Spirtual Gifts: Part 4 - Various Kinds of Tongues

SPIRITUAL GIFTS: PART IV—VARIOUS KINDS OF TONGUES
INTRODUCTION TO THE “PROBLEM GIFT” AT CORINTH
1 Corinthians 12:10c-11
Source: The Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:11)
Occurrences in the New Testament
Mark 16:17 (1x) (spurious text)
Acts (4x) 2:4, 7-11 (Pentecost); 10:45-46 (Cornelius); 19:1-7 (Ephesus)
1 Corinthians (20x) 12:10; 12:28-30; 13:1; 13:8; 14:1-9; 14:13-14; 14:18-23; 14:26-27; 14:39
Nature of NT tongues
Ecstatic vs. controlled? (everything turns on the definition of “ecstatic”!)
Language? Xenoglossia (cognitive) vs. glossolalia (non-cognitive)
“Various kinds of tongues”
Participants Those selected by the Holy Spirit to receive the gift (1 Cor 12:11)
Purposes
“The common good” (1 Cor 12:7)
Worshipping God: Glorifying God in worship
Personal edification: 1 Cor 14:4
Spiritual warfare: 1 Cor 14:16 “in the Spirit” (Eph 6:18)
Sign for unbelievers: Isaiah 28:11ff
Content
Prayer and praise to God (1 Cor 14:2, 14, 28)
Edification for believers
Limitations
Need for interpretation for public use (1 Cor 14:26-28)
By two or at the most three (1 Cor 14:27)
In turn (not all at once) (1 Cor 14:27)
Duration: Temporary (1 Cor 13:8-12)
Definition: “The spiritual gift of “various kinds of tongues” in 1 Corinthians is divinely inspired utterance of prayer and praise to God which is under the speaker's control and not understandable to the speaker, and in some cases to the hearers, without the aid of a spiritually gifted interpreter.” (BLT)
Priority: Last