Every once in a while–OK, very often—I hear another one of those arguments against the practice of speaking in tongues that’s so silly it makes me wonder where people come up with this stuff. Only, in fairness, this one is well-thought out for an argument by people who sometimes understand the original Greek better than I do, and so I’m not trying to mock anybody who has used this logic before.
It goes something like this; charismatics and Pentecostals who believe in speaking in tongues are not correctly doing it but are just babbling and hypnotizing themselves, because, so the train of thought goes, in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit fell on the believers, they spoke known languages. Allegedly the word in the Greek used elsewhere in the Apostle Paul’s writings indicates known human languages (so I’m told, but I’m not sure why it matters or not). The reason being, those down below who were visiting Jerusalem from other places during the Passover heard the people in the upper room speaking their languages.
I’m totally open to the idea that when believers build themselves up in the inner man through praying in the Holy Spirit, it’s very possible they could be speaking known languages.
Known Languages Or Not–It Doesn’t Matter
I don’t disagree with any of the facts presented that yes, those present heard different languages, that’s what happened. I do disagree with the interpretation and the emphasis given to the fact they were known languages as if this creates some kind of pin to hang one’s theological hat on. Let’s take a look at that passage for a moment:
Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Acts 2:5-13, ESV emphasis mine
I have a hard time believing the people in the upper room were necessarily speaking known languages.
Or what if they were?
That doesn’t invalidate how in 1 Corinthians 13 Paul mentions speaking in the tongues of men and angels. But think about the probability and likelihood of being able to understand your own language being spoken when coming across approximately 10 people gathered in a room above you speaking a different language each. It would be a remarkable feat if you were able to understand one language in particular emerging out of the ten.
Do you really think you’d clearly and decisively hear if it were a hundred and twenty? Even more unlikely!
The miracle that happened here at Pentecost was not necessarily that a miracle was happening in what was being spoken, but a miracle in what was being heard by those from the other regions. Here’s why I know that; this has happened before in Scripture where a group of people witnessed the same thing but heard something different;
Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said,“An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine.
John 12:28-30, ESV
The people present when a voice spoke from heaven glorifying Jesus, heard conflicting things, but that’s the point–some people’s ears were open to hear thunder, but others were open to hearing the sound the voice that did the speaking–which some attributed to an angel, and in fairness it was probably likely they didn’t realize it was the voice of God. But thunder and a voice are radically different sounds, just like different languages are different and 120 people could all hear something different on that day.
It doesn’t matter whether the original 120 people in the upper room spoke in native tongues or not. The people would not have been able to hear it without a miraculous intervention from God enabling them to hear it.
All this is just another reason a universal translator would come in very handy.
