him as he truly is. Otherwise he would not have revealed himself to us. Therefore we should seek to know him as he has truthfully revealed himself in his word.


II. God is solitary
"To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him?" (Isaiah 40:18)
"Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps." (Psalm 135:6)

The word "solitary" has the sense of uniqueness but not uniqueness in relation to a group. It has the idea of aloneness and seclusion. It means that God alone is like Himself, and no created being has an existence like His.
So this attribute has to do with God's unique self-life. It includes (1) his self-existence (aseity), (2) his self-sufficiency and (3) his independence. Basically it means that God is different than all of his creation, there is nothing and no one like him. In fact, he is the opposite of his creation.

(1) God's self-existence. God had no beginning and he will have no end. He is an uncaused cause. Therefore his existence is in himself. "I AM WHO I AM" says God (Ex. 3:14, literally: to be). Furthermore, God's uncaused existence is not necessitated by the contingent nature of his creation. God exists with or without his creation.

(2) God's self-sufficiency. God needs nothing (Acts 17:24-25). Within himself he is sufficient. There is nothing that anything or anyone can add to or provide for God. He did not need to create anything to provide for something himself. He was never, and will never be deficient in any area. He is complete and satisfied in himself.

(3) God's independence (Ps. 135:6; Isa. 40:13-14; Rom. 11:34-35). God does whatever he pleases and does not consult anyone. He alone decides what he will do. God "works all things after the counsel of His will" (Eph. 1:11). He is free to do whatever he wants according to his nature. He is not obligated to anything or anyone in his creation unless he first initiates the obligation.

Application: We are totally reliant on God. He is not obligated to serve us but we are obligated to love, glorify, and serve him.


III. God is eternal and he is unchanging 
"The eternal God..." (Deut. 33:27)
"For I, the Lord, do not change..." (Mal. 3:6)

(A) God is eternal (Gen. 21:33; Ps. 90:2; Isa. 43:13; Rom. 16:26; 1 Tim. 1:17). God exists without relation to time. He is outside time, in fact he is time-less. God is existing and is engaged in this very moment and at this same moment he is simultaneously existing and engaging in all other moments past and future, and even in all "moments" outside of time. But that doesn't mean God is somehow stuck in one moment himself watching all our moments. No, for God there is no time.He freely acts and moves in eternity outside of time as he pleases. It is impossible for us to comprehend totally but it is true. From the beginning of time, to this moment, to the end of time God is currently existing and engaging all simultaneously.
A ramification of God's eternalness is that he is also ageless. He is neither young nor old, he just is. He has no age.

(B) God is unchanging (immutable)(Mal. 3:6; Jas. 1:17). Because God is eternal, it means that he stays the same and never changes. This means that both (1) God's nature and (2) his character never change. Nothing in God's nature changes. He will always be self-sufficient, omnipresent, omniscient,etc. Nothing about God's character changes. He will always be loving, just, holy, etc.
Because God is immutable it means that he does not grow nor does he learn, for that would involve a change in his essential being. This implies that it is impossible for God grow or learn because he is already perfect. Only an imperfect being would need to grow and learn, thereby changing. But God is perfect and therefore unchanging.

Application: God is always involved in our lives. He is with us right at this moment, and right now he is also with us in our past and he is with us in our future, working on bringing us to himself. Our response should be to seek Him and to obey him.


IV. God is infinite and He is triune
"Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You..." (1 Kings 8:27)
"Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!" (Deut. 6:4)

(A) God is infinite. Infinite means limitless. The idea of God being limitless is is found in 1 Kings 8:27 and Acts 17:24-28. But God is more than just limitless. God's infinitude is literally beyond our understanding. Our minds are finite and by their very nature cannot fully grasp infinitude. We can only understand the idea, but not comprehend the actual. Furthermore, we can only properly describe it in negative terms.
We could try to say that all the attributes of God's nature and his character are not just unlimited in a static fashion, but in a kinetic fashion. In other words, God's attributes are not just too big for us to understand but they are continually growing or expanding without end at an infinite rate. Yet here we run into a problem, for saying that God's attributes are growing implies a beginning, but there is no beginning to God or his attributes. Furthermore, God is immutable, meaning he cannot change. So we can't say that God's attributes are growing because God is already complete and perfect.
It boils down to this: God and his attributes are eternally unlimited and measureless, period.

A further truth is that God is the one and only infinite being. If there were two infinite beings then they would both be limited by the other's unlimitedness. If one were to make a decision or action, it would then affect the other thereby setting a limit for the other. So two infinite beings cannot exist simultaneously. Therefore our eternal God is the only infinite being.

Due to God's infinitude, he has supreme greatness (greatness in the sense of magnitude, superiority). God has the greatest amount of freedom since he is not limited by creation. He has the greatest amount of reason so he is not bound by rules of logic. He is unlimited in his choices and imagination so he can literally create anything to reach his decisions. He has the greatest emotions so his love, pity, joy, anger, etc. are so intense that they are beyond measure.
God is greater than his creation. He is not limited by heaven so he can freely decide and act without regard to the spirit world. He is greater than matter so he can manipulate it however he wishes (ie. miracles). He is greater than space so he can control every galaxy in the universe. And finally, he is greater than time so he can accomplish his plans in creation and mankind without being limited by any particular person, people, or era.

(B) God is triune. God is a triune being. This means he is three distinct persons in one person. This truth breaks the laws of logic but it is nonetheless true. Keep in mind that God is eternal, immutable, and infinite so he is beyond logic.
The Old Testament clearly teaches that there is only one God. "The Lord is one," (Deut. 6:4) and "I am the Lord,and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God" (Isa. 45:5-6).
However, most times the OT uses the word "God" it is in the plural form; Elohim. In the original Hebrew language, any time the suffix "im" appears at the end of a word it is plural. Furthermore, it is plural with at least three in view. So Elohim is plural for "God." Also there are times in the OT when God talks to himself as if he were plural (Gen. 1:26; 3:22; 11:6-7; Isa. 6:8).
Deuteronomy 6:4 contains both truths in the original Hebrew language. "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!" (Deut. 6:4). The word "Lord" is the Hebrew wordYHWH, or Yahweh, and it is singular. It means "to be" and it speaks of God's self-existence. So in the verse it refers to Elohim (pural, God) as the one Yahweh (singular, Lord).

The New Testament also affirms both the singleness and plurality of God but adds some clarity to the plurality.
The NT tells us "that there is no God but one." (1 Cor. 8:4-6. See also Eph. 4:3-6; Jas. 2:19).
Yet the NT also sees the Father as God (John 6:27; 1 Pet. 1:2), Jesus the Son as God (John 1:1-3; Col.1:13-17) and the Holy Spirit as God (Acts 5:3-4). What's more, they all appear together at the same time together during the baptism of Jesus (Matt. 3:16-17; Mk. 1:9-11; Lk. 3:21-22).
So all three members of the trinity exist simultaneously and all are God. Each one is eternal, immutable, and infinite. Each one has their own will, intellect and emotions. Yet they are all one person.

Many great thinkers have tried to reconcile the logical difficulty of God being three persons and at the same time just one person, but no theory is adequate to harmonize both truths. Let me be the first to reveal the truth of the matter, but let's keep it just between us... I have absolutely no clue how to figure it out. Neither does anyone else. God is beyond logic so it's best to affirm both truths and not try to reconcile the triunity of the infinite God with our finite minds.

Application: We are limited but God is not. We may achieve great heights with our knowledge. We may have mountain top experiences of emotion. We may make a glorious world for ourselves. Yet for all our accomplishments and experiences we are limited and measurable. God on the other hand is so infinitely far above us that at our greatest we are but a speck of dust in comparison. He is so great that he cannot be measured. God's infinitude should humble our proud hearts and cause us to look to him as the final authority and rely on him alone for our lives, for "with God all things are possible." (Matt. 19:26)

The nature of God's triunity doesn't really relate to us directly. It is an incommunicable attribute. However, each member of the trinity does have different functions when it comes to how God deals with creation.
The fact that God is triune should cause us to see God as greater than our understanding. Clearly he is far beyond us. So far that our minds do not contain the tools to fully comprehend him. So we must leave the secret things of comprehension to God (Deut. 29:29) and seek to live according to what he has made clear and understandable about himself in his word.


V. God is all-powerful and he is Creator
"I am God Almighty" (Gen. 17:1; 35:11)
The first few attributes we looked at focused on God's attributes that are true of him without relation to creation. The attributes we turn to now will mainly focus on God in relation to creation.

(A) God is all-powerful (omnipotent). "Behold, God is exalted in His power" (Job 36:22).

