I will begin this chapter by begging your indulgence because I want to speculate on some concepts that are not specifically spelled out in the scriptures, but I believe that we can connect the dots without any real violation to reason or the sanctity of the text. My concern here is to explore the role of the Holy Spirit in the transformation of Saul of Tarsus into the Apostle Paul.
We know that Saul was an excellent student of the Word of God in that he studied under the most notable rabbi of his day. (Acts 22:3) His experience on the Road to Damascus threw him into a total “tailspin” in that this encounter totally contradicted everything that he “knew” and believed. In his brain, Saul was totally convinced that Jesus was the greatest blasphemer, heretic, and charlatan that ever lived; however, his heart yelled out that Jesus was Lord even before he knew who it was that he had encountered in that blinding light. (Acts 9:5) We also know that once he was converted on the Road to Damascus and then baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit under the ministry of Ananias (Acts 9:17) he spent the following three years in Arabia without any further contact with Christians – especially those who could have taught him the truth of the gospel (Galatians 1:16-17). In essence, he went into the Arabian desert with his head spinning with questions and came back out of that desert with answers of such clarity that his explanation of the gospel has changed the world. This definitive revelation of the gospel was what transformed him from the rabbi of Tarsus to the preeminent apostle of the faith. Since we weren’t in the Arabian desert with him, we can only speculate as to how he came by such revolutionary illuminations since his previous knowledge was totally based on the rabbinic interpretations of the Old Testament – ideas that he literally defined as dung. (Philippians 3:8) In II Corinthians 12:7-9, Paul speaks of the revelations that he had received and says that they were so abundant (in significance as well as in quantity) that the devil assigned a special messenger to torment him because of these insights. Because of the abundance of his revelations, Satan felt it necessary to send a messenger to harass him in an attempt to keep the apostle from being exalted or recognized as an authority. Obviously the enemy knew that such a clear presentation of the gospel would literally destroy any possible leverage he would have against the Christian faith. Elsewhere, Paul described those revelations as mysteries that had been disclosed to him and even added that these mysteries were truths that had been hidden throughout the ages – essentially waiting for him to unravel them: the mystery which was kept secret since the world began (Romans 16:25), the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory (I Corinthians 2:7), and the mystery which hath been hid from ages (Colossians 1:26).
Perhaps – and this is the point where I stretch the line pretty far between the two dots – this revelation came to him through speaking in tongues and the accompanying gift of prophecy. Although there is no reference to when he began the practice of praying in tongues, we do know that the apostle was an avid tongues speaker. (I Corinthians 14:18) It is likely that he could have begun the practice of speaking in tongues as soon as he was filled with the Holy Spirit since this seems to be a biblical pattern – the believers in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4), Cornelius and his household (Acts 10:45-46), the disciples in Ephesus (Acts 19:6), and most likely the believers in Samaria (Acts 8:17-19). We also assume that Paul was referring to himself when he wrote of a person who was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it was not lawful for a man to utter. (II Corinthians 12:4) Notice the similarity of thought when he speaks of this experience being unutterable and the way he described speaking in tongues in Romans 8:26 as being in unutterable groanings. If all these dots do indeed connect, we can conclude that Paul spent much of the time that he was isolated in Arabia speaking in tongues so that he could get the revelation of the mysteries of God in his spirit, and then he pressed into prophecy so that the unspeakable truths in his heart became comprehensible to his mind in such a clear way that he could pen them to present a clear legacy of gospel truth for generations to come.
The reason I feel that Paul’s avenue into these revelations was through speaking in tongues is his statement in I Corinthians 14:2, 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. Some theologians feel that speaking in tongues is nothing more than some sort of emotional high that those who practice it use in order to escape reality. They say that the words themselves mean nothing and that the only value that the practice may bring is simply the euphoria that the speaker may experience for the few minutes that he or she is disconnected from the real world. On the contrary, speaking in tongues is not an escape from reality; rather, it is a divine connection to a level of reality that can only be approached through a supernatural connection.
