The Devil Made Me Do It rebutt
THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT?
By
Phil Scovell
This article is in response to one entitled “Praying In Tongues?” by Frank W. Bumpus. If the reader has not yet read his article, please do so, if at all possible, before reading further. Those posting this on computer bulletin boards in electronic form are respectfully requested to allow both articles to appear together and allow the reader to judge.
If the author of “Praying In Tongues” is by the same Frank Bumpus with whom I am familiar, his preaching and teaching is Godly, challenging, and worth hearing. His testimony is likewise impeccable. I have heard him preach in the past and I appreciate his message and ministry. His Scriptural interpretation, however, stretches the spiritual imagination.
Brother Bumpus essentially says two things in his article on tongues. Tongues isn’t Scriptural and if anyone speaks in tongues, it is by the power of the devil. At least that’s my interpretation of what I read. “Since the Spirit of God is not the giver of devotional tongues, there remains two alternatives: the human spirit and the demonic spirit. What then is being exercised by charismatics?”
He even lumps, apparently, all Charismatics/Pentecostals into the same unholy ungodly barrel. “We are also aware that communication with the spirit world through ecstatic utterances has long been claimed by various religions. It was practiced centuries before Christ came and is still in effect among certain Hindu groups, Mormons, spiritualists and others.”
He forgot witches, devil worshipers, voodoolists, fire walkers, new agers, snake charmers, satanists, transcendental meditationists, channelers, palm readers, yogists, fortune tellers, levitationists, astral projectionists, witch doctors, medicine men, astrologers, and psychics. Shoot, everybody knows Charismatics share common doctrine with all these cult and occultists because they speak in tongues. Right?
EITHER…OR!
Brother Bumpus begins by stating what Charismatics believe concerning the gift of tongues and says they derive their doctrine from I Corinthians 14:2 and 4.
“Charismatics interpret these verses to mean: (1) tongues were used to speak to God not to man; (2) no person could understand the tongues spoken; (3) tongues was a devotional gift to edify the believer.” I’m not actually sure where Brother Bumpus is getting all his
inside information on what Charismatics believe but apparently it was from a single, unreliable, source. I could easily make the same mistake by quoting some man from a Baptist denomination and ascribe his remarks to all Baptists. That would be stupid, of course, because there are dozens of Baptists groups, some denominational and some independent, and they all differ doctrinally. My Brother, however, apparently believes all Charismatics believe alike. Too bad. Such an error dramatically reduces his credibility.
Since Brother Bumpus claims Charismatics get their beliefs from I Corinthians 14:2 and 4, perhaps this would be the appropriate place to quote the verses. I will include verse 3 as well. For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
First, he says: “Charismatics interpret these verses to mean: (1) tongues were used to speak to God not to man.” Charismatics do believe that tongues is a language which is
used as a (prayer language) enabling one to commune with God. This practice of this prayer language, at least according to Paul does edify and when employed, is speaking to God; not men.
Pastor Bumpus also states that Charismatics say:
“(2) no person could understand the tongues spoken.”
He’s only partially correct. Charismatics believe that the tongues can be understood under certain conditions. Obviously the tongues spoken by the one hundred twenty in Acts 2 were understood because the Scriptures confirm such was the case. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? (Acts 2:6-8).
The tongues spoken by those filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:4 were plainly understood by the on-lookers because they confessed such was true. What if those in the crowd had not understood the tongue speakers, that is, what if the tongue speakers were speaking languages unfamiliar to those in the crowd? If Brother Bumpus had been one of those in the crowd and his language had not been represented by the Spirit Filled men and women speaking in tongues, I bet he would have said it wasn’t of the Holy Spirit. Why? Because he couldn’t understand it? Since when does the inability to understand have anything to do with the truth of God’s Holy Word? These onlookers in Acts 2 had trouble understanding how the miracle was performed and some concluded they must have been drunk (Acts 2:13).
As one reads the record of the apostle Paul in I Corinthians 14, it is clear that when a church service is being conducted, tongues is not to be used to preach God’s Word. The Corinthian believers had fallen for the same old trap of the Devil, that is, thinking they were more spiritual than others because of the gifts God had given them. Funny, I’ve been a Baptist nearly all my life and I know plenty of Baptist who think they are more spiritual than others because they give lots of money, went to Bible college, and win the lost to Christ. It would be interesting to read letters written to Baptist people today by the hand of the apostle Paul. I wonder if we might discover that his I and II Baptist letters read similar to the Corinthians in I and II Corinthians. Anyway, Paul corrected the Corinthians and told them that tongues was only permitted in a church service if it was interpreted. In this way, those unable to understand the tongues would receive understanding via interpretation. This was to be done by two, or at the most, by three (I Cor. 14:27). How was the interpretation made? The same way the tongues utterance was accomplished: by faith through one filled with the Holy Spirit. To say, therefore, no one understands the tongue spoken by Spirit filled men and women is incorrect. God, of course understands it because Paul said He does: (I Cor. 14:2; 14:28).
Occasionally, there happens to be those in the service with the ability to speak foreign languages. I have spoken in tongues during a prayer meeting on two different occasions and there were those who had knowledge of a language I was speaking which, I might add, was unfamiliar to me. They later told me what I had prayed. I have a pastor friend who was praying in tongues one night in a prayer meeting and a visitor had come to join them in prayer. He had never been in this church before. When the prayer meeting was over, the visiting man introduced himself to my pastor friend and asked him if he knew French as a second language. He, of course, said no and wouldn’t recognize French if it were spoken in his presence. The visitor explained he was raised in Quebec Canada and knew French. He then shared with my friend what he had prayed.
Brother Bumpus also says that Charismatics believe: “(3) tongues was a devotional gift to edify the believer.” Apparently my Brother is reading a different version of the
Bible. For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God… (I Cor. 14:2).
How plain can it be? Paul said that tongues was speaking to God and not to men. Was Paul confused or Brother Bumpus. He is correct, therefore, if he says that Charismatics believe tongues is devotional in nature (I.E., for personal edification), because Paul makes such very clear. Either speaking in tongues does edify the one doing the speaking or it doesn’t. Paul said it does; Brother Bumpus says it doesn’t.
Following this third statement, Brother Bumpus says, “An examination of this 14th Chapter of 1 Corinthians, reveals that these claims are not substantiated by the context.”
I give up! He’s obviously reading a different Bible.
Brother Bumpus concludes his article by saying: “We are aware that some charismatics do pray in the manner they claim. They practice speaking in utterances unknown to man. We are also aware that communication with the spirit world through ecstatic utterances has long been claimed by various religions. It was practiced centuries before Christ came and is still in effect among certain Hindu groups, Mormons, spiritualists and others. The fact is, however, this practice has no biblical basis and is not a gift of the Holy Spirit of God. Since the Spirit of God is not the giver of devotional tongues, there remains two alternatives: the human spirit and the demonic spirit. What then is being exercised by charismatics?” I hate the way my Brother beats around the bush. Why not
come right out and say that Charismatics speak in tongues by the power of the devil. Forget what the Bible says…”The devil made me do it!”