We should not think that somewhere there is a stash of all the power in existence and all of it belongs to God. That's not what "all-powerful" means. This attribute stems directly from God's infinitude. Because God is infinite, his power is unlimited. He never gets tired so he never sleeps (Psalm 121:4).
When the bible speaks of God as "the Almighty" it is denoting his infinite power and strength (Gen. 28:3; 43:14; Job 11:7; Ps. 91:1; Joel 1:15; Rev. 11:17; etc.). Anything he wants to do he is also able to do and nothing can limit or restrain his strength (1 Sam. 14:6; Job 9:1-12; 11:10). However, the use of his power is restricted by God's other attributes (ie. faithfulness. See 2 Tim. 2:13). So God cannot use his unlimited strength to act outside his character.

Furthermore, God sometimes restrains himself from using his power. Therefore, he alone decides how to use his power. No created being can coerce or manipulate God to use his power (1 Cor. 2:16). Whatever God wants to do he does, and whatever he doesn't want to do he doesn't do (Ps. 135:6).

(B) God is Creator. God's power is seen in his ability to create. "Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power" (Jer. 32:17).
Try this: Right now say out loud, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures." My guess is nothing happened when you spoke the words. When God spoke those words animals came into existence (Gen. 1:24-25). Whereas they did not exist before, now they do. God commanded the earth to do it by just speaking with his voice and the earth immediately obeyed.
God created all the angels (Ps. 148:2, 5) including Satan and the other angels who fell (demons), and all the stars and planets and the earth and everything in them (Gen. 1).

Because God created the universe and everything in it, he rightfully possesses ownership over all creation. In Psalm 50:12 God says, "...the world is Mine, and all it contains" (see also Ex. 19:5; Job 41:11; Ps. 50:10-12). God also claims ownership of our souls (Ezek. 18:4).
God can do what he pleases with his creation. If he wants to break the laws of nature and/or logic to do a miracle then, not only does he have the right to do it because he owns creation, but Almighty God also has more than enough power to do it.

A final point to consider about this attribute is that, because God alone retains ownership and power over creation, he also possesses control over all of it (Ps. 135:6). This means that nothing can happen in creation without him allowing it or directly controlling it. He controls the seasons and the weather (Ps. 107:24-29; Jer. 5:24; Ezek. 34:26). Animals get their food because he is in control (Ps. 104:24-28). You and I live or die because he alone says so: "See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides Me; it is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand" (Deut. 32:39). He sets the laws of creation and we have no choice but to be under those laws, regardless of how we feel about it.

Application: As we begin to grasp these truths, our first reaction should be a tremendous humbling of ourselves and a great awe for the Almighty God. A further reaction should be reverent gratitude for his provision in our lives. We should realize that God is powerful enough to overcome ANY difficulty in our lives if it is his will to do so. This realization should fill us with overflowing praise to him for his mighty power!

"Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?" (Jer. 32:27)


VI. God is everywhere-present and he is faithful
"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me." (Psalm 139:7-10)

(A) God is everywhere-present (omnipresent). This attribute means that God is present in all places with his whole being at the same time. This is not pantheism which says that the universe is God and that God is everything in the universe. As we have already seen, the bible teaches that God is a person, he is limitless (infinite), and he is Creator. So creation cannot contain him and he is separate and distinct from his creation.
God is spirit (John 4:24), so he is not limited to the physical realm or to any physical space. God is wholly present both in heaven and in the universe at the same time.
Since God is spirit, we shouldn't think of him as simply too big for us to measure. He is not larger than creation, nor is he infinitely spatial in all directions. To say that God cannot be measured means that God has no size or dimensions by which to measure him.
The unfathomable truth is that, not only is God present in every place at the same time, he is also present with his whole being. In other words, God's presence is not spread over the whole universe so that part of his presence is here and part of it is there. And neither is he split into infinitely smaller versions of himself in order to be present everywhere. Remember, to think ofGod as having size or dimensions is to misunderstand the concept. The truth is that God is fully present with his whole being, not just part, in every place, and without spatial dimensions.

God's omnipresence is complimentary to his eternalness. Because God is eternal, he is present outside time so he sees every moment simultaneously. However, since God is omnipresent he is also present inside time, at every place in time, at the same time. So there is nothing that happens in the universe where God is not there. He is present at every moment in history and in every person's life.

We must note that the immediacy (quality, condition) of his omnipresence is varied. God is present on his throne in heaven (Rev. 4:2; Ps. 16:11) in a different condition than the one in which he is present in hell (Rev. 14:9-10). Likewise, he is present in the life of a believer (Gal. 3:20; Rom. 8:9) in a different way than he is present in the life of an unbeliever (Job 13:16). The original languages of the bible use different words for our word "presence." So just because God is present everywhere doesn't mean he is present in the same way, or condition, everywhere. God may focus attention on particular places but he never abandons a place or places in order to do so.

(B) God is faithful. Here we come in our study to the first attribute of God's character. Omnipresence is only concerned with God's presence in his creation. Faithfulness is concerned with God's commitment to his creation. Because God is present everywhere he is close enough to be faithful. His faithfulness is seen in two categories: (1) General and (2) special.
(1) General faithfulness. This is God's commitment to provide needs for his creation.
"All His work is done in faithfulness" (Psalm 33:4). He is faithful to sustain the existence of the universe (Psalm 119:90), he is faithful to fulfill his plans (Isa. 25:1), he is faithful to provide weather for the earth (Ps. 147:7-8, 15-18), he is faithful to provide food, shelter, and natural joys for every living thing (Ps. 104:10-17; 147:9), and he is faithful to execute justice on mankind (Ps. 54:4-5; 96:13). This means that God will not annihilate or abandon creation or his plans for it and us just because he may become discontent with us. He will faithfully judge each person. Included in God's general faithfulness would be his provision to make eternal salvation available for mankind (Ps. 98:2; Acts 4:12; Titus 2:11).

(2) Special faithfulness. This is God's commitment to provide for his elect only.
Unlike God's omnipresence and general faithfulness, his special faithfulness does not extend to the unsaved. While God did faithfully make eternal salvation available for all people, there is a special way in which he is faithful to those who receive his salvation.
God is faithful to complete the work he begins in the lives of each one of his elect (Phil. 1:6), he is faithful to provide ways out of temptations (1 Cor. 10:13), he is faithful to keep his elect saved (John 10:28-29), he is faithful to forgive and cleanse the sins of the elect (1 John 1:9), and he is faithful to not forsake his elect when they are unfaithful to him (2 Tim. 2:13: Heb. 13:5). Included in God's special faithfulness is a distinct faithfulness to the nation of Israel. Most of the Old Testament (ie. Deut. 4:31; 31:6-8; 1 Kings6:13; Neh. 9:6-33; Isa. 49:14-15; Jer. 32:36-42; the book of Hosea, etc.) and even some of the New Testament (ie. Romans 9-11) portray this in one way or another. God says, "I will not forsake My people Israel" (1 Kings 6:13).

Application: God's omnipresence means he is near. He is right there when we sin and he is right there when we obey. He isn't too far away to hear or to be involved. He is faithfully working his plans out in our lives to bring us away from sin and closer to himself.
When we understand how near and faithful God is to us, we must ask ourselves how faithful we are to him. Do we neglect spending time with him? Do we willfully sin knowing that he is present? Do we try to live in our own strength and neglect him when he is present to help? God's nearness and faithfulness should affect our behavior. Knowing that the Holy God is present should deter us from sinning. We should go to him when we are weak and/or worried. We should serve him with boldness knowing he's with us. We should thank and praise him for his faithfulness.
Almighty God is near and he is ever faithful!


