Bible Question: i want to know about speaking in tongues, and the Holy Spirit. do they go together? is speaking in tongues an evidence of the Holy Spirit? please help me. |
Bible Answer: I agree with Searcher, in saying that speaking in tongues is a phenomenon that was used to reach other people who spoke different laguages. Afterall, look at the enormous task that the apostles had. They were out to preach to the world. They often had hundreds, or even thousands of people who sat down to listen to them speak. But since the apostles were given direct power to cast out demons and perform miracles, they also had the ability to speak in language that was understandable to all people, regardless of the language they spoke. It was as if God was allowing the Word to reach all, without the barrier of language. When those listening to the apostles heard them "speak in tongues", they had a suprised reaction: “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) So, "speaking in tongues" was used not to utter jibberish, but instead, was used to speak other languages simultaneously. Also, when someone says that speaking in tongues is speaking in an "unknown" language is also incorrect because the word "unknown" does not occur in any Greek manuscript describing this phenomena but was inserted by translators. There is no reason for anyone to speak except to converse intelligibly. The Greek word laleo means “I speak.” The word is never used for mere sound or noise. Nor is it used for a mere mumbling or muttering of unintelligible gibberish. The tongues-speaking in the New Testament was in the native languages of hearing people. The supernatural phenomenon which took place at Pentecost was the exercise of a gift whereby many people from many countries, gathered at Jerusalem, heard God’s message in their own language. This was indeed a miracle of God. It would be an arbitrary and strange interpretation of Scripture that would make tongues-speaking in the New Testament anything other than known languages. There is no trace of Scriptural evidence that tongues were ever heard by anyone as incoherent, incomprehensible babbling. It is unscriptural teaching which says that all who are baptized by the Holy Spirit will speak in tongues. The Scriptures state emphatically that all saved persons have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body . . . ” (I Corinthians 12:13). All the believers at Corinth received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, however all did not speak in tongues. The question asked in verse 30, “Do all speak with tongues?” is so phrased so as to convey the expected answer, “No.” If Christians would take seriously, within context, all of the teaching about tongues in I Corinthians, they could not fail to see that tongues-speaking would cease. Paul writes, “Charity (love) 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” (13:8). There will always be the need for love, therefore love will never drop off. But when the canon of Scripture is made “perfect” (or complete), there will be no further revelation from God, neither in predictive prophecy nor in divinely revealed knowledge other than prophecy. The gifts of “prophecy” and “knowledge” will be entirely unnecessary with the completion of the Scriptures. And “if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18). Some of the above info can be found at www.bible.org John- |