Is Speaking in Tongues For Today?

The apostle Paul wrote the book of 1^st Corinthians from the city of Ephesus (1 Cor. 16:8) while on his third missionary journey (Acts 19:1) in A.D. 55 (Walter Dunnett’s An Outline of New Testament Survey, Moody Press, p. 82; J. Walvoord & R. Zuck’s The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Victor Books, p. 506; Unger’s Bible Handbook, Moody Press, p. 626 and C. Pfeiffer & E. Harrison’s The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Moody Press, p. 1228). How do we know this? Well, one of the important points for the chronology of the New Testament is afforded us by what is said in Acts 18:12, that “Gallio was proconsul of Achaia” while Paul was in Corinth. This verse seems to mean that Gallio came to Corinth while Paul was there. An inscription at Delphi gives the decision of the Emperor on a question referred to him by Gallio, and from the date of the inscription it appears that Gallio entered his office in the summer of A.D. 51 (K. Lakes’ The Beginnings of Christianity, vol. 5, London, 1933, p. 46f). Paul left Corinth (Acts 18:18-22) to return to Antioch and then set out on his third journey (18:23). When time is allowed for the events narrated in Acts 18:18 – 19:1 and Paul’s stay in Ephesus for 3 years (Acts 20:31), it is concluded that 1 Corinthians would have been written about A.D. 55 from Ephesus (L. Morris’ The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Tyndale N.T. Commentaries, p. 29; and W. Ramsay’s St. Paul the Traveler and the Roman Citizen).

So when Paul writes to the Corinthian church that they should “not forbid to speak in tongues” (14:39), that was a true statement in A.D. 55. But is it still true for today? Only one passage in the New Testament states what the main purpose for speaking in tongues is, and that is found in 1 Cor. 14:22. It says, “So then tongues are for a sign…” The word translated “for” is the Greek preposition “eis” which here indicates purpose. Thus, Paul is stating not merely that tongues are a sign, but that they were intended to be such. 1 Cor. 14:21 is a synopsis of Isaiah 28:11, 12. In 1 Cor. 14:21, God is saying that He will speak to “this people” by men of strange tongues. The “this people” that God is speaking to are the Jews. This can be seen by going back to the Isaiah 28 passage from which 1 Corinthians 14 quotes. In Isa. 28:1, 3, 14, 16, we see that Ephraim (northern Israel), Jerusalem, and Zion are all terms used to describe the Jews. So the “this people” of 1 Cor. 14:21 is talking about the Jews.

Now why will God speak to the Jews by men of strange or foreign tongues? As a “sign”, which 1 Cor. 14:22 tells us. But as a “sign” of what? As a sign of coming judgment, as Isa. 28:13 points out, “So the word of the Lord to them will be ... that they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared, and taken captive.” Specifically which Jews was this judgment directed? Well, 1 Cor. 14:22 tells us that it’s to those who are “unbelievers” and not believers. So, putting all the elements together, we see that the purpose for speaking in tongues (both during the time of Isaiah and during Pentecost and about 40 years thereafter) was for a sign of coming judgment to the unbelieving Jews. In the Old Testament, God judged the Jews because they refused to listen to Him through His prophets (Isa. 28:12; Neh. 9:30; 2 Chron. 36:15, 16). So God sent the Assyrian army in to chastise the disobedient nation of Israel, and He spoke to these Jews through the strange tongue of Assyrian in retribution. This took place in about 722-701 B.C. as seen in 2 Kings 17, 18. Likewise, in the New Testament, God sent the Roman army under General Titus in A.D. 70 to destroy Jerusalem and massacre its inhabitants (the Jews) because they had as a nation rejected their Messiah (Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Moody Press, 1970, p. 578; and J. Douglas’ The New Bible Dictionary, Eerdman Publishers, 1974, p. 616). Therefore, since the purpose for tongues was fulfilled in A.D. 70, tongues ceased. It’s no surprise, however, that “tongues” are found in the book of 1 Corinthians (since it was written in about A.D. 55) and the book of Acts (since it was written in about A.D. 61). Both were written before the A.D. 70 judgment of Jerusalem.

However, it is interesting to note that “tongues” are not mentioned in any of the latter N.T. books, tongues are only mentioned in the earliest list of spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:8-11) and not in the later lists (e.g., Rom. 12:4-8 or Eph. 4:8-12).

1 Cor. 13:8 clearly says “tongues ... shall cease”

When? 1 Cor. 13:8 indicates that tongues will cease before prophecies and knowledge shall be done away. But how does the text show this? The first indication is the change of verbs used in verse 8. The verb used with both prophecy and knowledge is the same. It is the Greek word “katargeo.” This verb is used 4 times in verses 8-11 and is translated “done away” by the NASB (and “fail”, “vanish”, “done away”, & “put away” by the KJV). It can also be translated here as “rendered inoperative” (Dr. C. N. Sellers’ Biblical Conclusions Concerning Tongues, p. 14. Dr. Sellers has been a professor teaching Greek for more than 20 years after graduating from both Dallas and Grace Seminaries).

