Is the Gift of Tongues the Highest Gift?

IS THE GIFT OF TONGUES THE HIGHEST GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

INTRODUCTION  

I once applied for a teaching opportunity at a Pentecostal theological seminary in the outskirts of Nairobi. Among the outstanding attributes highlighted in the faculty profile in their website was that all the teaching staff were filled with the Holy Spirit and that all spoke in tongues! They were also listed as members of Christian assemblies within the same Pentecostal group that sponsored the theological seminary. 

I felt a little shaken as I posted my application because I had declared that I was from the Evangelical Christian tradition! As fate would have it, my application was unsuccessful! They never even sent a regret note in response! I strongly suspected that the missed opportunity had something to do with the identity of my Christian tradition! Of course I could as well have been wrong on this score! I later came to learn from a source that the seminary gave priority to instructors that subscribed to the Pentecostal tradition. 

The above illustration serves as an introduction to my question: Is the gift of tongues the highest among the spiritual gifts outlined in Scripture? 

The purpose of this article is to examine this question in the context of the teaching of Scripture. 

MY BIBLICAL OPINION ON THE GIFT OF TONGUES

One of the most sought after gifts of the Holy Spirit among Pentecostal/charismatic groups is the gift of tongues. This gift was actively manifested during the New Testament Church period, starting with the "upper room" experience recorded in Acts 2:1-13. There is divided theological opinion as to whether this gift is still available to the church today. Conservative Evangelical traditions teach that tongues ceased after the New Testament Church period. Pentecostal/ charismatic groups insist that tongues are a continuing experience. I do not intend to delve into this debate. 

The operation of the gift of tongues is mentioned five times in the Book of Acts (cf. Acts 2:3, 4,11, 10:46, 19:6). Tongues are mentioned 12 times in 1 Corinthians as can be identified in the KJV. It was however not the highest gift in my view. There were far greater gifts that were useful for the advancement of the gospel, including the gift of wisdom, knowledge and prophecy, being the ability to proclaim God's word with power. The nature and operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is illustrated in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14.

We also learn from the New Testament Scriptures that speaking in tongues is not necessarily evidence that one is spiritually mature. The Corinthians profusely spoke in strange tongues yet they failed the maturity test because of their lack of spiritual wisdom! (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:3). They had not sufficiently embraced the fundamental truths of God's word.

Notice also that Paul lists the gifts of wisdom and knowledge above the gift of tongues. The order of gifts identified in 1 Corinthians 12:7-10 is as follows: 

1) Word of wisdom, 

2) Word of knowledge, 

3) Faith 

4) Healing 

5) Working of miracles 

6) Prophecy 

7) Discerning of spirits 

8) Diverse kinds of tongues 

9) Interpretation of tongues. 

Again the objective is manifestly clear: all these gifts are for the edification of the church, which is the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:7). Besides, 1 Corinthians 12:30 reveals that not all believers spoke in tongues. This confirms that the gift was not liberally distributed among believers. 

In 1 Corinthians 13, the Bible reveals two important truths on tongues. First, other gifts and virtues such as love and faith ranked higher than tongues (1 Corinthians 13:1-10). Secondly, tongues would eventually cease but hope, faith and love are three Christian virtues that would never lose their significance or purpose in Christian living (1 Corinthians 13:13).  

THE PREEMINENCE OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE ABOVE TONGUES

It is evident from the passages we have examined that the Bible attaches a higher premium to the gifts of wisdom and knowledge than to the gift of tongues. A mature believer should therefore demonstrate wholesome wisdom in their spiritual and moral conduct and whether or not they speak with tongues is another matter. This is what was badly lacking among the Corinthians. They did not have the benefit of tested spiritual leaders who could have arrested their congregational confusion in time before it spiraled into open divisions (read 1 Corinthians 2-3).  

Paul dedicated the first six chapters of his First Letter to the Corinthians to teach the Corinthian believers about spiritual wisdom and how they were to apply it in their congregation in order to promote Christian unity, spiritual maturity, Christian morality and congregational order. From the 7th chapter, Paul responds to a number of questions specifically addressed to him by the Corinthians, beginning with marriage, Christian liberty, among others. He later defends his apostolic authority, apparently in response to a section of the factions in Corinth that doubted his apostolic calling.

