Gift of Tongues in the New Testament
The gift of tongues is a charismatic gift mentioned in the New Testament, particularly in Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 12-14. On the day of Pentecost, the apostles received the gift of tongues, enabling them to speak in various languages, which were understood by people from different nations [1].
The biblical account in Acts 2 describes the event where the disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit, began to speak in other languages, and the crowd heard them declaring the wonders of God in their own tongues (Acts 2:4-11). This event is seen as a fulfillment of Christ's promise to his disciples (Mark 16:17) [1].
The nature and purpose of the gift of tongues have been debated among Christian traditions. Some view it as a miraculous ability to speak in foreign languages, while others interpret it as a spiritual gift for edifying the church [2, 3]. According to 1 Corinthians 14:21-22, the gift of tongues was a sign of judgment to unbelievers and a sign of blessing to believers [4, 5].
The early Church Fathers, such as Augustine, understood the gift of tongues as a means of communicating the Gospel to people of different languages [8]. The Catholic Church teaches that the gift of tongues was a manifestation of the Holy Spirit's presence and a sign of the Church's universality [9].
Different Christian traditions have varying views on the continuation of the gift of tongues. Some, like the Reformed tradition, view it as a temporary gift for the apostolic era, while others, like the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, believe it continues to be a relevant gift for today [3, 7].
The gift of tongues is often associated with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and its purpose is seen as a means of evangelism, edification, and worship. However, the interpretation and practice of the gift of tongues vary widely across Christian traditions [5, 6].
In the context of 1 Corinthians 14, the gift of tongues is seen as a valuable gift, but one that needs to be exercised in an orderly and edifying manner. The chapter emphasizes the importance of interpretation, so that the gift may be understood and appreciated by all [3].
The gift of tongues remains a topic of discussion and debate among Christians, with different traditions offering varying perspectives on its nature, purpose, and continuation. Understanding the biblical context and the historical development of the doctrine can provide insight into the diverse views on this charismatic gift [1, 2, 4].
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Tongues, Gift of — Granted on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4), in fulfilment of a promise Christ had made to his disciples (Mark 16:17). What this gift actually was has been a subject of much discussion. Some have argued that it was merely an outward sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit among the disciples, typifying his manifold gifts, and showing that salvation was to be extended to all nations. But the words of Luke (Acts 2:9) clearly show that the various peoples in Jerusalem at the time of Pentecost did really hear themselves addressed in their own special la”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Tongues, Gift Of — I. glotta, or glossa, the word employed throughout the New Testament for the gift now under consideration, is used-- (1) for the bodily organ of speech; (2) for a foreign word imported and half-naturalized in Greek; (3) in Hellenistic Greek, for "speech" or "language." The received traditional view, which starts from the third meaning, and sees in the gift of tongues a distinctly linguistic power, is the more correct one. II. The chief passages from which we have to draw our conclusion as to the nature and purpose of the gift in question are-- + (Ma”
- 1 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Corinthians 14:13: Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue,.... The Hebrew, or any other, the gift of speaking with which is bestowed upon him: pray that he may interpret; that he may have also the gift of interpretation of tongues; for as has been before hinted, these two gifts were distinct; and a man might have the one, and not the other; a man might speak in an unknown tongue, so as to understand himself, what he said, and be edified, and yet not be capable of translating it at once into the common language of the people; and if he could not do this, he would ”
- 1 Corinthians (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 14:21: In this passage the apostle pursues the argument, and reasons from other topics; as, I. Tongues, as the Corinthians used them, were rather a token of judgment from God than mercy to any people (Co1 14:21): In the law (that is, the Old Testament) it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak to this people; and yet for all this they will not hear me, saith the Lord, Isa 28:11. Compare Deu 28:46, Deu 28:49. To both these passages, it is thought, the apostle refers. Both are delivered by way of threatening, and one is supposed to interp”
- 1 Corinthians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 14:22: Wherefore tongues are for a sign - The miraculous gift of tongues was never designed for the benefit of those who have already believed, but for the instruction of unbelievers, that they might see from such a miracle that this is the work of God; and so embrace the Gospel. But as, in the times of the prophet, the strange Babylonish tongues came in the way of punishment, and not in the way of mercy; take heed that it be not the case now: that, by dwelling on the gift, ye forget the Giver; and what was designed for you as a blessing, may prove to you to be a c”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of the Grace of Tongues, Art. 1: Article: Whether those who received the gift of tongues spoke in every language? I answer that, Christ's first disciples were chosen by Him in order that they might disperse throughout the whole world, and preach His faith everywhere, according to Mt. 28:19, "Going . . . teach ye all nations." Now it was not fitting that they who were being sent to teach others should need to be taught by others, either as to how they should speak to other people, or as to how they were to understand ”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 88: to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.” In Isaiah lxvi. 22, 23 , it is said, “As the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord , so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord .” The literal interpretation of the Old Testament prophecies relating to the restoration of Israel and the future kingdom of C”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 42.--OF THE SONS OF JOSEPH, WHOM JACOB BLESSED, PROPHETICALLY CHANGING HIS HANDS.: Now, as Isaac's two sons, Esau and Jacob, furnished a type of the two people, the Jews and the Christians (although as pertains to carnal descent it was not the Jews but the Idumeans who came of the seed of Esau, nor the Christian nations but rather the Jews who came of Jacob's; for the type holds only as regards the saying, "The elder shall serve the younger" (6)), so the same thing happened in Joseph's two sons; for the elder was a type of the Je”
- Catechism of the Catholic Church (Catholic) “Catechism of the Catholic Church, 3. the anagogical sense (Greek: anagoge, "leading"). We can view (part 2): 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah and Malachi. The New Testament: the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the Acts of the Apostles, the Letters of St. Paul to the Romans, ”