Wow! Great Question!! One that scholars have debated for centuries!!However, the Bible does make it pretty clear.
When our Lord predicted the gift of tongues (the only mention of tongues in the four Gospel records) He said, "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues" (Mark 16:17). The adjective "new" (Gr. kainos) can only mean they were going to speak in languages new to them, that is, languages they had not learned or used until that time. If I say the Russian language is "new" to me, I do not mean that I never
knew there was such a language, but rather its use by me is new to me because I can neither speak it nor understand it when I hear others speak it. On the other hand the German language is not altogether "new" to me because I can both read and speak it with a small degree of understanding.
In Acts 2:4, Luke uses a different adjective when he says, "they began to speak with other tongues." The word "other" (Gr. heteros) simply means that they spoke in languages different from the normal language they were used to. The context substantiates this. Notice the surprised reaction on the part of the hearers - "And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?" (Acts 2:7,8). Every man heard them speak in his own language (Acts 2:6). Here the word "language" is the translation of dialekto from which we get our word "dialect". The two words glossa (tongue) and dialektos (language) are used synonymously, making it obvious that the disciples were speaking in known languages other than the language native to them. In verses 9-11 the languages are then identified. It was a miraculous phenomenon which enable the disciples to speak in languages which they had never learned. Here in this Acts passage we have tongues-speaking in its pure and unperverted form as God gave it. The following verses in the Book of the Revelation should be examined carefully (Rev. 5:9; 7:9; 10:11; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; 17:15). In each passage where the word "tongue" is mentioned it means one of the languages associated with the various nationalities and races. I see no reason why anyone should raise a question as to the tongues in those passages in Mark, Acts and Revelation meaning languages.
But the more serious problems arise in the interpretation of the 21 references to tongues in 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14. There are those who tell us that the tongues in 1 Cor. are ecstatic utterances not known in any country on earth. They base their conclusion on the term "unknown" which appears in 1 Corinthians 14:2, 4, 13, 14, 19, and 27. But the reader of this chapter in God's Word must not fail to observe that the word "unknown" in every place where it appears is in italicized letters, which means that it does not occur in any Greek manuscript but was inserted by translators. The Holy Spirit did not direct Paul to write that the tongue is unknown. I find no warrant for changing the meaning of tongues in 1 Corinthians. In every other place where the word is used it means languages. I know of no textual license that will warrant changing the meaning of the word.
The other verse that tends to be thrown into this discussion is Romans 8:26 (NIV) " In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We don not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." This verse is not talking about tongue! It is obvious from its context (Ro. 8:18-27) that this has to do with our existence on earth as we wait for the day we will be in glory with our Lord. The Spirit helps our weakness; sometimes we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God (Ro. 8:26-27). This groaning, this prayer, is of the Spirit not us. I understand the help of the Holy Spirit to be far broader than just helping us pray for those things which we cannot put into words. But this is surely a specific example of the helping of the Holy Spirit. Some things simply cannot be put into words-any words (any language, native, foreign, or angelic). At these times when our humanity is stretched beyond the breaking point, the Holy Spirit ministers on our behalf, communicating for us the deepest longings and desires within us. And since the Holy Spirit knows the will of the Father and He lives within us, He allows me to pray the Father's will!!
Simply put SPEAKING IN TONGUES IS SPEAKING IN A KNOWN LANGUAGE YOU HAVE NEVER LEARNED!
1 comment:
Rosie says:I loved both the articles you sent (modest dress & tongues). I personally feel all women of our church would benefit form reading the article on dress. It gives perspective to how we as women should dress and provides guidelines to help determine if what we are wearing is appropriate or not. And the article on tongues answers all the questions I have heard about that issue. Both articles gave me reason to examine my life and make sure I am on track in both areas.
Post a Comment