I'm really not sure what to make of the spiritual gift of glossolalia.My best assessment is that it describes two separate, but similar gifts. The first is the supernatural ability to speak a known, but previously never learned language. This was exhibited at Pentecost, when disciples miraculously acquired linguistic skills.
If a modern person woke up one day suddenly able to speak Russian or Arkansan, that would be glossolalia.
Alternately, some tongues were apparently regarded as not present on earth, but entirely supernatural in origin. These held meaning unknown even to the speaker, and required an interpreter gifted as such by the Holy Spirit, as Paul detailed.
The New Testament contains numerous references to glossolalia, so it was apparently a common phenomenon. Yet we are often skeptical of those who claim this gift.
I'm preparing my first podcast, which will focus on the subject of glossolalia. I am interviewing an Asbury NT professor who is ordained in the Assemblies of God and I hope to interview the pastor of a nearby charismatic UMC congregation in order to learn more about this spiritual gift.
What do you think that glossolalia means?
UPDATE: Shane Raynor adds his thoughts here.
18 comments:
John,
I think you hit it right on the head in your question. Does it mean that a person exhibits the supernatural gift of speaking in a language that they never knew before (such as if I could suddenly speak any language other than Southern)? I think the converse is also supernaturally true. I make speak in my native tounge and folks who don't speak Southern (ie. Beth Quick or folks from some foreign land) can understand me.
Also, there is also the manesfestation of unkown tounges. A person under the influence and guide of the Holy Spirit speaks in a completely unknown supernatural langauge and another person has the gift of interpretation of this supernatural language.
I think both are correctly classified as the Gift of Tounges.
I have never spoken in tounges, I have never attended a church service where it has occurred, but I do believe it. The Bible says so. In my Methodist upbringing, it was almost implied that these type manefestations ended with the death of the last apostle. However, I think this line of thinking is bad theology. Why would Christ lauch the early Christian Church with the supernatural gift of the Spirit only to pull it after the death of the first generation. I believe that is not the case. I believe that God the Holy Spirit still works today in the same supernatural power and spendor today that He did 2000 years ago.
Considering the case of speaking in tounges of supernatural origin, I wonder about the phonemic characteristics of glossolalia. That is, does a native speaker of Chinese sound different from a native speaker of English, when both are speaking in tongues?
Tom Harrison
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I served on staff at a charismatic UM church for three years, so I had a front-row seat to the tongues phenomena. I saw people stand up during prayer time and speak in tongues (often without interpretation, in violation of I Cor 14:28); I heard heavy-handed teachings that said once the Holy Spirit came upon you, by golly, you WERE going to get the gift of tongues (citing Acts 19:6); and I witnessed worshippers at the altar rail speaking loudly in tongues in an apparent show of religiosity.
Undoubtedly these 'bad apples' are what give tongues such a bad rap...and why it's sad when I've counseled deeply-spiritual people who have told me that their pastor branded them as unstable or deceived when they wanted to know more about their gift.
Just because some abuse or fake the gift doesn't mean that others don't have it.
John,
Arkansan!!! Really -:-> (You know that this is my birth state?) Anyway, if they did speak in Arkansan it would be a heavenly language!
Best
Joe
I find it interesting that speaking in tongues was speaking a language that everyone could understand when it was first introduced at Pentecost. But somewhere down the line speaking in tongues changed to speaking in an unknown language that had to have an interpreter. I've always wondered where, when and how the change came about.
Just a ponderin'
a friend of mine has the gift of tongues. I wouldn't recognise it as a language. But at one prayer meeting overseas she was praying with someone she didn't know and it turned out that her language was some kind of French and they understood it (they were from the Caribbean I think)
Now I need Swedish to work as a UMC pastor in this conference, it would be most convenient if He would just give me that as a supernatural gift but He's making me learn it the hard way and it's so slow. Guess He's teaching me patience too.
I think it's important to realise that we cannot really understand the supernatural gifts - But recognise that God works in ways we'll never understand, and that's ok! The gift of tongues, prophesy and the working of miracles of healing etc are part of that.
We strongly discourage the youth of our church to use their tongues...or to learn French for that manner.
John,
Thanks for taking on this topic! Like an awful lot of Methodists, I had deep suspicions about the gift of tongues for a long time. It was not until I was in seminary that I began to change my mind. I encountered it first when I was serving as a prison chaplain for an internship, and at a worship service people began praying in tongues. I was stunned, because it appeared to me to be totally genuine to those men. I have had a few other encounteres since then, and each time it has generally confirmed my view that it is legitimate.
I know of some UM churches that have taught the ALPHA course but have changed its teachings on the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues. It seems to say everyone should be able speak in tongues - when I taught ALPHA, I taught instead that tongues is legitimate, but that Paul seems to say that the gift of prophecy is an even "better" gift, when comparing the two, so not to get hung up on not having the gift of tongues (1 Corinthians 14 is pretty clear on this point).
Now that I pastor a church on my own, I am not sure how to go about making people more comfortable with the concept, especially since I have never had the experience myself.
I came to faith in one of those tongue talking UM churches and I've only had two episodes of it in my own life.
In hindsight, I've concluded that once incident was a case of me faking it- though at the time, I thought it was real. I was at a Sunday Night service when I was 18 and I remember feeling so left-out that most of the folks were either speaking in tongues or being "slain in the Spirit" (that it, passing out from religious ecstasy- and sometimes awakening with a vision.) I was really jealous that God's Spirit didn't give me the same gifts He gave others.
So when I went to the front to pray, I started babbling on and on in some gibberish and I felt pretty good about it. But no one could interpret it, it didn't lead to any spiritual growth, I didn't learn anything from it, and it didn't seem to do anything positive for the work of God's Kingdom at all. I'm convinced that my subconscious mind supplied me what my heart longed for.
