| There are five basic references to tongues in the New Testament. They are: Mark 16:17; Acts 2; Acts 10; Acts 19; 1Corinthians 12-14. Let's begin by critically examining Mark 16:17..."And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues." Let the Word of God be our infallible guide! The Greek words for "speak with new tongues," are: "glossais lalesousin kainais" --- literally: "with tongues they shall speak new." This is the only reference to tongues in the Gospels. The word for tongue is glossa. The word for speak is laleo. These are the two regular words used for speaking with tongues in the New Testament. The word kainaia, which we translate as "new," is different from the other Scripture references. This is the only verse in which it is used in reference to tongues. The word kainaia means "unaccustomed or unused, NOT NEW IN TIME. The newness is in form or quality making the object of different nature from what is contrasted as old. Thus, the "new tongues" of which Jesus spoke were NOT new in the sense that they had never been heard before. They were NOT the "tongues of angels" or some other "heavenly language" that had never before been uttered by humans. They were new only to the one speaking them. "Kainais glossais" was an earthly language that God gave to his children --- an earthly language they had not learned but could now speak fluently. A person needing a "new" pair of pants can get them either at Kmart or Goodwill. Our English language does not make the same clear distinction as the Greek. There is a Greek word, neos, which means "brand new; never before used" as would be the case of purchasing a pair of pants at Kmart. But "new" would take on a whole other meaning if we purchased them at Goodwill. They would be new to the person wearing them, obviously, but they would not be "new" in the sense of "never being used before." When we say we've got a "new" car, we have to explain whether it is "brand spanking new---right off the showroom floor---never used by another person" or if it is a vehicle that someone else possessed before us (a used car)---but it is still "new" to us in the sense that it recently came into our possession. The Greek words kainais and neos made that distinction clearly to those who spoke Greek in the early Church. But when we translate these two words into our English equivalent "new" we lose the distinction. That's why it is so important for us to diligently study the Scriptures in depth to understand fully and clearly what God is saying. A superficial reading of this passage cannot give the reader the meaning of what is written. This verse does not support the doctrine that Christians will speak with unknown tongues. Rather, it harmonizes with the event as recorded in Acts 2. Christians were enabled to speak other (earthly) languages so that the hearers could hear the Gospel in a tongue they fully comprehended --- their own. The miracle was that God instantly gave Christians the ability to speak fluently in foreign languages. Languages they had never learned, but, languages that the hearer spoke and understood. It stands to reason that God, who told His disciples to go into all the world, would enable them to speak foreign languages they had not learned so that the hearers would be able to hear and comprehend the Good News of salvation through faith in God's only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. |
| TONGUES: Mark 16:17 |
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| Go ye, into all the world... |
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