Hi everyone,
I'm Charismatic. I do not have a strong Biblical foundation. I am presently reading the book, Strange Fire by John MacArthur. From Cessationists point of view, in Acts 2, the tongues spoken in the upper room, when the Holy Spirit came, was of foreign languages and not senseless babbling. It is also understood that tongue has ceased after the Apostalic age.
Paul said in
1 Cor 14:2--For he who speaks in tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.
1 Cor 14:4--He who speaks in tongue edifies himself...unless indeed he interpretes, that the church may receive edification.
It seems confusing that Acts 2, which can be interpreted because they are human languages, does not seem to get along with 1 Cor 14 which is described as "no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries".
I'm needing some understanding here in Cor.
Also, since the gift of tongues have ceased, is Paul addressing his writings to Christians in the Apostlic age only, or also to modern Christians like us, and if so, then, gifts of tongue would not have ceased.
Thank you for your help in clarifying my concerns.
I do not have a strong Biblical foundation.
A Biblical FOUNDATION - IS a FOUNDATION BUILT ON -
1)
Receiving - Having - Knowing " the Biblical WORDS,
...given one, by hearing, reading, receiving, AND BELIEVING by TRUSTING what they hear, read, receive, IS TRUE.
2)
Trust - is your decision - to Believe, all you hear, read, receive IS TRUE or NOT.
3) IF you can NOT TRUST what you hear, read, receive - KEEP hearing, reading, receiving the Scriptures - Until you DO TRUST -
or walk away and BE WITHOUT HOPE.
4) Scripture teaches a man TO - continue with HOPE, but then you also have freewill -
No one will force you to continue. You have to DESIRE to hear, read, receive, and continue doing so.
5) A man who continues - in HOPE - IS a man WHO, begins being given FAITH. And faith IS a gift from GOD, from He (God) who IS Himself, FAITHFUL.
6) Thus be patient in your HOPE, God will provide your Faith.
7) And remember your HOPE, is equal to your EFFORT. IOW - IF you are not hearing, reading, receiving - WHY wonder IF God is giving you Faith? He gives measures of His gifts of FAITH, based on the mans efforts.
8) Scripture IS KNOWLEDGE. Knowledge is the REVEALING of INFORMATION.
9) You DO NOT "understand" something BEFORE you have the KNOWLEDGE of "something".
10) You can read Scripture talk about "for example" TREES. Do you already have the KNOWLEDGE of "TREES" ? Sure you do. Do you already UNDERSTAND what a TREE is?
Sure you do.
11) DO you UNDERSTAND, God's UNDERSTANDING of a "TREE" ?
Does God UNDERSTAND, a TREE is a plant? Sure He does.
But YET, could God ALSO have ANOTHER "understanding " of a TREE?
THIS IS THE MYSTERY - YES, God DOES have ANOTHER "understanding" of a TREE.
So - WHERE can we READ, and find this "other" UNDERSTANDING "according to God"?
You Can't!
THIS IS THE MYSTERY - God's Understanding IS Spiritual. God's Understand CAN NOT be found in books written in ink, in caves archeologists unearth, in a safebox, in the Stars that an astrologist seeks, in Tarot cards, palm reading, mediums, etc.
THE MYSTERY IS -ONLY God can GIVE a man HIS Understanding of Spiritual KNOWLEDGE in Scriptures.
THE MYSTERY IS - God ONLY GIVES His Spiritual Understanding to a man, WHOM God has GIVEN the man, A SPIRITUAL "spirit" (which is commonly called, a man who is Born Again, by the Seed of God).
Mankind's DILEMMA is; hearing, reading, a SMALL BIT of KNOWLEDGE in Scripture; and then wondering why He can not UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS.
A man hears a little, reads a little.....receives a little faith.
A man who continues to hear more, read more.....receives more faith.
A man who COMES INTO Belief and Trust in ALL that he hears, and reads.....comes into receiving FULL Faith from God - THAT FULL FAITH - is a man WHO is then prepared to -
COMMIT His life - IN FULL - faithFULLNESS to God.
That then is a man WHOM - God WILL given His Spiritual Understanding of the Knowledge of Scriptures.
Your dilemma about TONGUES - is men speak among themselves in Languages that may or may not be understood.
If a man speaks to me in Chinese about the Knowledge of God - without an "interpreter" the EFFORT is useless.
If a man SPEAKS "aloud" TO GOD, in rambling, an unknown language, or groans - His SPEAKING "aloud" TO GOD, is of no benefit to an other, IF the man does not "interpret"
what "his heart was Saying to God".
God "requires" NO specific LANGUAGE to hear a man speak to Him. God KNOWS what a mans Heart is thinking, feeling, believing, saying.
But WHAT man KNOWS another mans Hearts thoughts - 'less the man SPEAKS in a language another man understands?
And that's all "interesting" of
a man wanting others to KNOW
he "speaks" TO GOD, "how
he speaks" TO GOD, with what rambling and sounds,
he "speaks" TO GOD....
But me personally; I prefer MY PERSONAL conversations WITH GOD, are between Me, and My God.
Matt 6
[
6] But thou, when thou prayest,
enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
God Bless,
SBC