transition for God’s people

Paul came there less than 20 years after the death of Jesus, and explained what their Messiah had done. Many of the Jews believed, and formed New Synagogues, assemblies called Churches “ekklesiai” (εκκλεσιαι). To their amazement, many of the pagan Gentiles in Corinth also believed the gospel and joined with them.

This was a time of transition for God’s people. There were dramatic changes being made.

Moses and the Prophets warned that God would judge apostate Israel by using Gentiles who spoke other languages.

On the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church, God made his people speak miraculously in languages that were foreign to them. Peter explained in Acts 2 that this was the sign of judgment spoken of in the Old Testament. It was the end of the old Judaism and the beginning of a church that included all nations.

Since speaking in tongues was predicted as a sign of judgment on Israel in Deuteronomy 28:49 and Isaiah 28:11, it had a prophetic meaning that needed to be explained when it occurred. It’s meaning had to be interpreted. We saw in the last study that this is what it means there about tongues needing to have an “interpreter” each time. Translations weren’t given at Pentecost, or any other place in the New Testament where tongues occurred. The word means to interpret or to explain, which is different than translating.

Tongues was never intended to be for everyone.

In both the Old and New Testaments the sign of tongues was always directed to God’s covenant people,
never to those outside of the covenant.
In the Old Testament tongues were a warning to the unfaithful in God’s Covenant Nation. In the New Testament it was also a message of encouragement to the faithful believers in the covenant. It assured them that the new age of promise had come, and God’s people would now include the Gentiles.

At Pentecost it told the Jews that the warning Moses gave about judgment was about to fall on the apostate nation. And it showed that the kingdom would soon expand to include people from all nations.

When Peter came to Caesarea he spoke to the Roman Centurion Cornelius. His message that God’s Covenant would now include Gentiles was accompanied by Gentiles speaking in tongues. Acts 10:45-46, “And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. …”

When Peter spoke to those baptized only by John’s baptism, Acts 19:5-6 tells us, “On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.”

In Corinth, it would have had the same meanings it has in the rest of the Bible: judgment to the unfaithful Jewish nation, and hope for the new form of the church including non-Jews.

Here in 1 Corinthians 14:14-15 it mentions praying in other languages, in a tongue. But Paul is not speaking of the practice of having a private prayer language. At Pentecost the tongues were words spoken to the glorify of God, not to men. The sign was for the church to show an end of the Jewish era. But the content of the tongues was spoken to God, the words spoken were not the prophetic message.

Private prayer languages have nothing to do with the message of Isaiah 28 which Paul quotes in 14:21. There’s another possible meaning of Paul’s praying in foreign languages. In his missionary work among the foreign speaking Gentiles he would pray in Greek during worship, instead of praying in Hebrew or Aramaic. This was also an indication that the era of Old Judaism had ended forever.

There’s no mention anywhere in the Bible of a continuing supernatural prayer language for believers. The modern practice is closer to the psychological effect we often see among pagan religions.

By confusing the biblical teaching and its meaning, Satan gets our eyes off the real message of God and tears at the foundation of truth.

God intended to speak through people at special times to explain his unfolding plan. But some in Corinth became fascinated with the idea of supernaturally speaking for God. Soon it became disorderly with many people wanting to get to prophesy during worship. It was getting out of hand. So here God limited them to no more than three prophets speaking one at a time, and everyone should test what they say. We are always to be skeptics as Christians. Only what fits consistently with what God has said in his word should be accepted.

Since tongues had just a narrow purpose only showing God’s expansion of the church, Prophesy was superior. Prophesy actually communicated information, warnings, and comfort. Those who listened could understand in their own language. It’s possible, that those speaking out were merely quoting the prophetic words found in the inspired books.

The temporary gifts of the early church would be inappropriate for now. The biblical purpose for tongues no longer applies. The need for continuing new prophesy ended when the New Testament was completed. Speaking in tongues or receiving new words of prophesy can’t be legitimate gifts from God today.

Peter was an eye-witnesses of the Gospel, and of the glory of Christ. In 2 Peter 1:19 he wrote, “And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts”

We have a more sure prophetic word in our Bibles than Peter had through his own experiences. We can be mistaken about what our eyes see or ears hear or what our soul feels. But God gives us a more solid foundation on which to base our beliefs and practices. We have this more sure prophetic word, preserved in the infallible, inerrant Scriptures.

When we act as God’s prophets today, we aren’t receiving new revelation. We are spreading God’s prophetic word from the Bible. We do this when we evangelize those who don’t yet know Christ, when we teach Bible lessons, and when we encourage one another with thoughts and corrections from God’s written word.

Prophetic Words From God