am061007-What The Bible Teaches About Speaking in Tongues - part 2
WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES
ABOUT SPEAKING IN TONGUES
Part 2
Last week in part 1 of “What the Bible Teaches about Speaking in Tongues”, we mentioned that the importance of this issues is seen in the fact that if we are to speak in tongues today then this church needs to obey God. Secondly, if the gift of ‘speaking in tongues’ has ceased, then it would be wrong for our church or any church to speak in tongues today. Thirdly, should one’s experience be the interpreter of the Bible? So often today we say we know of respectful Christians who speak in tongues and it must be true because they really love the Lord. Bottom line, our friends have more authority over what we believe than the Bible!! Have you ever done something you thought to be true and later find out it was wrong to do. The experience was real but the act was wrong.
For a moment, let’s return to the key verse of last week.
1 Corinthians 14:20-22
20 Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants (be innocent like infants regarding evil), but in your thinking be mature. 21 In the Law it is written, “By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I (God) will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me,” (they still don’t listen to this very day) says the Lord. 22 So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe.
Speaking in tongues (foreign languages) was a sign to the Jewish people that God was working with the Gentiles and if they didn’t repent of their disobedience to God judgment was coming upon Israel. Their major act of disobedience was they had excluded the Gentiles from knowing the true and living God. At Pentecost after Christ had been crucified, risen, and ascended to heaven, it continue to be a sign to the Jewish people that they were responsible to offer salvation to the nations. In salvation of the Jews and Gentiles, God would make one body, the body of Christ. Jews who would refuse the message of salvation to the Gentiles would continue under God’s discipline.
Last week we concluded that the gift of “Speaking in tongues (known languages but not known to the speaker)”
1. it was only used in presence of Jews.
2. it was a known language.
3. it was always used publicly.
4. it was a sign to the unbelieving Jew that the gospel was for all people.
5. it was a sign of coming judgment to the unbelieving Jew who refused to repent.
Now, let’s take our findings and go to verse 2 of 1 Corinthians 14 and apply the biblical sign of tongues to the text and see if is being counterfeited today.
1 Corinthians 14:2-6
This chapter deals with the gift of speaking in tongues in the assembly not publicly! 2 For one who speaks in a tongue (in another language) does not speak to men but to God (in Acts 2,10,19 those speaking in another language were speaking to God; they were exalting Him-not evangelizing); for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. 3 But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation. 4 One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself (there is nothing more selfish than to use your spiritual gift for yourself-spiritual gifts were never for this purpose); but one who prophesies edifies the church. 5 Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues (for in that case more Jews would experience the sign),
This phrase is often uses as an argument for Paul wanting every person to speak in tongues. It that were true, then that would contradict 1 Cor. 12:29 where he says no one has all the gifts. Secondly, this is the exact phrase Paul uses in 1 Cor. 7:7 where he states that he wished all men were celebrant! Interestingly not much is mentioned about this gift today.
5 Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets (for those who didn’t know the language), so that the church may receive edifying. 6 But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, what will I profit you unless I speak to you either by way of revelation or of knowledge or of prophecy or of teaching?
At that point in the early church, you were not going to find unsaved Jewish people in the church congregation full of Gentiles. You would find Jews in the synagogues but not in the assembly of believers. Tongues are for a sign to unbelievers so unless you interpret there is no value to it being spoken in the assembly with believers. The gift of interpretation was for the gathered church but it was like taking a glass of water (H20) and breaking it apart into 2 parts of Hydrogen and 1 part oxygen before you drink it and then put the components back together again as water and then drinking it. Why bother?
Now, some would say today that tongues are a prayer language? Let’s observe what Paul states.
1 Corinthians 14:13-19
13 Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful (I don’t know what I’m saying; it is an unknown language to the speaker). 15 What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also. (ever sing a song in another language that is unknown to you in a missions conference? – German, Dutch, French, Italian, Chech, Polish, Russian).16 Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted (doesn’t know that language) say the “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified. 18 I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all (he was the apostle to the Gentiles); 19 however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue. 20 Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants (infants regarding evil are innocent), but in your thinking be mature.
If the Corinthian believers were going to speak in tongues when gathered together, it must be interpreted; but it would be more mature of them to speak in the language of the congregation than to take the time to interpret. Paul brings this out in the next verses.
1 Corinthians 14:26-28
26 What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret; 28 but if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God (he can speak in an unknown language to himself [but still doesn’t understand what he is saying])
Present day tongues are not biblical tongues for reasons already presented but if they were for today it would be absolutely forbidden without an interpreter, one at a time, and only one interpreter and only done by men which is violated by most church who permit speaking in tongues.
But what did Paul mean in verse 39, when he stated that they were not to forbid speaking in tongues?
1 Corinthians 14:39
39 Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues.
The gift of tongues had not ceased so they were useful but not in the church gathered unless interpreted for the sake of edification but it was not being used according to its purpose.
Where is the biblical support that the gift ‘speaking in tongues’ has ceased? If not for today, when did it cease? Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 13:8
1 Corinthians 13:8-10
8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy ), they will be done away; (the Spirit given ability to speak God’s inspired word but was not recorded in the Bible except for the Apostles and the ones they approved like Luke and Mark) if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. (the Spirit given ability received directly from God to give understanding of His word to others), 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. (I believe the greater support to what the perfect is, is the completion of the Scriptures after John writes Revelation)
The gift of speaking in tongues must cease when there is no longer any purpose for the sign.
Acts 28:28-31
28 “Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.” 29 [When he had spoken these words, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.] 30 And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, 31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.
The purpose for ‘speaking in tongues’ was a sign to the unbelieving Jew that the Holy Spirit’s work in salvation had also gone to the Gentiles. By 70 AD, the Christianity was basically a Gentile church. And for the Jews who could not accept that fact were facing with certain judgment and it occur in AD70.
Evidence that this true is the fact that from AD 70 to the present, there is no evidence of speaking in tongues among orthodox Christianity. Only occurrence has been among heretical groups and then in the early 1900’s among some Pentecostal groups and continues to the present day but it does not meet the biblical purpose for tongues; therefore, it is extremely dangerous to a person to be involved in things not approved of God.
Also we must remind ourselves that ‘speaking in tongues’ is not a sign of spirituality and having been baptized with the Holy Spirit with special access to the gifts of the Spirit. Look at the truth of 1 Corinthians 12:12-13.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13
12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by (in) one Spirit we were all baptized into one body (Christ is the baptizer), whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
The baptism with the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ was to place Jews and Gentiles in one body. The Holy Spirit would take away all the hostilities and now we would become one for His glory. Tongues were a sign that salvation had come to the Gentiles.
So then, The gift of tongues ceased as a sign to unbelieving Jews for they no longer questioned if God had given salvation to the Gentiles and they were scattered among the nations after AD 70.
Remember your friends may experience tongues today but it is impossible for them to be biblical tongues. Are their experiences real? Yes, but it doesn’t mean they are biblical experiences.
If you believe biblical tongues are not for today, I would agree with you and may we both minister with grace and love to our charismatic friends.
If you believe biblical tongues continue today, I would strongly disagree with you, but I will accept you as my brother and sister in Christ.
If you believe the issue of tongues isn’t an important issue, then I disagree and regret that you take the Word of God so lightly.
Finally, remember there are no biblical verses for ‘speaking in tongues’ to be the evidence of spirituality, it is not an evidence of being baptized with Holy Spirit, or evidence of a prayer language. It tragically advances the concept that experience interprets truth rather than truth interpreting the experience.
May we never stop rightly dividing the Word of Truth!!