The Gift of Tongues

[tdidymas]

Adelphos, I will try to answer your arguments one by one:

Originally Posted by Adelphos

Quote:
It doesn't take a scholar to see that what is regularly practiced in many churches that is called "speaking in tongues" does not measure up to the description of this gift in the NT.

Sounds like this criticism is based on subjective experience, not the Word.

The fact that you speak in tongues, and this skews your interpretation of the scriptures by means of your experience - this is subjective experience. The fact that I observe that what is taught and practiced today as such does not measure up to the Biblical standard - this is objective experience. The fact that we are to objectively test everything in comparison to God's word is taught by the Bible. "Test all things." "Anyone who goes beyond and does not adhere to our teaching..."

So then, let us make some comparison between what is taught today with Biblical text concerning speaking in tongues:
1. People speak in tongues in churches all the time without interpretation, in direct contradiction to what Paul commanded in 1 Cor 14:28.
2. Pentecostal/Charismatic leaders teach quite frequently that the gift of tongues is for believers (to observe as "initial evidence"), but Paul explicitly states that tongues is for unbelievers (as evidence to them), 1 Cor 14:22.
3. Pentecostal/Charismatic leaders teach quite frequently that everyone who receives the Holy Spirit speaks in tongues, but Paul's teaching is contrary to this, 1 Cor 12:30, saying that not everyone speaks it.
4. No one understands speaking in tongues today, which is contrary to what actually happened in Acts. In Acts 2 there were many people who understood the languages being spoken. Although the subsequent places in Acts do not specifically state such, we must use the same pattern of thought to interpret it. Whenever the Samaritans, Gentiles, and John's followers spoke in tongues, it had to be authenticated by one who understood the languages being spoken. Otherwise, how could they have known it was a miraculous act, and that they also prophesied? To say that the other subsequent tongues speaking did not require understanding of what was said is an eisegetic and subjective interpretation that does not fit within the contextual intent.
5. Does modern "speaking in tongues" edify the person speaking it? Edification in the context of the NT does not mean "feel good." It means built up in faith and the fruit of the Spirit. Not once have I observed (in 12 years of fellowshipping with P/Cs) that speaking in tongues edified anyone. The only edification I have actually observed in churches was based on scriptural knowledge and understanding. I have not observed any edification that was based on tongues speaking. (Other than "it makes me feel good" at***ude, which is unscriptural).
6. P/C leaders quite frequently teach people how to speak in tongues. This is contrary to Biblical principle, which teaches that the Holy Spirit "gave utterance." Not once in the scripture has any of the apostles ever implied that human instruction on "how to speak in tongues" ever accompanied the gift. If a person needs to be taught how to speak in tongues, the ramifications are:
a. The teacher does not believe the Holy Spirit is able to give utterance apart from human instruction.
b. The person "receiving the gift" cannot be given utterance from the Holy Spirit without being taught how to do it by a man.
c. The "gift" is tainted with fleshly human instruction, which is not a Biblical principle, and the result is likely not an authentic miraculous gift from the Spirit of God.
7. The only place in scripture where speaking in tongues is mentioned outside of the historical context in Acts (i.e. where the principle of it is taught), is in 1 Cor where Paul is correcting what they are doing wrong. Nowhere else is tongues mentioned, including all the other lists of gifts to edify the church (in every other place outside of 1 Cor 12). P/C leaders often teach tongues as a primary gift of the Spirit, which is contrary to the at***ude of the NT as a whole.
8. Tongues is a sign gift according to 1 Cor 14:22, but P/C leaders teach often that it is an essential gift of the Spirit (by reason of "it is the initial evidence"). Contrary to this, the Bible teaches that the sign gifts were for authenticating the revelation of the New Covenant, and implies that subsequent generations did not need it or have it - Heb. 2:3-4 "...which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard [Him], God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit..." In addition, none of the antenicene fathers wrote anything on this subject as if it was something ongoing throughout the generations. In fact, the tongues movement is a fairly recent 20th century movement, which is a red-flag indication that it is quite possibly a cult movement.

I don't feel it necessary to interject my own experience with the phenomenon, since I give Biblical and historical proof of my point here.
Continued...
TD