VII. God is all-knowing and he is wise
"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!" (Rom. 11:33)

(A) God is all-knowing (omniscient). This attribute stems from God's eternalness and omnipresence. God knows perfectly (1) all facts, (2) all actual events and decisions, and (3) all possible events and decisions.
(1) Firstly, God has complete knowledge of all facts. He knows everything about the universe and people. He knows everything from the number and names of all stars (Ps. 147:4) to the number of hairs on each head (Matt. 10:30). As Creator, God also knows about the unseen things in our universe (ie. building blocks of creation, laws of thermodynamics, etc.).
(2) Secondly, because he is outside time, he sees all of history simultaneously, and he sees every single moment with perfect clarity. God knows everything that actually happens in the universe from the very first day and moment of history until the very last day and moment (Isa. 46:9-10). He also knows everything that happens in every individual person's life (Ps. 139:16). Lastly, God's knows our hearts comprehensively. He knows every sin (Ps. 69:5), every desire (Ps. 38:9), and even every thought (Gen. 6:5; 1 Chron. 28:9; Ps. 94:11; 139:2), and "...God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil" (Eccl. 12:14).
(3) Thirdly, another amazing truth we observe about God in Scripture is that he not only knows what things actually happen in history, he also knows everything that could potentially happen in history. Every potential variation of possibility and every possible effect of the choices that people might make. He knows them all. This is implicitly seen in God's warning to Cain: "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door" (Gen. 4:7). God knew Cain would do wrong, but he also knew what would happen if he did right. We see the same thing in several places in the bible when God tells people what will happen if they made certain decisions (ie. Abimelech in Gen. 21:6-7, Moses in Ex. 4:8-9, etc.). For God, all of the infinite possibilities are as real as the actual. Therefore God does not learn since he already knows everything. Neither does he forget since he knows all simultaneously and currently. He has complete and total knowledge in perfect clarity, and astonishingly, everything He knows He has known for all eternity!

Consequently, God is able to tell mankind our future accurately. The accuracy of the prophecies in the bible are astounding. God foretells of specific dates (ie. Dan. 9:24-27), names of people (Isa. 44:28-45:3), and events (ie. Deut. 28:36-30:9) years before their fulfillment (sometimes thousands of years).
Because God's knowledge is infinite and eternal, he knows perfectly and completely everything that exists and will exist, everything that actually does happen and everything that could potentially happen in the universe and earth, in history, in individual lives, and in individual thoughts.

(B) God is wise. Making decisions requires reasoning from a standpoint of moral values. To reach a decision one must weigh all the options to find the best one. To determine the value of "best," an appeal to a moral judgement must be made. God knows categorically right from wrong (Gen. 3:5, 22) so he is able to make supremely wise decisions. This is seen in two ways: (1) God's plans and (2) his prescriptions.
(1) God's plans. He knows what he should do (Job 12:13). Since God knows every potential thing that could happen in the universe and in our lives (omniscience), he also knows how to best work providentially (means) to bring about the best result (end) in our lives and in creation.
When we look at our world and our history and our lives, it may not look like God has chosen the best way to do things but he has. He has wisely chosen the best means to accomplish his will in the world. Remember, God knows the best result (omniscience) and, since he is wise, he is moving things to that end in the best possible way. This means that God never makes a mistake in the way he chooses to do things because he always chooses the best way. There is no better way than the way he chooses.
(2) God's prescriptions (Prov. 2:6). He knows what we should do. God has given us wisdom in his word about how we should live our lives (Prov. 24:14) and he will give wisdom to those who ask during trials (Jas. 1:5). In the book of Proverbs God tells us over and over again to seek wisdom and then we are given instructions about how to live our lives and make wise decisions. He tells us how to deal with our spouse (ie. Prov. 5:18; 12:4), with our children (ie. Prov. 13:22), with our friends (ie. Prov. 18:24), with fools (ie. Prov. 13:20), with our employers (ie. Prov. 27:18), etc.

An interesting truth is that God uses mankind to accomplish his plans. Part of the means God uses to reach his ends are our own free decisions.
Here we run into a seeming philosophical dilemma. Namely, that if God uses our decisions to accomplish his plans then we are predestined to make them the way He needs us to; God is the cause and our decisions are the necessary effect (fatalism). This leaves us without freewill. The flip-side is that if we are not predestined then God must decide what he should do based on what we decide; our decisions are the cause and God's reaction is the effect (indeterminism). This wrongly leaves God as a learning responder rather than the all-knowing controller.
The thing to remember is that God is outside time in eternity, yet he is also omnipresent inside time. So his foreknowledge does not clash with our freedom to choose, and our freedom to choose does not hinder God from controlling history.
This principle is seen in Acts 17:26-27: "He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God."
God has put every person where they are in life so that they would seek Him. He controls everything in our lives so that he may cause us to make the decision he wants us to make, yet we freely make the decision. Since he is omniscient, he knows all potential decisions and how to bring about the best decisions without violating our freedom to choose. This is an impossible concept to fully grasp. So when our minds reach their limits we must trust that the infinite God is able to harmonize what we cannot.

Application: Because God knows everything, there is nothing we do that can be hidden from him. He knows every sin. We may forget many of our sins but God never forgets.
He also knows when we obey. There are things that we may do for God that we don't even know we're doing but he does and he remembers (Matt. 10:42).
Now, because God is wise he always makes the right and best decision, so he cannot be argued with (Prov. 21:30) since he makes no mistakes. He knows the right times in our lives to bring blessing and hardship. He knows each one of us completely and he knows how to work in our individual lives to bring us away from sin and closer to him.
How often do we rely on our own wisdom and reject his wisdom? He has given us his word to show us how to best live our lives, yet we continually neglect and reject his wisdom.
However, there do come times in our lives where we cannot understand why things are happening, even when we do rely on biblical wisdom. In those times God knows right where you are and he has wisely brought you to them. He knows when you will come out of them and he knows that trials are necessary to bring you closer to him. Do not lose heart. THERE IS NO REASON TO DOUBT! God never changes. He will never lose his power nor will he ever remove his presence from you. He is always in control! He wisely knows that there are times to restrict blessing and allow hardships and deep pain in order in bring about deeper maturity and intimacy with him. Only trust him!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones" (Prov. 3:5-8).


VIII. God is holy and he is Judge
"...Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For thou only art holy..." (Rev. 15:3-4)

(A) God is holy. Holiness is God's total separation from sin, and it is also his infinite purity. He alone is infinitely holy (1 Sam. 2:2).
Because God is holy, he is completely separated from all sin. No created being can enter his presence if they have even a single sin on their record. Only a pure and sinless being may have fellowship with God. In fact, his purity is of such intensity that sin cannot survive its presence.
God's holiness is not something that is merely the state of his character. When his holiness is present it is something that is so infinitely powerful that it affects a physical response. God's purity is so intense that it forces anyone near it's presence to cower.

Because God's holiness is infinite, it is impossible to fully comprehend the power of his purity. All we can do is see how people in the bible reacted to it.
Let's look at three reactions to holiness: (1) mankind to the holy angels, (2) the holy angels to Holy God, and (3) mankind to Holy God.
(1) Mankind to the holy angels. The holy angels were created with a limited, yet powerful, measure of holiness. In the bible, when an angel appears to a human being, the first command given is to not be afraid (ie. Luke 1:13, 30; 2:10). Some appearances result with the person wrongly attempting to worship the angel (Rev. 19:10). The limited holiness of angels is powerful enough to cause fear and wrongful worship from people.
(2) The holy angels to Holy God. When the holy angels come into the presence of the almighty, infinite holiness of God, it is so intense that the angels must cover their faces (Isa. 6:1-4). This is not just to pay homage to God. When we read the passages about the angels in heaven (ie. Isa. 6; Ezek. 1) we get the sense that the intensity of God's purity is too much for them to handle without covering themselves (Ezek. 1:11, 24). The angels who minister at God's throne "day and night... do not cease to say, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty'" (Rev. 4:8).
(3) Mankind to Holy God. If the holy angels have to cover their faces from God's infinite holiness then God is true when he says, "you cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live" (Ex. 33:20).
Whenever the Lord appears to people in the bible they immediately fall on their faces in fear (Gen. 17:3; Ezek. 1:28; Acts 9:3-5; Rev. 1:17).
The reason for fear is because we all have sin on our records. God is so pure that his holiness exposes our utter sinfulness and we become fully aware of the vileness of our uncleanness and wickedness (John 3:20). This results in fear because God alone is infinitely holy so sin must be eradicated from his presence. Therefore God is rightfully just to condemn and punish our sin.
The prophet Isaiah experienced the horror of his own sin when he caught a glimpse of God's holiness. This caused him to cry out in panic, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts" (Isa. 6:5).
When God's infinitely powerful holiness is near, every created being in heaven, hell, and on earth is forced to bow and grovel before him in fearful obeisance.

A further point to consider is that all of God's moral and emotional attributes emanate from his holiness. His love is holy, his wrath is holy, his joy is holy, his wisdom is holy, his pity is holy, his faithfulness is holy, etc. All of these attributes are totally pure and separate from sin. This means that God alone has the highest beauty, for everything about him is overflowing with infinite purity (Ps. 27:4). It is also for this reason that God alone is full of glory, and he alone must be exalted.

