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Friday, January 4, 2013

Is the ‘speaking in tongues’ that is done today the same as that done by first-century Christians?

In the first century, the focus of the ability to "speak in tongues" was to accomplish the international work of witnessing that Jesus had commissioned his followers to do. (Acts 1:8; 2:1-11; Matt. 28:19) Yet, do those who claim to "speak in tongues" today actually use this ability for this purpose? No.

Also in the first century, when Christians `spoke in tongues', what they said had meaning to people who knew those languages. (Acts 2:4, 8) Today, people who supposedly `speak in tongues' usually just provide an outburst of unintelligible sounds.

What Paul said to the first-century Christians in 1 Cor. 13:8-10 indicates that the genuine speaking in tongues "ceased" at that time.

TONGUES, SPEAKING IN (INDEX; Watchtower Online Library)

Tongues, Speaking in (rs p. 400-p. 405; Watchtower Online Library)

Speaking in Tongues—Is It From God? (The Watchtower—2010; Watchtower Online Library)
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