tongues: speaking in known languages or unknown?

[Paulwa]

I persoanally believe that those who received the infilling of the Holy Spirit in New Testament days, spoke in known languages of the world but unknown to the person doing the speaking.
I do believe in unknown tongues, but the only place they are used is between you and God at a time when you consciously do not know what are aching to pray about...but your spirit does and God understands. That is the only place it should be used in my opinion. I don't think that it should be used in church where someone pops up with what he feels is the interpretation. Leaves a lot to be desired in keeping order in the church. I have heard many of these unknown tongues and interpretations and the interpretation did not edify anyone but only fulfilled the interpreters longing inside. I spent my youth in Pentecostal churches of many denominations. I currently attend Independant Baptist but really I am un-denominational as I feel Jesus is.
God Bless
Paul

 

[Sophia7]

I do believe in unknown tongues, but the only place they are used is between you and God at a time when you consciously do not know what are aching to pray about...but your spirit does and God understands. That is the only place it should be used in my opinion. I don't think that it should be used in church where someone pops up with what he feels is the interpretation. Leaves a lot to be desired in keeping order in the church. I have heard many of these unknown tongues and interpretations and the interpretation did not edify anyone but only fulfilled the interpreters longing inside.

I agree.

 

[woobadooba]

1 Corinthians 14:2: "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."

Indeed this appears to be a reference to a literal language. Yet, it very well may be possible that it could be referring to something else at the same time...

Perhaps this one speaks in a language that only God can understand because He is capable of reading the heart as an opened book.

In other words, there are things that we can express to others about ourselves that they may faintly fathom; but God knows our deepest passions, and is more aware of our emotional state than any other person could possibly be.

So the personal relationship that we maintain with God through prayer, is for the most part a mystery to others because they don't understand us in the same manner that God does, because He is 'Love', and we are not; although, we are 'loved'. For, in Him we live, and love, and have our being. Thus we can't be anything less than 'loved'.

Each one of us has his own language; and only God really knows how to interpret it aright all the time. Even we don't always understand it ourselves; yet, though our voice gives utterance to words that are known, the heart speaks of mysteries that we are unaware of because we often avoid the real issues that are presently shaping our lives either for the good or for the bad.

Soon we find that the Spirit makes these things known to us. And our response to such utterances determines our stance with God, but never takes us out of His love.

 

[Jimlarmore]

Language, written and spoken is a force with sentient beings that is incredibly powerful and complex. Think about what language does for mankind. At this very moment you are interpreting a bunch of figures/letters on a screen that is translated into a communication of my thoughts to your mind and thoughts. Just how incredible is that? With that said, all languages have their limitations. For instance there are some words/phrases in one language that has no clear equivalent in another. There are a lot of "sayings" in my culture that would mean absolutely nothing to someone in Guyana or Nigeria.

Have you ever felt or had an experience that your words could not explain or fully define? If this tongue spoken of here in 1 Corithians is like that and is the human mind and spirit reaching out to God's divine mind in a language only He can understand then I certainly can understand it and agree with it. However, if the one who is uttering it is just babbling it out into the room because it may be appropriate at the time then I have a problem with that.
How can we know the difference? I'd say consider the circumstances the utterance was made in. If this utterance was made to God only for the edification of the one who was praying then I'd say the chances of anyone hearing it would be slim. However, if it is a babbling incoherent and repetitive utterance for a ever hightened frenzied meeting to just join in or impress the peers there at the time then we may seriously question it's validity.

God Bless
Jim Larmore

 

[woobadooba]

Language, written and spoken is a force with sentient beings that is incredibly powerful and complex. Think about what language does for mankind. At this very moment you are interpreting a bunch of figures/letters on a screen that is translated into a communication of my thoughts to your mind and thoughts. Just how incredible is that? With that said, all languages have their limitations. For instance there are some words/phrases in one language that has no clear equivalent in another. There are a lot of "sayings" in my culture that would mean absolutely nothing to someone in Guyana or Nigeria.

Have you ever felt or had an experience that your words could not explain or fully define? If this tongue spoken of here in 1 Corithians is like that and is the human mind and spirit reaching out to God's divine mind in a language only He can understand then I certainly can understand it and agree with it. However, if the one who is uttering it is just babbling it out into the room because it may be appropriate at the time then I have a problem with that.
How can we know the difference? I'd say consider the circumstances the utterance was made in. If this utterance was made to God only for the edification of the one who was praying then I'd say the chances of anyone hearing it would be slim. However, if it is a babbling incoherent and repetitive utterance for a ever hightened frenzied meeting to just join in or impress the peers there at the time then we may seriously question it's validity.

God Bless
Jim Larmore

It is my belief that the underlying theme of Paul's message here is: God understands us. Therefore, we ought to seek to understand each other, so as to maintain order and harmony within the body of Christ--the people which make up the Church.

 

[Sophia7]

Language, written and spoken is a force with sentient beings that is incredibly powerful and complex. Think about what language does for mankind. At this very moment you are interpreting a bunch of figures/letters on a screen that is translated into a communication of my thoughts to your mind and thoughts. Just how incredible is that? With that said, all languages have their limitations. For instance there are some words/phrases in one language that has no clear equivalent in another. There are a lot of "sayings" in my culture that would mean absolutely nothing to someone in Guyana or Nigeria.

Have you ever felt or had an experience that your words could not explain or fully define? If this tongue spoken of here in 1 Corithians is like that and is the human mind and spirit reaching out to God's divine mind in a language only He can understand then I certainly can understand it and agree with it. However, if the one who is uttering it is just babbling it out into the room because it may be appropriate at the time then I have a problem with that.
How can we know the difference? I'd say consider the circumstances the utterance was made in. If this utterance was made to God only for the edification of the one who was praying then I'd say the chances of anyone hearing it would be slim. However, if it is a babbling incoherent and repetitive utterance for a ever hightened frenzied meeting to just join in or impress the peers there at the time then we may seriously question it's validity.

God Bless
Jim Larmore

You can know the difference by whether it follows the instructions in 1 Corinthians 14. If it sounds like incoherent babbling that no one can interpret, done with no order, by many people rather than limited to two or three, then it should be kept to oneself. The fact that Paul instructs people to keep silent and speak only to God in the absence of an interpreter shows that they had some control over how they expressed the gift of tongues. They weren't just caught up in a wave of frenzy.