Lesson for May 24, 2015
Gift of
Languages
Acts 2:1-21; 1
Corinthians 14:1-25
his
treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone,
former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the May 17 issue
of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com.
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By Sam E. Stone
The
first-century church in Corinth faced special challenges. One problem was that
many members placed undue emphasis on those who spoke in tongues. Today we will
first study Acts 2, when the church began, so that we can understand the context
of Paul’s teaching on this subject to the Corinthians.
Tongues at the Church’s Birth | Acts 2:1-7, 12
The Day of Pentecost was 50 days after the Sabbath of Passover
week. At that feast, Jesus had been crucified; at this one, the inauguration of
the earthly kingdom took place. Luke recorded, they were all
together in one place. Many
Bible scholars think it is likely they were in a room in the temple area, since
the disciples had been staying there continually (Luke
24:53).
At this time a sound like the blowing of a violent wind was heard—but it was not wind. In
similar fashion, the Spirit of God had energized the dry bones in Ezekiel’s
vision (Ezekiel 37:4-10). The divine flame separated, coming to rest
above each person. Fire often symbolizes God’s presence (Exodus
3:2). In v. 4, it is clear that all of them refers
to the apostles (Acts 1:12-26). In the verses that follow, it is the
apostles who preach the message of salvation. Jesus had promised that he would
baptize them in the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:5, 8). The
disciples began
to speak in other tongues. Tongues refers
to the various languages in which the apostles spoke, languages they could not
use in normal circumstances.
Many God-fearing Jews were in Jerusalem at this time. Some
undoubtedly had come for the annual feasts, while others lived there year
round. Those who joined this pilgrimage to Jerusalem were from every
nation under heaven. Some of
the nations are listed in 2:9-11.
The sound like a mighty wind had attracted a crowd; hearing many
foreign languages spoken at once was even more compelling. Each one
heard their own language being spoken. This
indicates that the miracle was in the speaking of the apostles rather than in
the hearing of the people. Luke heaped up descriptive words to explain the
tremendous effect of this miracle. The people asked, “Aren't all these men who are speaking Galileans?” They could recognize them by
their dialect (Matthew 26:73). Luke recorded their reaction: Amazed and
perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
Tongues in the Church’s Life | 1 Corinthians 14:13-19
When Paul wrote his first letter to the church in Corinth, a
number of the members had received the gift of speaking in tongues. Some who
had this ability were evidently proud of it and liked to show it off. The
apostle offered them a balanced and sensible view: What is important is not
that a person can speak in a language he never studied, but that those who hear
him can come to understand and obey God’s message for their lives. That was
what had happened on Pentecost. Those who speak in other languages should pray
that they may interpret what they say. Tom
Friskney explained: “The proper conclusion is that the speaker will do
everything to provide understanding. Any use of spiritual gifts will be for
that aim. The responsibility rests with the speaker. The principle is the same
whether one considers praying or singing in an assembly of the church. . . .
There cannot be edification without understanding.”
Some Corinthians evidently felt that their speaking in tongues
made them spiritually superior to those who could not. Paul instructed them
that interpretation of the inspired message was also needed. The hearers could
not affirm the message by saying “Amen” if they did not know what was
being said. The speaker may be giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified. For this reason Paul affirmed, I thank God
that I speak in tongues more than all of you. Then he concluded, but in the
church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten
thousand words in a tongue. Even
a short thought that is understood is worth more than a whole discourse spoken
in a language that hearers cannot understand.
“The
great thing for the Christian,” concluded Leon Morris, “is
that he may be able to edify others. While it is right for him to desire to
excel in the exercise of spiritual gifts, he should seek those gifts which are
useful for edification. Others are comparatively unimportant.”
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*Lesson based on International Sunday School Lesson, © 2009, by
the Lesson Committee. Scripture quotations are from the New
International Version ©2011, unless otherwise indicated.
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