Then about a year or so later, I was talking with a good friend who was struggling with their faith when we witnessed something I consider to this day to have been both supernatural and evil. (It's a long story that would sidetrack the thread.)
Anyway, long story short, I got scared enough to start praying and the next thing I knew words I didn't understand came out flowing out of my mouth. Within seconds, what ever it was was gone and we both felt this sense of peace wash over us.
From that time on, about 12 years now, I've never had any other tongues experience. I have, however, become comfortable with the gifts the Spirit has given me. Still, I don't doubt the gift of tongues in others. Paul taught that the Spirit gives to each according to their need and ability so that the Church as a whole is not lacking in anything- and that makes a whole lot of sense to me.
1 Corinthians 14:39
Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.
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I first experienced speaking in tongues at age 13, and have used it regularly since. It is an amazing work of the Holy Spirit! I use this prayer language to pray to God from the depths of my spirit, and it has helped me to live a sanctified life.
I know from monitoring the fruits of these prayers that it is authentic, and can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life as he guides me to become more like Jesus.
I will not attempt to explain the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, or to debate whether or not it is real. However, I have no doubts about it, because it has been my personal experience.
The Holy Spirit and his gifts are alive and well in the world today. Have faith and receive the incredible gifts that are in store for you!
1 Thessalonians 5:19
Quench not the Spirit.
i brought up my thoughts on shane's blog too, my simple thought is this is all about understanding. with that it's not that we are incapable of speaking in languages that are necessary, it's just that in our day today, i don't know if we need to know languages that resemble jibbrish to others. however, i'd come to say that speaking in tounges has more to do with listening and speaking to the true hurt/concerns/expressions that others are speaking to us as Christians about. if we can use our blessing of the holy spirit to do 'holy listening' or 'spiritual direction' then i think we'd be doing what is more necessary than the actually talking in varied languages
oh, for the record. my sister-in-law goes to AofG church, with my nephew and niece. her first take on the tounges, "it was a little weird at first, but you get used to it. and sometimes it's pretty amazing what people speak too."
Early in the history of the Pentecostal movement, the view was widely held that glossolalia was specifically intended for missionary service--that God would give the missionary a foreign tongue to be a witness. When reality intruded, it was back to the theological drawing boards.
My view on the matter (I am an Assemblies of God blogger by the way) is that tongues is primarily intended to be language directed to God. It is prayer or praise. There is no NT evidence that it was ever otherwise--every context where the content of tongues was described it was always identified as prayer or praise. It was worship.
That said, there is evidence from Acts and Paul that tongues has three important roles for the believer and the church 1) it has evidentiary value, positively identifying individuals who have experienced the Baptism of the Holy Spirit; 2) it is personally edifying as a function of a private (not public) expression of prayer and worship with no interpretation necessary and no requirement for the glossolalia to be a human language; and 3) it is corporately edifying, but only when it is not disruptive to the public service and only when it is interpreted. In the final case, I can find no evidence in the Scripture that tongues were intended to be "prophetic," or statements directed to us. In all cases, tongues is a gift of the Holy Spirit directing our language and attention and affections toward God.
In Acts 2, when we know that human languages were involved, the audience clearly identified the content of the tongues as praise to God. The disciples were declaring the mighty acts of God in languages they did not know. Subsequent passages that mention the content of the language are consistent. I assume that in a multi-lingual society at least some of the time, human languages are present in the phenomenon. However, Paul does speak of the "tongues of men and of angels." Perhaps he's using hyperbole for effect, or perhaps he's speaking of literal angelic languages as tongues. There's no way to know for certain.
In 1 Corinthians 12-14 Paul clearly states that tongues are spoken to God, not to man.
And in Romans 8 Paul says the Spirit helps us in prayer with "groans that cannot be uttered." Some believe that Paul is referring to tongues here.
Ultimately, though, focusing on tongues can be dangerous, because tongues was not the point of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Rather, empowerment is. And, as Paul makes clear in 1 Corinthians 12-14, love must rule all.
If there is any single evidence for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, it will surely be love. If you speak in tongues and aren't loving, your tongues have no value.
If any of you are interested in a sermon I preached on this topic here are a couple files--same sermon, different file sizes and audio quality:
Tongues on the Loose![7MB] [27MB]
I haven't placed my text online yet, but if there's interest I may do so.
Regards,
Rich
BlogRodent
I can find a lot of different slants on tongues on the internet, but the Bible states that if there is no interpreter present no one should speak in tongues. In addition I have been in chuches where 4 or 5 would speak at the same time in so-called tongues, but no one ever did any interpretation as the Bible calls for. My personal opinion is that God will enable you to speak in an unknown tongue only to Him. He will enable you to speak in other languages in order that someone who does not speak your language will understand you.
The apostle Paul said that the other gifts of the Holy Spirit were more desirable than speaking in tongues (prophesying, healing, etc.).
I personally have never received the gift of tongues, but am still seeking it. Some folks would try to tell me that since I don't have it, I cannot possibly be a Christian.
Well God says I am His child and that makes me a Christian with or without the tongues and He is certainly the one doing the healings in me.
God Bless.
Nowhere in the Holy Scriptures of Truth are we taught a "prayer language." The term "prayer language" is a denominatioal term, not a biblical one. All biblical languages are known, understood, earthly & national dialects. The very classic passage of "Tongues." (better "languages") reveals that the Pentecostal "tongues" were known, understood, national, earhly languages as evidenced in Acts 2:8-11. Almighty God has thousands of earthly languages & dialects with which to speak to His people. Why in the universe would He offer a "heavenly mumbo-jumbo" non-language for prayer? Excellent query indeed. EMPLOY the languages He has given to us - and thus praise His Holy & Strong Name!
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