SPEAKING TONGUES
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Most of these stories are very anecdotal at best.
Thousands, indeed if not tens of thousands, of examples of tongues-speech have been studied. Not one was ever found to be a real rational language, living or dead. Despite this, the tongues-speaking community is rife with such examples. The frequency that they are reported suggests that tongues as xenoglossy is relatively common.
Given the amount of allegedly attested examples of xenoglossy reported by Pentecostal/Charismatic Christians (in the missionary field or elsewhere), if one were to apply this attestation to even a relatively small sampling of say 2,000 glossic utterances, it is more than reasonable to conclude that at minimum, an extremely conservative estimate would suggest that at least 10 of these samples would yield a real, rational language (i.e., 10 examples out of 2,000). As stated above, this has never happened; not even once.
Thousands, indeed if not tens of thousands, of examples of tongues-speech have been studied. Not one was ever found to be a real rational language, living or dead. Despite this, the tongues-speaking community is rife with such examples. The frequency that they are reported suggests that tongues as xenoglossy is relatively common.
Given the amount of allegedly attested examples of xenoglossy reported by Pentecostal/Charismatic Christians (in the missionary field or elsewhere), if one were to apply this attestation to even a relatively small sampling of say 2,000 glossic utterances, it is more than reasonable to conclude that at minimum, an extremely conservative estimate would suggest that at least 10 of these samples would yield a real, rational language (i.e., 10 examples out of 2,000). As stated above, this has never happened; not even once.
.No, it doesn't make sense.
The passage so often quoted from Romans (Rom. 8:26) has absolutely nothing to do with “tongues”.
As one writer puts it (better than I can)…. “The burden of the text is that the Spirit counterbalances the handicap of believers in prayer by interceding for them in accordance with God’s will. The hope of believers is also strengthened by the assistance of the Holy Spirit.”
As to whether or not Paul sort of ‘encodes’ a statement about tongues….Since Biblical ‘tongues’ refers to real language, it’s rather unlikely. To equate this passage with 'modern' tongues because “groaning” is akin to how some Charismatics and Pentecostals describe the modern tongues experience, would require jumping through some interpretive hoops.”
I have never heard tongues-speech presenting as anything but very audible glossic strings; never as groaning.
The passage so often quoted from Romans (Rom. 8:26) has absolutely nothing to do with “tongues”.
As one writer puts it (better than I can)…. “The burden of the text is that the Spirit counterbalances the handicap of believers in prayer by interceding for them in accordance with God’s will. The hope of believers is also strengthened by the assistance of the Holy Spirit.”
As to whether or not Paul sort of ‘encodes’ a statement about tongues….Since Biblical ‘tongues’ refers to real language, it’s rather unlikely. To equate this passage with 'modern' tongues because “groaning” is akin to how some Charismatics and Pentecostals describe the modern tongues experience, would require jumping through some interpretive hoops.”
I have never heard tongues-speech presenting as anything but very audible glossic strings; never as groaning.
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Some people take verse 28 that way, but keep silent in the church and let him speak to himself and to God could mean pray outside of the church, since Paul says earlier in the passage that he speaks in tongues more than them all, yet in the church he would rather speak five words with the understanding that he may instruct others than ten thousand words with an unknown tongue.
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A tongue is simply a language. For example, Spanish is a tongue, English is a tongue and so forth. The Bible speaks about how people who are born again to believe in Christ, speak with new tongues. This does not mean that they babel in a different language, or even in some language other than their native tongues. Rather, it means that they speak from a new spirit. The spirit of Christ is new in them. The tongue is unknown to those who are not in Christ because they do not speak from nor have the spirit. Paul would rather speak a few words that make sense to someone because if it makes sense to someone it is that they are saved. If he speaks the gospel but it is unknown to someone, it is not as good, because they are not saved yet. That is why we are to pray that when we speak the gospel it will be understood, in other words that the hearer will be saved by it or edified as the case may be.
The day of Pentecost in Acts talks about Jews being there when the spirit is poured out. People have tended to think of this in a very surface text way such that people who don't know a particular language, suddenly spoke in that language for the benefit of those around. Like if I grew up knowing English but suddenly spoke in Lithuanian for the benefit of a Jew who only knew Lithuanian. Rather than this being what is pointed to by the scripture, the scripture is actually using parable language, as it always does (Psalm 78:1-2, Mark 4:34). Jews are a word that describe believers. If you believe in Christ unto salvation, then you are a Jew in that sense. When the unsaved become saved as the spirit is poured out, then those who are saved hear the message of salavation being spoken by the formerly unsaved. They wonder that others now speak of God in a way that they can hear because now both are saved. Indeed, this shows that the actual language (English, Spanish, or whatever) is probably the same for the 'Jews' hearing and for those speaking. The marvel is that the spirit of God is behind the speaking and the hearing. Therefore all in attendance are saved, speaking from Christ's spirit, and not from the spirit of the world.
The day of Pentecost in Acts talks about Jews being there when the spirit is poured out. People have tended to think of this in a very surface text way such that people who don't know a particular language, suddenly spoke in that language for the benefit of those around. Like if I grew up knowing English but suddenly spoke in Lithuanian for the benefit of a Jew who only knew Lithuanian. Rather than this being what is pointed to by the scripture, the scripture is actually using parable language, as it always does (Psalm 78:1-2, Mark 4:34). Jews are a word that describe believers. If you believe in Christ unto salvation, then you are a Jew in that sense. When the unsaved become saved as the spirit is poured out, then those who are saved hear the message of salavation being spoken by the formerly unsaved. They wonder that others now speak of God in a way that they can hear because now both are saved. Indeed, this shows that the actual language (English, Spanish, or whatever) is probably the same for the 'Jews' hearing and for those speaking. The marvel is that the spirit of God is behind the speaking and the hearing. Therefore all in attendance are saved, speaking from Christ's spirit, and not from the spirit of the world.