I have not heard of Joseph Prince before our mini-series focusing on popular leaders of the Charismatic movement in the Asian scene. Our other blogger, EvangelZ, was the one who told me about him and how I should look him up. It seems like he is a Charismatic prosperity gospel preacher with a big church in Singapore call New Creation Church. His popularity is beyond Asia, and even here in the US.
His ministry uploaded a clip on Youtube from his sermon titled “Tongues–The Key To A Spirit-Led Life.”
The purpose of his message is clear:
Speaking in tongues make you supernatural. So that is the prayer language that every believer should have.” (8:05-8:13).
He believes Christians SHOULD speak in tongues. But in order to make his argument, he has to make two assumptions necessary for his case:
- Speaking in tongues is not the same thing as the gift of tongues.
- Those baptized in the Holy Spirit will speak in tongues.
In this post we will focus only on the first premise, that speaking in tongues is not the same thing as the gift of tongues. Joseph Prince articulates and argue for this distinction between speaking in tongues and the gift in tongues seven minutes into the clip, saying:
So the biggest problem, the body of Christ today is that Charismatics who is baptized in the Spirit see it as a sign, alright, that they are baptized and that’s it but they don’t exercise the gift. Now, many a times they exercise the gift when they come to church. And that was the problem in the church of Corinth where Paul wrote trying to control of the gift of tongues. Now gift of tongues, not everybody has the gift of tongues mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14, 12 and all that, where it talks about where you don’t have an interpreter, keep quiet. Now that’s the gift of tongues. All of us have the sign that Jesus said in Mark and this sign will follow those that believed, alright? One of the signs is that they shall speak with new tongues. Our Lord Jesus said that. This sign will follow the believers. Didn’t say pastors. Believers. Didn’t say Apostles and prophets. Believers. One of the biggest sign is what? They shall speak with new tongues.” (7:01-7:58)
So while “not everybody has the gift of tongues,” Joseph Prince believes that the Bible teaches all believers “shall speak with new tongues.’
Joseph Prince might say this distinction parallel evangelism and giving:
- While some have the spiritual gift of giving (Romans 12:8), yet all believers are commanded to give (Romans 12:13, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, etc).
- While some have the spiritual gift of evangelism(Ephesians 4:11), yet all believers are commanded to evangelize/witness (Matthew 28:19-20, 1 Peter 3:15, etc).
Spiritual gifts will differ from individual to individual (Romans 12:6) but that doesn’t mean if we don’t have the spiritual gift of evangelism or giving that we cease giving and witnessing.
But does this distinction applies to the issue of speaking in tongues? It doesn’t seem likely. Note that in order for the gift/general function distinction to apply, it is necessary that God’s Word gives a command to believers in general to practice it. While God does tells believers in general to witness and give, there are no imperative verbs in the New Testament ordering believers to speak in tongues. Thus, Joseph Prince is not biblically warranted to make such the distinction between spiritual gift and practice of tongues.
However, Joseph Prince does attempt to show from the Bible that all believers should speak in tongues. Recall how in the quote above he said, “All of us have the sign that Jesus said in Mark and this sign will follow those that believed, alright? One of the signs is that they shall speak with new tongues.” That passage in Mark in Mark 16:17, which says
These [d]signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues
As Prince stated, here in verse 17 it says “those who have believed,” and not just a subset of believers such as Pastors, apostles, etc.
But there are two good reasons why Mark 16:17 doesn’t support Prince’s cause.
First off, there is an issue of textual criticism with the end of Mark 16, in which verse 9 and following is disputed to be part of the original since many of the older and reliable manuscripts does not attests to anything beyond verse 8. I myself believe the Gospel of Mark ends in Mark 16:8.
Secondly, even if we assume Mark 16:17 is part of the Greek autograph and therefore is legitimately part of God’s Word, this still doesn’t help with Joseph Prince’s cause. I believe that the context of the immediate verse in Mark 16:18 strongly imply that we see a limitation of Mark 16:17 applying universally to all believers at all time. Note verse 18 states:
they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
I would not want to see Joseph Prince pick up dangerous serpents and drink poison today. If he believes that there are some exclusion to verse 18 being the case today, then I would say that to be consistent the context strongly demands an exclusion for the application of verse 17 for today also. Thus Mark 16:17 does not provide (1) the warrant for Joseph Prince to assert that all believers are obligated to speak in tongues, (2) nor that which is necessary to establish the distinction of the gift of tongues and the act of tongues.
Reblogged this on Truth2Freedom's Blog.
Many times a charismatic god in the flesh is much easier for the undiscerning to belief in & trust.
Indeed. Thanks for re-blogging this by the way!
Reblogged this on Truth2Freedom's Blog.
Thank you. I appreciate your post on this. Great analysis!
