Why Speaking In Tongues?

Jesus did not receive testimony from men when he was here, and he was not committed to what men said about their faith in him (Jn. 2:23-25; Jn. 5:34). How much less is he committed to people’s confessions of faith in him now? The Bible plainly states that “Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8). God’s way has always been that anything of divine significance has to be confirmed by the mouth of two or three witnesses, and that nothing is established in the mouth of one witness alone (Deut. 17:6; Mat. 18:16). Jesus himself said that his witness of himself was not sufficient by itself, but that his Father’s witness along with his own witness confirmed who he was (Jn. 8:17,18). Jesus suffered greatly and died so that we might have the new birth experience, which is the remission of our sins (I Cor. 6:11; II Cor. 5:17; I Cor. 12:13). Do you believe that the experience of being born again can be confirmed by your witness alone, without witness from God? I think not. When Peter described how the first Gentiles received God’s Spirit [the new birth] he said, "And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost…" (Jn. 3:3,5; Acts 15:8). And the scripture plainly states that Peter and those with him knew that these Gentiles received the Spirit, only because "they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God" (Acts 10:44-46). So like Jesus, Peter was not committed to the testimony of any man about his or their faith in God, unless he saw and heard God’s witness first; which witness [of the new birth] was and is speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance, as was the case in the beginning of the covenant (Acts 2:4). If Jesus needed his father’s witness along with his to confirm who he was; then we certainly need his witness along with ours to confirm that we’ve received his Spirit, to which things the scriptures and Jesus agree (Jn. 15:26). No amount of people being in agreement of someone being born again can constitute more than the conglomeration of one witness. We must have God’s provided sign along with our own witness to confirm that divine event taking place in our life. Reason being, as Peter stated, is that God alone knows the hearts of men; and subsequently he alone knows when someone’s repentance and faith is pure and true. Amen.