The Spirit and Gifts: Tongues and Interpretation

The Spirit and Gifts: Tongues and Interpretation
1 Cor  14. 1-28;  and 12. 8-10, 28-30

Background. We have been learning about the gifts God stirs up among his people by the Holy Spirit, beginning with the list in 1 Cor 12. 8-10.  Today we look at the gifts of tongues and interpretation.

Firstly, what are these gifts and what are they for?
Tongues is speech that is unlearned and beyond the scope of the rational mind. On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, they all spoke in other languages, so that all the visitors in Jerusalem for the feast heard the Christian message in their own languages.  Sometimes tongues is like that. Sometimes it isn't: the speaker simply speaks out in a flow of praise or prayer in no known language.  Paul talks about "tongues of men (known languages) and angels (unknown languages)" - and scholars talk about a language miracle, and about ecstatic speech.   Both are possible: ecstatic speech probably more possible than a language miracle. (Some of the earliest Pentecostal missionaries came a cropper because they presumed that when they arrived in a tribal area the Holy Spirit would enable them to speak in the local language - to they never bothered to try to learn a language before going out! And in fact, they forgot that the tongues that were spoken on the day of Pentecost were not used in a conversation. There is no suggestion that those who spoke in tongues were able to understand what the people from all over the world said, or to decide what they wanted to say in their new languages. Just that they were able to speak. This was never intended to replace language learning or to enable a conversation to take place. It was there to let people hear the Good News in their own language and so have a demonstration that God really cared about them).

You might ask, "What possible benefit might there be in my being able to speak in a language I've never learned: unless I am able to say something in a language someone else will understand.  Even than, I can't have a conversation.  All I can do is say make my voice available for God to speak.  Actually, that would be good enough. I have heard testimonies of people being dramatically impacted by events like that.  But what possible use could it be to be able to speak in a completely unknown tongue?

Paul in fact answers that question:
1. see 1 Cor 14. 4: "He who speaks in a tongue builds up himself." - meaning promotes growth in character, virtue, holiness, blessedness. Through the release that comes from tongues,  the personality of a person can be built up: that is a faith statement, but one borne out by research.
2. see 1 Cor 14. 14-17: tongues can be used for prayer.  We can use the gift of tongues to speak out God's praises.  There may be moments when you are overwhelmed with the majesty, greatness and glory of God.  Those are the moments to let that new language come into its own.  There may be moments when, as Paul suggests in Romans 8. 26-27: "The Spirit helps us in our weaknesses: when we don't know how to pray as we ought the Spirit prays inside us with groans too deep for words.  I don't know for 100% certain that Paul was thinking about the use of tongues when he wrote these words. He may well have been. But I do know for certain that tongues is definitely one way in which those groans too deep for words can be presented before God as prayer.

Interpretation is a rendering of the tongue, into a language that can be understood. It is not a translation. It is an interpretation.  It explains, makes sense of the whole tongues event. Bittlinger says "Interpretation is not an accurate translation nor a commentary on prayer in the Spirit. Rather, it is  a presentation of the essential content in the mother tongue."

It is given so that there may be some understanding of the event that has taken place. It is important that we engage all of our being.  Paul talks about praying - or singing - with the spirit and with the mind (1 Cor 14. 15).  It is good to come to God and just engage with God, Spirit to spirit.  But it is good to engage the mind as well.  Interpretation enables the minds of others to engage with our prayers and praises and to agree with them.

A mission question?  
Paul raises a question about the impact of tongues as they were being used in Corinth - the kind of tongues that are not any human language - on "outsiders", those who don't trust in Jesus and have not had the things Christians do explained to them. Paul's argument is difficult but we should make the effort to understand it...

He begins by quoting (1 Cor 14. 21) from Isaiah 28. 11, where Isaiah says in effect to Israel, "Because you have not turned to God when you heard me speaking to you in Hebrew or Aramaic, God is going to speak to you through people who speak foreign languages - the Assyrians. Maybe when they come and invade the land, you'll wake up and repent of your sins."  In other words, when God speaks to Israel through "men of strange languages" he is speaking judgement.  So, says Paul, tongues is kind of like that. It's real, and it's God, but if everyone is shouting out in an unknown language, to unbelievers it sounds like gibberish and confirms them in their unbelief.  So tongues is a judgement-sign for unbelievers. Prophecy - that speaks clearly and incisively and exposes what is really going on in people's hearts - can turn unbelievers pretty quickly into believers.

This is an important passage, because it wrestles with the missional impact of the Church's ordinary day-to-day life... What do we look like, how do we come across, to the uninitiated?  We may tell ourselves that our society has turned its back on God; that men and women are under judgement.  But if, by whatever means - tongues that can't be understood or a little routine that doesn't make sense - we present ourselves as a stupid, self-indulgent minority who are busily carrying on our little rituals and don't care about our world, we are helping people along the road to judgement.

So what are we to do?
We need to be open. Paul says "I wish you all spoke in tongues" (1 Cor 14. 5) and adds that he uses the gift more than any of the Corinthians.  (1 Cor 14. 18)  He says at the end of the chapter, just in case anyone thinks it would be better not to bother with tongues after
all,  "Don't forbid speaking in tongues." (1 Cor 14. 39)
In private.  If Paul says he speaks in tongues more than anyone else. People need to be told that; it's not a well-known fact - because Paul uses the gift,  mainly in private. We need to explore and unpack the gift in private prayer and praise. It can be deeply releasing to our souls as well enabling our prayers.
In the body.   "In the Church I would far rather speak five words in prophecy." (1 Cor 14. 19) There needs to be proper functioning in the Body of Christ, the church, so we do what we do for building up one another not just ourselves.  (v. 17)  that means
* Pray for the power to interpret. (1 Cor 14. 13)
* Only two or three at most should speak out in tongues in public worship (1 Cor 14. 27)
* and if you don't believe there is someone with the gift of interpreting the tongue, and you don't feel you will be able to do so, you keep quiet. (1 Cor 14. 28)
* Space needs to be made for the interpretation as well as the tongues. 
What if you haven't got tongues?  You can always ask (1 Cor 14. 1: "Earnestly desire the spiritual gifts"); but don't be uptight about it. If you haven't got the gift, it means what? Precisely this: you don't speak in tongues. It's not the proof of anything. It's not evidence of being more spiritual than someone else. Jesus said "he who believes in me, out of his inner begin shall flow rivers of living waters." (John 7. 38)  It's not something to force yourself to do, something to squeeze out of you. If it doesn't flow, don't worry about it. If God wants you to have it, it will come.

© Gilmour Lilly September 2011