Comments on: What is the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues?

By: Andre

Andre — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 03:42:46 +0000

How can a gift from god be small? If speaking in tongues is said to be such a minor gift, why does not everyone have the ability to speak in them? GOD grants ME the ability to speak in tounges daily and I thank him for allowing me to the gift of tounges to not leave me. Can you even imagine speaking to God in his language being not so great? Not me I think it is the greatest gift!!!!!

By: Bogdan Unteanu

Bogdan Unteanu — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:27:09 +0000

First off I would like to say that S. M. Lockrigdes spirit filled sermon is the best praise and worship I have ever heard. I had heard it about 15 years ago and only recently remembered it, so i searched the net and found your site. I would like to thank you for the time you took to put it together. Also the word and knowlegde of Christ should never be sold, it is to be freely given, even if it cost us to get.
So I apreciate that you have offered it free.

Second It makes me sad that such a simple thing as the gifts and fruits of the spirit are taken so out of context. Paul made some things very clear in
1 Cor. 12-14. those two chapters are very detailed and indepth about the gifts/fruits. They are also very simple. They are to be read in order, without skipping from verse to verse in order to get the correct understanding, instead of seeing what we want. Skipping from verse to verse is very dangerous to the truth of the Word. People can take verses from the Word of God, and get it to say whatever they want.

First of all the Church in Corinth had a big issue with having distorted the gift of tounges in particular, that’s why Paul addressed this subject in a very serious manner. The Church of Corinth, like I believe most charasmatic and pentecostal churches do today, had gone off the deep end with this “gift”. They had church sevices and all they did is sit around together and babble nonsense. Paul is very clear on this, look for yourself. He scolds them telling them to stop. I personally do not speak in tounges, but I KNOW THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ALIVE AND POWERFUL IN ME. I know what my gift is and its not tounges. I believe in every gift, and that they are active in the church today.

Paul makes it clear that:

1. The Holy Spirit decides who gets what gift, we don’t choose. 1 Cor. 12:11

2. Each person has his/her own gift. Not all have the same gifts or every gift. Not all have tounges. 1 Cor. 12:12-30

3. That what we should yearn for are the Fruits of the Spirit. Which we all can have and work on. Paul even says “yet I show you a better way”, speaking of the fruits in contrast to the gifts. And that all the gifts in the world are nothing without the fruits. Also all the gifts will pass away, not the fruits. This is makes it clear that the “evidence” of the Holy Spirt is Love. God is Love. 1 Cor.13

4. Tongues is very low in importance, it is for self edification unless interperted. Paul says to use it in your personal life, and very limited in public or church. There are multiple gifts, including non supernatural gifts like teaching and serving(yes those are gifts also, again check for yourself in
1 Cor.12) that are placed of higher importance than tounges. 1 Cor.14.

How then can anyone claim the evidence of the Holy Spirit is tongues. The whole Bible is filled with proof that it is Love which evidences the Spirit not tounges or any other gift, but the fruits. “You will know them by their fruits” also Gal. 5:22-26 and many others just look up fruit or fruits.

The most important thing I’ve learned in my studies is to read the Word of God without skipping around.
The best thing to do is read ALL of 1 Cor. 12-14 in order it makes alot more sense and is very self explanitory. I pray that God gives all his children the wisdom to study one thier own without others opinions. Remember “the Holy Spirit will teach you all things.”

By: Barry

Barry — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 01:48:18 +0000

I was baptised in Jesus name a few years ago. After years of being unsure about what all is happening to me and my spiritual life, I am starting to believe that this is all for real. I’ve always struggled with the whole idea of speaking in tongues. I’ve tried to rationalize it and even at times flat out deny it. After reading the Bible through and through and taking it in context, as it is, the Bible does teach that speaking in tongues is a real gift that ever believer has, or will recieve. I still have a hard time with tongues, but the Bible does teach it and denying it is denying the Bible.

