Gifts of Tongues and Prophecy

A lot of Christians today question the validity and/or necessity of spiritual gifts, especially the gift of tongues. There exists a negative stereotype of "those crazy tongue talkers." In I Corinthians, chapter 14, Paul writes to the Corinthian church about the use of two of the spiritual gifts given to the church for the believers’ edification, tongues and prophecy. A lot of people use this passage of scripture to denigrate the gift of tongues, but that was not Paul’s intent. He is merely trying to shed some light on the purpose and proper use of these two very important gifts. Paul explains that prophecy is superior to tongues because all can be edified by prophecy, not just the person prophesying, unless tongues are interpreted, and then they are of equal value.

I want to focus on the gift of tongues because it seems to be the one that is attacked most often. The gift of prophecy is more acceptable, although it is not practiced much either, but tongues is very often not only denigrated, but also, contrary to Paul’s admonition in I Cor. 14:39, "...desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues," it is often forbidden. It seems that Satan would love to keep us from the very thing that would edify us in the Lord. So, I would like to share with you what the scriptures tell us is the purpose for the gift of tongues.

First of all, Paul tells us to desire earnestly spiritual gifts. Then he begins to compare the gifts of tongues and prophecy. In verses 2-3, he tells us that “one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries, but one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation, and consolation.” So, if I am speaking in tongues, I am speaking to God in a language even I do not understand. In my spirit I am speaking “mysteries.” So, why do it, if I don’t even understand what I am saying? Paul answers that question in verse 4 where he tells us that one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, just as one who prophesies edifies the whole church. This is why prophecy is a superior gift, because everyone who hears prophecy can be edified by it, whereas the one speaking in tongues is the only one edified unless it is interpreted so all can understand what is being said and be edified also.

The definition of the word edify is to instruct, especially so as to encourage intellectual, moral, or spiritual improvement. It comes from the Latin word which means to build, which is why we sometimes call a building an edifice. When we pray in the Spirit (in tongues) we are being built up or edified spiritually. I like to think of it as building up my spiritual muscles, making me stronger spiritually. Don’t we all need that? I have been praying in the Spirit (in tongues) for over 30 years now, and I would not have wanted to live my life without this beautiful way of communicating with God. It has brought a closeness to God and a peace in my life that is truly beyond comprehension. I cannot explain it. I only know it is true because I have experienced it, and I know that it is of God because I have diligently searched the scriptures for God's will in this matter.

In verse 5, Paul says, “Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues…” Why would he say that unless he believed that this was something that would help us tremendously? Obviously, not all the Corinthian believers spoke in tongues, but I interpret his statement to mean that they all could if they chose to. From the passages we read in Acts, it seems that when believers received the Holy Spirit, they also received the ability to speak or pray in tongues. Do I believe every Christian must speak in tongues? No, but I do believe that every Christian should seek all of the gifts that God has for them, and not be afraid of something just because they don't fully understand it. The spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit to build up the Body of Christ so that we can minister to one another and also go out and be a witness to the world in His name. In order to do that, we need all the edification we can get. In my next post I will talk some more about Paul's instructions to believers on the use of tongues.

"But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." I Cor. 2:14