SPEAKING IN TONGUES AS A MYSTERY UNTO GOD

SPEAKING IN TONGUES AS A MYSTERY UNTO GOD

BY Abiodun Adegoroye

Text: 1 Corinthians 14.2 “For he who speaks in another language speaks not to men, but to God; for no one understands; but in the Spirit he speaks mysteries”

INTRODUCTION

The challenge facing us in this discussion is a hermeneutical one. The issue of the meaning of a biblical text has been a subject of serious hermeneutical concern through out the Christian age. Hermes in ancient Greek mythology was the interpreter of the gods. He is the messenger that the gods use to convey meaning and carry out their orders. Hermeneutics is then the science of interpretation. If the meaning of Paul’s discourse in 1 Corinthians 14.2 is found, it is because proper and accurate hermeneutics has been done. How can we accurately find meaning of biblical text especially the text before us?

1. For so many, meaning is settled when their ‘pastor’ or ‘head’ speaks. This is as a result of the view that the man is a spokesman for God and cannot make mistakes as an oracle of Almighty God. Take for instance, Pastor Chris Oyakhiome’s ‘Refuse to be sick’[1] philosophy that has made many to believe that because God’s Spirit dwells in a Christian, sickness, disease, infirmity should not find place in their physical bodies. Using Romans 8.11, he convinced many of his listeners to stop believing in physical pains and sicknesses in their bodies because believing these is to believe a ‘lying vanity’ and to incur God’s displeasure. He said Leviticus 17.11 that proves that the life of humans is in the blood does not apply to a born-again individual. Some misguided by this meaning of the biblical texts used by Oyakhilome have lost their physical lives and the lives of those dear to them as they refuse treatment for physical infirmities.

2. There are others who believe that meaning of a text reside in the English translation they use. The issue of the limitation of the English translations (and others too) is too wide to discuss here but suffice it to say that many religious practices sprung up in the wake of wrong translations. (infant baptism et al.)

3. The problem of eisegesis must not be overlooked. Sometimes people hold very strong opinions about certain viewpoints and thus will search the Bible to defend or prove these types of opinions. For example, some in attempt to justify the exorbitant bride-price practised by family and friends have twisted the account in Genesis 2 .21-23 to prove that Adam indeed paid a costly bride-price to get Eve! This is termed eisegesis –“reading one’s own, completely foreign, ideas into a text and thereby make God’s word something other than what God really said.”[2]

There are many other problems that push people and churches to wrong meaning of a biblical text including ignorance of the word of God, party spirit, and the desire to maintain a practice, passion or property[3]. Probably the major question that should help this presentation to move toward the desired direction should be “how is the correct meaning of a biblical text ascertained?”

BODY.

1. Tools needed for a proper hermeneutics (biblical interpretation) include: Good bibles and a knowledge of the limitations of English translations; Background information; An inquisitive and objective mind; A holistic appreciation of scripture; Understanding the divisions that God has ordained to guide the understanding of His word (2 Tim. 2.15); and contextual considerations. Eric Lyons summarizes the solution to the problem of meaning with a suggestion that:

It often has been said, “The Bible is its own best commentary.” When we read something that we do not understand in one section of the Bible, frequently other passages in the Scriptures will “interpret” the “unclear” sections for us. Someone questioning the identity of the “seed” of Abraham who would be a blessing to all nations (Genesis 22:18; cf. 26:4) can read Galatians 3:16 and learn that the “seed” mentioned in Genesis is Christ. If a person wanted to know what the water baptism Jesus and the apostles commanded involved, he could study Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:12, and Acts 8:38, and come to the correct conclusion that New Testament water baptism is a burial in water, and not the mere sprinkling of water on a person. Instead of approaching the Scriptures with the mindset of, “What do I think about…,” or “What do you think about…,” we first need to ask ourselves, “What does the Bible say about itself?” If there is one section of the Scriptures that we do not understand fully, we always should examine other passages in the Bible that deal with the same subject first.[4]

2. Steps in Exegesis. The suggested steps to biblical interpretation called exegesis include a contextual approach. The major questions guiding the study include:

a. What does the text say?

b. What is the circumstance surrounding the text –the issue of who is speaking, to whom and on what occasion and for what purpose?

c. Are there other biblical passages that throw more light on the meaning of the text?

d. What is the total context and the conclusion? –adding all the data together and reasoning correctly about the data.

