Questions On Miracles, Gifts And Tongues

Answer There is so much misunderstanding today about "tongues" such as what they were, their purpose and whether they are continuing today in the same way they were seen in the time of the apostles.

First, what are these "tongues"? In the Bible, it is clear that rather than nonsensical babbling which no one could understand, these were languages spoken by these men. The amazing thing is, they had never learned these languages, but God gave them the ability to speak them. In other words, speaking in tongues meant speaking in unlearned foreign languages.

ACT 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
ACT 2:2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
ACT 2:3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.
ACT 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
ACT 2:5 ś Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men, from every nation under heaven.
ACT 2:6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because they were each one hearing them speak in his own language.
ACT 2:7 And they were amazed and marveled, saying, "Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
ACT 2:8 "And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?

Next, what was the purpose of them speaking in tongues? In the very same chapter, we are given the reason, they were given this power to confirm to the people that they were speaking on behalf of Jesus as He had sent forth the Holy Spirit to them. The Spirit had not only given them the power to speak in these languages, but had also given them the specific words they were to speak to the people.

ACT 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
ACT 2:2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
ACT 2:3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.
ACT 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
ACT 2:5 ś Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men, from every nation under heaven.
ACT 2:6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because they were each one hearing them speak in his own language.
ACT 2:7 And they were amazed and marveled, saying, "Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
ACT 2:8 "And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?

ACT 2:32 "This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.
ACT 2:33 "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.

Finally, do people have the same power today? No. Since the Word of God has been given and has been confirmed by these miracles, there is no need for the confirmation by miracle, including speaking with tongues, to continue today. Paul wrote about the temporary nature of these miracles, including tongues.

1CO 13:8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.
1CO 13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;
1CO 13:10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.
1CO 13:11 When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.
1CO 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known.
1CO 13:13 But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Although many believe they are speaking in tongues today, most of the time, no one can understand anything they are saying. Also, again, the Word of God has been written, confirmed and preserved so that we might be able to believe and follow after Jesus.

JOH 20:30 ś Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
JOH 20:31 but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. Contact Gary

Question 2. I always wondered about the gift of "tongues" I noticed the scripture references in 1 Corinthians so I turned to them. maybe it's me but if you start at 1 Corinthians 13:1 it appears that the author is speaking about love and not tongues. I feel that these verses may have been taken out of context.1cor13:9,10 This was written after Jesus died was glorified and ascended. Therefore in verse 10 when they talk about 'that which is Perfect coming' wouldn't you think they would be talking about the 2nd coming and therefore these 'gifts, tongues, prophecies,etc', that we 'know in part (vs9) are not yet done away with because Jesus (that which is perfect hasn't come yet) This is why I love the Bible 2 people can make totally intelligent interpretations of scripture and come up with 2 totally different conclusions. So did I peak your curiosity?

Answer Paul is indeed talking about love throughout 1 Corinthians 13. However, toward the end of the chapter, he begins looking at spiritual gifts and their purpose and duration. Notice verse 8:

Love never fails. But whether [there are] prophecies, they will fail; whether [there are] tongues, they will cease; whether [there is] knowledge, it will vanish away.

So without a doubt, tongues, prophecies, and knowledge are going to disappear, which leads to your question of when. The answer, as you pointed out, is in verse 10. However, you misunderstand what Paul is referring to when he writes "that which is perfect."

Going back to the original Greek in which the letter was written, the word "perfect" in verse 10 means "complete" rather than "without blemish" (Christ). So the meaning is "When that which is [complete] is come, that which is in part will be done away." Notice the parallelism of the sentence when this definition of "perfect" is used.

It is important to remember the reason for spiritual gifts in the 1st place: They were given as aids to the Christians who otherwise would not have had access to the teachings of Christ, other than whatever they could remember from the teachings of the person who had baptized them. However, this was an incomplete solution, and the Lord knew that. So He set limits on the duration of the gifts: only the Apostles could pass a spiritual gift on to another person. That person could not pass the gift to anyone else (Acts 8:13-24).

By the time the last people to have the gifts were dead or dying, most if not all of the New Testament had been recorded. It was at that point that "that which is in part" was done away because "that which is perfect" had come. When the New Testament arrived, there was no longer a need for the spiritual gifts.

As for "living water" in John 4 and John 7, Jesus is speaking of the establishment of the Church and His willingness to save those who obey him. Zechariah makes use of the same phrase in Zechariah 14 when he is clearly referring to the establishment of the Church in Jerusalem. Contact Michael

Question 3. Thank you for this site.I am having a problem understanding something a this is it. concerning the gifts of the Spirit is it possible for one person to have more than one gift? If so were does it tell us in the Bible?