(B) God is Judge. As we have seen in previous studies, God has complete knowledge of every action and every thought (Ps. 139:2). Therefore we can hide nothing from God (Ps. 69:5). We have also seen that, because God is Creator he alone has the right to do whatever he pleases with his creatures (Ps. 135:6).Therefore he has the right to judge humanity (Ps. 66:7). Furthermore, as mentioned above, because God is holy he is rightfully just to condemn and punish sin.
"God is a righteous judge" (Ps. 7:11) "and He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity" (Ps. 9:8). God judges without bias and with perfect accuracy. He gives everyone exactly what they have coming to them. No more and no less.

The bible says God cannot look upon sin with favor (Hab. 1:13). He must punish sin. He judges sin (1) in the nations and (2) in individual people.
(1) God judges the nations. "Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is You who possesses all the nations" (Ps. 82:8). In this verse and others (Job 12:23; Ps. 9:19; 22:28; 47:8; 67:4; etc.) we see that God judges the nations of the world. They are his possessions so he has the authority to judge them.
(2) God judges individual people. "God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man" (Eccl. 3:17). "For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil" (Eccl. 12:14).
When God judges the sins of people he does so rightly and without malevolence (Ps. 51:4).

A final point to note is that the second Person of the trinity, Jesus, has been given the authority to judge (Matt. 28:18). "For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son" (John 5:22). So it is our relation to, and standing before Jesus alone that will determine our judgement. We will look at this more in the final study.

Application: We tend to think of God as being so loving that he shouldn't be feared. The truth is that God's love is governed by holiness. He cannot love sin and this should cause us to fear him. When we enter God's presence, we will be exposed to the full evilness of our sin and we will feel the full weight of its condemnation.
God demands holiness from us: "Be holy for I am holy" (Lev. 11:44), and we continually fall short. Yet he is able to purify us so that we can be holy and serve him in reverent obedience. We will see how this is possible in the final study.
Has God purified you? Start obeying him by cutting sin out of your life and by living according to his will.
Because God is Judge, we must get right with him. There is a day coming when you must appear before Jesus for judgement. Since he is Creator and rightfully has authority over you and me, we have no argument that will dissuade him from his judgement. We must take the righteous judgement that he gives because it will be precisely accurate. However, God has given us a way to be pardoned from sin and be holy, and we will see it in the final study.


IX. God's emotions
"In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Ps. 16:11).

Before we finish our theology proper study I'd like to take a brief look at the emotions of God because they are so often misunderstood.
Since God is a person he has emotions. But what are his emotions? Here are some: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal. 5:22-23). "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness" (Ps. 103:8).

God's emotions connect to his nature and they are governed by his character. All of his emotions are (A) infinite, (B) eternal, (C) governed by holiness, and (D) expressed in wisdom.
(A) All of God's emotions are infinite. Because God is limitless (infinite), his emotions are as well. His anger is infinite, his joy is infinite, his love is infinite, etc. When our understanding and experience of God's emotions toward us reach their full limit, he has infinitely more to give but we do not have the capacity to receive. This is why the bible says things like, "At His wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure His indignation" (Jer. 10:10), or "Your lovingkindness is better than life" (Ps. 63:3).

(B) All of God's emotions are eternal/immutable. Since God is eternal, so are his emotions. This means that he is outside time so he always has the same emotional reactions to things. He could never feel happy about our sin, he could never feel angry about our genuine repentance, etc. All his feelings toward things remain the same. Here's just one example: "The lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him" (Ps. 103:17).

(C) All of God's emotions are governed by his holiness. This means that his feelings are never unholy or sinful. Every emotion God has is righteous and undefiled.
So, for example God's wrath is never a loss of self-control nor a reaction to a bruised ego. His anger is always and only a right reaction to sin. Also, his joy is never ok with sin. God cannot take joy in sin, but only in righteousness. Furthermore, his love does not overlook sin. God cannot love sin. He may love every sinner, but his holiness will not allow him to let their sin go unpunished.

(D) All of God's emotions are expressed in wisdom. This does not mean that God's emotions need to be controlled. For example, we cannot say that he has the ability to get so angry that he could sin, but because he is wise he knows to how to control himself. As we've already seen, God's holiness keeps him from having any unrighteous emotions.
The idea here is about how God expresses his feelings. A loving earthly father may want to give his child everything they ask for and protect them from all harm. But God makes his loving decisions for our benefit. And sometimes it means saying "no" in order to bring our maturity and/or repentance, etc. Sometimes that means he allows great anguish of heart and suffering to turn our reliance on him and/or break our selfish will, etc. Sometimes it may mean making us angry in order to align us to the truth.
Another example of wise emotional expressions is that God may be extremely overjoyed about our sincere obedience to him but may hold off his bountiful blessings until he wisely decides the time is right.
All his emotions are expressed wisely.

Application: Our emotions can be sinful. Many times we get angry for the wrong reasons, or we love things we shouldn't, or we get joy from sin, or we are intentionally unkind, etc. Sin affects our emotions constantly, but part of God's working in our lives is to instill godly emotions in us. He wants us to have holy emotions because they are for our benefit (Gal. 5:22-24).
Also, we need to keep in mind that God's emotional reactions never change. They are always correct and he will never allow them to overrule his wisdom. So he won't be angry with you or me when we sincerely obey. He won't allow his love for us to keep us from harm when it is beneficial for us. God never feels the wrong way about any action that we do. He always has the right emotional response.
Lastly, God wisely decides how to express his emotions toward us. Firstly in salvation: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8).
And finally in abundant blessings given at the right times: "The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly" (Ps. 84:11).


X. God is Life and he is Savior
"For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself" (John 5:26)

(A) God is Life. "The living God" (Ps. 84:2). We have seen in a previous study that God is self-existent (Ex. 3:14). Meaning that he exists in himself, and he is neither a contingent nor a self-necessitating being. In other words, God's existence is not caused or sustained by another source, nor is it based on the need for him to be self-existent. Therefore God has life in himself. No other created being has their own life in themselves. All are dependent on something other than themselves for life.
Because God is eternal, the life he possesses is also eternal. This means God cannot die, for dying is a temporal event and God is timeless. Therefore God is eternally in a state of being alive (Jer. 10:10)
Furthermore, God's life is pure. God is sinless so his life is unaffected by degradation. He never grows tired or fatigued but is always brimming with infinite energy. He is truly alive in the purest form, without sin (Ps. 42:2).

Another point to consider is that our existence is contingent upon God. In other words, God is what caused us to exist and he is what keeps us existing. If it were not for God giving us physical life we would not exist. God says, "It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand" (Deut. 32:39).

(B) God is Savior. "With You is the fountain of life" (Ps. 36:9). This attribute magnificently displays in all of the previous attributes we've looked at. God is a person who wants us to know him in an intimate way. He has freely decided to reveal himself. God is eternal and wants to give us eternal life with him. God wants us to experience his infinite blessings. Each Person of the triune God wants to be involved in our lives. God created us and uses his almighty power to bring us to himself. God is faithful to make salvation available for us. God knows and chooses the best ways to work in our lives to bring us to himself. God is holy and wants us to be holy, which leads to our problem...

Not one of us is completely pure (Ps. 14:1-3). The bible says "There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one... For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:10-12, 23).

Furthermore, because God is so infinitely pure, and because only an absolutely pure being may enter his presence, there is no way that we could ever be pure enough to enter his presence in heaven. "For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment" (Isa. 64:6).
It gets worse. Because God is the righteous Judge (Ps. 7:11; 96:10, 13) he cannot, and does not let a single sin go unpunished. God says "Behold, all souls are Mine... The soul who sins will die" (Ezek. 18:4). Because we sin, the eternal God has to punish us with eternal death (eternal separation from his holy presence) in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-15).

Which leads to God's solution to our problem...
Because God is Life, only people who have eternal and pure life may enter into his presence. God wants us to be with him (John 17:24) so he made a way for us to be pure enough to enter his holy presence.
The second Person of the trinity, the Son, became a human being (Jesus Christ) in order to do what we could not; bring us to God (1 Pet. 3:18). As the headline verse says, the Son has the same life that the Father has (John 5:26): pure and eternal life contained in a human being. It is only this kind of life that may enter heaven.
The bible says that "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). Jesus stepped into our place and paid our death-penalty. All of our sins have been paid for!
But it gets better! Jesus didn't stay dead. The bible says "that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4). Jesus rose from the dead so that we could have the same pure and eternal life that he has! You see, "if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his" (Rom. 6:5).