By: Myron Ward

Myron Ward — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:19:50 +0000

Speaking in tongues is nomore than your own language. Just say if a Mexican came up to the front of the church to testify, To you that would be in an unknown language if you didn’t understand it. If there wasn’t another Mexican or someone who could intrepret that language it couldn’t benefit anyone, but there a people who never learned another foreign language that can intrepret it.

By: Allie Morales

Allie Morales — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 03:18:56 +0000

I agree with Jonathan. I speak in tongues everyday because that is the language of my Heavenly Father. I am His child. A child speaks the language of the father. I also happen to be bilaterally bilingual because I also had a natural father and learned my natural father’s language and later learned the language of the culture in which I lived. The natural languages I learned by exposure to the natural world. The spiritual language I acquired as everyone else has acquired it: when the Holy Spirit was poured out onto all the world following Christ’s death and reserrection. After Christ paid the price we no longer need the “holy of holies”, we have direct communication through the comforter which is the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you–that where I am there you may be also.” In the meantime until His return to take us up to the place He is preparing for us, the comforter (Holy Spirit) abides in us allowing direct communciation with God our Father. I have been helped by the comments of all of you. Thanks.

By: Barry Stevens

Barry Stevens — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:15:07 +0000

I understand that when someone speaks a tongue in private it is in praise of and directed towards God. From what I have been taught a tongue together with its interpretation is equal to a prophecy. From this am I to believe that the interpretation of a public tongue is from God towards or man towards God?

By: Jonathan Kraft

Jonathan Kraft — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 22:14:04 +0000

Dear friends of the KING!! everyone!! yes everyone!! can speak in tongues…no matter age race background hair color height the BIBLE says that everyone should speak in tongues to God. If the bible says it…its truth. you wanna speak in tongues do it!! that’s the beauty of it. that you can do it whenever whereever you want to!
With love.

By: Pablo Delgado

Pablo Delgado — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 07:10:22 +0000

I’ll leave you with this. The first mention of the tongues we experience is the same tongue spoken in the book of Genesis chapter 11. Notice the people were of one accord, same as the day of Pentecost. It wasn’t until division that tongues were diversified. The original language, I believe, was the one in which Adam spoke to God. If you continue the search of the Scriptures, as I have, you will see that tongues are used to speak to God only, and when it is spoken to all (as a word or prophecy from God)it needs interpretaion.

By: Frederick A.Mahama

Frederick A.Mahama — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 17:17:19 +0000

Discussions on the speaking in tongues are always interesting.I INITIALLY agreed with the differentiation of the various types of speaking in tongues.However after reading the comments of others i am begining to think differently.Now i am understanding that tongues is tongues but can play different roles at different times as God wishes.

It can be used for prophesy in which case there should be an interpreter it can also be a direct speech from God to man in which case God interpretes the tongues to people of diverse languages.

It could also be used for the edification of individuals as against prophesy which edifies all.

I like the mathematics you used to explain tongues. thanks

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 10:46:07 +0000

These four views are generally accepted as four different ways of understanding the gift of tongues, but it’s hard to see how they can be four different gifts! Acts 2 is the usual reference point, “because each one was hearing them speak in his own language”, and “we hear them telling in our own tongues”.

This is the position the Anchor Bible Dictionary takes:

a careful reading indicates that the miracle consisted precisely in the hearing, not the mode of speaking (pace TDNT 1:725). The bystanders do not ask, “how can they all be speaking our own languages,” but rather, “since all who are speaking are Galileans, how is it we hear them in our own native languages?” (6:597)

However, as these two testimonies are from the perspective of the hearers, what else could they say. If I was listening to someone speak my language miraculously, how would I now whether it was a miracle of speaking or of hearing? I would be very hard to know (though I guess I could watch their lips!).

However, 2:4 is clear and unambiguous: “And they were all jfilled with the Holy Spirit and began kto speak in other tongues”. Speaking in tongues (in Acts 2 at least) was a miracle of speaking human lanugages.