Speaking in Tongues, Interpretation and Prophecy
February 1st, 2007 by Stephen
It is a widely held belief amongst pentecostals and charismatics that one can receive the gift of tongues and a prophetic interpretation of those tongues.
Tongues are a contentious issue in the modern Church. Indeed they always have been. Our largest problem with modern day tongues speaking is that we cannot be absolutely certain how people spoke in tongues in the days of the apsotles. Thus we must be careful that we do not claim passages to support our practises that actually mean something slightly different.
I am of the view that tongues probably did sound much like the tongues we hear today, but we ascertain from scripture that the use of tongues was primarily as a prayer language (1 Cor 14:14). When someone speaks in a tongue they speak to God. They are praying. It is not God speaking to them but them speaking to Him.
We should not be surprised that prayer formed a part of corporate worship, but notice what was happening in Corinth. People were puffed up with pride in their spirituality. They came together and spoke in tongues together so that no one could say the “amen” to their prayers. They were showing off. This sinful and proud use of this gift was of no benefit to anyone. There was no one who understood the prayer and could say “amen” to it.
What does Paul say? That he would pray with his spirit and his mind also. He tells the congregation that any tongue must be interpreted before the congregation can move on. There is no point meeting together and all speaking in tongues so that no one can understand, because no one is edified. They might as well all sit in their own prayer closets and pray in private. Why did they meet together in this way at all? Won’t an unbeliever on seeing it say “they are all mad!”?
So tongues are prayers from the spirit of the man to God, enabled through the Holy Spirit. The interpretation is just a making known of the prayer, so that we can say “amen” to it.
The question is asked, why did Paul call this prophecy? The answer being that he did not. 1 Cor 14:5 simply says that prophecy is greater than tongues unless there is an interpretation. Paul never says that the interpretation makes the tongue prophecy. He merely says that the value of tongues is increased enormously by the interpretation, putting it on a par with prophecy.
I see no reason why heartfelt and Spirit inspired prayer to God should be thought to be less important than prophecy, and Paul seems to agree.
Just for what it’s worth, I am a Pentecostal, and I agree wholeheartedly with everything you have to say here. I have been in services in which too much “public tongues” has been expressed, with the effect of confusion. It becomes a show. I have long since learned to shy away from churches and gatherings that permit that sort of overexpression.
The better churches of which I have been a part have always taken the instruction in 1 Cor 14 very seriously. I do believe in tongues (for today) and do practice them; but what Paul seeks to get control of in 1 Cor 14 is their abuse in corporate worship.
Hi Keith,
Thanks for commenting. I agree that tongues can be for today - that there is no good argument for the cessation of tongues. I think I wrote a post on that issue a while back. As Paul said: Prove all things, hold fast to that which is good.