Is your suspicion that someone can speak in “tongues” as a Christian and then go on to be “unsaved” while still retaining the ability to speak in “tongues”?
I hope not, because once He saves you you cannot become unsaved unless you were never really His in the first place.
On the other hand ,if you suspect that someone can speak in “tongues” while having never been regenerated in the first place, then this shows that the tongues they have are not from God, for they are still outside of Christ and strangers without hope.

If someone can speak in “tongues” and not be saved it is because they never were saved in the first place.

As troubling as this idea is, I have had to face it myself. Are we trusting in Him and His work done for us or in our abilities even if we think He gave them to us.

Isaiah says…sa 28:11 For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to THIS people,
Isa 28:12 To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear.

I used to use these verses to say that when I speak in tongues it brings me into rest and refreshing. I have heard it preached many times in Charismatic circles.

But the application here is that God will speak to THIS people, the Jews in Jesus days on earth, through foreign tongues which they would hear(Acts 2). What would God speak to THIS people? The Gospel of course, believe on Jesus and be justified from all things that you could not be justified through the Law. Come to Me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you REST. The rest and refreshing comes to those who rest in His finished work. But mant tongue talkers are trying to rest through work, by speaking in tongues!! This is not what Isaiah was saying.
The majority of the THIS people, the Jews did not believe and would not hear and so Jerusalem was destroyed as Isa 28 goes on to foretell.
If you look at all of the scripture that modern teaching on tongues hangs on you will see, if you are willing that they are all used wrongly.
Dennis

Hello Lisa,

Well, my parents spoke in tongues, I have (for fifty years), and I believe most of my children do, but I’m not sure, because we don’t emphasize it. Nor is it a matter of group pressure (I presently attend a Southern Baptist church). I don’t believe tongues are directly tied to salvation, because it’s my personal suspicion that one can speak in tongues and not be saved.

In my understanding, tongues happen when I give God’s Spirit within me permission to use my vocal capabilities. It is volitional, non-’ecstatic,’ and generally unrelated to emotion. The words I speak also have nothing to do with my mind. I pray when I am burdened in spirit, often in intercession, and also when my spirit is rejoicing. Paul mentions this kind of prayer in conjunction with singing, blessing, and giving of thanks (I Corinthians 14:15-16). I actually see it as a matter of obedience, rather like fasting, where God can accomplish things I don’t (and don’t have to) understand.

The only reason I’m getting in on this conversation is because I think I have a responsibility to testify to something precious our Lord offers His people. If the prospect of this kind of gift is painful to you, then I pray you will experience His power and presence in other ways.

Diane

One thing that stood out to me in my quest to know whether todays tongues were legitimate or not.
1 Cor 14 says that ‘he who prays in tongues edifies himself’
This became a(false) teaching on its own. So the big deal was that we should be edifying ourselves through speaking in tongues. Charging up our battery/spirit.
Now I know what Paul was saying.
His point was that we should be doing all things to edify the church/others….not OURSELVES!! Thats why he said he would rather we prophesied(speak God’s word) in english as our case is, so all could be edified.
So to speak in gibberish or an uninterpreted language does not edify.
Pauls whole tone in this chapter was to correct the selfishness going on with tongues. So he was not teaching that we should pray in tongues more to edify ourselves…he was rebuking those who did that! He was saying that they should edify others in the common lingo.

Also if you read 1Cor 14 you see that it is UNDERSTANDING the WORDS spoken that edifies the hearer. Hearing sounds without having any understanding of their meaning does not edify in the way Paul is saying. So if the Corinthians were able to edify themselves thru speaking in langauges, it was only because they were given the interpretation.
Here is an example…Sinifesela Ukhisimusi Omuhle Nonyaka Omusha Onempumelelo
Very edifying isn’t it? In Zulu it means Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!No, there is no edifying without understanding.
I freely admit that when I pray(not really prayer cos it’s not of God) in gibberish, I have no understanding at all.
The reason pentecostals think they are being edified by noises is based on subjective feelings. I did not make my stand clear on this before.
They are taught to pray in tongues UNTIL you get(feel) the breakthrough. Until you FEEL edified.
There is something about the speech centre of the brain and the making of noises out our mouth that gives a certain type of feeling.
And it is feelings that most charismatics are chasing if they would admit it. At least I did for years. I am sharing my struggles and past life here to help any.
So Sarah I say it is of the flesh, the old nature because it’s use is to give our flesh some feelings. We are to walk by faith in His word. We are to believe…you know that.
I bet your friends say that Romans 8:26,27 teach that when we pray in tongues the Holy Spirit is praying a perfect prayer through them?
There is no need to assume that. In fact it says the Spirit Himself prays….not us. Also, with groanings that cannot be uttered….so why are we uttering because they cannot be uttered.
They join this to the next verses which say that all things are working together for good ……so the thinking is that if I pray in tongues then thru the Spirits help all things are working together for good.
Does that mean that all the millions of Christians who do not do this, or even believe this stuff, are without such wonderful hope in their lifes circumstances? Surely not sister.
I have prayed to Father for years to deliver me of the spirit behind tongues if it is from one… I have asked Him to take the ability away if he gave it. All to no avail.
Because of that I believe that it is not from a devil,and it is not from God, then it must be from me!! So then I must treat it as a work of the flesh, something that cannot please God. It is only when I am seduced and tempted to feel something in my flesh, that I have gone back to it.
But then time may prove me wrong…maybe one day I will find that is is a spirit energized ability…small s.

Make sense?
Bless you guys and gals
Dennis

I do believe a lot of what we see right now are learned responses. To put it in perspective, a prof. during med school put it this way (in regards to learned responses) part of the difficultly of quitting smoking is simply the physical action itself. He asked us to imagine if you got into the habit of putting your hand in front of your mouth (without a cigarette) for 5 years. It would be very difficult to pop out of even the mannerisms, let alone the emotional experiences assoc. with the events (ie euphoria of cigs or tongues)

And just to note I am not the other “john” here

Do you think there is any connection between the legitimate gift of tongues in the NT and the confusion of languages at Babel in Genesis 11? Missions theologians draw connections between Genesis 11 and Pentecost in Acts 2. I’m struggling in my as to what, if any, implications there are between the two events.

Thanks.

However when it came to the practise of all this and it is compared with what is shown in Acts and elsewhere it does not match. It sounds good but its based on a lack of understanding of the volume and unfolding of revelation and its actually hypocritical. Also this stuff is NOT neutral and leads to other errors and abuses which traumatize and hurt believers and brings reproach to the name of Christ.

I often say to those who claim that they want to see 1Corinthians and Acts in action - take me to where I can see it that it doesn’t look like the Kenny and Benny show and let’s test what’s going on - if God is using men in this way today I think we need it. But they never produce the real goods. Sad really cause as I said the whole purpose of the gifts and the baptism in 1Cor 12 was to bring UNITY and clarity not confusion and division. These modern “signs” have done the exact opposite. Real signs and miracle workers were very apparent.