88 - Tongues in Acts and the Epistles

Tongues in Acts and the Epistles; 1 Cor. 13:8

The first thing that we have to deal with when we come to the last chapter of Mark is a recognition that this is a passage called the long ending of Mark. This begins in verse 9 of the chapter and goes down to the end of the chapter. These verses are not found in a number of MSS of the New Testament. It is a highly debated issue as to whether or not Mark 16:9-20 actually belongs in Scripture. There is also a shorter ending that shows up in some MSS. We will assume for the sake of argument that they are part of the original text and deal with it on that basis.

Mark 16:14 ^NASB "Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining {at the table;} and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. [15] And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. [16] He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.'" It is belief only that is effective for salvation but the baptism in the early church was something that normally followed fairly soon after faith alone in Christ alone. [17] " 'These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues'." This is simply a historical statement that these signs will appear. If they appear once in history this prophecy is fulfilled. It doesn't have to be something normative. This is one of the major interpretive problems with the Pentecostals and Charismatics. They think that all of these statements are normative, i.e. something to be expected in the experience of every single believer throughout church history at all times. That is not true in the book of Acts and it is not true subsequent to Acts. These signs did not follow everyone who believed. There are clear examples in Acts of the apostles casting out demons, so that is fulfilled in Acts and doesn't have to go beyond that. Speaking with new tongues was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. [18] "'they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly {poison,} it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover'." Some try to make this verb and stretch to try to make it say "pick up serpents" and this is the basis for those groups that are snake handlers where they try to demonstrate their spirituality by picking up rattlesnakes and various other kinds of venomous snakes. But that is not what this verse is talking about. In fact, it is fulfilled in the book of Acts when the apostle Paul is on his journey to Rome when they were shipwrecked on Malta and he was collecting firewood – Acts 25:1-8. The only statement in this list that is not given a historical fulfilment in the book of Acts is drinking deadly poison. The last is laying hands on the sick and that they would recover. That was fulfilled in the book of Acts. So this is not talking about something that has to go on generation after generation in church history. It is simply talking about the fact that in the early church the ministry of the apostles would be supplied with certain miraculous credentials. Once that was established it did not need to be established again. The apostles and prophets are the foundation in a church, and a foundation only is laid once, not again and again and again.

Our second passage is Acts 2, the historical inception of the spiritual gift of speaking in languages. The episode in Acts 2 describes the birth of the church. What happens?

1)  They do not pray for the Holy Spirit.

2)  They do not expect the overt signs.

3)  They do not expect to speak in languages; this was not something that was anticipated.

4)  There were two physical manifestations that accompanied the coming of the Holy Spirit; they had to do with sight and sound. The reason there is the sound and the sight is because the reception of the Holy Spirit is a non-visible event. In order to indicate that something is happening in the spiritual realm God caused this accompaniment of sight and sound with the descent of the Holy Spirit.

5)  As they began to speak in other languages it was as the Spirit gave them utterance. It is a gift of speech, not a gift of hearing.

6)  "…are not all these who are speaking Galileans?" In other words, the confusion wasn't because they didn't understand what was being said but because they recognized these men as Galileans.

7)  The group of hearers from various parts of the world may have represented as few as five different languages and as many as eleven.

8)  In verse 14, "But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven," seems to suggest that Matthias was not with them.

Acts 2:16 ^NASB "but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel." Then he quotes from Joel 2:28, 29: 'AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' God says…" So if we go back to Joel we see that the prophecy of Joel has to do with the day of the Lord which is occurring at the end of the Tribulation period. Joel 2:28 ^NASB "It will come about after this [these things] That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions." What does the these things refer to in Joel 2? The Armageddon campaign. We have seen in past studies that "I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind" refers to the giving of revelation. [29] "Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days." He is talking about prophecy, seeing visions and dreams. Did that occur in Acts 2? No, they did not take place. Acts 2:19 ^NASB "AND I WILL GRANT WONDERS IN THE SKY ABOVE AND SIGNS ON THE EARTH BELOW, BLOOD, AND FIRE, AND VAPOR OF SMOKE. THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS DAY OF THE LORD SHALL COME." That will be pictured during the last series of judgments in the Tribulation. [21] "AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

