Is speaking in tongues for today? Now, a nonevangelical churchgoer may read that and wonder what on earth I’m talking about. “What do you mean? We always need our tongues.” The confusion is understandable since speaking in tongues is most emphatically not of this earth. The ancient gift—meaning it appeared first in ancient times— or spiritual gift of tongues is a gift from Heaven. It’s not an earthly or secular skill that the world can just figure out. It’s a beautiful, miraculous, and awe-inspiring gift from God. Today, though, people mostly fight about it and misuse it rather than listen, celebrate, or leverage it to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, which is what it’s for.
How’s That Possible?
The first time we read about speaking in tongues is in the book of Acts, as it talks about the day of Pentecost. In Acts 2:1-4, the Apostle Peter went out and shared the Gospel with the crowds of people gathered for Pentecost, speaking to them in their own languages. Here’s what they said, “We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues.” (Acts 2:11) The Greek word translated “tongues” literally means languages. Therefore, the gift of tongues is speaking in a language a person does not know in order to minister to someone who does speak that language.
In 1 Corinthians, Chapters 12 through 14, the Apostle Paul discusses miraculous gifts in general. He says, “Now brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction.” (1 Corinthians 14:6) According to Paul, and in agreement with the tongues described in Acts that we just read, speaking in tongues is valuable to the one hearing God’s message in his or her own language. But it’s useless to everyone else because they can’t understand it unless it is interpreted or translated for them.
Yet, sadly, while many bicker about the use of tongues today, there are very few who seem to care about the gift of interpretation or translation—the absence of which seems to determine the validity of the gift of tongues in the first place. It’s really quite rare that you will hear people offering interpretations for the gift of tongues. But then, how can they? Most of the time, so many are expressing the use of tongues at the same time—sometimes hundreds or occasionally thousands in church—that translating each one would be impossible in real-time.
This raises another question: Is what I just described the same as the gift of tongues that is described in the book of Acts? If not, then what is this gift we are seeing in so many churches today?
Is the Gift of Tongues Even for Today?
You might be thinking, of course, it’s for today. Well, 1 Corinthians 13:8 mentions the gift of tongues stopping. Ceasing, it says. It connects the ceasing with the arrival of this thing called the “perfect” in 1 Corinthians 13:10. So, there’s no argument that there will come a day when the need for this gift will cease and so too will the gift. So, the question is, has that day already come or is it still way off in the future? Are we getting close? How can we know?
The one clue we are given as to the arrival of that perfect (or that something else that appears) to make tongues obsolete is in the following. It’s when that “perfect” I mentioned earlier comes. 1 Corinthians 13:10 says, “But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.” This is the translation most still say when they mention this verse. It sounds a bit outdated—like how we recite John 3:16. We usually say it in the King’s English rather than in modern English. It’s just the way we memorized it. This makes the modern reader think only of a noun (a person, place, or thing), and it doesn’t lead us to think of a state of things or an accomplishment or a set of events or a certain period of time.
So, let’s read this verse again in a few of the modern, word-for-word translations, as well as some of the phrase-by-phrase translations, and understand this better.
First, the New Living Translation (NLT), which is a phrase-by-phrase translation, says, “But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.” Now, this makes it clear that there is a new time and age where conditions will render the gift of tongues meaningless.
Next, the New Century Version (NCV): “But when perfection comes, the things that are not perfect will end.” Now, this seems to indicate that, even though this is a gift from Heaven for the times, it isn’t perfect. It isn’t best. It comes up short in some ways that will be made obvious when what is perfect replaces it.
Next, the Modern English Version (MEV) says, “But when that which is perfect comes, then that which is imperfect shall just pass away.” Now, this seems to point to a better version, making the older version obsolete—a bit like trying to run DOS on a computer in 2021. Not only will it not be best, it won’t work at all. (If you’re wondering, “What’s DOS?” Look it up. We don’t have time right now. LOL!)
Finally, the English Standard Version (ESV)—that’s what I frequently use—is a word-for-word translation and the most accurate modern translation we have today. “But when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.” I’m reminded of Marshall Goldsmith, the well-known executive educator/coach and bestselling author who wrote the book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. The message here is what’s made clear in the ESV—that the gift of tongues was meant to get the church and believers to a point and no further.
So, I ask again, have we already reached this point? Well, we’ll find out next Thursday in the second part of this blog. In the meantime, why don’t you join me and my Summit family this Sunday morning—in-person or online—for a special time of worship. We’re live at 9am & 11am MDT. Hope to see you there!
Until next time, Peace!
~Pastor Rob
Aka P-Ro