Tongues, however are not to be “rendered inoperative”, but shall cease/be stilled. A different Greek word is used. The word is “pauo” which means to “stop/cease/be stilled.” Since God chose His words, the change of verb should be of some significance, especially since “tongues” lies between the words prophecy and knowledge.

The second indication that tongues shall cease before prophecy and knowledge shall be done away is the change of voice in verse 8. The passive voice indicates the subject receives the action. The middle voice stresses the personal involvement of the subject in the action of the verb. Since the verb used with both prophecy and knowledge (“done away”) is in the passive voice, then prophecy and knowledge will be abruptly removed by something/someone. Tongues, however, is used with a verb that is in the middle voice, signifying that tongues will die out in and of themselves gradually passing away (W. Bauer’s A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Zondervan, 1957, p. 23; J. Dillow’s Speaking in Tongues, Zondervan, 1975, p. 113; Dr. Sellers’ Biblical Conclusions Concerning Tongues, p. 14).

Now when will prophecy and knowledge be abruptly removed by something? When that which is “perfect” comes. But what is that which is “perfect”? Well, first, the word “perfect” in Greek is “to teleion” which means “complete/mature” (Dr. Sellers, p. 16; V. Budgen’s The Charismatics and the Word of God, Evangel Press, pp. 74, 75). The “perfect/perfection” is in the neuter gender meaning the “completed thing” (V. Budgen, p. 75). The Apostle Paul, then, is saying, that the partial (prophecy and knowledge) will be replaced by the perfect/completed thing. Since the completed thing should logically be of the same kind as the partial (prophecy & knowledge, in other words God’s revelation/word), therefore the “perfect” refers to the completion of the Word of God, the Bible. Perfect/completed prophecy and knowledge replaced/ended partial prophecy and knowledge. This is exactly what happened when the New Testament was completed by A.D. 96 (Dr. Sellers, p. 16; Budgen, pp. 74, 75; Unger’s Bible Handbook, p. 640). The important thing to note is that prophecy and knowledge, but not tongues are said to be done away/rendered inoperative by the “perfect”. Tongues shall have already ceased/passed away in and of themselves. This is the only reason tongues could be omitted in the references to those things which are superseded by the perfect/completed thing (Dr. Sellers, p, 14).

Paul illustrates the period of the church’s infancy, when it had to depend on piecemeal revelation through special gifts, by the figure of a child growing into adulthood (1 Cor. 13:11) and a person seeing himself indistinctly in a metal mirror which reflected only a blurred image. Paul chose the child illustration (the gifts of prophecy & knowledge – fragments of God’s revelation, e.g., Heb. 1:1 – were childhood events/experiences) because he wished to show that the process of leaving behind the partial/incomplete in favor of the complete/perfect is a natural process. Jonathan Edwards, the great theologian of the early 18^th century, agrees that the “perfect” refers to the completion of Scripture (Budgen, p. 74).

The mirror (Gk. “espotron”) refers to Scripture. The only other time this Greek word is used is in James 1:22-25 where it is used of “Scripture/the perfect law”. When Paul said, “we see in a mirror dimly,” he meant that before the completion of the Bible we saw ourselves in a blurred way because they only had the Old Testament, some apostolic teachings, prophecies, and partial knowledge. And when Paul says, “but then face to face”, he means that they would be in a position to see and know themselves fully (the practical awareness of a situation), even the inner recesses of their heart (Heb. 4:12, 13) when the Bible would be complete/perfect (Budgen, pp. 80, 81). So, we have seen that man will have been given all the revelation he needs when the collected partial revelations will have grown to a state of completion (which happened by A.D. 96 – Seller, p. 19; Walvoord & Zuck, p. 925; Dunnett, p. 165). We conclude, then, that the gift of tongues ceased by A.D. 70 and that the gifts of prophecy and knowledge abruptly ended with the completion of the Bible by A.D. 96. – Dr. Sellers, p. 19.

History demonstrates conclusively that tongues did cease

During the age of the Apostolic Fathers (early Christian writers who had direct contact with the apostles) the gift of tongues was not exercised. There is absolutely no mention of tongues in any of their writings. Clement of Rome wrote to the Corinthians in A.D. 95 and discussed their spiritual heritage without once mentioning tongues. He even commended them for their unity. By that time tongues had ceased. The true gift was no longer given by God, and Paul had silenced the quacks by showing that tongues was the least of the gifts and not an indication of spirituality.

