← Christian Questions Bible Podcast
Christian Questions Bible Podcast
Are Christians Today Really Capable of Healing People or Speaking in Tongues? (Part I)
00:31:12
Loading summary
Transcript76 lines
- [00:02]
A
Think about the Bible like you never have before. You're listening to Christian questions. Access more audio videos and Bible Study resources@christianquestions.com Our topic is are Christians today really capable of healing people or speaking in tongues? Here's Rick and Jonathan.
- [00:21]
B
Welcome everyone. I'm Rick. I'm joined by Jonathan, my co host for over 25 years. Jonathan, what's our theme scripture for this episode?
- [00:29]
C
First Corinthians 12:28 and God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helps administrations, various kinds of tongues.
- [00:45]
B
Christianity today is diverse. When you think about it. There should only be one version of the Gospel and it should be entirely based upon the Bible as a whole, specifically the the words and actions of Jesus as well as the words and actions of his apostles and disciples in the New Testament. Now, in many cases, the Gospel has unfortunately been reduced to a wide variety of denominations and beliefs that often contradict one another. One area of this divergence has to do with the gift of healing and the gift of speaking in tongues. Many Christians believe that these two spiritual gifts continue today, and many Christians believe that they ceased a very long time ago. Who's right and how do we know?
- [01:29]
C
Well, we want to be clear from the start that we believe these two gifts of the Spirit are not functional today. And we will lay out our reasons why.
- [01:38]
B
And that's an important statement to make at the very beginning. What we want to do is be 100% scriptural. So that's how we're going to look at this. And so to have this appropriate scriptural foundation for understanding the New Testament healing and New Testament speaking in tongues, we need to carefully understand the purposes of these events in the Old Testament.
- [02:02]
C
Wait, why are we going to the Old Testament?
- [02:05]
B
Because the New Testament in every format, in every way, in every instance, is founded upon the Old Testament. And these two items are no exception. To really understand the New Testament, you have to have a sense of of the Old Testament and its clarity and its bigness. So let's look at the healing first. There are over a dozen instances of individual healing in the Old Testament. We're going to look at a few examples and as we do, we're going to break them into categories. First of all, several are healing episodes of injury or sickness that God had inflicted or allowed to be inflicted. And we're just going to touch on a few examples in each of these categories to understand Old Testament healing. So, Jonathan, our first one that we're going to look at, an overview of is Genesis chapter 20, verses 1 through 18.
- [02:56]
C
These scriptures describe how God healed Abimelech, his wife and his servants so they could have children again. To understand this, we need to consider the context. When Abraham entered a new land, he feared for his life because Sarah was so beautiful. To protect himself, Abraham and Sarah decided to claim that Sarah was his sister, which was partly true, as she was his half sister. And as a result, King Abimelech took Sarah into his household. That night, God warned Abimelech in a dream not to violate Sarah because she was a married woman. God prevented Abimelech and his household from having children until they returned Sarah to Abraham.
- [03:42]
B
It's a pretty dramatic example of a miracle put in place by God. Something that was halted and then restarted at the appropriate time. This is God's intervention here. Let's look at. Just summarize. Another quick example, this one from 1 Kings 13, 4, 6.
- [04:01]
C
King Jeroboam's withered hand was healed after he rebelled against an unnamed prophet of God. Because King Jeroboam seems to have appointed himself chief priest, he wrongfully offered the incense. That's why the prophet pronounced judgment against the altar. The king got mad and pointed to the prophet so his men could lay hold on him. And that's when his hand withered.
- [04:28]
B
There is a very important aspect of God's way being followed, the appropriate way. And there was a consequence when it wasn't. Let's look at another example. Again, a short example. 2 Kings 4:8, 17.
- [04:42]
C
Elisha granted a barren Shunammite woman the ability to have a son.
