Tongues - Part 2

I'm a little delayed in posting this second half of my earlier post as the sermon on part two was given two Sundays ago.

This Sunday the concentration was on 1 Corinthian 14 verses 20 to 22. In verse 20, Paul admonishes the Corinthians to "stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults." Paul is telling them to disregard the childish 'Corinthian tongues'. We see throughout the Bible that incomprehensible, incoherent speech is always a sign of God's displeasure as in Babel or Deut. 28:49.

In verse 22, Paul writes "tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers." Here Paul differentiates between tongues as a "sign gift" like in Acts 2 where peoples of differing nations heard the gospel in their own language. It was for the benefit of unbelievers or skeptics so they might hear the Word whereas prophecy, or teaching, is for the benefit of believers. Paul leaves open the door for tongues as a gift in unusual circumstances to authenticate the speaker.

Some might ask if there is a place/admonition for a prayer language outside of the worship service. For instance, I Cor 13 "if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels" might suggest an angelic tongue. However, there is no Biblical basis for an angelic language. In fact, angels as spirit beings would not even have the physical ability to speak through vocal chords, etc. When angels do appear to humans they take on human form and one can infer that they speak the language the human understands. When angels "speak" to each other, it is probable that their communication is on an entirely different level than through vocal utterances.

Our pastor's conclusion was that our God is one of order, and it makes more sense (in the absence of contrary Biblical teaching) that God would want us to understand our own prayers to Him through our native language rather than communicate with Him in an unintelligible prayer language that we can't even objectively translate. His greater aim would be for us to communicate with Him more frequently and intimately.