What about tongues?

I was asked the other day about my thoughts on speaking in tongues. So I thought I'd share a run-down here of what I believe about tongues. First off, let me say that the topic of tongues has been controversial for about as long as it has been employed.

The Greek word translated "tongues" is "glossolalia." It means to speak another known language. That was part of the inherent miracle with tongues. The instance in Acts 2:1-11 confirms this.

What happens today in modern American churches that practice what they call tongues is not tongues at all. They are not speaking in another known language, they are speaking jibberish and ecstatic utterances. That is NOT what you read happened when someone spoke in tongues in the New Testament.

In 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 Paul says that tongues will cease when the "PERFECT" comes. Which, of course, begs the question, what the heck is the "Perfect"?

The Greek word translated "perfect" in this passage is the word "teleion." Which means "mature," "complete," "finished." There is a version of the word "teleion" used in John 19:30 when Jesus said, "It is FINISHED."

So what was Paul getting at when he said tongues will in essence be done away? Well, first off, I don't agree with the typical Church of Christ doctrine concerning this. Most ministers in the Church of Christ would say that the PERFECT used by Paul is a reference to the Scriptures.

So once we receive the Scriptures in their "complete" form then there will no longer be a need for tongues anymore. I reject this simply because it is sloppy, poor scholarship. No where contextually do we ever see a link of "teleion" referring to God's Word.

If you look at 1 Corinthians 13 in context, it is very famously known as the LOVE chapter. Paul had been talking through the entire chapter about individuals...not the corporate body of Christ. So to jump from individuals then to corporate language is a stretch.

I believe that teleion (perfect) is a reference to an individual's spiritual maturation in Christ. Look closely at the language of "becoming a man" in that section. Once a believer has matured, they will not need to cling to a gift such as tongues any longer but will have matured to only desire Love and faith and hope.

1 Corinthians 12-14 deals with tongues. And Paul is overwhelmingly negative as he deals with the problem of tongues. It created problems then and still creates problems now.

A few more thoughts on this topic...

The official position of the Assemblies of God is that the gift of tongues in a believer's life is evidence that the Holy Spirit is present in his or her life. I believe this to be a great mis-handling of God's Word. No where does God's Word say that. In fact, it says quite the opposite. In Galatians 5:22-23 Paul describes the evidence that the Holy Spirit is in your life is through His fruit being present...and the list he gives does NOT include tongues.

I do believe, however, that God is God. And He can and does use the gift of tongues (just most likely not in a congregation that claims to speak in tongues!). So where would this gift be used then and in what circumstances? Maybe on the mission field. Maybe as a missionary is trying to communicate the gospel in a cross-cultural setting. I honestly, don't know.

What I do know is that we cannot put God in a box and say that He can't do this or He can't do that. The Scriptures are very clear, read Hebrews 13:8. God doesn't fit in our neat, theological boxes. The book of Acts is not a museum of ancient history. But God's Word is living and active and God does not change.

It's just that the church and man have a propensity at screwing up what God has said and has done. That's the real problem.