Main news for 9 June 2024

King James Version (en)

1 Corinthians, Chapter 14, verse 20

²⁰Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.

NOTES

Continuing the discussion of prophecy and glossolalia, Paul points to...

Continuing the discussion of prophecy and glossolalia, Paul points to the importance of interpreting the revelation received by the one who "speaks in tongues" (vv. 13-15). He understands perfectly the difference between spontaneous ecstasy, which can pass without any spiritual consequences for the one who experiences it, and revelation as such, which necessarily touches a person's spiritual "I" or "mind." Ecstasy sometimes is indeed the result of the direct action of God's breath on human nature, but a person's own spiritual "I," which makes him himself, may remain entirely untouched. Then such a person will be able neither to understand the meaning of the revelation nor to pass it on to others (vv. 16-17).

Meanwhile, for a Christian, if he considers himself and truly is an adult, spiritually mature member of the Church, the primary task should be his own spiritual development and the spiritual development of his church community, not joy over his ecstatic experiences, like the joy children feel over a toy they like (vv. 17-20).

Of course, sometimes, especially for unbelievers, glossolalia, like any other obvious action of the Spirit of God, can become a kind of testimony to the reality of the spiritual world, about which most people, as a rule, do not think. But for Christians themselves glossolalia is not testimony, because it adds nothing to the spiritual experience either of those who undergo it or of those who observe it from outside (vv. 21-22). Prophecy in its traditional form is a different matter: here the spiritual benefit is evident, because in this case revelation takes a form in which it can be received and assimilated.

Once again, what comes to the foreground for the apostle is not the experiences of individual people in themselves, even if they are connected with their spiritual life, but the measure of the experiencers' participation in the life of the Church, and therefore in the life of the Kingdom, connected with those experiences. Indeed, any spiritual experiences, even the most intense, come and go in themselves. Only the Kingdom remains, and that measure of real participation in its life which determines a person's destiny in eternity.

According to Paul's words, the problems with the adequate understanding of the words of the Savior that can enter the Kingdom only those who liken to the children, already belonged to the Christians of the first and second generation. There was probably, in the Corinthian church people thinking that to be children means refusing to use one’s own reason, that if it is necessary to be like children, then the head does not need it, but it is necessary to live with "the heart". In practice such a position brings either to total incoherence in the spiritual life (and not only in the spiritual), or in the fact that the one, who does not wish to live with his spirit, is obliged to live with the one of another.

The situation strange at first sight, for an adult is simple, however it is explained by the fact that it allows the one who lives like that to shirk responsibility for his own life, shifting it to someone else, for quite “evangelical” basis. And the apostle was obliged to remind in his message to the Corinthian Christians that Jesus, when comparing those who come to the Kingdom with children, meant something completely different.

He spoke about the relation of the children to this evil, which is more than enough in the fallen world. And the problem here is not probably in the fact that the children do not know evil: already Augustine observing attentively the children understood perfectly that children sin less than the adults not because there is less sin in them, but because they do not have enough strength to sin "in an adult way". Probably, the apostle also wanted to say the same thing: generally a Christian must be able to think, as know how to do it adult people, but, when it comes to evil, it will be good that the mind of the Christian refuses to help him in evil deeds.

Such Paul's reasoning, as we see, is considered as ideal for Christians. But there is another aspect here: the relation to evil. In the normal case, the child’s view of the world is an optimistic view, it is necessary to try a lot to make of a child a pessimist, or especially a misanthrope (although there is of course here nothing impossible for the fallen man). But the optimism of the child does not mean that children do not notice this evil, in which lies the world. It is just that this knowledge does not make them pessimists. Evil is not in the vision of the world of the child defining this world at first. And here adult Christians really have what to learn from children.

Apostle Paul explains to us today that infancy and adulthood are two parts of the paradox simultaneously existing in our life. We are called to be at the same time small, powerless, stupid in everything, where we try to make malice...

FAQ

I have one question that troubles me. It is a question regarding "other tongues". Who can receive "other tongues"? What are "other tongues"? What are they for? Are there two types of "other tongues"?