- [04:47]
B
This woman was never able to have children. And Elisha comes along and gives her that ability. He ends up working alongside of her later. So there's a blessing again provided through God's strength. Now, these are all Old Testament examples. One more in this category, Jonathan. This one's probably familiar to most. Daniel 4:34, 36.
- [05:07]
C
After seven years, Nebuchadnezzar looked to heaven and was healed of his insanity.
- [05:12]
B
Remember, Daniel had told him, had warned him to give God the credit, but he didn't do it. And he went into that spiral for seven years and then he praised God afterwards. So these are four of the individual healing examples of the Old Testament.
- [05:29]
C
And in all cases, God's sovereignty is either established or re established.
- [05:35]
B
That's a really important point. It's about God's sovereignty. God rules. And when it became an important thing to make clear, it was either established or re established. He is the sovereign ruler of all. Let's go now to Another category of healing in the Old Testament. Again, we're looking at healing in the Old Testament. To understand healing in the New Testament, we look at three examples that are granted the ability to bear children to women who were unable to, so that God's name and plan would be followed. So let's look at these three quick examples. Genesis 18, 10, 14 and then verse chapter 211 3.
- [06:14]
C
Sarah was healed from barrenness. Isaac was born. Remember, Isaac is the promised seed.
- [06:19]
B
There was a miraculous deliverance, a miraculous event happening there. Let's look at judges 13, 5, 25.
- [06:28]
C
Manoah's wife was healed from barrenness. Samson, a prophet of God was born.
- [06:34]
B
And we all know Samson, that great powerful prophet of God. So again from a woman who could not have children previously. One more very strong example along these lines. 1st Samuel 1, 9, 20, Hannah's prayers
- [06:49]
C
were answered and she was healed from her barrenness. Then Samuel, the great prophet was born.
- [06:55]
B
So you've got these three examples of these three individuals being born when nature was basically saying no can do. But God put it in place so that his plan would continue in his way.
- [07:10]
C
And Rick, in all cases these healings pointed to those who would be the vessels of God's plan.
- [07:17]
B
Just a side note, I know I'm jumping ahead. Jesus is born of a virgin. That's not possible either. Just think about God's prophets being put in place and then Jesus own birth later. Along the same lines, God's plan moves forward in the way he will have it to. So you have the sovereignty of God being established. And then these miracles pointing to who are the ones that are carrying out God's plan. Let's look at one other set of examples. These last examples unequivocally display the indisputable greatness of God. We've got two specific second kings 5, 1, 14.
- [07:57]
C
Naaman, a pagan man with leprosy, was healed by Elisha to show the greatness of God, the God of Israel. Remember, Naaman was told to go wash in the Jordan river seven times to be healed. He didn't want to do this, but his servants told him to because that's what the prophet instructed. So he did it. Guess what?
- [08:16]
B
He was healed and shows the greatness of God. Another one from 2 Kings, this time chapter 20, verses 1 through 7. It's also mentioned in Isaiah 38:1 8,
- [08:27]
C
God heard King Hezaziah's prayer and saw his tears and healed him of his terminal illness which enabled him to serve God for 15 more years.
- [08:37]
B
So you've got this beautiful example of the indisputable greatness of God in that pagan man, in that king, and showing us how God's plan is driven by something bigger than we can understand. Now. Along with these healings, there were three people raised from the dead. We which is technically not healing, it's a restoration of life. But all of those raising from the dead were at the hands of Elijah and Elisha. So we're looking at the Old Testament, Jonathan, and we've got these categories of healing. Why are we spending time in the Old Testament? Because to understand the Old is to open the door to understanding the new.
- [09:13]
C
Let's sum up the observations of the Old Testament healing. Healing was not a focus of the Old Testament.
- [09:20]
B
Old Testament covered thousands of years and there's essentially a dozen individual healings. It's not a big deal, but it plays an important role.
- [09:28]
C
A prophet of God is often associated
- [09:31]
B
with healing because that way you see where it's coming from, why it's coming so God can be honored.