You’re welcome EvangelZ
[…] between the gift of tongues and speaking in tongues which all believer should have. But we have already shown in part one that this false distinction does not hold up. 1 Corinthians 12 does have bearing against Prince’s position. Verse 30 itself says […]
Hi Slim,
I don’t see a button to share on FB. Am I missing it?
Hey Timothy, I didn’t even know WordPress has the feature to share things on facebook…is there something I need to do to ensure it’s available? Sorry, I’m not savvy with the internet =)
I think it is found in settings.
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Thank you for sharing this!
As usual, good review. I might say that your sentence “I would like to see Joseph Prince pick up dangerous serpents and drink poison today. ” is rather strong. I am sure you didn’t mean it that way…but maybe the language could be changed to sound more gracious – because we both know what would happen if he drank poison. I’ve always enjoyed your humble and gracious spirit, so I know you don’t REALLY want him to try that…but for new readers maybe you could temper that. Up to you.
Michael
Good point Michael! Thanks for reading this post by the way; it’s written almost a year ago but has proven to be timeless and one of our top posts the last year.
I’ve changed the sentence to say this: “I would not want to see Joseph Prince pick up dangerous serpents and drink poison today.”
I understand this was posted last year, however I recently stumbled on it while doing a study on speaking in tongues. I just want to comment that is it possible that the statement “they will take up serpents and if (please mind the word if) they drink any poisonous drink, it shall not hurt them” is figurative. Could it mean that when believers find themselves in dangerous situations they will overcome. Jesus didn’t jump the cliff when tempted by the devil but if he was pushed then a scripture like Mark 16:17 would have been useful. Just saying.
What reasons exegetically would incline you to say it’s figurative? If it is figurative do you think it supports Joseph Prince’s theology?
I share your thoughts, Adeyemi – I think this is meant more in psalms 91 way.
By the way the word if suggest when believers take poisonous drink accidentally it will not hurt them. But then this depends on the faith of the individual. Some might do an academic analysis of the scripture while some might meditate on the word until it is made flesh (a reality or substance of this hoped for) in their heart.
But we must remember that meditating on the Word of God does not mean we can import all kind of subjective reading into the Word
I read recieved the Holy Ghost because I asked the Lord for it,if it was real. I HAD NEVER BEEN TAUGHT that it is a gift for believers.Apparently I hadn’t read much of the new testament. A pastor’s wife told me about the Holy Ghost with speaking in tongues as a sign to ME. I prayed at the altar(a real oo n in front of the platform) and several people were also praying and BOOM, like lightening from above,I simultan eously felt the Lord’s spirit enter me and spoke in tongues.I was delighted,thrilled,and overcome with joy. I heard and felt myself say a few words that were obviously not English. To this very day, I speak in tongues when I pray and it is a joy and strength to me. That was a November night in1973.I do not have the other gifts such as tongues and interpretations.Speaking in tongues in your prayer life is very healthy and Satan cannot understand what I am saying but the Lord does.I don’t understand the words either but that is not important. The Holy Ghost in me does.Everything God has provided for the Church is for all believers. Do not be afraid of receiving the Holy Ghost,be afraid not too. It is beautiful to have a tad of God’s holy spirit in your puny,earthly body.
Darita,
I do have the Holy Ghost. Be careful of going by experience only. Be biblical! How do you answer the questions and problems I’ve pointed out here biblically?
I share your experiences too, Darita.
Have you ever read about Smith’s Wigglesworth from the early 1900s? A very interesting man. You remind me of him in your passion for God.
I have not heard of him, looking him up right now.
My comment was kinda loaded. Smith was a preacher for quite a few years who would argue tooth and nail concerning the baptism of the Holy Spirit. One day he had a divine encounter that forever changed his life. I’m not going to try and convince you one way or the other, but knowing your love for reading, I simply ask you to look into some of the stories about him.
You have made some excellent points here.
It is sad that there are Christians who believe that speaking in tongues is the evidence of baptism by the Holy Spirit. I know of people who felt that their faith was diminished because they did not speak in tongues. Corinthians 13 mentions that speaking in tongues(and a list of other actions) meant nothing without love. We are all part of the same body, but we are all different parts. You do not speak with your feet do you? Yet you need your feet to stand on, they are still important to making the body whole. If I speak in tongues and you do not does not mean I have been baptized by fire and you have not. it just means we are gifted in different areas.The debates and arguments over tongues is only strife that brings division, and this does not promote growth in Christ.My heart breaks for the leaders who take only part of scripture and teach incomplete messages. This is why it is important to search the scripture for yourself and to do so prayerfully asking for God to reveal His Word to us and teach us to understand.
Sister Julie,
Thank you for reading this post. I think it is detrimental towards Christians who are genuinely faithful and saved but then only to have others tell them they don’t have enough faith because they can’t speak in tongues. God bless you Julie and may we all be discerning. If ever you need prayer requests, let us know.