So God made a way for us to have pure and eternal life with him and be saved from our sins. But how do we get the salvation God provided? “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Since nothing that we do can make us pure enough for the infinitely holy God, we must come the way God provided: By trusting only in the living Lord Jesus and his death and resurrection. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25). "Whoever comes to me I will never cast out" (John 6:37). "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:28).
In order to be saved we must turn away from our sins because they cannot enter God's holy presence, and we must come to the living Lord Jesus and simply and sincerely trust him alone for our salvation.

Application: God has eternal and pure life but you and I have an eternal death sentence to pay. God made a way for us to be saved. Jesus, the second Person of the triune God, sacrificed his life to pay for our sins and rose from the dead to make eternal life available to you and me. Our responsibility is to turn from our sins and receive the living Lord Jesus as our only Savior. Because Jesus is our living Savior, it is our obligation to let him be Lord of our lives. He knows what's best for us, so we should seek his will in all that we do.

"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13).


Conclusion
The one and only, eternal, infinite, almighty, faithful, wise, holy, beautiful, triune Lord and Savior alone is worthy of all glory and praise!!

A final Psalm. Psalm 145 wonderfully portrays all of God's attributes that we've seen in this study so I will let the bible have the last word since it is from the bible that we have sought to understand God throughout this study.

Psalm 145
"I will extol You, my God, O King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, and I will tell of Your greatness. They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness and will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.
The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works.
All Your works shall give thanks to You, O Lord, and Your godly ones shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power; to make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts and the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The Lord sustains all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. The Lord keeps all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.
My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever."

Nehemiah Ryan © 2013

He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30)

September 9, 2013 FB

"HE"

Jesus is the lowly carpenter from Nazareth who alone controls all creation. He lived in poverty and the angels bow only before him. He alone is the perfect one who died for the sins of the world. He alone is the Almighty who let others nail him to a cross. He alone is the righteous one who knows and controls what's happening in every person's life. He alone is the loving Shepherd who will break the leg of a sheep who continues to wander off into sin. He alone is the angry and zealous God who is patient with sinners. He alone is the truly humble one who will be confessed as the Lord God by every tongue and worshiped by every knee. He alone decides whether or not you receive your next breath. He alone pardons our lawlessness. He alone washes our iniquity in his blood and makes us clean. He alone forgives our vile sins against him and welcomes our fellowship.

"MUST"
This carries the idea of obligation. Every one of us is obligated to magnify Jesus. None of us deserve supreme exaltation, but he does. Jesus, and only Jesus, deserves to be magnified. Because of who he is, it becomes our necessity and our duty to honor and exalt him.
When he is seen for who he is and we see ourselves as who we are, our only reaction must be grateful praise to him and glorification of him to others. He alone is due praise and glory from every person.

"INCREASE"
Jesus should be glorified in your life. Not only glorified for others to see,but also in your own heart. He should continually grow as the one and only thing you desire. You should seek to do HIS will, not yours. You should tell others of his glory. You should make the purpose of ALL your daily decisions to glorify him. You should want others to see him when they look at you. You should long for the day when he returns and reveals himself in power to all the world.

One day Jesus WILL be magnified. On that day, you and I will collapse in his holy presence saying, "Woe is me for I am unclean" and he will say to those who trusted in him,"Enter into the joy of your Lord," and to those who did not trust in him he will say, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of iniquity."
Jesus must increase!


"I"
God says that in us dwells no good thing (Rom.7:18), but our egos tell us that we are good. For sake of argument, let's grant your ego its "goodness."
Did you create the universe and everything in it and do you control it? Do the holy angels cover their faces from the intensity of your holiness? Are you the giver of ultimate joy? Are you the source of eternal life? Do you rule over all the nations? Do you provide the needs of every creature? Did you die for the sins of the world? Can you raise yourself from the dead? Does the earth tremble and do people collapse when you speak? Is your name the name above all names?
You are a creature in Jesus' universe. You are the sinful one who needed salvation. You are the stubborn one who resists God. You are the ungrateful one who thinks you deserve God's favor. You are the deluded one who thinks God loves you because you're a beautiful person. The only thing you have going for you is that Jesus died and rose again for you. Anything that God does for you is because Jesus merited your blessings, not you.

"MUST"
Every one of us is obligated to deny ourselves. None of us has any value apart from Christ. Because of this fact, we are obligated to shrink our own ego.
When we see ourselves as who we are in relation to the holy God, our reaction must be a detest for our own impurity and a desire to remove any thought or attitude that would usurp God's greatness in our hearts. It becomes our necessity to throw away our own will in favor of his.

"DECREASE"
Since they're is no comparison of ourselves to God, that leaves only contrasts.Everything that God is, we are the opposite. We must no longer follow our own will. We must no longer brag or exalt ourselves. All our selfish desires must be thrown away in favor of his desires. We must discipline ourselves to understand God's word. We must seek to serve others and not ourselves. We must not resist God's working in us. In our hearts and in our lives we must see less of ourselves and more of him.

He must increase, but I must decrease

What was the true manifestation of speaking in tongues?

Introduction

This will be a look at the distinction Paul makes in 1 Corinthians 12-14 between the true manifestation of speaking in tongues and the false pagan practice. These chapters are the only ones in the Bible that describe an ecstatic form of tongues so they are the ones we must examine. Nowhere in this writing will the true manifestation of tongues be forbidden or even discouraged. It is strictly going to be information about what Paul was writing to deal with in the Corinthian Church. Whether or not true tongues are for believers today will not be addressed.

First let’s lay some groundwork for our understanding. Paul describes the Corinthian believers as having come out of paganism and severe immorality (1 Cor. 6:10-11), and that before they came to Christ they would practice the pagan worship and ecstatic rituals that were seen in Hellenistic culture (12:2). This can be seen throughout the book in many of the perversions that the Corinthians had brought into their worship of Christ: (e.g. gluttony in the love feast, sexual activity with other worshipers, women in authority over men, etc.). So Paul writes to the Corinthians to answer some of their questions and to correct their perversions of true worship.

When we take into consideration the cultural background from which the Corinthians came, we will see that Paul is not talking about one practice of speaking in tongues but of two different types: the real spiritual manifestation and the false pagan practice.

Historical data

The false pagan practice

I've included links to the information in this section so that you don't have to take my word for it but can check the facts yourself.

 Historically, when someone who lived in ancient Greece would visit the pagan temples (Most notably the temple of Aphrodite in Corinth), they would often worship one of the pagan gods by entering into various ecstatic rituals. To be ecstatic literally means to be "out of mind" or out of your normal senses; i.e. a trance, astonishment. A pagan ecstatic state is when a person goes into an intensely emotional trance and they enter a state of deep connection with the spiritual realm. They are then united with and/or led by and/or possessed by a spirit or a god. These ecstasies were found in several of the pagan religions during New Testament times and they were induced by means such as drugs, music, sexual stimulation, meditation, etc. The city of Corinth was world-famous for its ecstatic sexual rituals and ceremonies, and the term "Corinthian" was used to describe someone who was overtly sexually licentious to the point of being nearly ecstatic (i.e. out of their mind).

The ancient Greek philosopher Plato (Ca. 427-347 B.C.), in his Dialogues (Phaedrus, Ion, and Timaeus) and in his Apology of Socrates, described the pagan practice of ecstatic speech hundreds of years before Christ. For example, here is an excerpt from the Dialogue Timaeus:

“No man, when in his wits, attains prophetic truth and inspiration; but when he receives the inspired word, either his intelligence is enthralled in sleep, or he is demented by some distemper or possession. And he who would understand what he remembers to have been said, whether in a dream or when he was awake, by the prophetic and inspired nature, or would determine by reason the meaning of the apparitions which he has seen, and what indications they afford to this man or that, of past, present or future good and evil, must first recover his wits. But, while he continues demented, he cannot judge of the visions which he sees or the words which he utters; the ancient saying is very true, that 'only a man who has his wits can act or judge about himself and his own affairs.' And for this reason it is customary to appoint interpreters to be judges of the true inspiration. Some persons call them prophets; they are quite unaware that they are only the expositors of dark sayings and visions, and are not to be called prophets at all, but only interpreters of prophecy.” [emphases added] (trans. by B. Jowett. 1871)

Here in Timaeus, what the philosopher is describing is speech uttered while in theia mania (Gr. θεία μανία “madness of the gods”) – speech they could not understand while in an ecstasy and under the inspiration of a god. The “dark sayings” here are used to speak not of evil but of indiscernible speech; i.e., incomprehensible mysteries. Moreover, the sayings also needed to be interpreted and the interpretations, according to Timaeus, were basically up to the interpreter to fabricate, further corroborating the fact that it was unintelligible both to the one speaking and to those hearing the speech. In Plato's other writings, Socrates often refers to the Pythia of Delphi (Delphi was located near Corinth), who was known for speaking in unintelligible ecstatic words. Moreover, according to Virgil's (70 - 19 B.C.) Aenid, the Sibyl of Delphi was known for speaking prophecies in a frenzied ecstasy. Furthermore, adherents to several of the pagan mystery religions of Hellenism (e.g. Eleusinian mysteries [Eleusis was located near Corinth], Dionysian mysteries, etc.) would go through cult ceremonies called "mysteries," and at the end of the ceremonies they would have an ecstatic ritual. In these ecstasies they would speak mysteries (dark sayings) in the spirit while encountering the god or spirit messenger (a "dæmon") of the cult; hence the designation of mystery cult.

