My Journey to Life - Daily Study Guide

Q11. Does Satan counterfeit God’s spiritual gifts?

Picture: Q11. Does Satan counterfeit God’s spiritual gifts? JTLD 285.1

Yes, Satan tempts individuals to pervert their spiritual gifts for selfish purposes. One example is Simon Magnus’ desire to buy power from Peter so he could give the Holy Spirit to whoever he wished. The prophet Balaam tried to hire himself out to Balak, the king of Moab. He hoped that if he was to curse Israel, he would receive great monetary rewards. In addition to the genuine gift of prophecy given to build and strengthen God's church, there are counterfeit prophets whose work leads to confusion and misinterpretation of Scripture. JTLD 285.2

The gift of tongues also has a counterfeit. The original gift on the Day of Pentecost was actual languages which enabled those gathered in Jerusalem from many foreign localities to understand the preaching of the gospel in their own language. Speaking in an ecstatic utterance that does not comprise a human language is a counterfeit. JTLD 285.3

Some teach that tongues are the evidence of Pentecostal power and are a prerequisite to genuine conversion. However, Paul asks, “Do all speak with tongues?” (1 Corinthians 12:30) with the inference that the answer is no. Paul also stated, “All these (gifts) are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills” (1 Corinthians 12:11). It is a perversion of Paul’s teaching about the dispersal of the gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 to insist that all who have been baptized by the Spirit must speak in tongues. JTLD 285.4

• Bible Discovery: Numbers 22:1-24:25; Matthew 24:24; Acts 8:19; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 4:1; Revelation 16:14
• Further Reading: Ellen G. White, Testimonies, vol. 1, p. 412.1; Selected Messages, vol. 3, pp. 408.4-409.1