Paul and the Charismatics

In Chapters 12-14 of his First Letter to the Corinthians (recently featured on The Blessed Hope Podcast), Paul addresses a number of matters often associated with contemporary charismatics and Pentecostals. What follows are the issues covered in the five episodes of the Blessed Hope listed below.

Some of the Ground Covered In the Blessed Hope Episodes

Paul’s approach to properly understand spiritual things begins with an acknowledgment of Christ’s Lordship (1 Corinthians 12:3).
He addresses spiritual things (especially the Corinthian misunderstanding of them) before discussing spiritual gifts. It is clear that Paul’s concern is to correct the Corinthian’s erroneous views of spiritual matters (which, in Corinth, was often tied to pagan practices—like ecstatic religious experience, and conduct in the churches sadly reflecting what goes on in the pagan temples in and around the city).
Paul is not a strict cessationist, since chapters 12-14 of First Corinthians give practical instructions to the church about the use, function, and purpose of spiritual gifts. Paul exhorts the Corinthians to desire these gifts (especially the higher ones), since they build up the body of Christ, equip church officers for service, and enable us to better love our brothers and sisters in Christ.
But Paul does imply that the apostolic office is not a perpetual one (1 Corinthians 12:28-32—especially in light of of 1 Timothy 3:1-12), and those gifts typically associated with that office (miracles and healing) have ordinarily ceased. Extraordinary manifestations of these gifts certainly remains possible—but rare.
After enumerating a list of the various gifts given by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-11), Paul is clear that love for our fellow believers is the glue which holds the church (unity) with its diversity of spiritual gifts together (1 Corinthians 13:1-13).
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is an event associated with conversion and baptism, and it is not a “second endowment” of grace.
What does Paul mean when he speaks of the coming of the perfect in 1 Corinthians 13:10)? I take him to refer to Christ’s second advent.
Paul addresses the role of women in worship, limits their speech, and reaffirms the necessity of modesty and decorum (as in the first half of chapter 11).
The gift causing the most consternation in the Corinthians church is the gift of tongues. Paul does not forbid the use of tongues, but does say he’d rather speak five intelligible words with his mind than 10,000 in a tongue (unintelligible). He does tell the Corinthians not to prohibit the use of this gift (1 Corinthians 14:39).
Paul is very clear that prophesy (preaching) is vastly superior to tongues because it is intelligible.
To what, exactly, does speaking in tongues refer? I contend that tongues is a known language, whether known or unknown to the speaker. I argue for the former, and identify my view as the “alternative view,” since I depart from the four main views held by most Christians.
Paul insists that tongues are to be interpreted whenever they are uttered (so all those present are edified), and that only two or three speakers are to be allowed when there is an interpretation. No more may speak, and no tongue may be uttered in public without an interpretation.
Paul proves his Reformed/Presbyterian bona fides when he concludes his discussion in 14:40: “But all things should be done decently and in order.”