From its birth in the second chapter of Acts, the gift of tongues is introduced as the miraculous ability to speak real languages unknown to the speaker. It was Gods chosen method to provide an external evidence of a new internal work He was doing - namely, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. After the ascension of Christ, He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell the Jewish believers. Consequently, they miraculously spoke in real languages, which they had not previously learned. God later used the recurrence of this miracle as a signal to the Jews that the Holy Spirit had also been given to Samaritans and Gentiles just as it had been given to them at Pentecost. The Jews, upon seeing the same external evidence that they themselves experienced at Pentecost, immediately recognized that these men must also have received the Holy Spirit. If the definition of tongues is not consistent throughout Acts, then Gods purpose for the miracle is destroyed. The definition of tongues as provided in Acts chapter two - the ability to speak real languages, unknown to the speaker, is necessarily carried all the way through the book. Modern day, Charismatic conceptions of tongues find no refuge in the book of Acts whatsoever.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 00:06:00 +0000
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