As A. C. Thiselton (the author of a well-regarded commentary on 1 Corinthians) points out, “it is almost universally agreed that reference to modern Pentecostal and charismatic phenomena cannot be used as an exegetical test for interpretations of Paul and Corinth.”[1]

This is very important to keep in mind, because there is a tendency among many to experience something they consider “miraculous” (e.g., an unexpected new job, deliverance from temporal danger, an unexplained healing of bodily illness, or an ecstatic experience of speaking in tongues) and, based on such experiences, attempt to define the nature of the charismata (gifts of the Spirit) mentioned by Paul in his Corinthian letter.

It is simply misguided to do something with no biblical precedent—such as televangelists boasting about receiving “words of knowledge”—and then claim that they are exercising the same “word of knowledge” to which Paul refers in 1 Corinthians 12:8. Someone may experience an ecstatic utterance in private and then claim they have the gift of tongues, urging others to seek the same experience.

But this is not the proper method for understanding spiritual gifts.

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