Admittedly, there were other cults and religious groups at the time that were opposed to ecstatic worship and rituals, but nonetheless it was still common knowledge that ecstatic experiences existed in the pagan culture, especially near Corinth. Furthermore, much of the historical data of ecstatic speech shows that it was in the form of prophecy, not tongues, and it was usually spoken only by those who were "gifted" or "inspired." Thus, Paul directly denounces ecstatic prophetic speech by saying "the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets" (1 Cor. 14:32). Paul affirms that true prophetic messages only come through a prophet in his right mind and in total control of his senses; not in an ecstasy.

The pagan practice of tongues can thus be described by saying that one would get into the spiritual realm by turning control of their mind over to a pagan god or spirit messenger. This involved getting into an intensely emotional, trance-like state; an ecstasy. Then one began to utter sounds without meaning, and the spirit of the god would then control the sounds so that they became either an outpouring of unintelligible words from the spirit messenger or god, or an intelligible prophecy of the spirit messenger or god. This is what the pagan practice consisted of, and this is what Jesus Himself actually said to avoid in our prayers in Matthew 6:7. Moreover, although the Old Testament prophets and New Testament Apostles occasionally had ecstasy-like experiences (yet all the while in their right minds, e.g. Ezekiel, Peter, John), participation in any kind of ecstatic experience among regular believers wherein one tries to encounter the spiritual realm was explicitly prohibited by the Bible (Lev. 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deut. 18: 10-12; Matt. 6:7; 1 Cor. 12:2; 14:32; Col. 2:18-19; Heb. 1:1-2).

The true spiritual manifestation

The first time that we see the true manifestation of speaking in tongues in the Bible is in Acts 2. This is the only place in the entire Bible that actually describes what the believers were speaking ("the mighty deeds of God," Acts 2:11). In no other passage that mentions people speaking in tongues does it say what was being spoken. It only describes that people began to speak in other tongues.

In the Acts 2 passage it says that foreign people heard the Jews glorifying God in their foreign language on the Day of Pentecost (2:6, 8, 11). This means that what was being spoken was understandable to others. Moreover, on Day of Pentecost, although all believers were filled with the Holy Spirit, not all spoke in tongues; only those that "the Spirit gave utterance" (2:4).

Furthermore, every mention in Acts of a group of people speaking in tongues shows that those who spoke in tongues did not do it purposefully (Acts 2:3-4; 10:44-46; 19:6). The Holy Spirit “fell upon” those who had received salvation as they glorified God and their speech turned into other languages. They were not seeking to speak in tongues, rather it happened to them spontaneously; it was a surprise. So, when we come to other descriptions of speaking in tongues in the New Testament, we have no warrant to think or say that anything other than understandable foreign languages were being used. The only warrant we do have for defining what true tongues was is gained from Acts 2 alone.

In other passages in the New Testament tongues is never included as a spiritual “gift,” (this will be explained a little later) but only as a “manifestation” of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:7-11). So whatever tongues is, it is only a way that the Holy Spirit chose to manifest Christ to others. Also, Paul says that the Spirit decides who gets which manifestation (12:11, 27-30); therefore not every believer could have had the same manifestation. This agrees with what we see in Acts 2. Furthermore, Paul also says that all manifestations of the Spirit are only for the edification of others, never for oneself alone (12:7). Therefore, if a so-called "gift" was meant to be used for oneself then it is not truly from the Holy Spirit.

What we see from the biblical data is that the true manifestation of tongues can only be rightly called a human foreign language which was previously unknown to the one speaking it.

It must be carefully noted that the pagan practice was extant during at least the 6^th century B.C. in the region of Corinth and continued into the first few centuries A.D. as attested by some early Church fathers in their dealings with Gnosticism. This means that the argument that the pagan practice was Satan's counterfeit is false since the counterfeit by logical necessity cannot precede the original. The pagan practice existed for centuries in the region of Corinth, long before Pentecost, and could not have been a counterfeit of a true form of ecstatic tongues. To put it simply, God did not give an ecstatic form of tongues to the Church only to have Satan counterfeit it; Satan already had the pagan practice in existence. If anything, a gift of this sort from God would be a counterfeit of the pagan practice. Moreover, the true manifestation of tongues was intended to be a sign to unbelievers (14:22), yet the ecstatic pagan practice was already a common feature of Greek religion, therefore the true manifestation would not have been a distinct sign but would have been indistinguishable from the pagan's own practice. To summarize the difference; the false practice was always uttering unintelligible speech under “divine madness” to a god or daimon (spirit messenger) while in an out of control ecstasy, but the true manifestation was speaking comprehensible known human languages under truly divine influence to another human, and always while the speaker was completely alert and in total control of their speech.

Paul’s distinction in 1 Corinthians 12-14

We have now seen the difference between the true spiritual manifestation of tongues, and the false pagan practice. The true manifestation was only ever described as understandable foreign languages heard by others. The false practice was sought after, unintelligible gibberish that was done in a state of ecstasy in which one would speak mysteries in their spirit.

Now the Greek word for tongue (glóssa, γλῶσσα) has two primary meanings; (1) the physical body part - the tongue, and (2) a language for communication. Throughout 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14 Paul uses the singular “a tongue” and the plural “tongues.” Is there a reason for him doing so? I believe it is because Paul is making the distinction between the false pagan practice and the real spiritual manifestation. There is only one type of gibberish, not many, but there are many types of languages, not just one. Moreover, Paul, using the singular "a tongue" could even be referring to the physical tongue metaphorically as being a non-audible and non-comprehensible muscle in the mouth; unable in-and-of itself to make audibly distinct words. Therefore, throughout these chapters whenever Paul uses the singular “a tongue” without any qualifying factors (there are a couple times when Paul uses “a tongue” but is not referring to the pagan practice) he must be describing the false pagan practice. Likewise, whenever he uses the plural “tongues” he must be talking about the true manifestation of the Spirit. And this agrees with the historical data we looked at earlier. So Paul would be writing in these chapters to deal with the pagan practice that the Corinthians had brought into their worship of the true God (just as he wrote of some other practices they had also brought in), and to correct their perversions of true tongues.

The false pagan practice

Paul, using the singular “a tongue,” describes the false pagan practice by saying that one who speaks in “a tongue” (the pagan practice) is not speaking to men but to a god (1 Cor. 14:2, "a god" is a valid translation of "theos" θεός = a divine being. This will be explained later); no one understands him (1 Cor. 14:2); he speaks mysteries in his spirit (1 Cor. 14:2); edifies no one but himself (1 Cor. 14:4); and he prays in his spirit without understanding what he is saying (1 Cor. 14:14).

Paul further and indirectly says that the one who speaks in a pagan ecstasy may unknowingly curse Jesus if an evil spirit takes control (1 Cor. 12:3), they may not have love (1 Cor. 13:1), they sound like a clanging cymbal or sounding brass (1 Cor. 13:1), they don’t make any sense and are speaking into the air (1 Cor. 14:7-9), they are a barbarian to others (1 Cor. 14:11 “barbarian” βάρβαρος means someone who speaks in unintelligible words), they can’t be understood by others (1 Cor. 14:16), and they do not edify others (1 Cor. 14:17).

Finally, Paul says that the one who speaks in “a tongue” must pray that he may interpret (1 Cor. 14:13), so that others can understand what is being said and be edified.

The above description fits perfectly with what the historical sources describe as pagan ecstatic mystery gibberish, and it also fits perfectly with what Jesus said to avoid. Finally, this also fits perfectly with the emphasis of love and unity that Paul is making in the section. Paul is saying that the pagan practice creates disunity because it does not edify others, and that it is also completely void of love because the one praying is seeking to edify only themselves, not others.

The true spiritual manifestation

 I will not try to answer the question of whether or not the true manifestation of speaking in tongues is for believers today. I will only attempt to describe what Paul said the real manifestation was and what it entailed.