- [09:38]
C
All of the healings had a purpose beyond the actual healing.
- [09:43]
B
And that's where healing shows up as a sign of something else. You see these things and it's a sign essentially of the greatness it's and the moving forward of God himself.
- [09:54]
C
Several of these events that were not inflicted or allowed by God involved Elijah
- [09:59]
B
or Elisha because they showed us a picture of New Testament things to come. So there's a bigness to that. So you see, Jonathan, as we're going through this, Old Testament does play a role in understanding the new. So let's look at the power, purpose and application of biblical healing.
- [10:18]
C
Old Testament healing accomplished three primary things. It established or re established God's sovereignty. It pointed to those who would be the vessels of God's plan. And it unequivocally displayed the indisputable greatness of God. These applications of this power set the groundwork for how New Testament healing would work.
- [10:40]
B
So the Old Testament is telling us how the New Testament healing is going to work. It's giving us an introduction. So when it shows up, it's not something that we are surprised at or wondering because we have the foundation already. So now let's transition to the New Testament. And in this episode, this is going to be a two part series. We're introducing the Old and the New. In part two, we're going to break down the New Testament healing and New Testament speaking in tongues in a much, much more detailed fashion. But right now let's look at, let's introduce New Testament healing. The only way to do that is through Jesus, but because he brought healing to a level never before heard of. Let's look at one example, just one example. Mark, chapter 3, verses 7 through 10.
- [11:28]
C
Jesus withdrew to the sea with his disciples and a great multitude from Galilee followed, and also from Judea and from Jerusalem and from Idumea. And a great number of people heard of all that he was doing and came to him. And he told his disciples that a boat should stand ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crowd him, for he had healed many with the result that all of those who had afflictions passed around him in order to touch him. You know, Rick, Jesus did more healing in this one event than we viewed in the Old Testament. This is very different.
- [12:06]
B
It is, and it's showing the grace and the magnitude and the embracing of what healing was all about. It was this expression of. Of deep and powerful compassion. And when you look at Jesus, it seems like this healing seems to just like pour out of him. These people who pressed him, they were not disciples. They weren't his followers. They were simply people who were broken. Literally broken. They couldn't walk, they couldn't see, they couldn't hear. They had this and that, and they just wanted to be healed. And the compassion of Jesus goes out to all these people. And you're right in. In this one instance, you have individuals healed of different things more than the entire Old Testament. So you can see, the Old Testament gave us a foundation. The New Testament tells us what to do with it. And here's the interesting thing. Jesus obviously knew that his mission would include healing. Why? Because it was described in the Old Testament. How. Let's just look at one verse, Malachi, a prophecy. Malachi 4, 2.
- [13:08]
C
But for you who fear my name, the Son of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. So the Son of Righteousness prophetically describes Jesus.
- [13:22]
B
It does. And again, it talks about this Son of Righteousness rising with healing in its wings. So it's telling you the Son of Righteousness is going to come. And it is a prophetic viewpoint of Jesus and how the sign, one of the signs is healing. Just like you had healing as a sign in those previous experiences in the Old Testament. It was a sign of God's sovereignty. It was a sign of God's greatness. It was a sign of the people who were going to carry out God's plan. It's a sign in the Old Testament. And the Old Testament says it's going to be a sign for the new. That's why you need the old. You can't do the new without the old. Again, let's look at the power, purpose, and application of biblical healing. New Testament healing accomplished the same three things.
- [14:13]
C
Number one, it established God's sovereignty, this time through Jesus. Number two, it pointed to those who would be the vessels of God's plan, namely Jesus and his disciples. And three, it unequivocally displayed the indisputable greatness of God through the teaching of Jesus and the power of God's spirit.
