Become Mature in Wisdom

 

Become Mature in Wisdom

 

1 Corinthians 14:20-22: “Brothers and sisters, do not be children in wisdom, but be children in evil. Be mature in wisdom. For it is written in the Law: ‘Though I speak to this people with other tongues and with other lips, they will still not listen.’ Therefore tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, and prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers.”

 

The people of Judah, including the prophets and priests, rejected the prophet Isaiah, who was delivering God’s word, even though they were living wretched lives. They mocked Isaiah, telling him to teach weaned babies instead. Isaiah states that a farmer is able to cultivate the land because God has given him wisdom. It points out the folly of the leaders of Judah, who, despite lacking academic depth and knowledge of the ways of the world, know how to cultivate the land, where and how to sow various seeds, and how to harvest using different methods—all thanks to the wisdom given by God. It highlights the arrogance of those who trusted not God but instead placed their faith in visible great powers. It points out the spiritual foolishness of the leaders of Samaria and Judah. ​​It was not people like the farmer who drove the nation down the path of ruin, but rather the spiritual leaders who met a tragic end due to the corruption of their lives.

 

Isaiah 28:11 states, “Therefore He spoke to this people with stuttering lips and in another tongue.” Sadly, the depth of the people’s spiritual understanding had become shallow and immature. Isaiah asserted, “God’s response will be tailored to their level of understanding.” In chapter 28, verse 10, He will speak to them in words they cannot understand, which sound like a babbling murmur. It is understandable if you imagine the terror of the conquered people who had no choice but to obey the commands of the Assyrians while unable to understand.

 

Jesus Christ resurrected and ascended, and the Holy Spirit descended on Pentecost. On Pentecost, the Diaspora Jews gathered in Jerusalem were astonished to see the disciples speaking in the tongues of their own nations. The group of Pharisees, scribes, and priests who had crucified Jesus not only refused to accept Him as the Messiah, but also did not believe in the resurrected Christ. The reason the Lord spoke to the Diaspora Jews in tongues was to show that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, and that although His flesh died on the cross, He would be spiritually resurrected and enter into the hearts of the saints. The Diaspora Jews knew little about Jesus, much like Gentiles, and were at the level where they understood whether He was the Messiah or not based only on news heard from afar. Therefore, the Lord showed them signs to make them believe in the Messianic identity and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 

Speaking in tongues is not for believers, but for non-believers. The fact that the Gospel becomes a foreign language implies that it must be conveyed properly, as it is delivered to people. When Gentiles encountering the Gospel for the first time hear it, it must be conveyed accurately; it would be problematic if the Gospel were delivered with a completely different meaning, like speaking in tongues. That is why a proper interpreter is necessary. The interpreter is the scribe in charge of God's storehouse. When the proper Gospel is preached, the work of the Holy Spirit takes place, and the Holy Spirit becomes a witness.

 

Those with faith, the saints, do not need to speak in tongues. There is no need to speak in a roundabout way that makes the Gospel difficult to understand. This is because they have already understood the Gospel and become those who bear fruit. The core of the Gospel is the death on the cross and the resurrection.

 

Most church members consider speaking in tongues to be a special language received from God as a result of longing for spiritual things. Before Jesus resurrected and ascended, He told them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the Holy Spirit. On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus' disciples in the Upper Room of Mark. And as the disciples began to speak languages ​​other than Hebrew, the diaspora from various nations—including Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, and Cappadociaans—who had gathered in Jerusalem to observe Pentecost at that time, witnessed a wondrous sight.

 

Acts 2:11 states, "We hear them speaking in our own languages ​​the great works of God." At this time, when Jesus' disciples spoke in tongues, there were two reactions. The first was the question of how Jesus' disciples, who were from the Galilee region, could speak such foreign languages. The term "tongues" carries the meaning of a foreign language.

 

Second, the disciples spoke of the great works of God. When many people (the diaspora living abroad) heard the disciples speak of these great works of God, they found it to be nonsensical. Some even asked if they were drunk. It meant they were rambling incoherently, speaking in a way that others could not understand. It was speech that was difficult for others to comprehend. This story was about Jesus Christ being the Son of God who died on the cross and resurrected to save humanity, and it was a story about the spirit. Such words were truly treated as the speech of a drunkard at that time.

 

In Acts 2:17, Peter explained the story of the Book of Joel to the people. "God said, 'In the last days I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.'" Peter spoke while quoting the words of the prophet Joel. He was depicting the Kingdom of God coming into the hearts of believers who believe in the resurrection. However, it is truly ridiculous that believers who claim to have faith today try to demonstrate speaking in tongues to others in unintelligible words, as if they have been endowed with great power from God.

 

1 Corinthians 14:5 states, "He who speaks in tongues builds up his own edification (oikodomei), but he who prophesies builds up the church." The edification of oneself means that unbelievers become believers by seeing the speaking in tongues. As faith becomes firm, it returns to the individual's edification. The word oikodomei, translated as edification, means to be edified. Furthermore, the expression "edification" does not appear in the Greek Bible in the context of the edification of the church. It means that the one who prophesies builds up the church. The church is precisely the Kingdom of God within the hearts of the saints.

 

Those who have entered into the faith of Jesus Christ must seek to know not the speaking in tongues, but the hidden word of prophecy—that is, God's revelation. This is because the revelation revealed in the Scriptures is possible only when Christ, who is the Word, enters into the heart.

 

** The essence of what the disciples told the people lies not in the tongues, which are the languages ​​of various nations, but in the great works of God. They use tongues to draw special attention from those who do not believe in Jesus, and through the Book of Joel, they convey the message about God's great works. Prophecy is the gospel concerning God's great works. It lies precisely in the death and resurrection of the cross.

 

Speaking in tongues and prophecy are inseparable. Speaking in tongues is directed toward unbelievers; therefore, when faith is instilled through special miracles such as speaking in tongues, then prophecy is performed. Prophecy is the gospel directed toward believers. Looking at those today who claim to speak in tongues, saying "Lalalalala," one wonders if there is anyone among the unbelievers who would truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Rather, it might sound like the noisy sound of a gong.