Answer To begin with, the Apostles were baptized with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. This had been prophesied in Joel 2, and Peter quotes from that prophecy in Acts 2:17-21. Christ had also promised the Apostles that they would receive this gift (Acts 1:4-5).

After the Apostles received the Holy Spirit, we read of their laying hands on others to pass the Holy Spirit on to them. For example, Stephen, along with 6 other men, was chosen in Acts 6 to help with the "daily distribution" (Acts 6:1). The Apostles, after having prayed, "laid hands" on them. Acts 6:8 shows that this laying on of hands enabled those men (Stephen is specifically mentioned in Acts 6:8) to perform "great wonders and signs among the people" (Acts 6:8).

From these passages, it seems apparent that both the Apostles and the men to whom they chose to pass the gift of the Holy Spirit could indeed perform different kinds of miracles.

However, you asked your question in the present tense: ". . . is it possible for one person to have more than one gift?"

The answer to your question is no, it is not possible for one person to have more than one gift. In fact, it is not possible for any person to perform any kind of miracle today. Acts 8 clearly teaches that the *only* people who could give others the power to perform miracles were the apostles. In Acts 8, Phillip preached Christ in Samaria and performed miracles there. After people were converted, Peter and John, 2 of the Apostles, came down from Jerusalem and "prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 8:15-16). This point is further illustrated in verse 18: "Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

On earth, only the Apostles could give the Holy Spirit to others. Since they all died in the 1st century, it isn't possible that they could lay their hands on anyone living today.

So, the only other way that someone might be able to perform miracles today through the Holy Spirit is if God poured out His Spirit on them, just as He did the Apostles in Acts 2. Is this possible? Not according to the Bible. Paul plainly states that the gifts of the Holy Spirit would not last forever: "Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away" (I Cor. 13:8-10). The "that which is perfect" that Paul refers to is the completed Bible. The New Testament Christians did not have access to the complete Bible as we do today. They had access to the Old Testament, but the New Testament hadn't been compiled or even completed when Paul wrote to the Corinthians. He was looking ahead to the time when the complete Word of God would be accessible to everyone in the entire world. Once that happened, God knew that there would be no need for miracles any longer. Instead of believing because I saw someone raised from the dead, I believe because I can read eye-witness testimony about someone being raised from the dead. I don't need to hear a foreigner speak to me in my native tongue even though he doesn't speak my language, just to believe. I can read about creation in Genesis and look around me and know that there is a God.

There are many false teachers today who say that they can perform miracles. However, even a brief examination of relevant scriptures shows that God said miracles would be around for a while, but not forever.Contact Michael

Question 4. Do You believe in Pentacost?

Answer I believe Pentecost, the Jewish feast day 50 days after Passover was the day the gospel was first preached by the Apostles. See Acts 2. This resulted in 3000 being saved by repenting and being baptized for remission of sins - Acts 2:38. These were added to the apostles - Acts 2:41.

The truths preached there must be duplicated in preaching today - the obedience in faith resulting in forgiveness must be duplicated every time one is saved.

The miraculous descent of the Holy Ghost "in cloven tongues like as fire" upon the apostles is not a duplicable happening - Luke 24:49 - Jesus told the apostles to tarry in Jerusalem until you are endued with power. Acts 1:8 " You shall receive the power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you." The Spirit was promised to the apostles in this measure and delivered to them as promised to them in Acts 2. The key issue is: Does God miraculously baptize with or in some way bestow the Holy Spirit today? Key word - miraculously bestow without the human instrumentality of the apostles. The age of miracles of any kind ended with the apostles and those on whom they laid hands. 1 Cor. 12, 13, 14 is a treatment of miracles within the church at Corinth. There chapter 12 catalogs gifts of the spirit in the 1st century church; The duration of the gifts (13); and how they were to be used (14). They were temporary in duration and objective until "that which is perfect has come (13:10)" referring to the perfect (complete) law of liberty, the gospel (James 1:25).

Tongue speaking or any other alleged gift of the spirit has no purpose today in this age of complete revelation from God, the N.T. The Spirit works, indwells us, leads us, comforts us, etc. thru instrumentality , His mediary, the Word of God.

Every lost soul can be saved by duplicating the instructions given by Peter and the other apostles on Pentecost (Acts 2) and by obedience in faith to these instructions. We are filled by the Holy Ghost not by miracle but by the word of God given by Him - as filled with His word so filled with Him. Contact Julian

Question 5. Why is it that some people speak in tongues and others do not?