Thursday, May 23, 2024

Is the Gift of Tongues Available to the Church Today?


IS THE GIFT OF TONGUES AVAILABLE TO THE CHURCH TODAY?

By Ezekiel Kimosop

I received two questions from a reader on the above topical question. Please find below my reflection answers for each of the questions.  

QUESTION ONE

Why is it [that] today's preachers always ask for an altar-call to fill people with the Holy Spirit?

My question is based on my reading in acts 2 and acts 10 verses 44 going down I need to understand.

MY REFLECTION ANSWER

Under Evangelical Christian tradition, altar calls are usually done to invite people to Christ at the close of the preaching session. Sections of the Pentecostal/charismatic traditions are known to invite believers to come forward to receive the Holy Spirit through special prayer. They believe that a person who turns to Christ must be filled with the Holy Spirit and demonstrate evidence of the same by speaking in strange tongues. They argue that the charismatic events recorded in Acts 2:1-13 and Acts 10:44-48, are evidence of a continuing charismatic experience for the church throughout its history. Evangelical traditions disagree with this view. They insist that the gift of tongues ceased with the New Testament Church. They cite a number of passages of Scripture in support of their view (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:8-10).

Some scholars have suggested that the incident recorded in Acts 10:44-48 qualifies as the Gentile Pentecost. Luke reports that Peter was speaking to Gentile believers in Caesarea when the Holy Spirit fell upon them and they spoke in tongues. Notice that these Gentile believers had not been baptized despite having previously converted to Christ. The reaction by those of the circumcision (radical Jewish Christians) in vv. 45-46 and Peter's statement in v. 47 suggest that this dereliction may have been informed by racial/ethnic prejudice against Gentiles.

God used the incident to demonstrate to Peter that the gospel was not exclusive to ethnic Jews.

Now back to our question of context: Is the Holy Spirit altar-call a legitimate Christian practice? Should preachers pray for believers to receive the Holy Spirit?

Under Evangelical tradition, we believe that the two charismatic incidents above were never replicated after the New Testament church period since no further Scripture evidence is available on the same. We insist that the theological purposes for the gift of tongues were therefore served and dispensed with during the New Testament period. Notice also that the two incidents relating to the raising of the dead by Peter (Acts 9:36-43) and Paul (Acts 20:7-12) were never replicated in any subsequent church periods. These were among miracles that were exclusive to the apostolic age. Don Stewart argues that they were intended to authenticate the supernatural message of Jesus (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:21-22). 

We also believe that every person who turns to Christ is led and indwelt by the Holy Spirit right from the point of conversion (John 14:15-18). At no time does the Holy Spirit depart from the believer. We are further persuaded that the gift of tongues was intended to authenticate the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ during the apostolic period. The gift therefore ceased thereafter. The cessation of tongues does not suggest that the Holy Spirit does not operate in the life of the believer! The Holy Spirit continues to lead the believer in the walk of faith and to inspire for them the holy Scriptures for their edification and the proclamation of the gospel.  

Pentecostal/charismatic groups disagree with this view. They argue that the gift of tongues continued throughout the church age and will be prominently demonstrated in the last days. They cite Joel 2:28-29 in support of their view. There is however no historical evidence in support of the charismatic view throughout the church ages prior to the late 18th century.  Early church theologians such as Justin Martyr, Origen and Augustine testified that the gift of tongues ceased.[1] 

It is instructive that the Pentecostal/charismatic movement is historically rooted in the American Pentecostal revival of the early 1900s. The Azusa Street revival meetings of 1905 at Los Angeles, California, were led by William Seymore, a charismatic African American preacher.[2] There is no record of the activities of Pentecostal/charismatic groups in church history prior to the advent of this revival movement. 

My concluding answer to this question from the Evangelical standpoint is that an altar-call for receiving the Holy Spirit is not informed by the revelation and authority of Scripture. 

QUESTION TWO

These days pastors preach and people pretend to speak in tongues but I've never heard any translation of tongues in there.   Where did we children of the Most High go wrong?

MY REFLECTION ANSWER

As earlier explained, Evangelical tradition holds that the gift of tongues was restricted to the apostolic church period that ended in the first century AD. We believe that once the sealed canon of the Holy Scriptures became available to the church following the canonization of Scripture by the Council of Carthage in 397 A.D, this was sufficient for the proclamation of the gospel and the instruction of believers in truth. We also hold that the apostolic age ended with the New Testament and that the apostolic foundation was laid by the apostolic writings in the New Testament Scriptures. On the authority of Acts 1:21-22, we affirm that apostolic offices ceased at the close of the New Testament church period and that there are no living apostles today. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (cf. Ephesians 4:11-16). While this statement contextually concerned the Old Testament Scriptures at the time it was written by Paul, its theological application consolidates the New Testament Scriptures as well. 

When sinners are convicted by the Holy Spirit at the preaching of God's word, this is evidence that the revelation of Scripture is sufficient, authoritative, and final for the church. We believe that the Holy Spirit illuminates the Scriptures for the church.

We do not therefore require evidence of tongues to back the preaching of the gospel today. This does not suggest that God's power is absent from the church! His presence is evidence by the transforming power of the word of God through the preaching of the gospel and the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

I am aware that Pentecostal/charismatic groups will disagree with this view. It is also important to recognize that the differences of opinion between Pentecostal and Evangelical traditions on the gift of tongues are not fundamental to the Christian faith. It does not suggest that one side is heretical or apostate. If the two sides are agreed on the fundamental truths of God's word touching on the sinfulness of humanity and Christ's redemption work at Calvary, the application of God's saving grace on sinners, the purpose and future of the church, this would be the basis for our Christian brotherhood notwithstanding our theological disagreement on the gift of tongues.

