Originally posted by Stpaul:
The real gift of tongues was never gibberish-NEVER. It always meant known languages. Known human languages. Never was it used to communicate with God.
So far so good.
At Corinth they never spoke with this gift.
This is a false statement which you cannot prove. Paul states that they had the gift of tongues, but they were abusing it. He writes to correct the abuse of the gift. He compares it to the gift of prophecy and shows how prophecy is more beneficial for everyone is edified with prophecy, but not so with tongues. Obviously the gift was a genuine gift if he commanded the Corinthians who had the genuine gift, "Forbid not to speak in tongues."
The gift of tongues was probably given no more than 4 times over a 20 year time frame never on a weekly basis
Back that statement up with Scripture, and while your at it how about purgatory, the assumption of Mary, limbo and a lot of other strange doctrines that people read into the Scriptures. "No more than 4 times over a 20 year time frame?" Where is that? "Never on a weekly basis?" Where is that? I want to see the evidence.
The real gift established the fact that the Holy Spirit was being poured out.
That is what happened on the Day of Pentecost. It marked the beginning of the Church Age, this age of grace.
Jews knew that this event could only occur after the Messiah's appearing Joel 2:27. The message in tongues concerned O.T. miracles and events. The languages spoken were of only those present;Acts 2:11. What amazed these Jews was not just how many languages these disciples seemed to know but how did they seem to know the mother tongue of whom ever they were addressing;vs.8. Peter preaches in the common tongue (aramaic) which they all understood he gives the gospel and 3000 are saved.
The miracle was that they spoke in other languages the mighty works of God. They spoke in the spefic dialects and languages of those that were present from different nations of the Roman empire. It was God that enabled them to do that for the purpose of showing to the Jews that this Apostolic message was from God. If they rejected it this one last time, they would face judgement. There was not just the prophecy in Joel 2:27-32 to consider, there was also Isa.28:11,12 to consider. The Lord told them that He would speak to them through strange languages of men of other tongues. The message of God, previous to this time had always come through the Hebrew language, the sacred language of the Jews. Now it came to them through Gentile languages. This was an abomination to them. God's message in a Gentile langauge! How abhorrent! The Jews hated everything to do with Gentiles. They were outcasts. To hear God's message in a Gentile language was unheard of. However they knew of the prophecy in Isaiah. Paul also reminds them later of the same prophecy in 1Cor.14:21. They had rejected their Messiah and crucified him. They had rejected the Kingdom. Now they had one more chance to repent, which some did. But it was not enough. Thousands of others did not. Thus in 70 A.D. judgement came upon the nation of Israel when the Roman General Titus came and destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Temple. The nation was scattered and ceased to be a nation for 1900 years, until the U.N. gave Israel a portion of its land back in 1948, and Israel was once again declared a nation. Tongues was a sign to the Jews.
Paul said: "I speak in tongues more than ye all." Why? Because he went on missionary journeys to nations such as Spain, Macedonia, and other nations which may have required him to speak in another language. God gave him the gift of languages for this purpose. It had a twofold purpose here. It was a sign to the Jews. He started his ministry in the synagogues wherever he went. And it also had the purpose of giving revelation until the Word of God was complete, just as prophecy did. "When that which is perfect (the completed Bible) is come, then that which is in part (tongues, prophecy, etc.) will be done away. It supplied the New Testament information that they didn't have at that time. It also was one of the signs of an apostle as given in Heb.2:3,4 and 2Cor.12:12.
Let me know which part of this Acts 2 scenario that you don't get and then I'll move on to Acts 8 ,10 and 19 showing what beliefs were changed there. Evetually we'll get to Corinths problem.
I understand perfectly what happened. Apparently you don't.
Here is the closest you can come to the Charismatic phenomena of speaking in tongues today:
1 Samuel 21:13-14 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?
Notice that David could turn his gibberish on; and could turn it off at will. He could do it any time he wanted. He also looked like a mad man. Isn't that what Paul said:
1 Corinthians 14:23 If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers,
will they not say that ye are mad?
DHK