The gift of "speaking in tongues", "praying in tongues", or simply the "gift of tongues", in Greek "glossolalia" — is one of the many gifts of the Holy Spirit, which is given for edification in the faith and the growth of the Church. In different eras and in different parts of the Church, this gift manifests itself in various ways; at times it may become unnoticeable or noticeably transformed. This is natural, for the gifts of the Holy Spirit are always given with a specific purpose — "for the edification of the Church". Nevertheless, it can be said that in one form or another, this gift is always present in the Church.

We know of at least three main varieties of this gift.

First, there is the gift of speaking in a language unknown to the speaker. This is how the apostles spoke on the day of Pentecost. This is how, quite often, preachers and missionaries speak, and their word reaches the hearts of the listeners. It is essential that this form of glossolalia occurs if and only if a person is speaking about Jesus Christ, His Cross, and Resurrection. At present, this gift is quite rare.

Second, glossolalia may be expressed when a person in prayer praises God in a language that does not exist among the nations of the Earth. This is usually called "tongues of angels". Love for God, reverence before Him, and adoration of Him encompass at this moment not only the person's heart, but also their mind and emotional sphere... And suddenly the prayer is poured out in words incomprehensible to the person themselves. According to the testimony of early Christians, the Holy Spirit simultaneously grants another person the gift of interpretation, so that "the church may receive edification". This gift is currently widespread enough to be a noticeable phenomenon in the Church.

However, in our time, the gift of interpretation is much less common. Perhaps this is related to the fact that the edification of the modern Church is carried out differently than in the ancient one. To understand this gift, it is important to keep a few points in mind. Speaking in tongues of angels is given, as a rule (though not always), through the prayer of other Christians — those who possess this gift. Furthermore, the speaker usually does not understand the meaning of their own words. They are aware only of a certain non-verbal sense of the prayer in which they began speaking in such a language. In different parts of the Church there is a certain continuity, so that by the way glossolalia manifests in a person's prayer, one can quite accurately discern in which Church they received this gift. The glossolalia of Pentecostals is not the same as that of Catholics, and the glossolalia of Lutherans differs from that of the Orthodox. Often, such glossolalia sounds like a language unknown to humanity. Most commonly, this glossolalia (across all denominations) is compared to ancient Hebrew or Aramaic. Perhaps the Holy Spirit engages some aspects of the person's personality that are unknown to us... It is fundamentally important that this form of glossolalia is given during prayer and for prayer, usually — for the glorification of God.

Third, there is another form of glossolalia closely connected to the previous one. This should rather be called non-verbal prayer. The Apostle Paul speaks of this, saying that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. This prayer differs from the previous form in that distinct speech elements (words, phrases) are not always discernible in it, and in that such a prayer is sung rather than spoken. Often it is born as a continuation (and intensification) of our usual prayer and psalmody. In this, the Holy Spirit allows our heart to break out beyond the limits of human language and turn to God in some other, highly personal, yet non-verbal way.

Since ancient times, this prayer-glossolalia predominantly occurred during divine services. It was such an ordinary occurrence that church liturgical rubrics of the second half of the first millennium even designate moments in the service when this gift of the Holy Spirit typically manifests in the community. Some Orthodox typicons, including Russian ones, retained such instructions right up until the end of the 15th century. Generally speaking, however, since the end of the first millennium, this form of glossolalia has largely transitioned into the realm of church musical creativity.

Since the end of the 19th century, in various parts of the Church, the Holy Spirit has begun to explicitly bestow these gifts anew, albeit in different ways. This is likely due to the fact that different Churches have "dried up" to varying degrees in theological theorizing and have lost the experience of a living connection with the Spirit. It is perhaps for our edification in this regard that the Lord renews these gifts of His within us.

It is important to note in conclusion that the only gift of the Holy Spirit that is absolutely indispensable for the life of the Church, without which She cannot exist, is the gift of love. All else is given as the need arises...

I have a question: in the 14th chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, it is written about spiritual gifts. But I am interested in the question regarding the gift of speaking in tongues. I myself am a Pentecostal and I have a Baptist friend; we often speak on this topic. I simply cannot explain it to him. If you can, please advise me on how to explain it to him correctly?