Now back to our issue of context...

Conservative Evangelical theology holds that a believer who is full of the Holy Spirit is one who demonstrates spiritual maturity and is consistent in their moral conduct within and outside the Christian community (cf. 1 Timothy 3:1-13). This, in their view, is the primary evidence of a believer being led by, and walking in submission to, the Holy Spirit and the authority of Scripture. No emphasis is laid on tongues because they are considered to be among the spiritual gifts that ceased after the New Testament Church period.

The Pentecostal tradition on its part objects to this view and insists that speaking in tongues is a continuing experience and is the prima facie evidence that one is under the influence and control of the Holy Spirit. Some charismatics even insist that tongues authenticate and validate the believer's faith. This claim is however superfluous because it is not supported by any passage of Scripture.

These doctrinal tensions have sadly served to split the Pentecostal and Evangelical traditions down the middle since the 19th century when the Pentecostal revival began. My view is that whether one speaks in tongues or not is not a salvation issue! God can withhold a gift from a believer for His higher purposes but this does not affect the believer's standing in Christ.

LESSONS FROM THE CORINTHIAN EXPERIENCE 

I will now proceed to defend my position on the preeminence of the spiritual gifts of wisdom and knowledge above the gift of tongues through my evaluation of the Corinthian experience.

The Corinthians spoke in tongues and made a great boast of it. They tried to outdo each other in demonstrating this gift. They were however adjudged by Apostle Paul as a spiritually immature Christian community. The Corinthian saints were deficient in spiritual wisdom even as they "fluently" spoke in tongues! It was a regrettable experience, in my view. 

Paul sharply rebuked them, saying that they were spiritual babes who could not even discern elementary or basic spiritual truths! He declared that they were to continue on "spiritual milk" [the elementary truths of Christian doctrine] until they had sufficiently matured enough to "eat meat", a metaphorical reference to the assimilation of deeper truths (see 1 Corinthians 3:1-4).

The Corinthians neglected the deeper things of the gospel and of the knowledge of God at the altar of their spiritual pride and intransigence. The Corinthian experience resulted in ecclesiological devastation. It precipitated open divisions in the congregation and left deep scars in the body of Christ that took long to heal. This confusion needlessly retarded their ministry. The church was sharply divided and further weakened as loyalties shifted. Christ was no longer at the center! They therefore deserved Paul's apostolic rebuke, hands down! 

Some Bible scholars say that Apollos was forced to flee from Corinth to escape the violent divisions after his admonitions fell on deaf ears! Notice that he initially headed to Corinth where he served for an undefined period of time, following his induction by Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus [see Acts 18:24-28; 19:1]. He was later reluctant to return to Corinth even at the request of the church (1 Corinthians 16:12). This suggests that he may have been deeply wounded by the schism in which one faction was identified with his leadership. 

Paul was deeply shaken by the ramifications of the Corinthian conflict. He knew that time and strategy was needed to bind the wounds and restore order. He was firm and fair in his response in rebuking the group. It is instructive that Paul dedicated three chapters of his First Letter to rebuke and guide this divided Christian community on the needed wisdom. He also sought to restore spiritual sanity and order among them (Read 1 Corinthians 1-3). His Second Letter to the Corinthians was however conciliatory. It was informed by the latest developments in the Corinthian assembly.

The Corinthian experience provides important moral lessons for our contemporary Christian communities. Here is the synopsis of the aftermath. Paul had received a report from some members of the household of Chloe about the sharp divisions at Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:11). Chloe was probably one of the few mature Christian leaders who were deeply concerned about the direction of things at Corinth. It further appears that she and other mature Christians chose not to take sides in the conflict. They were perhaps too helpless to arrest the situation after Apollos left Corinth. Rather than gossip about the conflict, these faithful members of Chloe's household assembly reported the worrying situation to apostle Paul, the man who was best placed to resolve it. Some critical issues should be escalated to the higher echelons of Christian leadership at the earliest opportunity!

