TONGUES
These gifts
were not the possession of the primitive Christians as such; nor for that
matter of the Apostolic Church or the Apostolic age
for themselves; they were distinctively the authentication of the Apostles. They
were part of the credentials of the Apostles as the authoritative agents of God
in founding the church. Their function thus confined them to distinctively the
Apostolic Church, and they necessarily passed away with it. Of this we may make
sure on the ground both of principle and fact; that is to say both under the
guidance of the New Testament teaching as to their origin and nature, and on
the credit of the testimony of later ages as to their cessation.
Four truths
stand out: 1. Biblical tongues was the supernatural
ability to speak in known languages which were not understood by the speaker.
It was not babbling or ecstatic speech. 2. Tongues was
a special sign for the confirmation of the Word before rebellious and
unbelieving Israel until the destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of the
nation which began the Times of the Gentiles. 3. Biblical tongues are no longer
spoken. The purpose has been fulfilled and the phenomena has ceased. 4. The
Corinthians became fascinated by tongues because their use brought attention to
the user. This preoccupation resulted in misuse of the gift as they edified
themselves, disregarding the total spiritual life, and failed as witnesses to
their city. The Corinthian catastrophe!
George E. Gardiner
The Corinthian Catastrophe, 1974, Published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. p. 48. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.
So when we
say that these gifts are no longer in existence, we are not limiting God by
saying that God cannot do certain things – we are merely acknowledging what God
has stated in His own Word. And when we
do, we find ourselves conforming to that Word.
George E. Gardiner
The Corinthian Catastrophe, 1974, Published
by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. p. 53. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.
The biblical
tongues of the first century were known languages which communicated the
wonders of God publicly to unbelievers. They served as an authenticating sign
that the gospel message was true. Their function far transcended a personal and
devotional use on the part of the speaker.
John Napier
Charismatic Challenge by John Napier,
Providence House Publishers, 2003, p. 27-28. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
In any
discussion of tongues, it is important to note that they were not just
spiritual gifts. They also were designated as a “sign gift” and part of a
cluster of gifts named by Jesus in Mark 16. These sign gifts were given to
individuals to authenticate the message of the gospel. The early Christians had
no New Testament in the early years following the ascension of Christ. As the
gospel went to Jew and Gentile alike, it needed the witness of the signs to
undergird its authority, until the written Scriptures established that
authority base.
John Napier
Charismatic Challenge by John Napier,
Providence House Publishers, 2003, p. 35. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
Our God is a
miracle-working God! He still steps in
to heal, to answer prayer, to perform His purposes. No doubt many of the
reports are true. However, the miraculous reports coming from mission fields do
not attest to the fact that biblical tongues and sign gifts still apply to
today.
John Napier
Charismatic Challenge by John Napier,
Providence House Publishers, 2003, p. 68. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.