- [14:34]
B
So healing in the New Testament was a sign, just like it was in the Old Testament. That's what we can take away from building the foundation, and that's what we need to see and understand. And in part two, we're going to pick up on that sign and see how it works in the New Testament. And why, Jonathan, why? We believe that healing was an important part of the Gospel at the beginning, but is no longer an important part of the Gospel today. Explain that scripturally in part two. Now, let's go a little further.
- [15:05]
C
Well, now, what about the Old Testament and speaking in tongues?
- [15:10]
B
Now, speaking in tongues, you say? Wait a minute. Speaking in tongues in the Old Testament. Like, wait, when? Where? How? It doesn't sound like it's something that you'd normally think of. And we don't normally associate speaking in tongues with the Old Testament, but we're told to do so by the Apostle Paul himself. And look, when the Apostle Paul brings something to our attention, we should really follow through. Here's what the APostle Paul says. First Corinthians 14, verses 20 through 22.
- [15:38]
C
Brethren, do not be children in your thinking yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature. 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. Rick, Paul is saying this based on the Old Testament. How do we know this?
- [16:11]
B
It says in the law, it's written. And then he quotes a scripture from Isaiah and is in that scripture. It's an important text because it begins to open up our understanding of, first of all, what speaking in tongues actually means. Okay. And two, what it means in Scripture. So again, Jonathan, we're going to be talking about the New Testament speaking in tongues shortly, but you have to understand what it meant in the Old Testament. First, let's Break this down. Paul is quoting Isaiah 28:11 in that verse that you just read and focusing Christianity on the fact that God would use the speaking of a foreign language as a sign. That's important in Isaiah because that verse, Isaiah 28:11, this speaking of foreign languages, because the people couldn't understand. It was a sign of God's displeasure because they couldn't understand the message, they couldn't understand what was being said to them. And the result of God's disapproval in that case is that they would be broken and they would be dispersed. Let's go back to Isaiah 28, and you quoted verse 11. Let's see what happens as a result of their disobedience and these foreigners coming speaking a different language. In Isaiah 28:12, 13, he who said
- [17:29]
C
to them, here is rest, give rest to the weary, and here is repose. But they would not listen. So the word of the Lord to them will be order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line. A little here, a little there, that they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared, and taken captive.
- [17:54]
B
So in Isaiah, what's happening is Isaiah is basically saying, you know, we're giving you line after line, we're telling you the truth, and you're not listening. You're not listening, you're not listening. And what would happen is that they would stumble backwards, they would be broken, it would be a snare to them, and they'd be taken captive. And part of that was, was because the people who were taking them over spoke a language and they had no idea what to do. They didn't understand this was God's disapproval.
- [18:20]
C
And Rick, for Christians, it was a sign of his favor, as the foreign languages would be clearly understood.
- [18:27]
B
So you can see that you have the disapproval shown by God in the Old Testament, and you can see that it will be flipped to be approval in the New Testament. Now, we only quoted one Scripture, so does this hold true? Is this a theme that we can actually build upon? And the answer is absolutely, unbelievably, yes. This theme of foreign tongues being a very consequential sign from God carried out through the entire Old Testament. And Jonathan, in studying this, I was like, whoa, this is really big. And look, here's where it started. Everybody knows the account of the Tower of Babel. Remember what happened there? Let's examine just a piece of that, because this is where God showed us how he would use foreign tongues when the people disobeyed. Genesis, chapter 11. Jonathan, let's go to verses 1 through 2, verse 4, and then verses 6 through 8.
- [19:22]
C
Now, the whole earth used the same language and the same words. It came about as they journeyed east. They said, come, let us build for ourselves a city and a tower whose top will reach into heaven. And let us make for ourselves a name. Otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth. The Lord said, come, let us go down and there confuse their language so that they will not understand one another's speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth, and they stopped building the city. Think about it. After Noah and his family left the ark, God told them to spread out throughout the earth. In contrast, the people here deliberately acted against God's command by building the tower specifically to stay together.