Thank you,
unfortunately it is not because of speaking in tongues that my faith has been questioned. But because of the constant attacks that I have lived through. Physical, emotional and sexual abuse to name just a few things. My health has not been good for a number of years due to abuse my body had suffered. Then four years ago I was falsely accused and persecuted for felony assault against my own teenage daughter. Even though I was innocent of the charges I lost my daughter and even though she is now an adult I am still legally banned from her life. This lead to my mother having a massive stroke and dying. My accusers had been her abuser. So I lost my mother and daughter in the same month, and I was also given a 6,000.00 fine. With assault charges and poor health I have not been able to find a job that even pays the basic bills. After all of this christian brothers and sister have questioned my faith and even asked me what have I done to deserve all of this. This is like kicking a person while they are already down. When compared by some to Job in the Bible I have had to agree, not because of what he suffered but because of his friends criticism of him and a wife who tells him to curse God and die. And like Job who could have been bitter to his friends he chose to intercede to save their lives. So even though I have been criticized and judged and even condemned I have learned to forgive and to see beyond their words and actions but see through the eyes of Christ. Jesus was falsely accused, was beaten and abused, mocked criticized and never spoke a word in His own defense or even in hatred against His accusers. He took it all to the cross paying the price for the sins of all mankind. If we would only learn to take to heart not only the teachings He spoke, but the lesson He taught with His life. He truly loved those who hated Him even when it cost Him His own life. I pray you continue to share the wisdom God is gracing you with.
I don’t know you, Julie, but to get in the position to give a person any kind of gift the person involved have to accept the gift as wanted. The person will not see it as a gift if it’s more considered as a problem in the head of the receiver. This – in opposition to a person who really wants THAT particular gift. The person has the understanding and revealtion of the gift as a gift that is both right and possible. I was lucky to understand without doubt that to speak in tongues was a part of the natural christian life, but I’m rather a shy person. I remember the half an hour that I sat alone in my car seeking God and open up for the gift of tongues a week or two after I was saved. It wasn’t hard – it was only to breahte in and speak out and since then I have it in me and with me anywhere I go ready to be used and spoken out.
Knut, I’m just curious, you’ve been arguing thus far in the two comments I’ve read from experience…how do you respond to my actual posts and the arguments given?
Thank you for sharing this with me
We must go by God’s Word and not by experiences Knut
Speaking in tongues is a part of our daily walk through life. I have spoken in tongues in meetings when I have prayed for people where this leads to wisdom and revelation spoken out in the normal language. I have never spoken in meetings in the way that lead to translation by others.
On my way to work in the social services I use the time in the car to pray both in spoken word and in tongues – this tune in the day filled with more than my human resources. “We” – me and The Holy Spirit is on our way to work. Before meetings at work I often take a time in the mens room with prayer and worship both in spoken language and tounges. “We” do the preparation and I’m sure this have impact.
I’m really thankful for the gift. I have been saved since 1981 and I’m guite sure that without this gift it would be much harder and more a human effort to keep the faith. This gift is free of limits – it’s most for personal use in my daily relation with the devine.
Hey Knut,
” I have never spoken in meetings in the way that lead to translation by others.”
Is that biblical?
Reblogged this on .
The severe and stern rebukes and warnings concerning false teachers and false converts always focus on creeds. There are no explicit warnings concerning emotional experiential gifts as an acid test for true converts.
Tongues is not on Martin Luther’s list. It is not mentioned by Paul in Eph. 2.
The historical and biblical test has always been upon what you believe about scripture, sola scriptura and what you believe about justification, sola fide.
One Lord one body one spirit one hope one baptism one God and Father. There is one gospel and the just will live by faith.
Can a false convert speak in a fake tongue, yes. Do other cults and false religions speak in fake tongues, yes. Are people slain in the spirit in other false religions, yes.
The Holy Spirit always points to Jesus not to Himself. Putting the focus on tongues is to take the focus off of our Lord and onto the Holy Spirit. Worse yet it puts the spotlight upon the tongue speaker. Tongues can only edify the speaker. True tongues can always be translated by the gift of interpretation. The biblical utterance must be unto God not unto your adoring audience.
Then there is the test of logic. We can prove who is a false convert, if they are honest, primarily by their creeds. Tongues, on the other hand, are non-falsifiable. Therefor it cannot be a test of any weight or value. It has all of the credibility of a fish tale.
His false teachings can be found around the world.
Thanks for untangling his bad theology
I think it is in order to call out this false teachers and his teachings! We’re to expose people like him, it is our duty….Amen
Seriously, it amazes me that anyone would put this self absorbed lunatic….I don’t even know how to say how not Biblical it is to suffer this kind on self absorbed false teacher.
Beware the false teacher church! It may touch the hurt of some but don’t let it distract you as to who your savior is!
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