Be Diligent…

Oh, yeah, this is going to be a sticky thing, isn’t it?  Many today believe that this gift of the Holy Spirit still exists, and that they have been so gifted.  At the risk (or perhaps the hope) of starting a debate, I want us to think about this…not in terms of what we feel, but in terms of what the Bible says. So let’s get started, shall we?

In I Corinthians 12:4-11, Paul lists the spiritual gifts of the apostolic age.  In keeping with the miracles of Jesus, these gifts were given for a specific purpose.  While many of the gifts helped people, the main reason for their being was to confirm to all who saw them that the people doing the miracles were, indeed, sent from God and given power from God.  No mere man could instantly heal the lame (Acts 3:1-10) or raise the dead (Acts 20:9-12).  These acts demonstrated that the apostles had a power that others did not have.  Most rational people today do not really believe that anyone can actually immediately heal the sick or lame, or that anyone can raise a really dead person from the  dead to life again. We know that such things do not happen today.  (I would refer you to a book entitled Healing: A Doctor in Search of a Miracle, written by William A. Nolen, M.D.)

If you go to the reference in I Corinthians 12:4-11, you will see that another of the gifts given to the first century church was the gift of speaking in tongues (verse 10). What, exactly, was this gift? What did it entail? For that answer, go back to Acts 2:4-11. There were Jews gathered in Jerusalem on that day of Pentecost because it was a religious obligation to them. The Scripture says that the power of the Holy Spirit  descended upon the apostles, and they began to speak in “tongues.” What exactly did that mean? Well, the Scripture also answers that question, for the men present were Jews from many different lands. (You can count them, yourself.) If God was to change the order of worship, it was exceedingly important that

1. The people know that the change was instituted and approved by God; and,
2. Those who heard could understand exactly what was being said.

And that was exactly what happened.  The men, in verse 11, declare, “We hear them speaking in our tongues…”  The Apostles were NOT speaking in some gibberish that no one could understand.  No, indeed, they were speaking in the dialects that each foreign Jew knew intimately, so that each could understand what they were teaching.  The speakers, the apostles, were simple, unlearned men.  They were not men with a Ph.D. in languages.  They knew the dialect they had grown up with, but not all the dialects that were present that day.  Just as the speech of a Scot or an Australian might sound “nearly” right to us, but still somewhat strange, and may be misunderstood, so it was for these men  They needed to hear the Gospel in the same language that they spoke daily.  And that is what the “gift of tongues” really was.  It was the ability to speak in another language that one had not “learned,” but that was necessary to be sure that the message was rightly understood.

In the very next chapter of I Corinthians, Paul tells us that the gifts were passing away (I Corinthians 13:10).  That which is perfect, or complete, is the written Word, the Bible.  Today, we have the Bible, and it has been translated into many different languages, and there are trained preachers in those languages, so there is no need for a person to have the gift of speaking in a language he or she has not learned because there are those who do know the Gospel and do know that language.

One final point.  I urge you to read Acts 10:34-35.  Now, read it again.  Do you believe the Bible?  I am sure, if you have read this far, that you do.  So, answer me this…If God is no respecter of persons, why would He give you the gift of tongues, and not me?  Why bestow one last gift on only a few chosen people?  Is this not favoring one over another?  And what is the specific “tongue” these people speak in?  Is it not gibberish which no one understands?   I Corinthians 14:33 tells us that God is not the author of confusion, but surely it is confusion if no one can understand what is being said.

Let us pull this all together.  The gift of tongues was given by the Holy Spirit so that men could preach to other men in the language the hearers would understand.  It was the real language of the hearer, not some “unknown tongue.”  God is not a respecter of people, nor is He the author of confusion.  Therefore, the gift of tongues is not in effect today…nor is it needed.

I hope this inspires you to click on the tab labeled “comments” below and let me know what you think.  If we disagree, you have an obligation to try to set me straight, so that I do not teach error.  If you agree, I would be pleased to know that, also.

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Posted on August 13th, 2009 by doc
Filed under: Authority of Scripture, Christian life, New Testament, Word study