Tongues

TONGUES SPEAKING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Tongues-speaking, or (glossalalia), to use the technical terms, is a spontaneous utterance of sounds in a language which the speaker has never learned and usually does not even understand. For a long time tongues-speaking was largely confined to Pentecostal churches, but for the past decade this phenomenon has spread to the large, formal, major religious groups, e.g. Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans, and others. There are a few isolated instances of it among Churches of Christ.

We want to look in this introductory lesson at the passages in the New Testament, which make reference to tongues-speaking. We want to know if it is possible for people today to speak in tongues as they did in New Testament times.

Mark 16:17,18

‘⁷And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; ‘⁸They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

One of the signs, which was to accompany those who believe, was that they would speak with “new tongues”. The ability to speak in a “new tongue” is defined here as being a miraculous gift along with picking up serpents and drinking deadly things. Notice that Christ’s promise is not that those signs would follow for any specified time, nor that they would follow each individual believer, but simply that they would “follow them that believe”. These signs did accompany the believers during apostolic times—not every individual believer, but nevertheless the powers were possessed by some of the believers. That then was a fulfillment of the promise of Christ.

Acts 2:1-4

The next passage in chronological I order is Acts 2:1-4

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ²And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. ³And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. ⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Peter shows that the gift of tongues was a fulfillment of God’s promise through Joel to pour out his Spirit upon all flesh (Acts 2:16). It should be observed here that the gift of tongues-speaking in the New Testament has been identified two ways:

(a) speaking in a foreign language without having learned it, and

(b) speaking in an ecstatic utterance which supposedly came from divine power.

It is clear that the tongues on Pentecost were actually foreign languages and not ecstatic utterances.

Acts 2:5-8,11 “⁵And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. ⁶Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. ⁷And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? ⁸And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?... “Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.” A miracle was performed, not on the hearers, but on the speakers. The apostles were “speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance,” and the multitude heard them speaking in their own native languages.

It is also interesting to notice that the words glossais (tongues) and dialectos (language) are used interchangeably in this chapter, indicating that the “other tongues” were other languages. Virtually all translations of this passage give this same meaning: “in foreign tongues” (Moffatt); “in foreign languages” (Goodspeed); “in different languages” (Phillips); “in other languages” (TEV); “in languages they didn’t know” (Living N. T.).

Tongues-speaking on Pentecost was a sign to the unbelieving Jews who had crucified Christ.

Acts 10:44-48; 11:15-17.

The third reference to tongues in the New Testament involved Cornelius and his household.

Acts 10:44-48 “⁴⁴While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. ⁴⁵And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. ⁴⁶For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, ⁴⁷Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? ⁴⁸And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.”

Peter’s account in the next chapter reads:

Acts 11:15-17 “⁵And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. ‘⁶Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. ‘⁷Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?”

Here the ability to speak in tongues is identified as being a part of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which Cornelius received, just as did the apostles on Pentecost. In this instance, tongues-speaking was a sign to the Jewish brethren to show that Gentiles had a right to the gospel as well as Jews.

Acts 11:18 “⁸When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, ‘Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.’”

Acts 19: 1-7

Acts 19: 1-7 tells of twelve men at Ephesus who had been baptized by John the Baptist’s baptism. Since John’s baptism had now been, replaced by baptism into Christ, Paul taught these twelve men and then immersed them into Christ. Then the record says: “⁶And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.” Acts 19:6

1 Corinthians 12-14

The fullest discussion of the gift of tongues in the New Testament is in chapters twelve through fourteen of 1 Corinthians. The gift of tongues had become a problem in the Corinthian church in three ways.

(a) Some were exalting the gift of tongues above other gifts of the Spirit. This created pride and jealousy in the body of Christ;

(b) Some erroneously felt the gift of tongues made faith, hope, and love unnecessary; and

(c) The unintelligible way in which Corinthian Christians were using the gift of tongues had brought confusion into their worship assemblies.

Let us notice some of the highpoints in Paul’s instructions concerning these matters. In order to deal with those who were exalting the gift of tongues above the other gifts, Paul begins by pointing out that tongues are just one of nine miraculous gifts of the Spirit;

1 Corinthians 12:4, 7-11 “⁴Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

. . .But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. ⁸For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; ⁹To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; ‘°To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”

Paul then observes a few verses later that not all Christians speak in tongues or

should even be expected to: “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?

Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues?

Do all interpret? (1 Cor. 12: 29,30). The answer to these questions is obvious.

Chapter thirteen begins Paul’s discourse that love is superior to all these spiritual gifts, and especially to the gift of tongues:

1 Corinthians 13:1 ‘Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

Speaking in tongues, even if exercised in a correct manner, is utterly meaningless unless accompanied by love. Even though a person had the ability to speak all languages men know, as men speak them, and even though he had the higher ability to speak and communicate as angels do, all of it means nothing without love.

1 Corinthians 13:8-11 “⁸Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. ⁹For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. ‘°But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”

In I Cor. 14.2-5 Paul argues that the gift of prophecy is superior to the gift of tongues:

1 Corinthians 14:2 -5 “²For 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. ³But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. ⁴He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.”

It is most unfortunate that when the translators of the King James Version came to this passage, they inserted the word “unknown” before glossais tongue: “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men but unto God” (1 Cor 14:2). “Unknown” is in italics, indicating it was never a part of the original Greek. Nowhere does the Greek speak of an “unknown tongue. It is a most unfortunate translation and has caused no small amount of misunderstanding as to what the true nature tongues -speaking was in the New Testament.

Paul’s argument here is that prophecy is superior to the gift of tongues because it is more profitable to the church. The speaker exercising his gift of tongues might indeed speak divine truths or mysteries of God, but, speaking in a foreign language, he would be understood only by God and thus would edify only himself. A prophet, on the other hand, would be understood by all present and, hence, would edify the whole church. When Paul says, “For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God for no one understands him,” he is not meaning to say that no man living could understand the tongues, or that they were merely ecstatic utterances or unintelligible sounds. He means that no man present in the usual Corinthian assemblies understood them. The verses that follow again make it clear that these tongues are foreign languages and were not to be used unless people could understand them.

1 Corinthians 14:9-11 “⁹So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air. ‘°There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. “Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. •. 18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:

‘⁹Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.”

Those who contend that “tongues” in I Cor, 14 were ecstatic utterances and not real human languages, draw most of their arguments from these verses. They point out that these tongues are:

Although these four facts about tongues-speaking can fit the interpretations of tongues as ecstatic utterances they can also fit the interpretation of tongues as foreign languages. If, by the Spirit, a man speaks in a language he has not learned and there are none in the assembly that can understand this language, then he is:

To read “ecstatic utterances” into an interpretation of I Cor, 14: would destroy the whole purpose of tongues-speaking in the, New Testament. What would be unique about Christians speaking with ecstatic utterances in Corinth when the same thing was going on in the mystery cults of the city. If, however, they were speaking in other languages by a miraculous gift, this would be unique. This is something the mystery cults could not do.

It is natural, therefore, that Paul’s next point is that tongues are a sign to unbelievers:

1 Corinthians 14:22 ²²Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.. Tongues were a sign to the unbelieving Jews on Pentecost who had rejected the teaching of God that Jesus was the Christ. Tongues were a sign to the unbelieving Jews at the household of Cornelius who had refused to understand that the gospel was for all nations. Tongues were a sign to the pagans that Christians had unique miraculous power from God, a power to speak in languages they had never learned.

In 1 Cor, 14:26 the apostle states that tongues are to be used only when they edify the, church: “²⁶How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.”

He adds in verse 27. “If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. “ Since those in the Corinthian church who were speaking in tongues were not being understood by others, they could all speak at once and this brought confusion. Hence Paul forbids more than three to speak with tongues in one meeting, and these must not speak all at once, but in turn, and they must pause and let someone with the gift of interpretation translate what they have said so the whole church will be edified. If no interpreter is present, then the tongues-speaker must keep silent.

Paul concludes his extended treatment- of this subject by saying that the exercise of spiritual gifts in the church, including the gift of tongues, is to be limited to the men:

1 Corinthians 14:34 “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.”

He caps it all off with the reminder: “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. “(1 Cor. 14:37).

This gives us an overview of what the New Testament teaches about tongues-speaking. In following lessons, we will look at some of these passages in greater depth.

Instead of trying to make the miraculous gift of tongues in the New Testament conform to psychological phenomenon found, in other religions, let us accept them for what they were: unique gifts given to Christians in the early church, either through the baptism of the Spirit, or the laying, on of the apostles’ hands, giving the ability to speak, in languages they had never learned.