Ignatius, who was martyred in A.D. 116, wrote to the Ephesians. (Remember that the gift of tongues was exercised in Ephesus during the time of Paul – Acts 19.) Ignatius did not mention tongues in his letter to the Ephesians. He also wrote to the churches at Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Smyrna, and Philadelphia without mentioning tongues.

Polycarp wrote to the Philippians, and did not mention tongues. The Epistle of Barnabas, the Shepherd of Hermas, the Epistle to Diognetus, the Didache, the writings of Papias – none of these mention tongues, though they cover all areas of Christian theology. These were all within a lifetime of the New Testament Age.

Justin Martyr, who was martyred around A.D. 165, traveled extensively throughout the Roman Empire and wrote extensively on Christian doctrine, yet did not mention tongues.

Beginning about A.D. 200, a few extra-Biblical references to tongues appear. These scattered references all seem to be reports concerning the practices of the Montanists. Montanus and his followers are acknowledged by all to have been heretics. Their heresy was primarily in the field of the study of the Holy Spirit and involved an undue emphasis upon miraculous gifts. The testimony of Chrysostom (about A.D. 390) is very clear and interesting. Remarking on the 1 Corinthian passage, he says that the “whole place is very obscure.” He then adds: “…but the obscurity is produced by our ignorance of the facts referred to and by their cessation being such as then used to occur, but no longer take place” (Homilies on First Corinthians, XXXIX). It is clear that tongues were not a problem in the early church after Paul wrote 1 Corinthians. They had ceased in and of themselves because their purpose had been accomplished.

St. Augustine also attests to the fact that tongues faded away and passed out because that gift had served its purpose. This was written in about A.D. 420. Tongues had served as a sign to unbelievers (Jews) of pending judgment, and the judgment had come and gone (Dr. B. Dunn’s “Speaking in Tongues”, p. 14) – Dr. Sellers’ Biblical Conclusions Concerning Tongues, p. 18. What is the so-called tongues speaking of today then, and where does it come from?

Most of the so-called “tongues speaking” today consists of pointless and repetitious jabbering. It is not a language but is an ecstatic experience furnishing an emotional release and a boost to the ego. As such, it is dangerous both psychologically and spiritually. But there is something even more dangerous. That is demonic glossolalia (tongue speaking). Pagan Greek oracles, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, etc. have “spoken in tongues” (The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Moffatt’s New Testament Commentary, pp. 208, 209). Isaiah 8:19 refers to demons who “whisper and mutter” through the vocal cords of mediums and spiritists. In Mark 5:8-12; Luke 4:33-35; 8:27-32; and Matt. 16:22, 23 we see demons/Satan speaking by means of the vocal chords of those they inhabit or control.

The Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses (cults, not Christians) claim to be able to speak in tongues also. The Encyclopaedia Britannica (1968 edition, vol. 22, p. 75) cites many instances of tongues speaking in pagan cults. The fact that the experience occurs regularly in non-Christian religions argues powerfully that the tongues phenomenon of the 20^th century is not being produced by the Holy Spirit. People who have no connection at all with true Christianity speak in tongues. Today, ecstatic speech is found among the Muslims and Eskimos of Greenland (H. Stolee’s Speaking in Tongues, Augsburg, 1963, p. 9). D. Graham writes of a girl in China who was demon-possessed and began to utter words incoherently (Religion in Szechwan Province, China Smithsonian Misc. Collections, LXXX, 4, p. 15). E. Langston says that in East Africa many persons possessed by demons speak fluent Swahili or English, although under normal circumstances they do not understand either language (Langston’s “What Are Demons?” The London Quarterly and Holborn Review, Jan., 1954, p. 30). Psychologists have described glossolalia as happening with people with no strong religious convictions at all (G. Cutten’s Speaking With Tongues Historically and Psychologically Considered, p. 157). Why? Because of auto-hypnosis. In almost every case there is a sense of frustration and inner conflict. This inner tension sets off a search for the “secret” to the abundant Christian life. Tongues promises to be an end to the tension, and people subconsciously begin to seek it. To receive it is to gain the hallmark of spiritual prestige, resulting in the feeling of group acceptance and divine approval. Furthermore, everyone around them is assuring them that this is the solution to their problems. This has a powerful effect and will psychologically induce the phenomenon in some people.

A number of Christian psychiatrists have come to the conclusion that the tongue-speaking phenomenon is completely psychological (Dillow’s Speaking in Tongues, pp. 172-175).

Are There 2 Kinds of Tongues Speaking?