The first thing that I’d like for us to notice in this verse is how Paul describes what happens when a person speaks in tongues – in the spirit, he speaks mysteries. With this explanation, it might be easy to understand why some people would discredit the practice, saying that speaking mysteries, or unintelligible ideas, is pointless. Before we jump to any rash conclusions, it is important to remember that there is a radical difference between the two words “unintelligible” and “unintelligent.” Just because something is inexpressible does not mean that it is senseless. The Bible gives us two powerful examples of things that are considered unspeakable, yet to be treasured – the joy of knowing Christ (I Peter 1:8) and the grace of God we experience in salvation through Christ (II Corinthians 9:14-15).
The second area that we should focus on in this verse is the fact that what is being spoken is defined as mysteries. Some might immediately respond that there is no point in focusing on things that are unsolvable – or, at least, unsolved. But exactly the opposite is actually true. To understand this point, let’s take a look at some of the things that the Bible describes as mysteries:
The kingdom of heaven or God (Matthew 13:11, Mark 4:11, Luke 8:10)
Christ and God (I Corinthians 4:1; Colossians 2:2, 4:3)
God’s will (Ephesians 1:9)
Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:32) The gospel (Ephesians 6:19)
The faith in a pure conscience (I Timothy 3:9) Godliness (I Timothy 3:16)
Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27)
Certainly no one would dare to say that any of these subjects is unworthy of consideration and meditation! In that case, it does seem advantageous to speak of them in our prayers – even in prayers that are unintelligible to the natural mind.
The third area of focus that I would like to consider in this verse is that the tongues speaker is described as speaking to God rather than man. Now, let’s apply a bit of basic logic to the matter at hand. Let’s say that you were having trouble with your car, would you go ask the local grocer how to get it working properly? Obviously not – you’d go to the automobile mechanic. Why? Because he is the one who knows the answer to the mystery of why your car is not working properly. Need I really take the space on this page to draw out the analogy that it is the all-wise God to whom we need to address these mystery issues? Since it is obvious that we must have an understanding of God, Jesus, the gospel, God’s will, His kingdom, and what exactly it means that Christ is in us, it is only logical that we need to address these issues to the proper authority and in the proper way. In fact, this is the reason Paul went into the desert – he needed to be in a place where his only source of information would be God Himself. Romans 8:26-28 explains exactly how this happens.
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
The Holy Spirit knows that we don’t even know how to address the Lord properly concerning these mysteries; therefore, He assists us by praying with words that we would never be able to imagine, framing questions that we would not be able to construct. And He does this in tongues. Because He knows exactly what is in our hearts (our unintelligible – but not unintelligent – questions and concerns) and also knows the exact will of God (as opposed to our limited comprehension of it), He presents our requests in the exact manner that renders the wonderful result of having everything work out just perfectly on our behalf! But as wonderful as that may be, it seems that there may be even more in this verse – the involvement of the very Son of God, Jesus Christ. Notice that the verse says that the one making intercession is the one who knows the mind of the Spirit – apparently someone other than the Holy Spirit Himself. Of course, we have to be cautious before we jump to conclusions because – as we have already discussed – Greek at the time the Bible was penned didn’t use capital letters. Therefore, the word “Spirit” could originally have been written with a small letter, indicating the human spirit rather than the Holy Spirit. In this case, the word “mind” would have to be understood not so much as the brain but the thinking process. If this is the case, then Paul is saying that the Holy Spirit knows what’s going on in our spirits as we pray those unintelligible words, and He translates our requests to God in intelligible words. However, if we retain the capitalization, the verse is definitely speaking of someone other than the Holy Spirit since it is illogical to say that the Holy Spirit knows His own mind. In that we know that Jesus lives eternally to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25), the only reasonable option is that the verse is referring to Jesus. In this case, we have a multiplied benefit when we pray in tongues – not only does the Holy Spirit intercede on our behalf, but His concern catalytically generates more intercession from Jesus Himself – and we know that the Heavenly Father never denies the requests presented by His Son! (John 15:16, 16:23-27) What a beautiful illustration of the total Trinity at work on our behalf!
