Speaking in Tongues in Acts
I.
Introduction
A.
Background
B.
What does “speaking in tongues”
mean in the book of Acts? The potential benefit of speaking in tongues in Acts
is to reach those that are unsaved that have a language barrier separating the
declaration of God’s word. Another benefit of speaking in tongues is a sign
that the Holy Spirit has filled the believer with His power. While this subject
has caused division from church members, to church leaders in understanding the
meaning as it is applied to Acts and its use today, we will look at this
subject using methods of exegesis and apply it to today’s practical meaning.
II. The
Holy Spirit
A.
The Promised Helper
1.
Luke 24:49 The Promise
2.
John 14:16-31 Another Advocate
B.
The Departing of Jesus
1.
Luke 24:50-51 Jesus Taken Up
2.
Acts 1:9-11 Witnessed Departure
III. The Day of Pentecost
A.
Filled with the Spirit
1.
Acts 2:1 One Accord
2.
Acts 2:2 Strange Sounds
B.
The filling
1.
Acts 2:4 Speaking in Other Tongues
2.
Acts 2:13 Drunk
IV. Paul's
Address
A.
Explanation
1.
Joel 2:28-32 Spirit Poured Out
2.
Psalm 16:8-11 Deliverance from
Death
B.
Speaking in Tongues
1.
To the Church
2.
Prayer Language
Glossolalia is a system of speech,
religious in nature, which its practitioners define and is characterized as the
spontaneous and nonsensical uttering of speech patterns. In Acts 2:1-4, the word “tongues”, specifically in verse 4 is
the Greek word “glossa” meaning languages or tongues. Sometimes it is
translated "language", sometimes "tongue".
The Glossolalia (modern day) movement
began with the early Pentecostal movement, which began around 1901 in Topeka,
Kansas. According to Hinson, “In essence, the Pentecostal movement developed as
a partial reaction to the increase of secularism and the subsequent waning of
revivalism following the Civil War”.[1] In
Topeka at Bethel Bible College, students were spurred to evangelize throughout
Kansas after one of their fellow students, Agnes N. Ozman, spoke in tongues.
When one speaks in tongues, he or she is believed to receive baptism through
the Holy Spirit. A period of personal well-being typically follows an incidence
of glossolalia. The practice finds validity in biblical references (primarily
those in Acts and I Corinthians) and the testimonies of those who have spoken
in tongues. The movement soon spread so rapidly, that by 1906 there were
Pentecostal movements throughout the United States and in India, Norway, and
Sweden.[2] An
outburst of interest in glossolalia occurred in the mid-1960s, and it is still
practiced today.
Glossolalia, or the act of speaking in
tongues, has appeared in Christian religious worship since Old Testament times.
Some psychological studies also investigate the worth of the practice. It is
argued that there is a difference between the "gift” of tongues and the
"sign” of tongues.[3]
The gift is for a select few who will exercise it in public. The sign is for
every Christian who will experience it in private (a distinction which is
nowhere to be found in the bible). In addition, it is argued that 1 Corinthians
12:13 teaches a person will be converted and then at some later point be
baptized in the Holy Spirit, "For we were all baptized by one
Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all
given the one Spirit to drink.”
Instances of glossolalia, or speaking in
tongues, are found in the New Testament, in scattered Christian contexts
throughout history, and contemporarily in Christian worship services, primarily
in those of the Pentecostal church and other charismatic religious groups.
Glossolaliacs claim that in moments of tongue speaking, the Holy Spirit visits
them, providing them with “the baptism of the Spirit.” E. Glenn Hinson says
that this Spirit-baptism has “reportedly resulted in the improved morality, in
the cessation of alcoholism, in the integration of disturbed personalities, in
the curing of various psychological or even physiological disorders, in the
restoration of marital harmony, and in the revitalizing of Christian fellowship
within the churches.[4]
Because most current practitioners of glossolalia are Evangelists and seek to
spread the word of their faith, nearly all people who are willing are
encouraged to try receiving the gift of tongues.
In Luke 24:49, it was foretold that, “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the
city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” This promised
helper, the Holy Spirit, is the same Spirit in Acts 2. The Holy Spirit was a
promised Helper that would come after the ascension of Christ. Acts 2
tells the story of Jesus’ disciples receiving the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. The
apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and they began speaking in real and
known human languages.[5] Some mocked the assembly and said they were all
drunk (Acts 2:13). Paul defended the ridicule by addressing the people and
explaining that these all were not drunk. In Acts 1:8, Jesus told his disciples
that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit would come upon them.[6] The disciples didn’t understand the full context of
what was being said, until after the filling of the Spirit.
Explicit references to speaking in tongues
appear in three books of the New Testament – Acts, I Corinthians, and the
Gospel of Mark. The references to glossolalia in the Gospel of Mark are often
overlooked, however, since text-critical biblical scholars think that the
section in which the references appear was a late addition to the book.[7] Though
glossolaliacs often site Acts 2 when explaining their practice, most do not
maintain that they have the ability to understand the tongue speech of other
glossolaliacs. In I Corinthians, Paul treats glossolalia as a problem. He
stresses the unintelligibility of tongue speaking as practiced in Corinth and
lists troubles glossolalia presents for the church community.[8] Biblical scholar, Frank Stagg says of Paul’s
restraint, “He recognized that in some cases a genuine experience with the
Spirit would be outwardly expressed in emotional, ecstatic, and unintelligible
utterance”.[9]
Psychologist Wayne E. Oates speaks and
says of glossolalia, “There is certainly a buildup of tension, there is a
hypnotic impact of a mass or a group, and there is the ecstatic release of
tension” (95).[10] The tension Oates mentions is, in his
opinion, the result of a repressed spiritual vocabulary. Though Oates believes that the tension should
be treated at its root rather than with glossolalia, he admits that the
practice does provide the sense of calmness that any mode of releasing tension
provides.
