Tag: tongues

When the Heart Cries “Real” but the Word Says “No”

Brent Pollard

A young man recently walked away from the church. He was troubled—genuinely so—convinced that demons from his past involvement with the occult were hounding him. He came seeking baptism, and we believe he hoped the gift of the Holy Spirit would arm him with miraculous power to fight what he feared. When Scripture did not tell him what he wished to hear, he turned to YouTube “prophets” who did. He found individuals who offered “deliverance prayers” and validated every feeling he carried. In the end, it did not matter what God’s word said, because it did not match what he felt.

His story grieves us. But it also instructs us, for it lays bare a danger that threatens every soul in every generation: the temptation to enthrone experience over revelation.

The Question of “That Which Is Perfect”

This young man, like many sincere believers, points to 1 Corinthians 13.10 and argues that “the perfect” refers to the second coming of Christ—meaning miraculous gifts continue until He returns. It is not a novel interpretation; many good-hearted people hold it. But the text itself resists it. Paul chose a neuter Greek word, rendered “that” in English. Had he meant the Lord Jesus, he would have used the masculine—”He.” The members of the Godhead are never called “that.” This is not a trivial grammatical point. It is the Holy Spirit’s own precision, and we tamper with it at our peril.

What, then, is “that which is perfect”? It is the completed, fully revealed word of God—the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). When the last apostolic pen was laid down, revelation was finished, and the scaffolding of miraculous gifts, having served its glorious purpose, was taken away.

Witnesses from the Ancient Church

We do not stand alone in this conviction. The testimony of early Christian writers confirms what Scripture teaches. John Chrysostom, writing in the fourth century, observed plainly that the miraculous gifts Paul described had ceased. Those baptized in his day, he noted, no longer spoke in the tongues of all nations as believers had in the first century. Augustine of Hippo agreed, writing that such miracles “were no longer permitted to continue in our time,” lest they become commonplace and lose their power to produce faith. Cyril of Alexandria taught that the miraculous gift of languages at Pentecost was a temporary sign intended for the Jews—kept for life by those who first received it, but not passed beyond their generation.

These men were not skeptics. They were devoted servants of Christ who recognized what the New Testament itself describes: miraculous gifts were conferred exclusively through the laying on of the apostles’ hands (Acts 8.14–17), and an apostle had to meet the requirements of Acts 1.21–22. Since no one alive today meets those requirements, the chain of miraculous conferral has been broken—not by human failure, but by divine design.

We might also note a striking practical detail. Paul, who possessed the gift of healing, left his fellow minister Trophimus sick at Miletus (2 Timothy 4.20) and advised Timothy to treat his stomach ailments with a little wine rather than a miracle (1 Timothy 5.23). Even the apostle did not wield miraculous power as a tool of personal convenience. The gifts served God’s purposes, not man’s preferences.

What, Then, Are These Experiences?

If the miraculous gifts have ceased, what are we to make of the experiences people report? What of the young man who felt delivered? What of those who speak in ecstatic utterances and weep with the certainty that God has touched them?

We need not question their sincerity to question the source. The human mind is a remarkable instrument. When people pray or worship with deep intensity, the brain can enter a focused state in which the speech-filtering centers quiet down, allowing sounds and syllables to flow without conscious direction. It feels powerful precisely because it is unforced. But unforced is not the same as supernatural.

These experiences are also learned. In communities where speaking in tongues is practiced, people observe it, absorb its patterns, and are taught—directly or by imitation—how to interpret inner stirrings as the Spirit’s movement. Over time, the brain begins responding on cue. If everyone around you treats something as real, your mind learns to experience it accordingly.

Moreover, these moments often bring genuine emotional relief—a sense of belonging, closeness to God, even catharsis. A sudden thought becomes “God spoke to me.” A warm sensation becomes “the Spirit moved.” Ecstatic syllables become “tongues.” The brain, emotions, and social environment conspire together to produce something that feels deeply true. But feeling deeply true and being true are not the same thing.