One other thing that we need to focus on is that Paul acknowledges that the mysteries that are spoken are from the spirit of the speaker – a concept that might be confusing to some readers because they automatically assume that the tongues come from the Holy Spirit. From the very first occurrence of this phenomenon, the scriptures made it plain that the believers in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost did the speaking as the Holy Spirit gave them the words to say. (Acts 2:4) Thus, speaking in tongues is a joint operation of the inner heart of the believer and the Holy Spirit. As the spirit of the believer cries out for an answer from God, the Holy Spirit takes that request and molds it into the perfect prayer which is then verbalized in tongues by the outward physical being of the believer. As the mystery is unraveled, everything in the believer’s life is supernaturally coordinated to work out just right.
Now that we have mentioned the physical and the spiritual dimensions of the believer, we need to also incorporate the soulical nature as well. And Paul does just that in I Corinthians 14:14, For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. The believer’s soul is still “out of the loop” at this point. That’s why the prayers are considered mysteries – the mind doesn’t figure out all the details. But the fact that the mind may still be at a loss doesn’t make praying in tongues void or useless. If only we would think for a minute, we’d all realize that major aspects of our lives are controlled by things that don’t register as logical in our minds. Let’s take love for instance. Can any one of us give a logical, scientific, or mathematical formula or explanation for what happens when a mother sees her baby for the first time or the ongoing love between the parent and the child or what happens when that young man and young woman meet for the first time or how that infatuation turns to affection and matures into a life-long commitment? Of course not, but all of us have committed our lives to that thing called love, whatever it is. In the same way, we can pray mysteries in the spirit and still not have a logical intelligible resolution, but at the same time we will just know everything is all right. It all makes sense in our hearts even if our brains are still at a loss. Paul described this sort of relationship in Ephesians 3:19, And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God – truths which he has referred to as mysteries in verses four and nine of this same chapter. How is it possible to know something that goes beyond knowledge? Obviously, he is expressing the event in which our spirits have experienced the content of the mystery while our brains are still trying to comprehend all the clues. This same message is echoed in I Corinthians 2:9-10, But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God, in which he explains that there are truths and realities that are revealed in the spirit that are still not comprehended by the soulical personality.
Coupled with the gift of speaking in tongues is the gift of prophecy in which the mysteries that the spirit part of the believer has experienced become comprehensible to the intellect, He that prophesies understands all mysteries. (I Corinthians 13:2) Since the Lord wants our total being to be blessed, He actually advocates that we desire this revelatory gift of prophecy above the other gifts which may only benefit one portion of our personality – for example healing that blesses the physical man or speaking in tongues that can bless the spiritual dimension while leaving the soulical unfulfilled. (I Corinthians 14:1) However, when prophecy comes forth, there is a total blessing that benefits us in every aspect. This is why the apostle stressed that the gathering of believers should focus on prophesy and revelation. (I Corinthians 14:6, 14:26)
Paul stressed that speaking in tongues should be primarily for one’s personal use – likely for searching through the mysteries of God – while prophetic exposition of the mysteries of God should be the focal point of public ministry. In fact, he concluded that five words spoken intelligently are better than ten thousand words uttered in an unknown tongue. (I Corinthians 14:19) We can garner two significant thoughts from this summary statement. Considering that the average adult American male typically speaks ten thousand words per day, Paul’s reference to this number of words in an unknown tongue emphasizes the point that quantity does not outweigh quality. But the real significance of this statement is found in his positive evaluation of the ability to communicate viable truth succinctly in just five words. In fact, this is exactly the quality that has made Saul of Tarsus into Paul the apostle whose writings have changed the world. All you need to do is visit a few Bible colleges and seminaries and take a tour through the libraries that are filled with shelf after shelf of books trying to explain Paul’s thirteen short letters. Some of the greatest minds of the past two millennia have spent endless hours and filled uncountable books in their attempt to unpack all the godly mysteries that he exposed in his handful of writings – essentially five words in comparison to the volumes of revelation that have been deduced from them.
