heritagebbc\archive3\0166.html

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Heritage Baptist Bible Church

Dr. Max D. Younce, Pastor Walnut Grove, MN - USA

Bible Questions & Answers

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Bible Questions & Answers Archive

Is Speaking In Tongues Proof of Salvation?

By Dr. Max D. Younce

Archive 0166

Question

A friend has told me that I should learn to speak in tongues; and then I would know if I am really saved. Is this true?

Answer

There is only one way to know if we are really saved. Just as the Philippian Jailer asked Paul and Silas in Acts 16:30, 31, “…Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved...” There is only one thing we must do to have eternal life; that is, believe that Jesus Christ died to pay for our sins. Ephesians 1:13 tell us, “In whom (Christ) ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise.” We are sealed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit upon the moment of belief and we do not need to seek for any further proof of our salvation (such as the “speaking in tongues”) than God’s Word. John 3:16 promises that if we believe in Jesus Christ we have, right now! eternal life.

The Holy Spirit will never give anyone the gift of tongues now. They are not for today. I Corinthians 13:8 tells us "Whether there be tongues, they shall cease." "Cease" is the Greek verb "pauo". It means "to cease or stop completely". It is used in the perfect tense. This means that when tongues do cease, the action of ceasing will never be interrupted, but will continue forever. In plain words, once tongues cease they will never be reactivated at anytime in the future. It is also in the middle voice, denoting emphasis. The most emphatic statement in this verse is "TONGUES SHALL CEASE".

I Corinthians 13:10 tells us when tongues will cease. The key word in this verse is "perfect." Some say it is referring to Christ's coming. "Perfect" is the Greek word "teleion" and means "full grown and mature, complete." It refers to the end of a process or development. The Second Coming of Christ is not a process, but an instantaneous event. "Perfect" is never used in the New Testament for the Second Coming of Christ, the Millennium, or Eternal State.

The word "perfect' ("teleion") is an adjective, here used as a noun. It is in the NEUTER gender. If “perfect" were referring to a person, it would be masculine or feminine. Since it is in the neuter gender, it is not referring to a person, but an object--the completed Word of God.

After the word of God was completed, no more need existed for prophecies (“instant inspiration of preachers"on the spot"), tongues (“glossa”, known languages), or knowledge (a special knowledge given by God to ascertain whether or not what that the individual was saying was truly of God).

As to the matter of being “really saved.” You can not be a little bit saved, anymore than you can be a little bit dead! You can either be saved or lost. Which are you? “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”

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