I never understood what this passage meant in 1Cor. 14:22 “Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers...” In the charismatic christian churches I had attended for 17 years they taught and spoke in “tongues” that was generally gibberish. I thought it was from the Holy Spirit and was taught such. I was taught and encouraged to pray in tongues all day long and all the time, that this was biblical. The “tongues” I spoke in as well as the “church” was purely gibberish and why I never understood how gibberish could be for non believers. I was frustrated with the teaching in these churches and hopped from one church to another searching for biblical truth. My friends were so wonderful and encouraged the teachings in these churches and various preachers on tv that I went along with the crowd as it were. I felt empty and had doubt, but was afraid that this doubt would be a doubt in God so suppressed my feelings and hopped from church to church searching for truth. I was addicted to the bible and read everyday so had some discernment between false teaching and truth but in the evangelical churches of today it all seemed so self-seeking and empty philosophies of men to make your life better and was very little bible teaching or history or even Jesus in any of these churches. Again though my friends were so wonderful and I was a worship leader for women’s organizations so I went along with the movement as well. Finally one Easter I went to three different churches, two “mega” churches and one smaller one in search of an Easter service dedicated to Christ. Sadly I found none. One church taught on their regular “series” at the time that had nothing to do with the resurrection of Jesus, another had the last part of an easter play but then went on to asking for money and gave away football jerseys. Finally another started with easter but then rambled on for almost an hour on evolution and ramblings in generally that was not coherent at all. God in His mercy was showing me a way out. Devastatingly two days later my son was murdered which changed my life forever.
Now it is three years later and I have found through the grace of God a solid biblical church and congregation dedicated to the teachings of the bible as the inerrant, infallible word of God and not adding anything to or taking anything away from it. Now I understand this passage under the solid teaching of what the bible says in context. That “tongues” is always a known language when referred to biblically, not gibberish as taught in the evangelical churches today. In the light of known languages it makes sense when Paul says that tongues are for unbelievers because if you speak in that person’s language about the glory of God and they hear and understand you then it is a sign for them. Just as he says without love even if you speak in the tongues of men or angels you are a clanging gong or crashing symbol, noise only, you will not be understood it is nonsense. That is what is going on in today’s churches nonsense, no one is being understood and the bogus interpretations given are from man’s own vain imagination. That is why it always confused me, how could gibberish be a sign to unbelievers? It is the love of the Holy Spirit in us that comes through in the power of tongues which are a known language at the time given for the purpose of salvation to the hearer to believe. A known language given in love. God calls us to worship him with all our heart, soul, strength and mind. When the “church” teaches and promotes “tongues” it is essentially telling us the opposite of this. To forget our minds and willingly not understand what we say in worship and prayer. is supposedly edifying to us and the church, this is not biblical. The evangelical church will teach you how to pray such gibberish which again is not biblical. On the day of Pentecost they spoke in known languages, spontaneously with no teaching or prompting, which was given by the power of the Holy Spirit for the saving of souls. How could so many have been saved hearing gibberish? The apostles never taught anyone how to speak in tongues it was always a gift of the Holy Spirit, not a work of man.
Hindus, mormons and pagan cultures throughout the centuries have spoken in these babbling tongues and is the reason Paul address the problem to the church in Corinth. They were following the pagan tongues of the religions of the day and Paul was leading them to the truth on what the gift of tongues really was. When he tells them “if I speak with the tongues of men or angels” he is speaking hyperbole. When he tells them that he is happy he speaks in tongues more than all of them he is saying that the activity they held to so highly was common. The expression at that time “to speak in a tongue” is common in Hebrew and Aramaic, where it means to speak or read another language. Most Corinthians could speak several languages including, Aramaic, Greek and Hebrew.
This is but one issue I find problematic with evangelicals today. The prosperity gospel, faith healers, word of faith movement, the elimination of sin and the wrath of God. The false teachers teaching a different Jesus and a different cross-less gospel. All 27 books of the New Testament warn against false teachers. Jesus, the apostles, Paul all knew the impact false teachers, or wolves in sheep’s clothing, would have on the church and believers. All warned to flee from them, not to even eat with them. I believe now is the time for true biblical believers to witness to the church because it is being led astray by the idolatry of self and self deception. Jesus said in the last days people will become lovers of self and haters of God. This is Satan’s greatest deception not to deceive the world because they are already his children but to deceive the church, to lead us astray and cause doubt and division. To give the church strong delusions and diversions away from the true cross of Christ, why He came, His substitutionary life for us to satisfy the wrath of God that is on each and every one of us. If Satan can cause the church to look another way other than to the cross he will. I was angry and confused against the false teachings I had been under but with the grace of God I understand why it is, where it comes from, and how to forgive.
