TONGUES 1st Corinthians 12-14 Disorder in using tongues being a symptom of individualism In 1st Corinthians we find that there was a problem with tongues being abused in the church of Corinth. This is something that Paul spends an excess of 3 chapters to lightly, and then intensively, discuss the topic of the gift of tongues. Before I continue on any further I must note that I take a potentially controversial, and admittedly new, issue with tongues in the Pentecostal church. I affirm, with the majority of Apostolic Pentecostals, that tongues is something that has continued to this day. I affirm that there is a difference between “initial tongues,” and “the gift of tongues.” I affirm that tongues has a continued place in the gathering of the church and in the private prayers of the saints. My issue isn’t with our core beliefs concerning tongues. What I find is a symptom of the lie the church has begun to accept. As I have hitherto projected, the church has believed in the radical “me,” and this issue has demonstrated itself in a variety of ways. The abuse of tongues is one such example. But against critics of modern Pentecostalism, this issue is nothing new in the church. Even as early as 1st Corinthians, which is thought to have been written in about 54-55AD, tongues had been something that was misused and misunderstood. Without giving an intensive exegesis of 1st Corinthians 12-14, I’ll sum it up in saying that Paul shows that the gifts have been distributed to the body, in chapter 13 we see that the moderator of the gifts is love. Love is greater than the gifts and love ensures that. But in chapter 14 we see a plethora of issues surrounding the gifts. Prophecy is a major topic in chapter 14, but not nearly as much as tongues. In many Oneness Pentecostal churches we have made demonstrative worship and the move of the Spirit central to our church services. This is an excellent set-up, but like any form of liturgy, it has its potential for pitfalls and room for change. In agreement with the consensus of scholarship, the Bible does not in fact give a clear liturgy from which to surround a church gathering around. 1st Corinthians is the closest thing we have to one. A few other select passages give us snapshots of the early church’s practices. Among those was speaking with tongues. My issue comes not with its continued practice, for I attend churches that regularly do; my issue comes with it being overemphasized. Here I am discussing the gift of tongues, and not the sign of tongues. In the church, says Paul, everything is to be done in decency and in order. It is to be done unto the edification of the body and to benefit the whole community. However, if anything is done in a gathering that doesn’t fulfill these mandates it is in the way of the service. Paul said that he preferred to speak 5 words in a known tongue than 10,000 words in an unknown tongue so that the church would benefit. This is being communal and not selfish. If someone gives thanksgiving in tongues, or sings in tongues, or prays in tongues, no one can rejoice or pray with her. Tongues, then, must be regulated in order that it may benefit the whole Body. However, tongues in itself is unknown to the speaker, and most often to the audience hearing it. If no one understands what is being said, how can it be said to benefit the Body? We can now see the critique I offer, because the response would be that the individual person is benefitted. This is certainly true. That’s the problem exactly where it stands. The emphasis in every service has moved from the benefit of the whole community unto personal blessings of the individuals. We have all asked to ourselves how we can be blessed. Messages talking about praising God to get a blessing, tithing to get a blessing, and these are good, but the emphasis is on the wrong place. The blessings Giver of all blessings supersedes the blessings given. God will withhold no good thing from His children, but it is the mature mind that asks how he may bless others before himself. Our services have erred in that they have catered to individual needs instead of the needs of the community. This we have seen in other places in our conversation together so far. Tongues is an extension of that. Truly, a catalyst to the outbreak of the abuse of tongues in recent times is the lack of personal prayer whereby tongues is truly a help. Instead of praying in secret to our Father we have relegated our personal prayer time to our time together which breeds selfish prayers where the concern should be for one another. It weren’t as if praying for one another allows for no personal prayer, because if everyone prayed and cared for one another than we could all be helped and we could all be accountable. If we as a church come together and everyone is speaking in tongues at the same time everyone as individuals are blessed, but not everyone together. There is no actual unity being fostered. In what way can anyone say otherwise? Church becomes a quick-fix and the saved-on-Sunday-lost-on-Monday mindset blossoms. But we must endeavor a more excellent practice. One of maturity. It’s at this junction that I must note that our experiences do not dictate our doctrine, but vice versa. If our experiences do not line up with Scripture’s dictates they must change in favor of our love for the Word. Ultimately, we have to be in an active pursuit of what Scripture intends for us. This is the same attempt here. Assuming the validity to my observations, it is absolutely necessary that we adhere to it because if my observation lines up with Paul’s then we are adhering to Scripture, not the radical teaching of a young man. I am not against exuberant praise or lively services, only that everything be done as it should. If we all come together speaking in tongues, sinners will think we are crazy! Many reading this can attest to how strange tongues were to us when we first started attending a Pentecostal church. God draws people into covenant with Him no matter the obstacles, but this is a true obstacle to people who don’t understand. There are seemingly reasonable objections to my understanding of Paul. But for the reasons listed above, they certainly don’t outweigh the obvious flow of Paul’s words. For example one may say, “I was saved because it was so different than what I was used to, it was in the Bible, and I felt God through it.” However, Paul says that Prophecy is for this purpose. Prophecy is much more effective in showing the supernatural to sinners, because they may deny the legitimacy of tongues, but they cannot deny prophecy. As Paul states “But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.” (14:24-25) Another objection to what I am purporting is that Paul meant that people speaking outside of the flow of the service is violating Paul’s guidelines. In other words if it was the intent or expectation of the congregation to all speak in tongues then it is in fact ‘decent and orderly.’ This, however ignores Paul’s statement that, regardless the orderliness of the service, it still appears as though the church has lost its mind. Furthermore, it is not being done to edify the body, but only brings edification to the self (14:13-19). I am staying away from how the gift of interpretation of tongues works and is to be regulated at this time, but I will suffice it to say that the only exception to speaking in tongues in a way that the whole congregation hears is that an interpreter is present/that an interpretation is given. The reason being a lack of study and a genuine confusion of how it is to be regulated. Is it that the same one who speaks in tongues is to interpret, or is another supposed to interpret? Is it that only 2 or 3 people may give an interpretation at a time, or is it that only 2 or 3 interpretations per meeting are to be given? What I’m proposing then, is that when we come to church we keep others in mind first and speak either in order that someone may interpret, or to speak quietly to ourselves so as not to disturb the service. 1sr Corinthians 14:28 says “But if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God.” (NASB) Paul concludes his dissertation on tongues by saying “Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues.” (14:39) My conclusion then, is that speaking in tongues is not forbidden in a church, only that the one who does either should interpret it or speak quietly to himself. Paul, being an apostle with authority tells us that whoever considers himself spiritual should consider his words. That is the first place to start when bringing any objection. Ultimately his word holds more authority than our 21st century critics. If my premise is faithful to Paul’s teaching everyone coming together speaking with tongues brings confusion; such as what occurs in what we call our “alter calls.” Therefore, we must admonish ourselves and each other to hold ourselves with more discipline and seek to bless one another above receiving blessings. As Paul says “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” (1st Corinthians 14:33). [I will add references and more details later. I will endeavor to make this more coherent and rearrange it, potentially. It is a work in progress. This article is taken from my up-coming book on Biblical Community and is written with that in mind.]
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 04:36:12 +0000
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