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  • Writer's pictureLexine

The Truth About Tongues - Part 1


Though the Holy Spirit—the third person in the Godhead—imparted many gifts, the gift of Tongue speaking is one of the most contested amongst varying denominations. Before we dive into this flaming debate, let's step back to study the purpose of the Holy Spirit in the first place which will lead us right into the gifts. I am going to take you on a journey through the Bible so please be ready for a deep study. We will only scratch the surface of the wonder that is the Holy Spirit, but I pray this post wets your appetite to continue to study and grow. Welcome back bingers!😁 Let's get to binging!


The Holy Spirit in the Godhead🕊

It is critical to understand the person and function of the Spirit of God so that we do not trivialize His role in God's eternal story.


Now whether you believe in "Oneness" or Jesus + God the Father or in the Trinity, I am going to ground our study in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit—the Godhead. Why? Just because our language fails to explain how three is one in God, does not mean we ignore the real relationship that Scripture very clearly outlines. God has always been in an intimate relationship and union with Himself—in what appears to be three persons—before creation. It is important to see how the Godhead relationship is central to how we, the church, fit into God's broader narrative.


The Godhead In Our Beginning:

Genesis 1:1-3

"1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light."

At the start of the Bible we see the ever-existing nature of God. In Genesis, we can infer collaboration within the Godhead: God the father, the Spirit of God and the Word of God aka Jesus, who testifies to being present at creation (John 1:1). Now let's jump down to verse 26.

Genesis 1:26

"26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Here we see something unusual; God is talking to someone when He said "let us." We know that no created thing has the power or authority to create life. And since we serve ONE God, who is God referencing? Well the word "God" here in context is"Elohim" in Hebrew. Elohim is used as both plural and singular at the same time. I don't expect the Hebrew language to have more access to translating the Godhead than English does. Language is a medium for human communication and therefore will always fall short of fully elucidating the complexity of spiritual matters. Get comfortable with that. So given the diction used, we can confirm that there was certainly relationship and collaboration within the Godhead that brought about our creation. But wait, there is more revelation in this text! As we move along in that same verse we see God making mankind after Himself which gives us insight into what the Godhead might be like. Just as Adam and Eve were complementary, yet one flesh in marriage, so is the Jesus, God the Father and the Spirit emphatically one yet complementary in the roles each plays. It is difficult to visualize the picture perfectly because we hardly see the seamless unity in marriage now-a-days, but think "ideal world". Furthermore, we see how our unity as the global church is to reflect Christ on Earth, who has restored our image after the fall through the cross. You will later see how the Godhead works together to infuse us into God's interwoven relationship.


The Godhead In the Middle:


Jesus's death defines the center of time. History either took place before Him (BC) or after Him (AD) so it is fair to say the start of the new covenant marks the "middle" of time.

Matthew 3:16-17

16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Jesus's ministry began with all members of the Godhead present: Jesus of course, the Holy Spirit as the dove and God the Father as the voice from Heaven. Throughout the gospels we see the Godhead's complementary roles at play. God sending Jesus to Earth (1st John 4:9); the Spirit impregnating Mary with Jesus (Matthew 1:20-24); God and Jesus communicating throughout His stay on Earth (Luke 6:12); the Spirit resurrecting Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11); And finally Jesus sending the Spirit to further sanctify and help us while He ascends to intercede for us on the right hand side of the Father (John 15:26-27;Romans 8:34). Whew! Yes, lots of action. All of which reveal a mutual relationship and purpose at work within the holy Godhead.


The Godhead at Our End aka our New Beginning

Finally, we see the Godhead present not only at our "end" on Earth, but really at the start of our new beginning. The text below highlights many key points, but I want you to take specific note of how the Spirit of God serves as the breath of life in the church which is the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:2-6

"2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

Again, we see the members of the Godhead: Lord = Jesus, Spirit = Holy Spirit and God = God the Father all as one, drawing all members of the body to one hope. The church is the start of our new beginning as the Spirit sanctifies us, preparing us to be wedded to the Lamb who is Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:13). Chapters 19 onward in Revelation illustrates the grand marriage ceremony after the world has been fully redeemed from sin.

Revelation 21:2

"2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."

Why do I start here? Many ignore the Holy Spirit because they think He is an eerie ghost, or outdated or irrelevant to our modern society. But as I have taken you through Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, it is clear the integral role the Spirit of God plays in the Godhead. As we learn the essence of the Spirit, we expand our understanding of how the Spirit's dealings with us is foundational to our very justification, sanctification and later, glorification. Now we're ready to binge on the gift of Tongues! Check out Part 2 for the grande finale!


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