Examining The Gift of Tongues

In my next few posts I will be examining what many call the "miraculous gifts" of the Spirit. Many believe that the miraculous gifts of tongues, healing, & prophecy are applicable today and should be sought by the church. In contrast, there are also those who believe these gifts were given to the early church to help authenticate the gospel message and ceased at the completion of the New Testament Canon. These posts are not intended to be an exhaustive study, but a brief overview and examination of these gifts.  While I understand there are good brothers and sisters in Christ who will strongly differ from my conclusions, I would like to lay out the findings from my studies. I will start by taking a look at the gift of tongues.      

The gift of tongues is one of the most widely interpreted gifts of the Spirit listed in the New Testament.  Many say it empowers their prayer life, while others see it as a sign of Spirit baptism. Some believe everyone can receive it, yet others believe it is only given at the Spirit’s will. Most Charismatics agree that the modern gift of tongues is administered by using syllables that lack comprehended meaning, a practice known as ‘glossolalia’.  On the other hand, there are those who believe that this practice is not the same gift of tongues that we see in the New Testament. 

Author Sam Storms, a proponent of glossolalia says this about the gift, “I have found this gift to be profoundly helpful in my prayer life. It has served only to deepen my intimacy with Jesus.”[1] No one wishes to argue one's personal experience, but is one’s personal experience enough to validate glossolalia as the same thing we see in the New Testament? After all, Muslims, Mormons, and many other faith’s point to personal experiences to validate their claims. As Pastor John Macarthur says, “Charismatics may claim it is God speaking through them, but there is absolutely no evidence to confirm that modern glossolalia comes from the Holy Spirit or aid His work of producing holiness. Conversely, there are very good reasons to avoid the practice. It is, a common practice in numerous cult groups and false religions.”[2] The answer to whether glossolalia is the gift of tongues we see in parts of the New Testament may lie in two questions. What does the original language tell us about the word “tongues”, and what was the gift’s original purpose?

Original Language

Although tongues are mentioned twenty-nine times in the New Testament we only have two clear descriptions of its actual use. One is found in Acts 2 and the other in 1 Corinthians 12 – 14.[3] In Acts 2:4 we read “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues.”  Mostly all agree that the ‘other tongues’ spoken here are other known languages. The original word is Hetarias (other) glossais (language). The Greek word heteros would indicate that the languages in which they spoke differed from one another so that those who had come from various lands might understand the Gospel.[4] However, many would argue the practice we see in 1 Corinthians 12-14 differs from Acts 2. In 1 Corinthians 14:2 Paul mentions “different kinds of tongues”. Sam Storms argues “It is unlikely he means a variety of different human languages, for who would ever have argued that all tongues were only one human language?” But in 1 Corinthians the word used to describe tongues is the same word glossa as we see in the book of Acts. They are used in various grammatical forms but, nevertheless, all are identical in meaning to the passages in Acts. On the basis of the Greek and the statement of the text, no distinction can be found.[5] Furthermore, Luke more than likely wrote the book of Acts after Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians. It seems unlikely Luke would use the same word to describe ‘known languages’ in Acts if Paul was describing glossolalia in 1 Corinthians, as this would cause some confusion. After all, Luke was a close companion of Paul and would have likely been familiar with the letter to the Corinthians.

The Purpose of Tongues.

In examining the gift, it would help to know why it was given in the first place. 1 Corinthians 14:22 tells us “tongues are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers.” How we interpret this verse will determine how we view the gift’s purpose.  Paul adds in the preceding verse “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people.”  Proponents of glossolalia may point to the word ‘strange’ to validate their claim, being that it is a strange form of speech. However, the original word there is heteróglōssos, the same word used in Acts 2:4. If we view ‘tongues’ as a sign for unbelievers and we know ‘tongues’ (heteróglōssos) means ‘foreign language’, then it would seem its purpose is to make the gospel clear in every language.

             
Wayne Grudem, who himself advocates for glossolalia, sees a different purpose in tongues. He notes that tongues is a speech directed toward God as in prayer. He points to 1 Cor. 14:2 “one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God.”[6] Like Grudem, many Charismatics point to this verse as the proof text for glossolalia. However, I don't believe Paul is telling the Corinthians that this was the purpose of tongues. What he is doing here is explaining that when someone speaks in tongues with no interpreter, it is only God who understands them. Many will also point to 1 Corinthians 13:1 where Paul mentions ‘tongues of angels’ to argue for glossolalia. But as John Macarthur notes “the interpretation falls flat when one considers the context, notice that Paul’s theme is love, not spiritual gifts. Paul is describing a hypothetical scenario.”[7] Furthermore, an angelic language is found nowhere else in scripture. Every time an angel spoke, they did so in a real language.”[8]

In conclusion it seems the argument for glossolalia, when examined closely, is not the same gift of tongues that we see in the New Testament. When we take a closer look at the original language and the gift’s purpose, glossolalia does not measure up. This is not to say God cannot, or does not, work in the miraculous by the real gift of tongues today. Given what we know about the gift’s purpose, God is capable of giving the gift in necessary circumstances. I can see a scenario where the gift may be necessary in a foreign land to proclaim the gospel. However, with the expansion of technology, as well as Bible translations, it seems God is using different methods to make His word known to and in every language.

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[1] Gaffin, Richard B., and Wayne A. Grudem. Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?: Four Views. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub., 1996.) 222

[2] MacArthur, John. Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship. (Nashville, TN: Nelson Books, 2013) 136, 137

[3] Baxter, Ronald E. The Charismatic Gift of Tongues. (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1981) 1

[4] Charismatic Gift of Tongues. 4

[5] Charismatic Gift of Tongues. 12

[6] Grudem, Wayne A. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. (Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.) 1071

[7] Strange Fire 147

[8] Strange Fire 149