11. Does Satan counterfeit God’s spiritual gifts?

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.JTL20 13.1

The gift of tongues also has a counterfeit. On the Day of Pentecost, the gift of languages which enabled those gathered in Jerusalem from many foreign localities to understand the preaching of the gospel in their own tongue. Speaking in an ecstatic utterance that does not comprise a human language is a counterfeit.JTL20 13.2

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.JTL20 13.3