- [20:16]
B
So what did he do? He confused their languages so they couldn't stay together because he had told them previously what needed to be done. Confusion of languages equals the disapproval. Disapproval of God. Their confused languages were a sign. They were a sign of his disapproval of their actions, and they were therefore dispersed. And remember the Apostle Paul in that first Corinthians Scripture you read earlier said so then, tongues are a sign. And you can see in the Old Testament, they were a sign. In each case, Jonathan, it was a foreign language. This is important. This is really important. One more example. God clearly established this pattern with Israel right from the start of her nationhood with the law. Let's go to the law. Let's go to Deuteronomy and see where foreign languages come into play here. Let's look at Deuteronomy 28:1.
- [21:11]
C
Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments, which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. So in other words, Rick, God is saying, you will be blessed if you obey my words.
- [21:29]
B
Okay, you will be blessed if you obey my words. If you hear what I'm saying and you understand what I'm saying, and if you follow what I'm saying, go down a few verses later. And God always, when he would tell them how to be blessed, he'd also tell them. And by the way, there's another side to this that you really need to understand. God is wonderful in that way. Let's look at deuteronomy, same chapter 28. Let's go down to verse 15.
- [21:55]
C
But it shall come about if you do not obey the Lord your God, to observe, to do all his commandments and his statutes with which I charge you today that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you. One of these consequences comes from verse 49, and that reads, the Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down a nation whose language you shall not understand.
- [22:24]
B
A diversion of languages is the disapproval of God for disobedience. And the language is a sign. This is the third scripture that is showing us this as a sign. And here's what would happen. Now it's really easy to guess what's going to happen because God is very consistent. Here's what would happen as a result of that disapproval. Not just the foreign language, but as a result of the whole disapproval. Let's go to Deuteronomy, chapter 28, verse 64.
- [22:54]
C
Moreover, the Lord will scatter you among all peoples from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth. And there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone, which you and your fathers have not known. You know, the Tower of Babel shows that tongues are a sign. The law uses tongues as a sign. And the Apostle Paul also said tongues are a sign.
- [23:19]
B
And in every case, tongues means foreign human languages. That's what it means. That's the foundation. Tongues are a sign. And they were a sign of God's disapproval in all cases. That's important. So let's pause here. The power, purpose and application of biblical speaking in tongues.
- [23:42]
C
The Old Testament message was clear. Disobedience brings disfavor, which brings voices that are not understandable, which brings dispersion.
- [23:52]
B
Okay, you have a clear message in the Old Testament of what speaking in tongues is and what is it is a result of what it's showing. It's a sign from God. Now we go to the New Testament and Jonathan, what speaking in tongues is remains the same. But it's purpose. It's purpose is exactly the opposite. Okay, we're going to see that unfold and again we're just going to touch on it today. And in part two, we're going to go into much more detail. So as we go to the New Testament, it's really interesting to notice that there's no record of Jesus ever speaking in tongues, speaking in foreign languages. However, the miracle was introduced to Christianity at Pentecost through God's spirit. And it was introduced with great intention. God had a specific, clear, dynamic, unequivocal message. And it's no accident, Jonathan, and I'm getting ahead of myself, but I got to say it, it's no accident that when The Spirit came. The first thing that happened is they were able to speak in foreign languages. It's no accident because you have this incredible disfavor shown through tongues in the Old Testament. Let's go to this Acts, chapter two, verse three.
- [25:01]
C
And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributing themselves. And they rested on each one of them.
- [25:07]
B
So those tongues of fire were representative of the Holy Spirit resting on the apostles. So let's look at what happens next. There's definitely a sequence of events. The Spirit came, It came upon them, and then they spoke in tongues. They spoke in foreign languages. Let's go to Acts, chapter two, the next verse, verse four.
