Praying in Tongues

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'Descent of Holy Spirit on the Apostles' by Mikhail Vrubel, 1885Speaking in tongues.

Just mentioning tongues gives many people pause. Tell others you speak in tongues and the stares come out. Talk about glossolalia (the fancy term for speaking in tongues) in polite company (heck, any company) and you’ll be branded forever. It’s not enough that being a Christian separates you from other people, speaking in tongues separates you from other Christians, as a minority of Christians today in the West care to deal with tongues. In short, if you’re in a group and desire to be left alone, talk excitedly about speaking in tongues.

What the Bible says:

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
—1 Corinthians 12:7-11 ESV

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
—1 Corinthians 12:27-30 ESV

For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.
—1 Corinthians 14:2-5 ESV

I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.
—1 Corinthians 14:18 ESV

So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But all things should be done decently and in order.
—1 Corinthians 14:39-40 ESV

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
—Romans 8:26-27 ESV

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.
—1 Corinthians 14:14-15 ESV

{emphases mine…see below}

I quoted a lot from 1 Corinthians. In truth, reading chapters 12-14 of that book are  essential for understanding the Bible’s teaching on this spiritual gift of tongues (and the other gifts too).

Unpacking truths and realities about speaking in tongues

  • 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 and 1 Corinthians 12:27-30 seem clear to me (though not to all Pentecostals, for certain) that the spiritual gifts a person receives from God vary according to God’s purposes. God apportions gifts as He alone sees fit. Paul’s many “do all?” qualifiers appear to me quite obvious that the answer to his rhetorical question is no. No, not everyone fills every Church office or has every spiritual gift. So despite what many of my Pentecostal brethren believe, I don’t think that tongues is an automatic gift for everyone. Paul’s desire that everyone speaks in tongues may be wish fulfillment more than anything else given that he already notes that Spirit-endowed believers don’t always manifest all the gifts. That the early Church had its clear prophets and nonprophets says that when Paul wishes everyone would prophesy, that was not the case for everyone either. Feel free to disagree with me here, but I don’t see those verses mentioned as supporting all gifts for all people at all times. And that includes tongues.
  • That said, we should always desire all the gifts, even if we do not receive them all. I can’t support this thought fully from Scripture, but I would not rule out that God may impart a gift for a season or for a specific need at a specific time—but don’t quote me on that.
  • As for “my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful,” science actually backs this up. PET scans of tongue-speaker’s brains shows none of the intense activity related to language when a person is speaking in tongues. Even more surprising is that a person faking speaking in tongues DOES show high-level language activity. So clearly, something is going on that is beyond natural when a person speaks in tongues. (See “A Neuroscientific Look at Speaking in Tongues” and “Why We Talk in Tongues,” both New York Times articles and NOT from Charisma Magazine.)
  • That latter NYT article above notes a recent Pew Research Center  survey that claimed 18% of Americans spoke in tongues several times in a year. If so, that’s one of the most underreported spiritual facts I’ve ever noted. We’re talking almost one-fifth of the American populace—and that’s just those who self-reported.
  • Paul writes, “Do not forbid speaking in tongues.” That ends any arguments right there. Sadly, that may be the most ignored Scriptural command in the Bible.
  • Tongues comes last or near last in lists of spiritual gifts in the Scriptures. While it’s the most obvious supernatural gift due to its vocal nature, Paul also downplays some of its importance by placing it a distant finisher in importance to prophecy.
  • While the most commonly considered use of tongues is to build up the Church through the combo gift of the interpretation of tongues (so the tongues may bless everyone, even those who do not understand them otherwise), Paul also mentions praying in tongues. And that’s the gist of this post.

Praying in tongues: the what, the why, and three benefits

What is praying in tongues? It’s using the gift of tongues in one’s prayer life, whether in private or in public prayer for others. Pretty simple.

Why pray in tongues? Well, we have the example of Paul and his other notes to us on the function of this gift. Since Paul writes his readers that he is worthy of being imitated (1 Corinthians 4:16), if he prays in tongues, then so should we.

And what are some benefits of praying in tongues?

  • Praying in tongues is a means of continuing in prayer when normal words fail. I endorse that fully. Sometimes, as the Scriptures say, we don’t know how to pray. Tongues removes that roadblock. As noted, the language centers of the brain get bypassed, going around the roadblock. This is a truly spiritual event. It’s the Spirit of God in us teaming with our spirit to connect with the Father and get to the root of a matter. Think of it as broadband rather than dial-up. (I will add that for those who do not have the gift of tongues, perhaps their normal prayer life is naturally more fruitful as is OR they are less likely to find themselves stymied in prayer.)
  • Praying in tongues regularly produces immediate well-being. Though I should be used to it by now, I am regularly surprised how quickly praying in tongues can improve a situation, especially if it is personal and related to mood or physical health. “The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself” is most definitely true! When praying in tongues by oneself, peace is often the first feeling encountered. This reflects God’s mercy and is one of the strongest reasons that we should pray in tongues. Heaven knows we all need more peace in our lives.
  • Praying in tongues will take us deeper. Because this is spirit to Spirit communication, and the Spirit of God searches all things, praying in tongues may address deep-seated issues in an individual. This includes granting spiritual healing and release from habitual sin. Those roadblocks mentioned earlier? Not all are language. They may be keeping spiritual ground from being plowed, unusable as is for planting good things from God. Tongues cut through and may help break up that fallow ground in a person’s life. Much good comes from allowing God to work in us through tongues. Again, we allow God to build us up through this gift.