Paul directly says that the true manifestation (not “gift”) of tongues (languages) is given to some and not all believers (1 Cor. 12:10, 30), has many different kinds (12:10, 28, hence the use of the plural “tongues”), is worthless without love (13:1), was destined to cease (13:8), is not as great as the manifestation of prophecy unless there is an interpreter (14:5), is for a sign to unbelievers (14:22), is not to be spoken by women while in the assembly (14:34) (sorry ladies), and is not to be forbidden (14:39).

Paul also indirectly says that tongues are always to be understood otherwise it is profitless (14:6-11), must be interpreted in the Church for edification (14:5, 14-19, 28), must only be spoken by two or three at the most and in order (14:27), and must be used only for the edification of others (14:12, 14-19).

Summing up, we can see that the true manifestation of tongues was always intended to be understood by others. It was intended to be used as a sign to unbelievers, but if it was used in the Church assembly there had to be an interpreter for the purpose of edification.

This fits perfectly with the descriptions of the true manifestation of tongues in the book of Acts.

TRUE vs. FALSE TONGUES
The true spiritual manifestation ("tongues")	The false pagan practice ("a tongue")
Given to some and not all (1 Cor. 12:10, 30) Has many different kinds (12:10, 28) Is worthless without love (13:1) Destined to cease (13:8) Is not as great as prophecy, unless there is an interpreter (14:5) Is for a sign to unbelievers (14:22) Is not to be forbidden (14:39) Must be understood, otherwise it is profitless (14:6-11) Must be interpreted in the church for edification (14:5, 14-19, 28) Must only be spoken by two or three, and in order (14:27) Must not be spoken by women while in the assembly (14:34) Must be used only for the edification of others (14:12, 14-19)	Not spoken to people but to a god (1 Cor. 14:2) No one can understand (14:2) Are spoken as mysteries in one’s spirit (14:2) Edifies no one but the speaker (14:4) The speaker can’t understand (14:14) May contain curses at Jesus (12:3) Is unloving (13:1) Is like toneless musical instruments (13:1) Is spoken only into the air (14:7-9) Sounds like barbarian gibberish (14:11) Can’t be understood by others (14:16) Does not edify others (14:17) Is forbidden by Jesus (Matt. 6:7)

Connecting the dots

 Now let’s tie the chapters together. Remember that the main thrust of these chapters is for love and unity in the Church, and tongues (among other spiritual manifestations) must fit into the flow.

Manifestations of the Spirit (12:1-11)

First, Paul begins the section talking about general spiritual things in 1 Corinthians 12:1. The word “gifts”used in verse 1 is not there in the original Greek manuscripts. It was supplied by the translators to help the flow of the reading. Therefore, Paul is not necessarily always talking about spiritual “gifts” throughout the section. Rather, he is talking about generic spiritual things (e.g. "gifts" in 1 Cor. 12:4, "ministries" in 12:5, and "activities" in 12:6), all of which are different manifestations of the Spirit (12:7).

He begins dealing with the unity of the Church in 12:7 by saying that the various manifestations of the Spirit are all given for the profit of the whole Church. And tongues is only one manifestation in the list (12:10)

The Church is like a body (12:12-31)

Paul then goes on to talk about how the Church is like a human body with different parts (1 Cor. 12:12-27). Each different body part is equally necessary and important for the whole body to function properly. Paul then lists some of the manifestations that are given for the functioning of the body, and then he asks some rhetorical questions to show the Corinthians that not everyone can have the same manifestation of the Spirit (12:28-30) because the Church would not be a body if everyone did (12:19).

First Corinthians 12:31 should actually be part of chapter 13. A brief note on this verse: The sentence structure of the original Greek for 12:31 does not necessitate an imperative command to desire and seek after the showy gifts, as it is usually translated: “but [you must] earnestly desire the greater gifts” (NLT). A translation in the imperative mood unfortunately contradicts Paul's main point that each member's part in the body is equally necessary and equally important. It is also contrary to the objective fact that the Holy Spirit (not the believer) decides who gets what part in the body.

Thus the verse should be translated in the indicative mood as a description of what was happening in the Corinthian Church. Paul is actually rebuking the Corinthians because they were jealously coveting the showy gifts and because they were not content with the ones they had been given. This is why Paul finishes verse 31 by saying “But I will show you a more excellent way.” The verse should be translated like this: “But you are earnestly desiring the greater gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.”

This fits perfectly with chapter 13 because Paul begins to talk about the superiority of love. In other words, the flow of the end of chapter 12 goes like this: Paul tells the Corinthians that God gives different manifestations of the Spirit to different believers, but they (in loveless vanity) were seeking after manifestations that they were not given, so Paul begins to tell them the proper way to exercise their spirituality: use the gift you've been given in selfless love.

Love for others must be the ruling factor (chapter 13)

Paul begins chapter 13 by saying that even if (“Though” is not a proper contextual translation. In the original Greek, it is a third-class conditional statement; meaning that it may and/or may not be possible/probable. The use of the third class conditional means Paul is saying that it is possible for him to speak in the languages of men but simultaneously probable that he cannot speak in the languages of angels. This makes sense since Paul is using hyperbole throughout vv. 1-3 [See Wallace, Daniel B. Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. Zondervan. Grand Rapids. 1996. pp. 471, 696-698]) he spoke in all the different known languages of men and even hypothetical languages of angels (Although unlikely, this may possibly be an allusion to the languages of pagan spirit messengers– daimons), but did not have love then his speaking in tongues would be worthless (1 Cor. 13:1). Here Paul is obviously using hyperbole to make his point. This can be seen in the next two verses (1 Cor. 13:2-3) where Paul exaggerates other manifestations to the extreme (e.g. all knowledge, all faith, total generosity, total sacrifice).

Paul goes on to describe how love relates to the spiritual manifestations. All of the manifestations of the Spirit are totally worthless if they are not done in love. Watch how this passage opens up our understanding of the spiritual manifestations when kept in its proper context. The character of love means that a believer is patient in using their spiritual gift, they use it in kindness not in jealousy, and they are not arrogant and do not brag about their God-given manifestation (1 Cor. 13:4). The loving believer does not use their manifestation in an unbecoming way (e.g. putting on a spiritual show), they do not seek their own edification through their manifestation, and they are not provoked to use their spiritual gifts in a wrong attitude (1 Cor. 13:5). At this point Paul switches to describing the attitudes and feelings of a believer who uses their manifestation in the proper, loving and selfless, way.

Regulations for the edification of the church (chapter 14)

 Paul seems to be dealing with the false pagan practice of tongues in 14:1-19, and then switches to start dealing with the real spiritual manifestation in 14:20-28. Paul begins speaking about desiring to prophesy rather than to speak in "a tongue" because it is the best way to edify others in love and keep the unity of the Church (1 Cor. 14:1). But wait, doesn't that run contrary to the Holy Spirit's sovereign distributing of the manifestations in chapter 12? Well, the Greek word for “prophecy” (prophēteia, προφητεία) just means “to speak forth” and Paul uses it in the sense of divine communication via human agency. So prophecy is merely speaking God’s truth to others in one's normal language. But, notice that Paul does not say to desire the manifestation of prophecy in a nounal sense (once again note that the word "gift" is not in the original manuscripts), rather he says to desire the opportunity to prophesy in an active verb sense (i.e. to communicate God's truth).

Now, please note carefully that the literal Greek of 1 Corinthians 14:2 is present tense and it literally reads, "the one who is speaking in a tongue is not speaking to men but to a god... he is speaking mysteries in spirit." We do not see it in our English versions but in Koine Greek they would use the definite article ("the") when referring to a specific person. For example, in the original Greek Luke 3:38 says, “of the Enoch, of the Seth, of the Adam, of the God” (emphases added). And the definite article is in fact used here in 1 Corinthians 14:2 to refer to the one speaking in a tongue, denoting specificity. However, there is no definite article used in this verse to refer to any specific god. Thus, "a god" is the most fitting translation of this verse. These combined grammatical observations could have only have one possible meaning: There was a specific person in the Corinthian Church who was speaking in an ecstatic utterance to a god. Moreover, the one who was doing it was probably not intentionally speaking to a pagan god. They were probably trying to speak to the true God using their old pagan practice. This would make further sense of the lack of the definite article because the one who was attempting to speak to God would actually only be speaking to their idea of god; which is why Paul would leave the definite article absent. In essence, Paul is saying that the one speaking in an ecstatic tongue is not really speaking to the true God, even if they think they are. The question then becomes, was this a true manifestation of the Holy Spirit? Remember that all of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit are given and used only to edify others, never oneself (1 Cor. 12:7, 25). The ecstatic form of "a tongue" that Paul describes here is not even able to communicate comprehensible language to others, therefore it cannot edify others. Since it cannot edify others it is not a true manifestation of the Holy Spirit, but must necessarily be the false pagan practice.

