QUESTIONS ON TONGUES

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>QUESTIONS CONCERNING TONGUES
>
>1.  Do all TRUE believers in Christ speak in unknown tongues (in a personal
>prayer language to God for the purpose of edification and fellowship with
>God) on a consistent, if not daily, basis?
>
>2.  Do some TRUE born-again believers speak in unknown tongues ONLY
>ONCE---upon the initial receipt of the gift of the Holy Ghost?
>
>3.  Since 1 Corinthians 12 teaches on the extra-ordinary 9 GIFTS of the
>Holy Ghost,  how should one interpret the rhetorical question in 1 Cor
>12:30, "Do all speak in tongues?" ?
>
>3.  If a person who has followed the complete plan of salvation (Acts 2:38
>etc) and has lived for God for any length of time BACKSLIDES---that is,
>turns away from God and lives a CARNEL life, is it a sign that he TRULY
>repents if he "prays through" to God, evidenced by speaking in other
>tongues?
>
>4.  If speaking in tongues is the initial evidence that one has received
>the Holy Ghost, is speaking in tongues on a consistent basis a sign that
>one STILL HAS the Holy Ghost?
>
>5.  If answering NO to question 4:  How does one ASSURE himself that he
>STILL HAS the Holy Ghost?  Can one LOSE the Holy Ghost?  Is LOSING the Holy
>Ghost the same as LOSING OUT on salvation?  OR is it true that ONCE one is
>saved, he is ALWAYS saved?
>
>
>There is an ever-increasing belief going throughout our churches that SOME
>(logically extended to MOST) people only speak in tongues when they
>initially receive the gift of the Holy Ghost...NEVER THEREAFTER!   What
>this doctrine will eventually bring is a condition in which virtually NO
>ONE will speak in tongues except those who have (supposedly) received the
>GIFT OF TONGUES! Which may be very few.
>
>[Note:  "SOME logically extended to MOST" because if one believes that a
>person ONLY speaks in tongues upon the initial receipt of the Holy Ghost,
>then ANYONE who does speak in tongues AFTER receiving the initial
>experience MUST have the unique GIFT OF TONGUES as stated in 1 Cor 12, 14.]
>
>
>
>Discussion welcome!
>Bro Mike Mills

Bro. Mills,


I have noticed with interest many of the responses which have come in replying to your post. While all have been interesting, I feel that much of what has been written has its origins in pentecostal or even charismatic "tradition" than the word of God. As a quick example your use of the phrase "personal prayer language". This phrase has no basis in the New Testament or Apostolic Pentecostal history. It is a phrase coined by charismatics (predominently catholic and lutheran charismatics) who sought to embrace speaking in tongues while distancing themselves from the doctrines of initial evidence and the necessity of tongues for salvation. These charismatics, realizing that their churches were not open to messages in tongues in the service, sought to downplay this aspect of Biblical. The Bible speaks of "tongues of men and angels" not a "personal prayer  language" God issues us like a Social Security number.

Anyhow I am going to take the weekend and go back over the applicable scriptures before attempting to provide my further thoughts on this question. Hopefully it will be useful for discussion and not controversy.

In Christ

Frank Vandenburg