Let’s take a quick look through some of Paul’s statements to see if we can confirm the hypothesis that we have drawn so far. In I Corinthians 4:5, he wrote that we should never judge anything before the time – until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. Obviously, he is not referring to the Second Coming of Christ since that would leave every decision hanging until the end of time. Therefore, it is apparent that he is referencing the fact that the Lord can come in each present situation and make His will known. One likely example of this sort of divine intervention was in relation to Paul’s own ordination. In Acts 13:2, the Holy Spirit spoke and directed the elders in Antioch to anoint Paul and Barnabas for the mission work that they were to venture into. This directive came after these church leaders had spent some time in fasting and “ministering to the Lord.” Is it possible that this ministry to the Lord was prayer in tongues? (I Corinthians 2:7, 14:2, 14:28) If so, this example can illustrate how we can invite the Lord to manifest Himself and give divine wisdom in matters that need supernatural direction.
The seventh chapter of I Corinthians reveals some interesting levels of confidence concerning the apostle’s certainty in the advice that he is rendering in response to the questions that the church had raised concerning marriage. In verse six, he said, I speak this by permission, and not of commandment. Apparently, he was convinced that his counsel was worthy of acceptance even though he couldn’t attribute it one hundred percent to God as a verbatim directive. However, in verse ten, he wrote, I command, yet not I, but the Lord. This time, it was unquestionable that the counsel he was giving was not his own thought, but the very edict of God. Contrast that with his evaluation of his advice in verse twelve, But to the rest speak I, not the Lord. Here, the apostle readily admitted that this statement was his own and he was not going to “pull any punches” to try to make it look as if he had a word from God on the matter. In verse twenty-five, he again confessed that his guidance was solely his own, I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. Finally, in verse forty, he conceded that he was fairly confident that his counsel was in direct accordance with the mind of the Holy Spirit even though he wasn’t certain, I think also that I have the Spirit of God. In comparison, Paul wrote with unequivocal assurance that he was hearing from the Holy Spirit in I Timothy 4:1, Now the Spirit speaketh expressly. Even though this is the introductory statement to a new section in the epistle, if we view it as part of the entire letter we will recognize that it transitions from the concluding verse of the previous chapter in which Paul speaks of the mystery of godliness.
In this perspective, we can see that the understanding of the mystery and the express message from the Holy Spirit can be seen as companion concepts. In such case, would it be too much of a leap of logic to assume that there could have been an element of revelation that came through Holy Spirit-directed prayer in tongues?
Paul made other references to the fact that the Holy Spirit bore witness to realities in his life. (Romans 1:9, 8:16) Additionally, he claimed that he received revelation directly from the Lord. (I Corinthians 11:23, Galatians 1:12) Perhaps this was his way of saying that his revelations were confirmed in the mouths of two or three witnesses (II Corinthians 13:1) – the Holy Spirit speaking the mind of the Father and the Son (John 16:13-16). Knowing how life-changing the revelations that he had received from the Holy Spirit were in his own life, Paul’s most powerful prayer for the church was that they would also be transformed by this same divine revelation.
[I] cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. (Ephesians 1:16-18)
But he doesn’t stop with his own intercession, he directs us that we should also pursue the practice of Holy Spirit-empowered prayers, And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. (Ephesians 6:17-18) Notice the apparently intentional correlation with the Word of God and praying in the Spirit. It seems likely that Paul received his understanding of the Word of God – and the ability to actually pen words that would become recognized as the very Word of God – through praying in the Holy Spirit; therefore, he admonished the believers whom he was discipling to pursue their spiritual connection with divine revelation through prayer in the Spirit. In I Corinthians 14:15, Paul made the determination that he would purposely pray in the Spirit as well as with the understanding. It is likely this is a reference to the practice of praying mysteries to God in tongues and prophesying the revelations back in an understandable language – the practice that changed him from Saul of Tarsus to Paul the apostle and the practice that can change us from average individuals to men and women whose lives are a present- day manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. (I Corinthians 12:7)