3. Background to 1 Corinthians 14 The church at Corinth had problems and Paul wrote them to help them correct these. One of the problems included the abuse of the use of spiritual gifts had by members of the church. Chapters 11-14 address these abuse issues.

The key to understanding 1 Corinthian 14:2 may be verse 22 “1 Co 14:22 “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.”(KJV)

Speaking in tongues (an ability to speak a message from God in a language the messenger does not know and did not learn) is a sign. A sign is a mark of the authenticity of the messenger. It is designed to elicit wonder, awe, and reverence for the giver of the message, and also respect for the message (Acts 2:7, 8, 12). It is a device to catch people’s attention and divert it to the message of salvation. Right from the beginning of Christianity this has been the use of the gift of ‘tongues.’ In the Acts 2 narrative, the first recorded account of the phenomenon, the multitude gathered were surprised and awed at the fact that men who were known to be Galileans were able to speak the different languages of the multicultural addressees. Although some of the listeners tried to pass this divinely engineered event off as a drunken imitation of their native languages, the miracles was soon verified as being too good and too awesome to be dismissed as a mere rambling of drunken men. Apostle Peter, debunking the ignorant suggestion, proved that the apostles were indeed specially selected to deliver a soul-saving message with the attending attention getting and awe-inspiring sign. Note that the messenger is not as important as the message he bears. God used men without high credentials –fishermen et al., to make the import of the message more glorious (2 Cor. 4:7). In the Old Testament God used even a brute donkey to illustrate this principle –the donkey spoke human language – a feat which it would never have been able to do being an animal (Num. 22:28-30).

Context Considerations Paul addressed the issue of the use of spiritual gifts from chapters 11-14. He laid a foundation that all the gifts are from God through the Holy Spirit and are therefore not to be regarded as making the gifted individual superior to others. He used the physical human body to illustrate and prove that those regarding one gift as being better than another missed the point and are thinking carnally (12:27-31). God arranged the differences to suit His will and they are complimentary not competitive. Paul counselled love as the greatest gift of all –it is available to all Christians and will outlast all the temporary miraculous spiritual gifts (13:8-10). After this Paul focussed on a specific gift that was ostentatious and grossly abused –the ability to prophesy in a language that is foreign to the prophet or messenger popularly referred to as ‘speaking in tongues.’ The difference between regular prophesying and ‘speaking in tongues,’ is the language of the revelation. Prophecy is speaking forth a message from God by inspiration in a language believers understand, while ‘tongues’ is also an inspired prophetic utterance used before non -Christians in a language unknown to the speaker but understood by the recipients producing marvel and awe in the listeners and to give credential to the speaker as a herald of the King of Kings (Acts 2:6-12; 1 Corinthians 14:22; Hebrew 2:4). The Corinthians with this gift were using it indiscriminately and were ignoring the purpose for which miraculous spiritual gifts were to be used in worship: namely edification (14:12, 19, and 26). The gift of prophecy naturally was used in worship as the New Testament was not written and the church needed instructions from God directly. Those with this gift edify the church because they use a language everyone understands. This is the reason why the gift of prophecy is to be desired over ‘tongues’ and over other revelatory gifts (14:1). In 1 Corinthians 14:2 Paul now said that if one is revealing a message in a language foreign to the hearers, he is not communicating the gospel or the saving message but mysteries. The word mystery refers to the ‘secrets’ of God or the unrevealed gospel which He did not reveal in earlier times but gave men gifts to fully reveal in the Christian dispensation. A clear text to support this view is Matt. 13:11. “And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” Note that ‘mystery’ has to do with the things concerning the kingdom of heaven. In Ephesians 3:1-11, the meaning is also an attestation of this meaning. Note verse 9 of this text indicates that God’s intention is that the once-hidden-truth of the kingdom of heaven (mystery) be revealed so that all may know and become partakers of the fellowship with God. The word ‘mystery’ (musthvrion, musterion –Greek) has been used twenty seven times in the New Testament and has the primary meaning of something hidden. Paul in many texts however assured Christians that what was hidden has now been revealed and no one should be in ignorance concern the ‘mystery.’ Consider 1 Cor. 2.7-10 “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” KJV.