Debate has still gone on, even today, in
regards to glossolalia and if it is for the edification of the individual, the
church, or both. Some in the early Church, particularly in Corinth, had the ability
to speak in different languages. In that case, it seems that people were
showing off their abilities, speaking every language they could, regardless of
whether the people who heard them could understand. They were caught up in
their vanity, having lost sight of the fact that one should always use
spiritual gifts to serve others. Paul wrote chapter 14 of 1 Corinthians
specifically to deal with this problem. He pointed out that the proper use of
the gift of languages would be to speak the language or languages that the
congregation could understand. Paul reminded the Christians in Corinth that
speaking different languages was of no real value if an audience could not
understand the words. MacDonald says, "‘Glossolalia’ is the one gift given
primarily for the benefit of the individual.”[11] Also,
Mallone, for example, extols glossolalia for personal edification, alleviation
of physical pain, empowerment for spiritual warfare and casting out demons,
intercessory prayer and intimacy in worship.[12]
However, the book of Acts and the act of speaking in tongues is what is in
question. In order to acquire knowledge on glossolalia, interested parties
study Acts and I Corinthians. Many tongue speakers publish pamphlets and small
books on their textual interpretations. For instance, in the mid-1960s when
charismatic religions boomed, four periodicals on tongue speaking – Trinity,
Voice, View, and Vision – were in wide circulation.[13]
In 1961 the validity of glossolalia received a boost when small groups in
esteemed universities like Yale, Princeton, and Dartmouth adopted the practice.[14]
While glossolalia is still debatable, we can see through scripture that the
filling of the Spirit at Pentecost was a divine act and a language that was
understood by those familiar with the native tongues that were being used.
In conclusion, some light has been shed on
a very complex and fascinating phenomenon that has been clouded by much human
arrogance and defensiveness on both sides of the charismatic divide. The answer
is simple; the Holy Spirit is very much alive and well, and the greater
emphasis should be placed on Christ and Him alone. Some denominations stress
that glossolalia is necessary for salvation, or that the baptism is evident at
the occurrence of one’s ability of speaking in tongues. However, the gift of
speaking in tongues is not the evidence of salvation or evidence of the filling
of the Spirit. The Spirit of God dwells in every believer, regardless of gifts.
Glossolalia still continues today, though infrequent discussion of its practice
in churches outside of the Pentecostal Church (both in recently published books
and on the Internet) indicates that glossolalia is not as widespread through
Christian denominations as it was in the 1960s. We need to continue through the
act of obedience to keep Christ the most important factor within the church.
The debates regarding glossolalia has caused much division within the church
that as a Christian people we have lost the real focus of who Christ says we
are.
Annotated
Bibliography
Barrett, C. K. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Acts of
the Apostles. ICC.
New York, NY: T & T Clark, 1994.
·
Barrett’s work is a detailed exegetical commentary on the book of
Acts that gives insight into the explanations from the very words of Christ.
This reference will be used to explain what Jesus meant in Acts 1:8.
Cadbury, Henry J. The Book of Acts in History. New York, NY:
Harper, 1955.
·
Cadbury will be used as a reference to the type of language that
was used on the day of Pentecost. This will be shown what differences there was
with “other tongues”.
Cf. Kenneth C. Keene, "A Response to ‘Biblical Glossolalia –
Thesis 7,’” Paraclete 29 (1995) 26-28.
·
Keene notes
that there is a difference between the "gift” of tongues and the
"sign” of tongues.
George Mallone, Those Controversial Gifts (Downer’s Grove:
IVP, 1983) 92-93.
·
Mallone explains the gifts of the Holy Spirit and gives us the
meaning of glossolalia in reference to the gift of tongues.
Stagg, Frank, E. Glenn Hinson, Wayne E.
Oates. Glossolalia. Nashville: Abingdon, 1967.
·
I referred quite often to this book for general information on glossolalia.
It is divided into sections on glossolalia and the New Testament, history, and
psychology. It was my primary source outside of the Bible itself.
Willian Graham MacDonald, "Biblical Glossolalia: Thesis 6,” Paraclete
28/1 (1994) 23.
·
McDonals explains the benefit of glossolalia in which I will
expound on what speaking in tongues in Acts means for the church and the
believer.
[1]
Ibid p. 67
[2]
Ibid p. 69
[3] Cf.
Kenneth C. Keene, "A Response to ‘Biblical Glossolalia – Thesis 7,’” Paraclete
29 (1995) 26-28.
[5] Cadbury,
Henry J. The Book of Acts in History. New York, NY: Harper, 1955. P. 135
[6] Barrett,
C. K. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles. ICC.
New York, NY: T & T Clark, 1994. P. 67
[7] Stagg, Frank, E. Glenn Hinson, Wayne E. Oates. Glossolalia. Nashville: Abingdon, 1967. P. 21
[8]
Ibid p. 35-41
[9]
Ibid p. 37
[10]
Ibid p. 95
[11] Willian
Graham MacDonald, "Biblical Glossolalia: Thesis 6,” Paraclete 28/1
(1994) 23.
[12] George
Mallone, Those Controversial Gifts (Downer’s Grove: IVP, 1983) 92-93
[13] Stagg, Frank, E. Glenn Hinson, Wayne E. Oates. Glossolalia. Nashville: Abingdon, 1967. P. 9
[14]
Ibid p. 13
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