So Joel 2:28ff is quoted in full by Peter. But there is a tendency among New Testament writers at times when they quote certain passages from the Old Testament to quote the whole passage just to make one simple point. The point that Peter is making here is that the events on the day of Pentecost are the same kind of events that are prophesied as taking place by the Holy Spirit at the end of the Tribulation period. So it is not a specific fulfilment of prophecy; it is not saying this is the fulfilment of Joel 2. If we look at Joel 2 there are a number of things that take place which did not take place on the day of Pentecost. What did take place on the day of Pentecost was speaking in languages and that is not mentioned in Joel at all. So all Peter is saying is that this is like what Joel said would take place in the Tribulation. So we can see that the Holy Spirit produces certain kinds of phenomenon at the end of the Tribulation period and this is the same kind of phenomenon produced by the Holy Spirit and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.

This is the primary coming of the Holy Spirit, the distribution of spiritual gifts and the gift of tongues. Notice that Jews are present. When we come to an understanding of the purpose of tongues it is designed as a sign of judgment. That doesn't mean that a Jew necessarily had to be present; it doesn't mean that they were giving the gospel. Their statement was that they were praising the mighty works of God. It does not say that they were necessarily just giving the gospel. They were describing what God had done. In Acts 2 they were clearly giving the gospel but that did not have to be restricted to that particular operation. The gift wasn't given as a means of evangelism but it was given so that Jews would hear doctrine taught in Gentile languages, and that would be a sign of judgment.

Tongues are not mentioned in Acts chapter eight, and that is important to recognize. The Pentecostal-Charismatic movement wants to make the events of Acts normative for the Christian life, and what we are showing here is that there is no pattern. Each time there is some sort of outpouring of the Holy Spirit there is a different series of events and a different pattern. In Acts 8:5-25 is the next event, and this is called the Samaritan Pentecost because it takes place in Samaria where there was a mixed ethnic population.

Acts 8:5 ^NASB "Philip went down to the city of Samaria and {began} proclaiming Christ to them." Philip is not an apostle, he is one of the deacons that were appointed in the church in Acts 5 and he is an evangelist. [6] "The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. [7] For {in the case of} many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out {of them} shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. [8] So there was much rejoicing in that city." That is a fulfilment of Mark 16. At that point there was no Holy Spirit at all: no baptism of the Holy Spirit, no indwelling of the Holy Spirit, no spiritual gifts; there are miracles that accompany Philip's preaching to provide his credentials.

Acts 8:14 ^NASB "Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God [that indicates they were saved], they sent them Peter and John." Peter and John are the two leaders of the apostles. [15] "who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit." So some time goes by and then Peter and John come and they pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit. Remember, there was no prayer for the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 where the Holy Spirit just came suddenly upon them. In Acts 8 there is prayer for the coming of the Holy Spirit and they receive the Holy Spirit sometime after salvation, so it is a post-salvation event. [16] "For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." That would be water baptism. [17] "Then they {began} laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit." So the reception of the Holy Spirit has to do with the laying on of hands which is a symbol of identification by Peter and John.

Remember the background of competition between the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom for two different places of worship, two different temples and two different priesthoods, and the bias and prejudice between the Jews and the Samaritans later on. What the Holy Spirit is doing here and what God is doing to protect the early church from a competitive spirituality is that He is showing that the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit in the same way believers in Jerusalem did, under the authority of the apostles because the apostles are the foundation of the church. So it is transitional here. God is going to show in Acts that each major group of people received the Holy Spirit from the apostles, emphasizing the unity of the church. It shuts down any attempt of the Samaritans or any other group to say that they are somehow independent of the apostles in Jerusalem.

Observations on the Samaritan Pentecost

1)  There was a lapse in time between conversion and the baptism and reception of the Holy Spirit.

2)  They were previously saved because they received the Word.

3)  They received the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by Peter and John.

4)  There is no indication that the Samaritans prayed for this experience.

5)  There is no indication that Philip prayed or laid hands on them.

6)  There is no mention of speaking in languages and there is a complete absence of the other signs of Acts 2: no rushing sound of wind, no tongues of fire. The only thing that is similar is that they received the Holy Spirit and the apostles from Jerusalem are present there.

So the so-called Samaritan Pentecost was designed to show that what happened there is also under apostolic authority and the Samaritans cannot claim an independent branch of Christianity.

