A Biblical Study on the Spiritual Gift of Tongues

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Many churches today argue on the continuity or temporariness of the spiritual gifts. In this paper, the writer will focus on the spiritual gift of tongue should it fall under the permanent gift or not. For clarity, the author is defining some important Greek terms as follows: charismata, pneumatika, merismos, and energemata. Due to the complexity of the Greek language, the writer will try her best to provide the best definition(s) of each of these terms through various sources. For instance, charismata is one of the most often terms associated with the topic spiritual gifts. According to Englishman Concordance, it occurred six times in the Bible: Romans 11:29 “… for the gifts and the calling …,” Romans 12:6 “Having then gifts differing according to …,” I Corinthians 12:9 “… to another the gifts of healing by …” I Corinthians 12:28 “… then gifts of healings,” I Corinthians 12:30 “Have all the gifts of healing? Do all …”, and I Corinthians 12:31 “… the best gifts; and ...” Britannica.com defines charismata a spiritual phenomena dealing with the goal to achieve a firm order in the church. It is also defined by The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary as special gifts granted to believers.
“The Holy Spirit is a gift of Christ to His church. In turn, the Holy Spirit gives gifts to the church. We call these the charismata, from chairs which means “grace.” The spiritual gifts are evidence of God’s grace, but they differ from the gift of salvation or the gifts of the Holy Spirit. God’s grace in giving us salvation grants us entrance into glory, whereas God’s grace in giving us spiritual gifts brings glory to Christ in the church.
Another term is pneumatika. According to Englishman Concordance, it appeared four times in the New Testament, they are...

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...d. Allen C. Myers, (Michigan, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), 1987, s.v. “Spiritual Gifts.”
Thomas R. Edgar, Satisfied by the Promise of the Spirit (Michigan: Kregel Resources, 1996), 41. https://bible.org/article/speaking-tongues (accessed: May 24, 2014). http://christianity.about.com/od/glossary/g/speakingtongues.htm (accessed: May 23, 2014).
Merill F. Unger, New Testament Teachings on Tongues (Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1971), 1. https://www.bereanbiblesociety.org/when-did-the-gift-of-tongues-cease (Accessed: May 25, 2014).
Donald W. Burdick, Tongues – to Speak or Not to Speak (Chicago: Moody Press, 1978). 35.

Additional sources:

John R. Rice, D.D. Litt.D., Speaking with Tongues, (Tennessee: Sword of the Lord Publishers: 1972)
Evangelical Dictionary of Theology
Kurt E. Koch, Speaking in Tongues
Charles H. Kraft, Christianity with Power

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