- [25:29]
C
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues or other languages. As the Spirit was giving them utterance,
- [25:38]
B
they began to speak languages that they didn't even know because God's Spirit is driving them. So what's happening in this experience? They're now able to communicate through God's Spirit with those who they would have not been able to communicate before. It's an amazing event. Now let's go a little further with the Pentecost example, because, Jonathan, the Pentecost example is the first time speaking in tongues appears in the New Testament. And it tells us everything we need to know about it. It tells us everything, everything we need to know. It appears that they began speaking in tongues as the crowd is gathering. And maybe that's what gathered more and more people. Like, what is happening here? Let's look at same chapter Acts, chapter two. Let's look at verses five through eight.
- [26:25]
C
Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together and were bewild. Each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language.
- [26:40]
B
We have all these people in Jerusalem from all of these different places that speak all of these languages. Like, wait a minute, what is happening here? Why is this power of the Gospel to speak in different languages? What's happening? This has never happened before. And it's exactly the opposite of what we see in the Old Testament. So let's continue with verse seven.
- [27:00]
C
They were amazed and astonished, saying, why are not all these who are speaking Galileans? How is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?
- [27:12]
B
It was unnatural, just like the Tower of Babel. It was not natural. And they were confused. All of a sudden, the confusion is, how are they able to communicate with me? So instead of being this disfavor, it's the gathering of People together, all together, all at once. In a way, it's communication. So you got to say, okay, what was being communicated? Let's look at chapter 2, verse 11.
- [27:40]
C
We hear them in our own tongues, speaking of the mighty deeds of God. Rick the barrier of foreign languages is overcome by speaking in tongues. It's there to spread the gospel wherever they could, through voice first, and then later by the written word.
- [27:58]
B
The disfavor of being unable to communicate has been essentially erased when the call to follow Jesus is introduced and when God's spirit comes. That was the reason for speaking in tongues. The apostle said, it's a sign to unbelievers. And when these unbelievers heard it, they couldn't help but be drawn to what, what this message was. This was an unmistakable proof of something supernatural happening. And the use of foreign tongues, foreign languages, was now a sign of God's overwhelming favor, no longer a sign of disfavor. So see, Jonathan, that's why you have to go to the Old Testament to understand the New, because you see how things happen in the Old. You say, okay, what's the connection to the New Testament? And so when, when we unfold this, all of a sudden you say, wow, there's a tremendous logic and sense and clarity. God's plan is unfolding very, very specifically. So once again, the power, purpose and application of biblical speaking in tongues.
- [29:09]
C
Old Testament tongues were obviously foreign languages and also show God's disproval of his people's disregard for his ways. New Testament tongues were also foreign languages and were a sign of God's great approval. Now, some of those who were given God's spirit would be able to witness to the Gospel in places and to people who were formerly unreachable.
- [29:34]
B
So the key to speaking in tongues was to make the gospel understandable. That was the whole key. That's why the New Testament. Speaking in tongues came to be the key to healing in the New Testament, was to take those signs from the Old Testament and say, it's about Messiah, it's about Jesus. Because remember, and we're going to get into this in our next episode next week, whenever the apostles healed, it wouldn't be, well, I just did that for you. It was always about Jesus Christ. It was always about the Messiah. It was always about something higher. So we can see when we put these two things in place and we take the Old Testament Testament foundation, the New Testament becomes a whole lot easier to understand. However, that new understanding, Jonathan, may in some cases be a little bit frustrating to some people. Because what ends up happening with this is that some of us look at and say, wait, wait, wait, what are you saying here? And what we're saying is you have to follow the scriptures. What we're saying is they give us guidance, they give us a baseline. They give us what we need to understand. Next week in Part two, we're going to focus on how healing and speaking in tongues were appropriately used in the New Testament and where the scriptural lines were clearly drawn for their conclusion. Because, you see, the scriptures always make it sensible. Think about it, folks. We love hearing from our listeners. We welcome your feedback and questions on this episode and other episodes@christianquestions.com coming up in our next episode, are Christians today really capable of healing people or speaking in tongues? Part two.