Truth Is Not a Feeling

Here we must plant our feet on the bedrock of Scripture. Jesus Himself defined the matter with crystalline clarity: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17.17). Truth is not discovered through sensation. It is revealed through God’s word.

Scripture warns us repeatedly against trusting the heart’s verdict. Solomon writes, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14.12). Jeremiah is blunter still: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17.9). Sincerity, however passionate, does not guarantee truth. A man may be sincerely wrong, and his sincerity will not cushion the consequences.

Test Everything

God has never asked us to accept spiritual experiences without scrutiny. John commands, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4.1). Paul echoes, “Test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5.21). The question is never merely “Did something happen?” but always “Does this align with what God has revealed?”

Consider what biblical tongues actually were. At Pentecost, the apostles spoke recognizable human languages. Listeners understood them in their native tongues. The purpose was communication—the delivery of God’s message to real people in real words. That bears no resemblance to unintelligible sounds requiring no translation, only the interpretation of feelings.

And let us remember: God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14.33). Even when miraculous gifts operated in the first century, they were orderly, controlled, and intelligible. If an experience bypasses understanding entirely, that alone should give us pause.

The Spirit and the Word Are Never at Odds

The Holy Spirit does not operate independently from the word He revealed (John 16.13). He will not contradict what He has already spoken. If an experience cannot be verified by Scripture, it must not be attributed to the Spirit, no matter how vivid, how comforting, or how tearfully sincere the one who claims it.

God never asks us to choose between truth and experience. If something is truly from Him, it will stand in perfect agreement with His word. Where the two appear to conflict, it is not the word that must yield.

Let us, then, be a people who love truth more than feeling, who treasure revelation above sensation, and who test all things—not because we lack faith, but because we possess it. For the God who gave us His word did not give it so we might set it aside when something more exciting comes along. He gave it because it was enough. It has always been enough. And by His grace, it will carry us all the way home.

1 Corinthians 13 (Part One)

Gary Pollard

I don’t usually give I Corinthians 13 much time, but that’s not intentional. It’s one of those passages normally seen in brightly-colored, gaudy cursive within a stressed wooden frame, or in the same font on a t-shirt. Or a blanket. It’s become almost cliche, and I’m ashamed to admit that it’s not been a regular part of my studies. I pass one of those Hobby Lobby-style frames with some regularity, and it struck me (finally, after more than a year) that there’s a lot about this chapter I don’t understand! So the next few articles will focus on I Corinthians 13. 

It’s often used to argue that God doesn’t work through his people the same way he did in the first century. This isn’t convincing — a completed canon is not remotely in Paul’s mind as he writes this section, and context offers very little to suggest otherwise. His discussion of love is there to posit its transcendence! If I Corinthians 12 is any indication, some Christians were unhappy with their “superpower” because the gift of service was not as cool as the ability to speak other languages, for example. Paul says, “Love is better than any of these because it’s the only eternal quality.” Besides that, prophecy was the best gift (cf. 14.1ff). This discussion continues through chapter fifteen, where the “perfect” is our final victory over sin/death when Jesus returns. 

This isn’t necessarily to say that miraculous gifts are still a thing — a more convincing argument against the continuation of miraculous gifts comes from Acts. It seems only the Apostles gave out these gifts. After their deaths, it would seem that no more gifts were handed out. There is evidence in the early church fathers that some people still had these gifts into at least the second century, but it wasn’t as common. However, God did directly give these gifts to Cornelius and his family without Apostolic intervention (Acts 10.44-46, 11.17). That was an era-changing, very special occasion to convince the Jewish people that they were no longer the only chosen ones (10.34).

Since the first part of chapter thirteen talks about these special gifts, I wanted to get this discussion out of the way. In the articles that follow (Lord willing), I want to look more closely at what love is, isn’t, does, and will do. Whether God has completely stopped intervening in some peoples’ lives the way he did before or not, the point of this chapter remains: we could be Titans in every spiritual gift, but it’s meaningless without love (1-3). Since we can’t live forever without having been fully matured in love (I Jn 4.7, 12, 16-18, 20-21), I Cor 13 is a very practical look into what a matured love is. 