Many more benefits exist for praying in tongues, but as I see it, these three are indisputable and indispensable. Please feel free to share your wisdom in this or your own positive personal experiences with tongues in the comments below.

Christology Determines Pneumatology–and Vice Versa

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'The Baptism of Jesus' by William Brassey HoleWhat people think about Jesus will reflect in their pneumatology, their ideas concerning the Holy Spirit. As a result, what is taught concerning where Christ and the Holy Spirit intersect often becomes wildly divergent.

1. Some believe Jesus performed His miracles through His divine nature. Because He was God, he could raise the dead, heal, and command nature.

2. Some believe Jesus performed His miracles solely through His human nature, as a man fully empowered by the Holy Spirit.

What people believe about Jesus as the God-Man is largely interpreted through this lens:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
—Philippians 2:5-7 ESV

What “emptied himself” means becomes problematic for everyone. Is is possible that this verse forces people to rely on their conceptions of pneumatology to reason back to how Jesus did His miracles?

People who believe Jesus performed miracles through His divine nature are far less likely to believe that the charismatic gifts of the Spirit are for today, whereas those who believe He did miracles through His Spirit-filled human nature more likely will embrace a position that what Jesus did Spirit-filled people can do because the Holy Spirit, being God, is immutable and timeless.

The swing verse:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
—John 14:12 ESV

Which couples with this:

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
—John 16:7 ESV

Jesus’ ascending to heaven resulted in His sending the Holy Spirit, and now people can do greater works.

Those “greater works” also split people based on pneumatology. Are they greater by nature? Or are they greater in number? Or both? How people understand this will also determine how their Christology and pneumatology intersect and inform each other.

But Jesus walked on water and commanded the wind and it obeyed. Surely this is due to His divinity and not anything men can do, even Spirit-filled men.

Jesus says this about faith, which is also one of the nine gifts of the Spirit:

“For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
—Matthew 17:20 ESVb

Where do I stand on this? I believe that as one delves deeper into the Scriptures it becomes clear that Jesus elected to do His miracles as a Spirit-filled man to show what is possible for anyone who believes. This is a hallmark of those who are part of the Kingdom of God, or as Jesus said, “Nothing will be impossible for you.” And it is as Jesus said because He modeled for us what a truly Spirit-filled man can do, not relying on His nature as the Son of God to do these things, which would be impossible for us to emulate, but instead relying on his mantle as the Son of Man and the Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:43-49).

What we believe about Jesus informs how we think about the Holy Spirit. And vice versa.

Experience and the Authority of Scripture

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A Facebook conversation yesterday discussed the problem of experiences in the Christian life and how those experiences must be made to conform to Scriptural authority. In other words, Scripture must determine our understanding of experiences.

Now I’m going to write something controversial: That previous sentence is not entirely accurate.

Certainly, Scripture must be a bedrock for understanding experiences, but there’s a weakness inherent in that fact: Us. Because we are human, our understanding is not always complete. While we may think we understand the depths of a Scriptural injunction, it may only be through experience that we can understand it more completely. And in understanding it more completely, our understanding may flip 180 degrees.

An example of how one apostle got his understanding of Scripture altered by experience:

The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven. Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.”
—Acts 10:9-20 ESV

'Peter's Vision' by Doug JaquesPeter knew the Scriptures and was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then he experienced this vision.

Notice how Peter answers, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” He was responding using the Scriptures as he understood them and practiced them.

Notice too how God makes it clear that there is a deeper meaning to the Scriptures that Peter must understand. God uses an experience to alter and expand Peter’s understanding.

This led to a problem:

Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
—Acts 11:1-3 ESV

The circumcision party had the same understanding of the Scriptures that Peter had. They accused Peter based on that understanding.

Peter explained his experience of the vision and replied:

And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
—Acts 11:11-17 ESV

Peter experienced a vision.

Peter experienced the Holy Spirit speaking to Him.

Peter experienced that same Holy Spirit falling on the Gentiles.

Peter had his understanding of the Scriptures altered by those experiences.

And so did others:

When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
—Acts 11:18 ESV

Sometimes, experience expands our understanding of the Scriptures and alters everything.

Anyone who has had a loved one die will tell you the experience of death alters their understanding of the Scriptures. In fact, it is almost impossible for it not to.

Anyone who has been taught the Bible has had an experience in that very act of teaching and learning that will alter understanding. Raise your hand if you were instructed in a Scriptural truth that altered how you understood it. Does everyone have a hand up? You should.

Every day, our experiences modify our understanding of  the Scriptures. And sometimes those modifications flip everything.

And while those flips may be the work of God in our lives to deepen our understanding of Him and this wild life we live, sometimes the flips aren’t of God. Sometimes, we go off the path.

This is why we must also learn to live by the Spirit.

But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”–these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
—1 Corinthians 2:7-14 ESV

If we live by the Spirit with the Scriptures as our counsel, we will not fall into error. Indeed, our experiences will only serve to help us grow deeper in both.