I hope these reflection answers are helpful.

 

 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2024

 

For more articles by this writer, visit www.ezekielkimosop.blogspot.com



[1] Don Stewart, “Why do Some Believe that the Gift of Tongues has Ceased?” in Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/stewart_don/faq/speaking-in-tongues/03-why-do-some-believe-the-gift-of-tongues-has-ceased.cfm. Accessed 23 May 2024.

[2] Michael Corcoran, "How a Humble Preacher Ignited the Pentecostal Fire" in Cox News Services. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2011.

 

Monday, May 13, 2024

What is Sin? Do Believers Sin?


 

WHAT IS SIN? DO BELIEVERS SIN?

By Ezekiel Kimosop

Sin is a transgression against God’s moral law taught in Scripture. The first sin, also known as the original sin, was committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden in violation of God’s express command (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-7). God judged and expelled the two from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:14-21, 24). The succeeding generations of Adam’s offspring fell into sinful depravity leading to God’s judgment through the flood of Noah (Genesis 6-8) and fire and brimstone that fell on the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1-29). There are several other instances in Scripture that God punished people for their transgressions.

The ten commandments outlined in Exodus 20 provide an illustration of grievous violations that God forbade His covenant people from committing. These include murder, adultery, uttering false witness against the neighbor, and idolatry. The New Testament Scriptures outline several examples of sins, including stealing, lying, fornication, adultery, hatred, envy, uncleanliness, lewdness, idolatry, contentions, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, drunkenness, revelries and the like (Galatians 5:19-20). This list is illustrative rather than exhaustive. God is offended by sin. Habakkuk 1:13 says “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness…” (NKJV).

We learn from the Bible that believers are not immune to sin.  1 John 1:8-10 says “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (NKJV). 

The Greek verb for “confess” in v. 9 is in the present tense, meaning that we should keep on confessing our sins. This is a continuing duty for the believer. This text refutes the misguided notion of a “once-for-all” forgiveness for sin at our conversion.[1]  

Notice that God's forgiveness in this context is conditional and is tied to the offender's action. Our confession of sin is informed by our covenant relationship with God and our desire to maintain a healthy relationship with our heavenly Father. Confession of sin is therefore a natural response from the believer under the leading of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 14:26). 

Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 6:9-15 reveals that we are daily predisposed to sin. He teaches us to petition God to forgive us our trespasses even as we forgive those who trespass against us (v. 12 ).  Jesus’s statement in Matthew 7:11 is instructive of our sinful nature. 

Jesus alone was without sin in His incarnation (2 Corinthians 5:21). Unlike us, Jesus was both God and Man at the same time. His divinity was not extinguished or obfuscated by His humanity. No other person, not even Mary the mother of Jesus, was born sinless or led a sinless life on earth. 

Elsewhere in Scripture, we learn that it is impossible to avoid situations that provoke our anger but we are obligated to manage our wrath under those circumstances to avoid precipitating bitterness. The Bible exhorts: “Be angry but do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27, NKJV). 

Habitual sinfulness or a lifestyle of sin and disobedience is however condemned in Scripture. 1 John 3:9 says “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God” (NKJV). This Scripture text does not teach or imply that a born-again Christian dwells in sinless perfection or that they cannot commit sin. It has been hermeneutically understood as a condemnation of habitual sinfulness. 

Believers undergo sanctification in Christian obedience throughout their lives on earth. To claim sinless perfection on earth is to contradict the word of God. Charles Spurgeon posits: “If you say you have no sin you have achieved a fearful success, you have put out your own eyes, and perverted your own reason!”[2]

John Trapp observes the irony of a presumptive attitude towards sin, saying “No man was ever kept out of God’s kingdom for his confessed badness; many are for their supposed goodness”[3] What keeps sinners from God’s forgiveness is their self-righteousness, pride, and self-justification. 

We may sin through our ungodly thoughts, emotions, prejudices, and acts of omission or commission. When we sin, we ought to repent of our sin and seek forgiveness from God and from those we have offended (Psalm 51:1-3; Matthew 5:23-24, 18:15-20). We are also commanded in Scripture to forgive those who offend us (Matthew 6:12-14). Notice that Joseph forgave his brothers despite the pain and anguish that he suffered in their hands as they sold him to the Ishmaelite slave caravan for twenty shekels of silver (Genesis 37:12-36, 50:15-21)

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, we can affirm that sin is a violation of God’s commands in Scripture. It is a transgression against His divine law. Sin cannot be purged unless it is confessed and atoned. Jesus came from heaven to deal with our sin when we were lost in sinful depravity (Romans 5:8). His sinless blood that was shed at Calvary is the only means by which sin is cleansed and the sinner restored to God. This blood is available for the cleansing of our sins. The believer is therefore not immune to sin. We live in a sinful and fallen world and only until we are ushered into the presence of God in glory by Christ at His coming shall we be eternally separated from this world of sin. We shall adorn glorified bodies and dwell in blissful heavenly realms that are devoid of the stains of sin (Revelation 21- 22). 

Meanwhile, we [believers] ought to daily confess our sins to God and forgive those who sin against us. We need to maintain a clear conscience before God. We should also submit to Christian sanctification and obedience by daily abiding in God's word (Psalm 119:97-105; John 15:7).

 

 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2024



[1] David Guzik, “Fellowship with God – Study Guide on 1 John 1”, in Blue Letter Biblehttps://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/1-john/1-john-1.cfm. Accessed 13 May 2024 at 0952 GMT.

[2] Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The New Park Street Pulpit Volumes 1-6 and The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volumes 7-63 (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1990).

[3] John Trapp. A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments. Volume 5 (Matthew to Revelation) (Eureka, California: Tanski Publications, 1997).