The next significant event is Acts is the salvation of the apostle Paul in Acts 9, and there is no mention of tongues whatsoever in relationship to Paul's conversion. Then we come to Acts 10 and the salvation of gentiles, the inclusion of Gentiles into the body of Christ. The key passage begins in verse 44. In verses 34-43 Peter is giving the gospel to Cornelius and his household, and while he is teaching and they are paying attention the Holy Spirit suddenly came upon them. Acts 10:44 ^NASB "While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message." What do we have in common? We have Peter is Acts 2, Peter again in Acts 8, and now we have Peter again with Gentiles in Caesarea in Acts 10. It is the unity of the body of Christ and it is all being accomplished under the authority of the apostles, the foundation of the church. Cornelius isn't praying, tarrying or waiting for the Holy Spirit; he is not expecting the Holy Spirit or anything to happen; he is not seeking the gift of tongues or trying to speak in tongues, he is simply listening to Peter while he is teaching. [45] "All the circumcised [Jewish] believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also." This is showing that there is not going to be a distinction between Jew and Gentile in the new body of Christ, in the church. [46] "For they were hearing them speaking with tongues [languages] and exalting God…" Notice it doesn't say giving the gospel. They magnified God, but there were Jews present; there were Jews present on the day of Pentecost. Each time the presence of Jews hear doctrine being expressed through Gentile languages. So these Gentiles are speaking in Gentile languages they had not previously learned. It was an indication that they were just as much part of the body of Christ as the Jews. It was evidenced by speaking in tongues. But there are no other signs and baptism comes after the reception of the Holy Spirit.

Then we come to the next event in the coming of the Holy Spirit which has to do with a group of disciples of John the Baptist in Ephesus. Acts 19:1 ^NASB "It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. [2] He said to them, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?' And they {said} to him, 'No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.'" So they have believed but they haven't received the Holy Spirit. [3] "And he said, 'Into what then were you baptized?' And they said, 'Into John's baptism'." So the only baptism they had known about was John's baptism. Incidentally, this indicates the John's ministry had a widespread impact. This was thirty years after the beginning of Jesus Christ's ministry and there is this group who are in a sense still Old Testament saints.

At Pentecost there were the apostles and the foundation of the church. In Acts 8 there was the inclusion of Samaritans. Then there was the inclusion of the Gentiles who were also included in the body of Christ. Now this fourth group represents Old Testament saints. In each of these events we see that there is a unity in the body of Christ and there is not going to be any emphasis, any distinction drawn with relationship to the spiritual life in terms of ethnic background as there was in the Old Testament with the emphasis on being Jewish. These Old Testament saints haven't heard that Jesus has come yet, they haven't heard about the Messiah, they are still operating on John's message.

Acts 19:4 ^NASB "Paul said, 'John baptized with the baptism [identification] of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus'." So this is the first time they had heard that John's prophecy that the one who would come after him, who would be greater than him, is fulfilled. [5] "When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." So they go through water baptism, post-salvation water baptism which is simply a picture of positional truth and identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. [6] "And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they {began} speaking with tongues and prophesying." So in this event there is no indication that Paul prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit or that they prayed for themselves, the coming of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues is unexpected. They spoke in known languages and there is no mention of the other phenomena, the sound of rushing wind or the tongues of fire. What we see in each of these passages is that a similar event takes place. Each of these groups is tied together by the apostles, and this is the last time there is a mention of the baptism by the Holy Spirit. 

Outside of 1 Corinthians 13 there is one other place where people will go to try to show that there is speaking of tongues that is supposed to be normal for the church, i.e. Romans 8:26 ^NASB "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for {us} with groanings too deep for words." There are those who say that this is about talking a "Holy Spirit language". It doesn't say anything about a language in the passage, it talks about the fact that the Holy Spirit makes intercession for each and every believer, but "with groanings which can't be uttered." That means you are not going to hear it, it is inaudible. What this passage is actually saying is that in the believer's life there are times when we do not even know how to pray, we do not know what to speak, we do not know how to utter our prayer requests, and it is the Holy Spirit who makes intercession for us. We are told in v. 27 "and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to {the will of} God." So what verse 26 is talking about is the intercessory ministry of God the Holy Spirit in prayer for the believer. It is inaudible to the believer, it is not heard. This verse has nothing to do with tongues whatsoever.