During that time many believers will lose their faith. They will turn against each other and hate each other. Many false prophets will come and cause many people to believe things that are wrong. There will be so much evil in the world that the love of most believers will grow cold. But the one who remains faithful to the end will be saved. The good news I have shared about God’s kingdom will be told throughout the world. It will spread to every nation. Then the end will come (Mt 24.10-14). 

Defining Love

Carl Pollard

“Love is patient, love is kind, love does not envy or boast.” Many of us know exactly where this verse is found. 1 Corinthians 13, which is quite possibly the most well-known chapter in the entire Bible. When many people hear “love is patient, love is kind,” they start hearing wedding bells and think of a white dress. This profound chapter is all about defining true love, and Paul isn’t talking about the feeling you have when you want to marry someone. There is so much depth to this chapter and that is what we are going to dig into in this article.

True love is increasingly harder to find and practiced by few. So many are chasing a feeling that comes and goes with each moment. The love that Paul is talking about is agape love. This chapter is all about explaining why TRUE, sacrificial love is the greatest. Before we get into this chapter we need to understand why Paul is writing about love. The main reason for this letter is because the church at Corinth was an absolute mess. 

This congregation was filled with all kinds of sinful behavior, drama, and misunderstandings. Their behavior was a negative influence on others, and it was unacceptable before God. Chapter 13 was written so that these Christian’s would correct their behavior by practicing true agape love. 

The Corinthians were obsessed with spiritual gifts, especially the gift of speaking in other languages. Paul spends chapter 12 dealing with spiritual gifts in the church. They have a purpose, and ultimately they are for unity and glorifying God. God gave these gifts to help strengthen the church in its beginning stages. They were abusing their gifts, they were bragging about their abilities and acting like children. “Oh you only have the gift of wisdom? I have the gift of prophecy!” Some were bragging, others were trying to use gifts they didn’t even have! Like fake prophesying just to seem cool. Chapter 12 ends with Paul saying, “you can strive towards greater gifts, but there is a more excellent way.” That better way is having the gift of love. 

This is something EVERYONE can have. The love that Paul is speaking about is not the love of romance and warm fuzzy feelings. Paul is using the Greek word “Agape” which means self-sacrificing love. Agape love is behind all actions that put others before self. This is the love with which God loved us when He sent His Son (John 3:16). A love that does what’s difficult, because it is a choice. We are called to imitate this love. 

As Paul begins to describe love in chapter 13, he tells us that love is essential. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Cor. 13:1-3). These gifts that the Corinthians were obsessed with were meaningless if they didn’t have love. If you are speaking without love, it’s empty noise! Have you ever pulled a trailer that was empty? As you’re going down the road every bump and pothole sends it banging up and down. It makes a whole bunch of noise because it’s empty. No matter what our words contain, if they are said without love it’s just a load of nothing. 

It was the same for any other gift they had! Whether it’s prophecy, wisdom, or even faith, if there is no love they are irrelevant. This is why love is essential! The Corinthians failed to see the true purpose of the gifts. They didn’t use them out of love. Paul quotes Jesus when he says “faith to move mountains” (cf. Matt. 17:20). You could have faith to do the impossible, but again if you have no love it won’t do you any good. A faith to move mountains is great, but if you don’t have love your faith won’t do you any good. Faith, wisdom, or any other gift isn’t a sign that you’re a Christian, it’s LOVE!

If we’re not willing to deny ourselves for the sake of others, our religion is worthless. You could give everything you own to the poor, you could even be martyred for Christ, but again if you do it without love you’ve sacrificed for no reason. Everything that Paul mentions in verses 1-3 are good things! Tongues were good for the church at the time. Prophecy, knowledge, faith, all wonderful things. Sacrifice is good, but love is SO valuable, SO important, that apart from it every other good thing is useless. 

As Christians, we need to remember that love is essential. No matter what good thing you may do, if you don’t have love you might as well not do it. Agape love is hard to find, so be the one to sacrifice for others. Make choices out of love, speak with love, and live imitating the agape love of God!