This text said that ‘God hath revealed them unto us...” In Ephesians 3: 3-5, 9 Paul again asserts the same truth: “How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.... And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:” (KJV)

The words Paul used give room for no mistake: “He made known unto me” “to make all men see” “ye may understand” “it is now revealed” etc. The central truth is that God’s ‘musterion’ has been revealed in the first century church because God wants all men to have fellowship of the ‘musterion.’

Conclusion. 1 Corinthians 14.2 “For he who speaks in another language speaks not to men, but to God; for no one understands; but in the Spirit he speaks mysteries.” (MSG) Paul in this text said the man who ‘utters’ a message from God when no one understands him is not revealing the ‘mystery’ that God gave him a gift for but is uttering mysteries still as no one understands. God the giver of the message is the only one who understands. The Corinthian brethren were to see the utter foolishness of situation where one is prophesying in a foreign language but nothing is gained by the proclamation. Later in the chapter Paul said, “I’ll rather utter five words that I understand so I can teach others than ten thousand words in a foreign language that no one understands. He qualifies the situation with several arguments showing the vanity of the practise:

· The trumpeter blowing uncertain sounds does not communicate.

· One speaking a foreign language without interpretation is speaking into the air –an expression to mean ‘he is uttering senseless words’

· An unbelieving visitor to worship cannot say ‘Amen’ to prayers offered in a foreign tongue

· Visitors will mock when believers speak as barbarians, and they will say that the gifted believers are insane or mad.

After showing the ridiculous nature of using the gift that way, Paul now gave instructions about the proper use of the gift of speaking foreign languages:

a. All should reveal (prophesy) to edify –(vs 1, 3, 31)

b. All foreign language (unknown tongue) messengers must speak their message one –by –one, not together or simultaneously, and should interpret, or be silent (vs 27, 28)

c. Prophets should be in control of their spirits and the utterances of their messages.

d. All gifted people should acknowledge that Paul’s instructions are the commandment of the Lord.

In conclusion, does this passage permit the interpretation and practice we observe in many Pentecostal circles?...Of people walking around in worship uttering emotional ‘nothings’ (jargons) fuelled by deep ignorance and misinterpretations? The answer is obvious for several reasons:

a. Biblical ‘tongue speaking’ is a prophetic utterance, a message from the Holy Spirit to man concerning things of the Kingdom of Heaven in a human language. The so-called ‘speaking in tongues’ of modern ‘spiritual’ churches are foolish ramblings of deceived men/women who do not know the truth about their actions.

b. To purport to speak for God when the Holy Spirit did not reveal anything to the person is a gross act of disobedience and to insult the Spirit of the Almighty God. It is also an act of unbelief and utter disregard for the things of God! It is saying “God said” when he did not speak! Jeremiah in his days spoke concerning those who fell into similar deception:

“Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy lying dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their vain boasting: yet I sent them not, nor commanded them; neither shall they profit this people at all, saith the LORD” (Jer. 23: 31, 32 RV)

c. To speak ‘mysteries’ today when the Holy Spirit has already said it was pointless and not to be done in the assemblies of the saints (1 Cor. 14:27, 28) is to manifest a spirit contrary to the spirit of Christ and to join the rank and file of deceivers whose destiny is the fire that burns eternally. Let us respect God and His words!

Peter’s description of this situation should suffice for those caught in this ‘prison’: “But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their lascivious doings; by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of....”

Bibliography

[1] “REFUSE TO BE SICK” from Rhapsody of Realities May 2008 by Chris and Anita Oyakhilome.

[2] Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart’s How to Read the Bible for All its Worth.2nd Ed., Zondervan, 1993. Page 20.

[3] Principles and Practice of Hermeneutics: A Concise Study for Evangelists and Church Leaders by Abiodun Adegoroye, presented during the Lagos State Preachers/Leaders meeting July 2009.

[4] Eric Lyons, “The Bible Explains Itself” in http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/1753.