Calvary Baptist Church

Understanding the work of the spirit inevitably leads to a challenging question about speaking in tongues.  Believers come from two distinct camps when this subject is confronted. First, there are those who have experience with tongues either their own experience or they have witnessed others speaking in tongues.  This group of people have strong opinions about the validity of speaking in tongues.

Other believers have no such experience.  They have not been a setting where they have ever witnessed tongues, much less had that experience for themselves.  Their inexperience leaves them confused about the subject altogether.

Today’s blog will address the challenging subject of speaking on tongues. As I mentioned in last week’s blog, I challenge you to evaluate your experience with the Word of God as opposed to letting your experience determine the correctness of any theological evaluation on tongues.

This subject is significant because it affects how we view our spiritual experience. Some believers feel that they have an inadequate experience because they have not spoken in tongues.  Some who have done so believe themselves inferior to the tongue speakers.

This discussion is not a new one.  Historical speakers such as John Wesley and George Whitefield have debated this subject.   We are not on new ground, but we can stand passionately committed to the Word of God.

To help those who have not experienced tongues, allow me to begin with some definitions.

• • "The languages given to the believer by the Holy Spirit but not earned or understood by the speaker."  (Fortune, P. 15)
  • "The power to speak by the Holy Spirit in a language the speaker has not learned."  (Complete Biblical Library, P. 417)
  • "It is highly emotional speech that has value for the individual who possesses the gift, but little value for the church as a whole."  (Broadman, P. 363)

The term for speaking in tongues glossolalia is made up of two Biblical words glossa: “tongues” and laleo: “to speak.”  The combination word is found in reference to speaking in tongues twenty-five times in the New Testament. 

The word is used extensively in Acts and is a prominent part of Paul’s discussion of Spiritual Gifts in 1 Corinthians 12-14.  The latter of these passages answers many of the questions we have about tongues.

FIVE DISTINCT APPROACHES TO TONGUES

Addressing the subject of tongues typically falls into one of five approaches.   The chart below shows these approaches on a scale.

A few words of explanation on each of these approaches:

• • Extreme Charismatic Approach

This approach sees the gifts of the spirit as evidence of the second work of the Holy Spirit.  As discussed in last week’s blog, not everyone agrees that there is a second work.  Those who hold to this approach insist that the evidence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues.

Tongues are the initial, necessary evidence that one has received the Spirit or the empowering from the Spirit by means of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  They enable the believer to speak more effectively.

Not all who speak in tongues hold this position, but some say that a person must speak in tongues to be saved.  This approach CANNOT be supported Biblically.  Paul makes truly clear that all do not possess or exhibit any of the spiritual gifts, including tongues.  (See 1 Corinthians 12:29-31)

• • Charismatic Approach

This perspective insists that tongues are not necessary.  This approach says that all gifts are valid as in the Early Church.  They are needed to experience the fullness of the Spirit each gift is needed in the local church.

Adherents would deny that any gift is evidence of the fulness of the Holy Spirit.  Most profess a charismatic experience at one time or another but do not insist that every believer shares that experience.  Tongues indicate that one has the fullness of the Spirit, but they are not the only indicator.

• • Limited Charismatic Approach

Proponents believe that all gifts are valid but are given within the universal church and different ones are given within different local churches.  They have never had a charismatic experience but assert that they are valid.

Further, they believe that not all Christians will speak in tongues, and the Spirit is present in every Christian, but special power comes to the Christian by means of releasing the Spirit’s power by tongues, given to some Christians to give the will of God to the church for its edification.

• • Non-Charismatic Approach

Supporters of this belief assert that all gifts are no longer valid.   Therefore, tongues and other gifts should not be exercised in any church.  They believe that God can still heal but does not use human instruments and tongues are no longer needed.

They further attest that miraculous gifts were given to establish validity and authority of those who had gifts.   These gifts (tongues, interpretations, miracles, healings, and prophecies) validated the early apostles, but were not intended to carry through to the contemporary believers.   These gifts were phased out at the end of the first century when the New Testament canon was completed.

Opponents of this position reject it with the idea that such gifts limit the Holy Spirit.

