Tuesday, August 18, 2026
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9 KJV).
If our physical posterity could augment its spiritual dexterity, exactly what would that entail?
What is more important than something “supernatural” (for the Devil works in that realm too!), is if it can be reduced to sound doctrine, conforming to Pauline revelation: “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant” (1 Corinthians 14:37,38). Remember, this passage sits in the context of spiritual gifts. If we cannot identify precisely what is being communicated (meaningful speech), it is a satanic counterfeit and must be instantly and permanently forsaken!
In Scripture, when the Holy Spirit operated the gift of speaking in tongues, He also bestowed the spiritual gift of interpretation (translation) of those languages (see 1 Corinthians 12:10,28,30; 1 Corinthians 14:5,27,28). The guidelines of 1 Corinthians chapter 14 expose the “unknown tongue,” the phony gift of tongues, gibberish or unintelligible sounds (see 1 Corinthians 14:2,4,13,14,19,27). Reminiscent of those excesses and exaggerations in Corinth, the “tongue-speaking” amongst modern charismatics is also used for the benefit of self—and selfishness is of man, not God! Hence, their “glossolalia” cannot be translated, so they are forced to frequently exercise this so-called “heavenly tongue” in private. They readily admit they themselves do not know what they are saying, but (allegedly) “God knows.” Alas, that too is wrong, for spiritual gifts were never for God’s benefit. They were for humans with limited revelation from God (incomplete Bible) (1 Corinthians 13:8-13), and for Israel’s advantage during prophecy and during the transitional (Acts) period from prophecy to mystery (Romans 11:11-14).
As lost people, idol-worshipping Gentiles, the Corinthians had enjoyed exploiting various “ecstatic utterances” in their religious services (1 Corinthians 12:1,2; “dumb” meaning unable to speak [insinuating they believed their idols spoke to them and taught them; cf. Habakkuk 2:18,19; Psalm 135:4-8]). This heathenism was the babbling they as (now) believers in Christ were trying to pass off as genuine! Paul therefore wrote to them about tongue talking, the Holy Spirit’s gift (translatable, for benefit of others) and the Devil’s imitation (non-translatable, for profit of self), the God of the Bible being glorified versus the attention-seeking flesh striving to surpass others….
333 Words of Grace 