Monday, September 11, 2006
TONGUES
Matt. 13:16. "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.
This verse is directed at His disciples asking the question of verse 10, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” His disciples did not have the dull heart that the religious leadership did and therefore were blessed with eyes that could see and ears that could hear. They were desirous and also blessed with the distinguishing grace of understanding.
MacArthur explains more on the topic of this distinguishing grace and the judgment that ensues to those who are dull in heart. He writes, “The gift of languages in the early church was still another form of judgment on unbelievers. Quoting from Isaiah 28:11, Paul wrote, “In the law it is written, ‘By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me,’ says the Lord. So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers” (1Cor. 14:21-22). Tongues were manifested in an astounding and dramatic way on the day of Pentecost and continued to be manifested from time to time during the apostolic age as a form of testimony against those who refused to believe. The Lord first gave His truth to Israel in simple, clear teaching; and when that was ignored, He spoke to them in parables, which, without explanation, were no more than meaningless riddles. Finally He spoke in unintelligible languages that could not be understood at all without translation.”
This verse is directed at His disciples asking the question of verse 10, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” His disciples did not have the dull heart that the religious leadership did and therefore were blessed with eyes that could see and ears that could hear. They were desirous and also blessed with the distinguishing grace of understanding.
MacArthur explains more on the topic of this distinguishing grace and the judgment that ensues to those who are dull in heart. He writes, “The gift of languages in the early church was still another form of judgment on unbelievers. Quoting from Isaiah 28:11, Paul wrote, “In the law it is written, ‘By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me,’ says the Lord. So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers” (1Cor. 14:21-22). Tongues were manifested in an astounding and dramatic way on the day of Pentecost and continued to be manifested from time to time during the apostolic age as a form of testimony against those who refused to believe. The Lord first gave His truth to Israel in simple, clear teaching; and when that was ignored, He spoke to them in parables, which, without explanation, were no more than meaningless riddles. Finally He spoke in unintelligible languages that could not be understood at all without translation.”
# posted by Castusfumus : 3:02 PM