Moving along, Paul does make it clear that it is okay to desire spiritual things, but that the spiritual things must be regulated by love (14:1). Paul goes on to describe more of what the Corinthians were doing wrong, and then lay down some rules to correct their behavior. Using inductive methodology, we may conclude that the Corinthians who did have the true spiritual manifestation of tongues were abusing it for their own vanity, and this was causing those believers who did not have the manifestation to jealously covet tongues (12:31). This then caused the jealous believers to bring their former pagan ecstatic practices into the worship services so they too could satisfy their vanity. Moreover, this brought unbelievers into the Church who were being possessed by evil spirits while in ecstasy, and they would actually curse Jesus in known languages (12:3). The Corinthian Church was a huge mess! No wonder Paul says that everything should be done decently and in order since God is a God of order (14:40, 33).

Now at the end of chapter 14 Paul says, “do not forbid to speak with tongues” (14:39). So Paul was not writing to forbid the Corinthians from speaking with true tongues, but he does put down several rules and regulations for the use of the true manifestation. These regulations are given to make sure the Church is lovingly edified (14:2-3,12, 26), because the true manifestation of tongues is supposed to be a sign to unbelievers (14:20-22), but the Corinthians who did have the manifestation were not using it that way (12:26). We won’t take the time to look at all the regulations but we will look at the main one.

Interpretation

The main regulation that Paul lays down is that tongues must always be interpreted and must never be practiced in the Church unless there is an interpreter (1 Cor. 14:27-28). "Interpret" is the Greek word that means “to translate” (herméneuó, ἑρμηνεύω). Remember that Paul’s main point is that all things must be done in loving edification to keep the unity of the Church. Because of this, the spiritual manifestation of interpretation was given so that those in the assembly who could not understand the ones speaking in foreign languages could understand and be edified (12:10). Paul says it is ridiculous to use the spiritual manifestation of tongues if no one in the Church can understand (14:6-11). So he regulates tongues by demanding that interpretation be used so that the other believers can understand and be edified (14:27-28).

Tongues and interpretation in the Church worked like this: A foreign unbeliever would visit the Corinthian Church service and they either could not understand what was being spoken or they were not convinced of Christianity's truth. God wanted them to receive a message from Him so He manifested His message to one with tongues and they would speak God's message to the unbeliever in their own heart language. But this then presented a problem: Now the Church could not understand God's message to the unbeliever. This is where interpretation/translation comes in: God would also give a manifestation of interpretation so that the Church could understand and be edified.

Now Paul does say that the Corinthians who spoke in "a tongue" (pagan gibberish) were to ask to interpret (14:13). This seemingly does undermine the Holy Spirit's sovereignty in the distributing of manifestations. This can be explained by observing the purposes of tongues and interpretation. Tongues were not meant for the Church but for unbelievers (14:22). So the normal, intended use of tongues was for outside the Church assembly to evangelize the lost (e.g., Acts 2:11). Interpretation was intended for those rare occasions when God wanted to reveal a message to an unbeliever who was present in the Church assembly so that the message in tongues could be translated and understood by the Church (1 Cor. 14:5). It was only at those times that interpretation was given. So it was never manifested outside the Church assembly and it was not a manifestation given for regular, normal use. Therefore, the one who was speaking in false pagan tongues ("a tongue") was instead to pray to be the one used for interpretation in those rare times when true tongues were used in the Church. To paraphrase the basic thought, Paul would be telling the Corinthians, "Don't try to edify yourself with fake pagan tongues but instead seek to edify others by interpreting/translating real tongues."

Before coming to the conclusion, we have to deal with 14:28 where Paul says, “but if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in the church and let him speak to himself and to God.” Is Paul saying that the true gift of tongues can be used to speak to God? Or that there is a form of true tongues that is meant to be spoken to God? Absolutely not. Here Paul is implying that if there is no interpreter then the true gift is not being used. Therefore, the tongue that was spoken was the false practice. If a true manifestation of tongues was given in the assembly, then God would also give a manifestation of interpretation, without exception, so that the church could be edified. So, when there was no interpretation there was no true tongues. Now, Paul does use the definite article here to refer to the god (Gr. τῷ Θεῷ). But in the context of this verse, the god would be a pagan god, not the true God. This is because what is being described is not a general pattern (as in 14:2), but a specific occurrence in which a specific pagan god was being spoken to by a specific church member.

Conclusion

There is no ecstatic form of tongues found in the church in Acts at all, only real human languages. Ecstatic speech was found in the pagan religions in the region of Corinth and in the church in Corinth. Because the Corinthians had brought other pagan practices into their assembly, it is easy to conclude that pagan ecstatic speech was also brought into it. It is also obvious that the Corinthians had brought the pagan ecstatic practice of speaking in tongues into their worship because Paul writes to forbid them from practicing it since it cannot edify the church. Moreover, they had also perverted the true manifestation and Paul wrote to correct their error.

Both Jesus and Paul forbid the false pagan practice of speaking in unintelligible meaningless gibberish. Jesus forbids it because believers are supposed to pray to God in simple prayers that they themselves can understand (Matt. 6:7-13). Paul forbids it because it is void of love and selfishly seeks its own edification (1 Cor. 13:5, cf. 14:4), and because it does not edify the church (1 Cor. 14:4, 17).

The true manifestation of speaking to people in foreign languages was given regulations so that the church could be edified and remain united in love (1 Cor. 13:1). The main regulation was that in the church assembly another person must interpret the one speaking in a foreign language so that the church could understand and be edified (1 Cor. 14:26). Above all, love for other believers must take priority over all of the spiritual manifestations. If there is no love then the use of any of the true spiritual manifestations must be restricted.

The Lord's prohibition

As we conclude we must recognize that Jesus Himself commanded His followers, “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words” (Matt. 6:7 NIV). In the original Greek Jesus, uses the word battalogeo (βαττολογέω) to describe words without meaning and coherence; i.e. gibberish, babbling. The Greek term is what's called an onomatopoetic word, which is merely a designation for a sound. A modern English version would be something like "goo goo gah gah" or "blah blah blah." In the case of βαττολογέω the sound literally is "batta batta batta..." and its literal translation is "batta words/speech." It eventually came to mean "nonsense" or "words without meaning" and was commonly used to describe either gibberish or pointless drivel. So the best explanation of what Jesus is actually saying is to not use meaningless, unintelligible words (gibberish) in prayer. He says that's how the pagans prayed and that God does not listen to that kind of prayer. And, as we have seen, divine communication in ecstatic meaningless communication was indeed present in the region of Corinth and in its church. Thus, it would make sense that Paul would condemn it since Jesus also did.

For sake of argument, instead of blatant gibberish, let's take βαττολογέω to mean "vain repetition" as it is often translated (even though Jesus does not use γλῶσσαλγος nor γλῶσσαλγία, the Greek words for endless talking/vain repetition). This would carry the idea of communication that is empty of meaning, import, and sense due to how the words are used, not necessarily due to their comprehensibility; i.e. pointless drivel, endless jabber, babbling on and on, empty prating, etc. If this is what Jesus is saying then unintelligible gibberish still fits the description of pointless drivel, meaningless jabber, etc. To boil it down, the emphasis of Christ's statement is not on longwindedness, as it is usually interpreted (although it is certainly included). Rather, the emphasis is on comprehensibility and sincerity. Thus, the principle of the verse is that no amount of babbling in meaningless communication will make God hear our prayers.

Lastly, please carefully observe that Jesus does not directly say that we are not to pray in pagan prayer; rather He is saying that we are not to do anything that is similar to what they do in prayer. The phrase "like pagans" carries the idea of comparison, not equality. In other words, the Lord doesn't refer to praying actual pagan prayer (although the prohibition also applies to it), rather He refers to the way they prayed. Also, in the context Jesus is speaking of private prayer. So He is saying that not even in our private prayers are we to utter words/sounds that we cannot understand because God does not listen to it. Therefore, praying repeatedly with words/sounds that we cannot understand is direct disobedience to the Lord.

Finally, just to drive this point all the way home; if one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is in any way similar to non-understandable human language, then the Holy Spirit Himself is in direct opposition to this commandment of the Lord.

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans” (Matt. 6:7)

Nehemiah Ryan © 2010