Paul was also compelled go beyond the immediate issue of divisions and address another deep scar -  sexual immorality in the Corinthian assembly (1 Corinthians 5:1-8). He was compelled to excommunicate an unidentified immoral brother, a task that the Corinthian leaders should have handled under ordinary circumstances. They were probably too preoccupied with their leadership wrangles that they lacked the needed wisdom, spiritual discernment and focus for handling and resolving it (1 Corinthians 5:9-13). The immoral brother was later restored to fellowship after expressing remorse (2 Corinthians 2:5-11).

My view is that spiritual wisdom and knowledge are far greater gifts in the Christian community today than we may care to imagine. Few believers in a young congregation have the temperance and fortitude required for this level of prudence. Few can be counted upon to offer this wisdom when push comes to shove. Perhaps an even smaller number have the hindsight and foresight to arrest divisions in good time before it is too little too late!

ILLUSTRATION

The story is told of one church congregation that split up following some deep leadership wrangles that saw the senior pastor lead a faction  comprising of his close associates in the leadership. The opposing camp comprised of those that were dissatisfied with his leadership. They claimed that the pastor was not accountable and transparent on the appropriation of church resources. As the leadership battles raged on, sections of the congregation left the church in droves and joined neighborhood churches. It soon emerged that only a small fraction of the the congregation was left! 

One elderly man who was highly respected in the congregation stood up one Sunday and announced that there would be a special meeting (not a regular worship service!) the following Sunday to address the conflict. He pleaded with the remaining members not to run away.  

Following the meeting which was chaired by this elderly man, tempers finally cooled down and shortly thereafter, a large proportion of the members who had left the congregation returned and a new pastor was appointed to replace the senior pastor who had fled and refused to return. It took the church nearly a year to heal from the divisions, thanks to the wisdom of this elderly believer who chose to apply spiritual wisdom to the delicate situation! The old man was not even a member of the elders board but was a mature believer of many years standing in the faith and one of the founders of the congregation. God used him to save the congregation from total collapse. 

CONCLUSION 

My concluding view is that spiritual wisdom and knowledge are marks of Christian maturity and are higher than the gift of tongues. This is not to suggest that tongues or other gifts were irrelevant but to appreciate the prudence in the apostolic ranking of these gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:7-10 and the lessons we can draw from the Corinthian experience. 

We should all desire to grow in wisdom and knowledge even as we apply the gifts that God has placed at our disposal. The gifts of the Holy Spirit should be governed by spiritual wisdom and knowledge of the truths of God's word. This is what stands at the foundation of spiritual discernment and fortitude in Christian maturity. 

Spiritual wisdom is given by the Holy Spirit when we fully submit to God's leading in our daily Christian living. It is a progressive impartation that God cumulatively builds in us as we grow in the knowledge and fear of Him and in obedience to His word (cf. Psalm 111:10-12, 119:105; Proverbs 1:7, 9:10-11). Without the wisdom and knowledge of God's word, we are bound to fail and would run the risk of returning to carnality and dissension. 

The Holy Spirit guides us in discerning spiritual truths and in making sound judgment on matters that call for wisdom. These gifts do not depend on our earthy experience or academic knowledge or even age. It is given by God to those who earnestly seek to walk in the truths of God's word and are patient in learning from God and under the mentorship of mature believers. 

The church requires this caliber of believers in every position of leadership -  those who seek not after selfish interests but are focused on the interests of others and on the overall wellbeing of God's people in the congregation (Philippians 2:4). These are men and women who are neither motivated by personal acclaim nor seek to be noticed by men but who dedicate time to prayer, the diligent study of God's word and Christian service. They have the mind of Christ. They bring the needed balance and apply their wisdom and knowledge in resolving conflicts with impartiality. They are the spiritual stabilizers in the congregation who consistently connect with and discern the mind of God. It is my desire that we all daily seek to grow in this kind of wisdom, far above anything else.  

Yes, wisdom and knowledge rank far above tongues. I rest my case. 

 

Shalom

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2022