• • Anti-Charismatic Approach

This approach is skeptical of all supernatural gifts.  It is almost the same doctrinal stand as the non-charismatic approach.  The difference is that these advocates tend to label those who speak with tongues as false teachers.  Extremists even accuse those who exercise the gifts as conducting the work of Satan.

RESPONSE

People tend to either focus on miraculous gifts at the expense of other gifts or emphasize other gifts and ignore the miraculous gifts.  Both extremes are mistakes.  We cannot support either of these extremes Biblically. 

The cessationist claims that gifts are no longer valid has no Biblical support. Paul speaks of a day when all spiritual gifts will be unnecessary.  But that statement in 1 Corinthians 13:8 would require that the gifts or prophecy and knowledge will also cease.  No spiritual gifts endure into heaven.  They will simply not be needed.  In their place, only love will remain.

LET THE BIBLE SPEAK: THE BIBLICAL EXPRESSION OF TONGUES

The Scripture has three very distinct experiences of tongues.  Each has a unique purpose and guidelines for use.

• • Language Tongues (Acts 2)

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues x as the Spirit enabled them... 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, d 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues.

This expression of tongues occurred at the outset of the Spirit’s work in the early church on the day of Pentecost.  Once the Spirit came into the room, evidenced by the sound of the rushing wind and the tongues of fire, crowds gathered outside the upper room.

The disciples spoke in tongues specifically to enable the gospel message to spread to those who gathered.  Jewish people from every nation under heaven heard the message in a language and dialect they could understand.

The simple question is this, could or would the Spirit inspire such an expression today?  The answer is simply, “yes, of course!”  If tongues in such a setting were needed the Spirit could inspire His people to speak in a way that is understandable.

The result of this speaking?  Peter could preach a powerful message, which was relayed in each  language.  Three thousand listeners became believers.  The early church had its start!

• • Prophetic Tongues (1 Corinthians 14:26-33)

²⁶ What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. ²⁷ If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. ²⁸ If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God. ²⁹ Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. ³⁰ And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. ³¹ For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. ³² The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. ³³ For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. ^[1]

In this passage Paul clearly speaks about different kinds of tongues.  He addresses a prophetic message delivered to the church by a member speaking in tongues followed immediately by a clear message of interpretation.  

Why would God deliver such a message?  To speak a prophetic word to His people.  Was this message delivered at a particularly important juncture?  Was it delivered because God’s spokespeople did not speak a clear message?  Those appear to be descriptions of life in the Corinthian church.

Do not miss the clear words of Paul, listing the requirements regarding the prophetic use of tongues.  This message was limited to ONLY two or three people per service.  Each was required to be done individually followed immediately by a different interpreter.  No variation was allowed.

Tongues, like all the gifts, were given so that the entire church would be edified by their use (1 Cor. 12:7; 14:26). Gifts were given to edify the Lord, and never the individual. The presence of an interpreter helped secure that the Spirit’s message was clearly understood.

• • Prayer Language Tongues (1 Corinthians 14:2, 13-14)

2 For anyone who speaks in a tongue ^r does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit…^{. 13} For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. ¹⁴ For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. ¹⁵ So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. ^[2]

This type of tongue speaking is the most common of the three.  It is defined as an ecstatic utterance, or prayer language.  Skeptics would call this unintelligible babbling.  It is often claimed that it is a way for a believer to express praise or thanksgiving.

Paul asks a pointed question.  “If we speak unintelligible words, what good does it do?” (1 Corinthians 14:9).  Further, Paul says this is not fruitful or beneficial. (1 Corinthians 14:13-14) He also said it would be better to speak five intelligible words than ten thousand in a tongue.  (1 Corinthians 14:18-19) Finally, those who focus on tongues are childish.  (1 Corinthians 14:20)

CONCLUSION

We are NOT able to say that tongues are extinguished, but we are also NOT to encourage everyone to speak in tongues in the manner most common in some churches.  Tongues can cause confusion among immature believers.  (1 Corinthians 14:22-25) We show respect for others by maintaining commitment to Scripture.

Three reminders about the Spirit help us summarize these teachings:

• • The Spirit comes to bring glory to Jesus. 
  • The Spirit will never contradict the Bible.
  • The Spirit will unite believers, not divide them.