Originally posted by tamborine lady:
Quote:You claim to speak in tongues, and you don't know what language you speak in? How can you be sure that you are not praising Satan, instead of God. The answer is you don't.
You don't get it do you?
How do you know that it is God giving you the translation, and not just the subconscious part of your mind (to be nice), or the devil himself? How can you be sure your interpretation is the right one? In fact how can you be sure that you even have the true gift of interpretation? You have no objective verification of any of this. We all just have to take your word for this. It doesn't sound very convincing.
Here is how I believe it worked in the New Testament.
First, Paul went to many nations and had the need to speak in tongues because of the different language groups he encountered. He said plainly that he thanked God that he spake in tongues more than them all.
Now when he spoke in another language, he spoke in the language of the people of the nation that he was in. It was his heart desire, for example to go to Spain (Romans 16). He may have had that opportunity between his two imprisonments. If he did, and God gave him the gift of tongues, he would have spoken to them in Spanish. Right?
So this begs the question? Why the need of an interpreter if he was already speaking in the language of the people he was addressing. It doesn't make sense that he would be in need of an interpreter. He would have the gift of "languages." He wouuld be speaking in Spanish. What would be the need of an interpreter.
Read through the Book of Acts. On his three missionary journeys where did Paul go to first? In each place he went to the synagogue, that is to the Jew first and then to the Greek. The Jews had been scattered all over the known the world at that time. The need of the interpreter was to translate from the foreign language "Spanish" back into Hebrew or Aramaic, the language of the Jews. Why? Because tongues was a sign for the unbelieving Jew (1Cor.14:21,22). Otherwise there would be no need for an interpreter. Why the interpreter if the speaker already has the gift of languages. There is none, unless tongues is a sign to the Jews, as it was, but now is no longer. Tongues have ceased. Are your tongues translated back into Hebrew as a sign to the unbelieving Jews in your church? Why the need for the translation if you are speaking in the language of those that understand. That is the only reason there was for the gift of tongues.
DHK