The gift of
tongues needs no introduction. I am sure you have heard of someone tell of how
they speak in tongues. If not then at least you have heard someone teaching
about this gift. Others have written articles and books about the gift. One
statement I have heard is that “tongues are angelic languages” However, only
the Bible can tell us whether they are angelic because it is from the Bible
that we learn of tongues. So then what does the Bible say? What are tongues or
what is the gift of tongues? To get a clear definition of this gift one must
know the origin word “glosa.” The word tongues (glossais in greek) means a language or dialect (known spoken
language). Generally when people spoke in tongues in Scripture, it was to
praise God (tell of his wonderful works). Therefore, speaking in tongues is the
ability given to someone by the Holy Spirit to praise God by word of mouth in
an unlearned language. To get a clear understanding of what the Bible teaches I
seek to explain the nature of this gift, the purpose of the gift and finally
the practices of the gift today. All thoughts and ideas are based on Scripture.
The Nature
First of all it
is clear from Scripture that people heard and spoke known languages and not gibberish. In Acts 2:8 some of the men were
actually amazed at how they were able to hear other people speak in their own
native tongues (languages). The second thing that should be noted is that not everyone gathered was given the ability
to speak in another tongue. In Acts 2 only those upon whom the Holy Spirit fell
were able to speak as the Spirit gave them utterance. In 1 Corinthians 14:27
the Scriptures actually indicate that when people are gathered for worship
there should be three to speak at the most. In line with the second point is
the systematic flow of the tongues
spoken. By this I mean that not everyone would speak at the same time but that
the ones speaking should do it in an orderly manner, one after the other (1
Corinth 14:27). Another trait that we see is the interpretation of the tongues spoken 1 Corinth 14:6,13, 27). Anyone
who spoke in tongues would see to it that interpretation is done or else keep
silent (1 Corinth 14:28)
The Purpose
It is clear from
Scripture that the ultimate purpose of this gift was to assist the unbelieving people especially the Jews to believe in the
saving work of Christ (1 Corinth 14:20). For some Jews, it was for them to
believe that salvation had also come to the gentiles (Acts 10:46). You will
note that in the three instances when tongues were spoken, in the book of Acts,
Jews were present (Acts 2:4-5, 10: 44-46, 19:6).
The practice of
the gift today
We have surveyed
the Scriptures and have an idea of the nature and purpose of the gift of tongues.
Based upon these truths we can assess and judge whether today’s tongues are
scriptural. First of all, today’s tongues are said to be “angelic language”
This means that no one is able to understand what a person is saying when he
begins to speak in tongues. The support verses used for this claim are 1
Corinth 13:1, 14:2. In both cases it is important that one looks at the context
in which these verses are used. For example in 1Corinth 13:1 all the Scriptures
are saying is that love for fellow believers must be the basis for desiring
spiritual gifts. Therefore by using the phrase “tongues of angels” the writer
is saying that no matter how heavenly the tongue (language) may sound, it will
not do any good to the body of Christ if it is not motivated by love for the
fellow believer. The Scriptures in 1 Corinth 14:6-12 again emphasize that
tongues must be known languages
because no language is without distinction. In Acts 2:1-12 we see a group of
people who were actually amazed at how they were able to hear others speak in
their own native tongues.
Another error we
see in today’s tongues is that 99% of the church speaks in tongues. This again
is not biblical. If it were true, we would see two or at the most three
speaking according to 1 Cor 14:27.
Another questionable
trait in the present practice of tongues is the lack of interpretation. Remember that the sole purpose for the
spiritual gifts is so that believers are edified. But without interpretation of
the tongues no one is edified except the one speaking if at all they are (1
Corinth 14:13, 27). And that then is not love but selfishness.
Another
questionable observation in the tongues for today is that there is a lack of order. The practice is that
almost everyone starts shouting on top their voices and then “as the spirit leads”
they stop after some time. The Bible in 1 Corinth 14:27 indicates that there
should be some order in the way everything is done. The maximum number should
be three and the ones speaking should speak in turns, one after the other.
Lack of self control is another error
we see today when people are “speaking in
tongues.” The speaker loses awareness. He does not have control of when to
start and when to stop speaking. If it means going on for an hour then so be it.
And immediately the congregation finishes “speaking”, they begin to sing or do
something else. The problem with this is that it goes contrary to the
Scriptures teaching that the believers practice self control and that God is
not the author of confusion (1 Corinth 14:33). Self control and order in the
church will accommodate interpretation of tongues. However, how does one
interpret if he is not given chance to do so? How does one get edified if the
tongues are not interpreted?
Lastly, the
tongues for today are said to be a way to show or prove that someone is saved. Biblically speaking,
tongues have nothing to do with salvation. Someone who is saved we are told in
Scripture that he has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and this is manifested
in the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). In 1 Corinth 14:30. Paul actually
asks rhetorically whether it is all who are suppose to speak in tongues. It’s
certainly not all. If all who are saved are suppose to speak in tongues then it
defeats the whole purpose of spiritual gifts. The goal is to bring edification
to the church. But if the whole church speaks in tongues then who interprets?
If the whole church speaks in tongues then all should
possess the other gifts as well, and if that is the case then it means the
members of the church do not need each other because all have the same gifts,
and if this is the case again then all that is done today is contrary to what
the Scriptures says in 1 Corinth 12:12-20. It is clear in these verses that the
body of Christ is not just a single member (tongues)
but a body with many parts, (faith,
wisdom, teaching, hospitality etc) yet one body.
Spiritual gifts
are for edification of the body of Christ. According to that which we have seen
from the Scriptures in regard to speaking in tongues, the present practice is
not biblical. Remember that the spiritual gift you have is not meant for you
but for the edification of others. Therefore use your gift to build others.
