On Aug 24, 2007, at 6:04 AM, a brother wrote:
Please do give your understanding whether you believe in Speaking In Tongues (the glossolalia).
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Dear Brother,
Some brief comments to your question:
1. Yes, I do believe in the biblical gift of tongues - please take careful NOTE, SINGULAR GIFT, but PLURALITY OF TONGUES. The singular gift enables ONE man to speak MULTIPLE languages that he has not known or learned before.
Proof:
1Co 12:10 "To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another, divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:"
Another is SINGULAR, tongues are PLURAL.
1Co 14:18 "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:"
Apostle Paul is SINGULAR, and tongues are PLURAL.
2. The Biblical gift of tongues enables men to speak languages that they have never learned before:
Proof:
Acts 2:7-11
And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
Biblical tongues are spoken languages that can be understood by the hearers who speak those languages and can be interpreted by those who do not know the language.
Imagine you were a trader in Corinth, and visited a church there in the first century. And imagine you speak only Cantonese, and it is God's purpose for you to hear the gospel and believe in Jesus Christ. God enables someone in the church to speak in Cantonese... so that you may hear and understand the wonderful work of God. But all the rest in the congregation does not understand Cantonese, and would not be edified. God would give someone else to interpret the Cantonese into Greek so that the rest in the church may also be edified. Now you would appreciate those rules for orderliness in 1Cor 14, when the gift of tongues was still in operation.
3. Biblical gift of tongues enabled ONLY SOME (yes, ONLY SOME) to speak languages they have never known or learned before.
Proof:
1Co 12:28 And God hath set SOME in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
ALL the rhetorical questions demand a negative answer. Only some have the gift of tongues... and it is sovereignly determined by the Spirit of God who are given the gift. 1Cor 12:10 "To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will."
None of the 3000 converted on the day of Pentecost spoke in tongues.
Those who did speak were of the apostolic church gathered on that day.
4. Biblical tongues were means to declare the wonderful works of God - the gospel - the good news of salvation accomplished in Jesus Christ.
It was a sign gift to them that have not believed because they have not YET heard the wonderful work of God in their own languages. Can you imagine the effect of a Galilean who knows only his mother tongue and preaches to you in Cantonese??? It would be a mighty sign to you from God...
Proof:
Acts 2:11 "We do hear them [Galileans] speak in our [of so many nations listed] tongues the wonderful works of God."
1Co 14:22 "Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe."
Tongues are for a sign to them that believe not... them that are not yet believers... THAT THEY may be brought to faith by hearing the wonderful works of God in their OWN LANGUAGES.
Tongues were NEVER given to believers to GRATIFY themselves.
Modern tongues are gibberish nonsense... far removed from biblical tongues.
5. Biblical tongues have ceased after the apostolic times.
Biblical tongues were an APOSTOLIC gift given to the apostolic church for a specific reason... to EXPEDITE the spread of the gospel and the establishment of the NT church. When the purpose has been served, they cease.
Proof:
1Co 13:8 "Charity 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."
"They shall cease." Apostle Paul wrote the epistle (1Cor) probably in AD 59. Sometimes in the future of AD 59, tongues SHALL cease. They shall cease - no doubt about it, if words have any meaning. But WHEN shall/did they cease? When that which is PERFECT is come... and that which is PERFECT came in the lifetime of Apostle Paul... with the completion of the revelation of God through the last Apostle - John.
6. The modern phenomenon of speaking in tongues is non-sensical gibberish.
It is REMOTELY related to the biblical tongues. Modern tongues are gibberish nonsense that do not communicate the wonderful work of God in Jesus Christ.
Too many are sincerely deceived and self-conceited.
I hope these brief points help to deliver you from your 100% delusion on the biblical tongues issue.
just my understanding,
sing
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