Tongues

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

TONGUES

1 Cor 12:7-11

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.   11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

NIV

We have come to one of the controversial gifts of the Spirit known as tongues. It is interesting that in Greek there is no word that says different, it is added for clarification. So then to another speaking in kinds of tongues or in the Greek, Gloossa, which is defined as, first, the tongue in our mouths, and second, as a language used by a particular people distinctive from other nations. That is the word's meaning as the Spirit gives kinds of tongues. Now, as to what that means in the midst of the congregational gathering, is that the Spirit will gift someone to speak out in a language that is not their native tongue. This is not just babble, but a real language that is not one that can be learned through study but is given by the Spirit. Here is where confusion as well as incorrect doctrine may come into play. This particular gift has also caused division among some denominations. Of course, there is the idea that the no-tongues churches say this gift ended with the Apostles, while the Pentecostal churches continue to practice all the gifts, or at least believe all the gifts are present in the church today. Then there are other denominations that agree all the gifts are for today but have decided not to practice them, with tongues being in the forefront of those not allowing the Spirit to manifest. If we think correctly about this, if we do not allow the Spirit to manifest His gift of tongues in the church, could we be guilty of quenching the Spirit. Paul tells the Thessalonians not to put the Spirit's fire out as the NIV puts it, but the Greek word is shennumi, which means to extinguish, do not extinguish, or quench the Spirit. If we do not allow all the gifts of the Spirit to be active in the church, does that mean we are being disobedient to God? This might be truer than we want to admit, as we could say that we believe in the gift of healing, although it seems most of the time, we do not see any miraculous healings without the help of doctors. But the rest of the gifts of the Spirit, specifically this one of tongues, is held in contempt by some churches. We have even known a particular church that put out material saying that tongues were from the devil. Other churches simply do not believe the gifts are for today, so they live without the Spirit working completely in their lives. It is difficult to understand how there has become so much controversy over the gifts of the Spirit. Could it be because of the lack of a thorough understanding of the scriptures without any preconceived notions or bias? Once again, we come to the conclusion that we cannot learn any of these gifts, and in the case of tongues, we cannot learn how to speak that tongue not native to our own language. It is a gift that the Spirit manifests and must be accompanied by the gift of interpretation. That is why we cannot speak a foreign language we have learned for it cannot be interpreted by anyone who has not learned it. We also know that this gift of tongues will always be used to praise God, and the interpretation will also be what the speaker used in tongues is saying in praise to our God. Let us simply be open to the Spirit, not forbidding Him to work in our lives.