The gift of “speaking in tongues,” “praying in tongues,” or simply “the gift of tongues,” in Greek “glossolalia,” is one of the many gifts of the Holy Spirit, which is given for edification in the faith and the growth of the Church. In different eras and in different parts of the Church, this gift manifests itself in various ways; at times it may become unnoticeable or noticeably transformed. This is natural, for the gifts of the Holy Spirit are always given with a specific purpose – “for edification.” Nevertheless, it can be affirmed that in one form or another, this gift always exists within the Church.

We know of at least three main varieties of this gift. First, it is the gift of speaking in a language unknown to the speaker. This is how the apostles spoke on the day of Pentecost. This is how, quite often, preachers and missionaries speak, and their word reaches the hearts of the listeners. It is essential that this form of glossolalia occurs if and only if a person is speaking about Jesus Christ, His Cross, and Resurrection. At present, this gift is rather rare.

Secondly, glossolalia may be expressed when a person, in prayer, praises God in a language that does not exist among the nations of the Earth. Usually, this is called “the tongues of angels.” Love for God, reverence before Him, and admiration for Him encompass at this moment not only the heart of a person, but also the mind, and the emotional sphere... And suddenly, the prayer pours out into words incomprehensible to the person himself. According to the testimony of ancient Christians, the Holy Spirit at the same time grants another person the gift of interpretation, so that “the Church might receive edifying.” This gift is also widespread enough at the present time to be a noticeable phenomenon in the Church. However, in our time, the gift of interpretation is found much less frequently. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the edification of the modern Church is carried out differently than in the ancient one. To understand this gift, it is important to keep in mind a number of points.

Speaking in the tongues of angels is given, as a rule (though not always), through the prayer of other Christians – those who have this gift. Furthermore, the speaker himself usually does not understand the meaning of his words. He perceives only a certain non-verbal meaning of the prayer in which he began to speak in such a language. In different parts of the Church there is a certain continuity, so that by how glossolalia manifests in a person's prayer, one can quite accurately understand in which Church he acquired this gift. The glossolalia of Pentecostals is not the same as that of Catholics, and the glossolalia of Lutherans differs from the glossolalia of the Orthodox. Often such glossolalia is similar to one of the languages unknown to man. According to our strictly personal impression, most often such glossolalia (across all confessions) resembles the ancient Hebrew and Aramaic languages. Perhaps the Holy Spirit engages some aspects of the person's personality unknown to us... It is fundamentally important that this form of glossolalia is given during prayer and for prayer, usually – for the glorification of God.

Thirdly, there is another form of glossolalia, closely related to the previous one. This should rather be called non-verbal prayer. The Apostle Paul says concerning this that the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. This prayer differs from the previous form in that distinct speech elements (words, phrases) are not always discernible in it, and in that such prayer is more often sung than spoken. Frequently, it is born as a continuation (and intensification) of our usual prayer and psalmody. In doing so, the Holy Spirit allows our heart to break out beyond the limits of human language, and to turn to God in some other, very personal, but non-verbal manner. Since profound antiquity, this glossolalia-prayer predominantly took place during worship. It was such a common thing that the ecclesiastical liturgical typicons of the second half of the first millennium even record moments in the divine service when this gift of the Holy Spirit usually manifests itself in the congregation. Some Orthodox typicons, including Russian ones, preserve such indications right up to the end of the 15th century. In general, since the end of the first millennium, this form of glossolalia has mostly transitioned, rather, into the realm of church-musical creativity.

Since the end of the 19th century, in different parts of the Church, the Holy Spirit has begun to bestow these gifts clearly again, although in different ways. This is probably due to the fact that different Churches have “dried up” to varying degrees in theological theorizing and lost the experience of a living connection with the Spirit. For edification in this, perhaps, the Lord is renewing these His gifts in us. It is important to note in conclusion that the only gift of the Holy Spirit that is inevitably necessary for the life of the Church, without which She does not exist – is the gift of love. The rest is given as needed…

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