Relevant today?

The relevance of tongues and interpretation for today’s church

There is huge debate amongst many Christian churches and organisations as to the relevance or otherwise of the somewhat esoteric gift of tongues and it’s interpretation. At one end of the spectrum, speaking in a tongue is considered to be purely demonic and of the devil. Somewhere around the middle, tongues are quietly ignored as being irrelevant in today’s church, probably having died out with the early church. Finally, at the other end of the spectrum, we have the view that tongues are an essential sign of ones faith and a wonderful prayer tool as, often, we don’t know exactly what the Lord has asked us to pray about – we just know that we need to pray.

So let’s have a look at the Word of God and see what is said in scripture on this subject. So as to hopefully reduce the arguments over translations, I have used the King James Version – probably the most respected version ever to be published. In 1 Corinthians 12:10b (KJV) the Word of God says this about gifts of the Holy Spirit of God “to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:”

Then Paul goes on to explain further about the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 14:2-6, & 18-19 “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. I would that ye all spake with tongues but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?

18-19

I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all: Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue. “

So then, Paul tells us that tongues is more a personal Gift of the Spirit as it edifies us. Even so, if there is an interpretation of the tongue then it is for the edification of the whole church. However, it seems to be given primarily as a prayer language for when we do not know how to pray. But to me the most compelling word in the Great Commission is “SHALL” – “they shall speak in new tongues.” That is future tense.

Tell me please, when did the future finish? We are currently in the future of the first century church. Has the future stopped at some point that we don’t know about? So then, the Word of God is pointing to our times when it says that “they shall speak in other tongues” and Paul is speaking to us when he says that tongues, or a message in a tongue, is for the edification of all. With Paul, I can say that I speak in tongues quite a lot and I can add that I am never more at peace than when I do so because I know that I know that I am speaking directly to God – spirit to Spirit.

This wee blog is far too short to present a full argument but I hope I have shown that the gift of tongues is still as relevant today as it was for Paul and the first church. If the Word of God is to be believed, then ALL of it has to be believed – we cannot choose what to hold and what to discard.

If we hold the Bible to be true and the inerrant Word of God, how can tongues, or any other gift of the Holy Spirit, be false, or not for today, or irrelevant?