No! Some Pentecostals and Charismatics think there are 2 different kinds of tongues in the Bible, one a language and the other an ecstatic utterance. Though the Greek word “glossa” may be translated “ecstatic utterance,” its consistent usage in the New Testament is as a foreign language (e.g., Rev. 5:9; 7:9; 10:11; Acts 2:2, 3, 4, 11, 26). In fact, the word “glossa” occurs 30 times in the Greek Old Testament, and in every instance it refers to a known language spoken on earth (Gundry’s Journal of Theological Studies, p. 299). Paul specifically states that the tongues of 1 Cor. 12-14 are foreign languages, because he quotes Isaiah 28:11, 12 in 1 Cor. 14:21 (and the tongues of Isa. 28 is the Assyrian language – Isa. 8:7-15).

Misuse of Hebrews 13:8

To say that speaking in tongues still exists today because “Jesus is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever” makes as much sense as saying we should still sacrifice animals to a Jewish priest because they did it in the Old Testament. Heb 13:8 teaches that Jesus Himself (His nature, character, essence, attributes) are the same forever, but not necessarily what He says or does. For example, in Matt. 10:5-7, Jesus commands His disciples to only go to, preach to, and heal Israelites, but then in Matt. 28:19 and Acts 1:8, Jesus tells them to go preach to the whole world. In Matt. 15:24, Jesus says He’s sent to minister only to Israelites, but then in 15:21, 22, 28, we see Him ministering to non-Israelites, as in John 4:7-10, 25, 26, 39-43 also. In Luke 9:1-3 and 10:1-4, Jesus tells His disciples to not take money or supplies on their mission, but then in 22:36, 37, He tells them to do so. In Mark 1:40-44 and 3:11, 12, Jesus tells the healed people to not tell others of their healing through Him, but then in 5:13-18, Jesus reverses it.

Prophecy – Knowledge – Apostle

Prophecy was the gift which was exercised by a prophet. Rather, by receiving the gift of prophecy one became a prophet. Peter uses the word in 2 Peter 1:20 when he says, “no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation (held by the author), for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit”. Frequently it has been said that there were 2 kinds of prophecy – foretelling and forthtelling. But in view of the biblical usage of the word, this is an artificial distinction. The gift of prophecy was simply the gift of receiving a message from God and declaring it to the people. The fact that the message is from God makes it a prophecy.

Jews and Christians generally agree that the Old Testament prophetic gift ceased at the time of Malachi when the Old Testament canon (books) was complete. (Josephus, the famous Jewish historian, was very specific on this point.) In the New Testament age, God again gave the gift of prophecy so that the early believers would have a “Christian” theology (one from God), and not just a human invention. The gift of knowledge was a gift which was not easily recognizable as such. That is probably the reason it is never mentioned in the New Testament except in 1 Corinthians. The gift involved unusual spiritual insight in settling practical problems such as: eating meat offered to idols, attendance at Jewish ceremonies, administrations of widows, ladies’ veils, qualifications for church officers, and many such similar questions that would have been extremely perplexing before the New Testament Scriptures were written – Dr. Sellers, p. 15. Another major passage to be considered with the passing of prophecy is Ephesians 2:20 where Paul says that all believers in Christ are “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.”

It seems clear that the prophets referred to here are not O.T. prophets because Paul says apostles, then prophets. The word order is significant. If he was referring to O.T. prophets, he probably would have said prophets, then apostles. Also, the parallel passage in Eph. 4:8, 11 identifies the prophets as those whom the ascended Christ gave to His church. When Paul lists the spiritual gifts in 1 Cor. 12:28, he follows the same sequence: “And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets…” Note that these are appointed in the church. Thus, he is speaking of New Testament prophets again using the same parallel structure as in Eph. 2:20 and 4:11. Furthermore, all 3 passages are by the same author, in the same order, on the same subject – spiritual gifts. The church in Eph. 2:20 is compared to a building which has a foundation and a superstructure. Paul says the foundation represents the first period of church history, which is Christ and the apostles and prophets. The superstructure represents the succeeding centuries since the first. We are now in the period of the superstructure and not of the foundation. Once the superstructure of a building is laid down upon the foundation, you don’t relay the foundation. Prophecy was the foundation, so we can’t go back to that. This text is saying then, that the gifts of apostleship and prophecy passed during the foundational period of the church.

This view is validated by the fact that the gift of apostleship passed because of the requirements for its possession. For example, to be an apostle you had to have seen Jesus alive after the resurrection (1 Cor. 9:1; Acts 1:21-26). Even Paul met this requirement (Acts 9:3-5,27; 22:17, 18; 23:11; 26:13-16). Also, the apostles were personally promised knowledge by Jesus (Jn. 16:13; 1 4:26; 15:26, 27), and granted by Him the special authenticating “signs” of an apostle (2 Cor. 12:12; Acts 2:42, 43; 5:12, 13). These “signs” of an apostle were the miraculous authentications of their message to prove their authority. But by the time the Bible was complete and all the apostles had died (by A.D. 100), there was no longer any need for further apostles or prophets because God’s completed Word was now recorded.