Only in the Body of Christ

There is another aspect of tongues that must be understood.

Tongues is mentioned in I Corinthians 12:1-31 and is listed as a gift given within the Body of Christ. This booklet has not yet covered what is the Body of Christ, and yet the gift of tongues is only given within that one spiritual Body of believers. Actually, chapter 12 precedes the “tongues” chapter 14, thereby establishing the only foundation through which this gift can be properly understood.

Therefore, one must understand WHAT—and also WHERE—is the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is the Church of God. Notice Ephesians 1:22-23 and Colossians 1:18. These scriptures reveal that the Church Jesus built is called His Body, and that Body is the Church, respectively. So the Body of Christ is the Church of God—it is a simple equation.

This raises the question: Where is the Church of God? Jesus said, “I will build My church” (Matt. 16:18). Notice that He said “Church”—singular—not “churches.” Wherever you find Christ’s one true Church today—and tongues in the New Testament ONLY occurred within His Church—you would find the only people who are candidates to receive this gift. In all other cases, the use of “tongues” would be a counterfeit of what occurred in Acts 2:1-47, given by “the god of this world” (II Cor. 4:4). Therefore, to really understand this gift, the reader must include in his studies the location of the true Church of God today.

The reader probably is or has been a member of a church. There are many groups and organizations that call themselves “churches.” However, the word “church” in the New Testament is translated from the Greek ekklesia. It means the “called out ones.” Members of God’s Church are called out of this world—and this includes called out of all of its churches!—into the true Church, the ekklesia, that Christ built. Once again, this is the biblical Body of Christ.

Those who are truly called of God are baptized into this only Body of Christ, where—upon baptism—God gives His Holy Spirit, thus placing the new convert into that Body (I Cor. 12:13). In certain churches of the world, tongues is considered a “sign” that one has received the Holy Spirit. But how many who accept this idea concern themselves with whether they are in Christ’s Body—the one organized, unified, structured Church built by Jesus Christ in 31 A.D.—which is the only place where the Spirit of God is given in the first place (I Cor. 12:13, 25; Eph. 4:4-6, 16)?

Since true Christians are those called into the true Church, it would behove the reader to answer the question, “Am I being called?” If so, like any other previous wrong teaching, you may need to unlearn your approach to tongues. You may need to learn the truth about the tongues doctrine as surely as the truth about the Sabbath, salvation, heaven and hell, the real gospel or any other doctrine of God.

To summarize: One simply cannot receive the gift of tongues outside the true Body of Christ! (For more information, read our booklet Where Is God’s Church?, the book Where Is the True Church? – and Its Incredible History!, the booklet Here Is The Restored Church of God and our article “Are You Being Called?”)

The Truth of Tongues

Jesus taught, “Your [God’s] word is truth” (John 17:17). You have just read the TRUTH about tongues. It has been made unmistakably plain and understandable.

I have pastured many thousands of people. Sadly, some fell back into the alluring, pleasing sensations and thrills brought by the counterfeit tongues, inspired by Satan! It was a virtual drug that they could not “kick.” They neglected to continue “try[ing] the spirits, whether they are of God” (I John 4:1), and ignored Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25, trusting in feelings instead of the PLAIN WORD of God.

Putting on the “whole armour of God” (Eph. 6:10-18) was too hard—and the sensations and pleasures that they had given up were too tempting.

What You Must Understand

Herbert W. Armstrong concluded his booklet THE TONGUES QUESTION with this remarkable summary:

“God’s way is the way of CRUCIFYING the flesh, the sensual—of denying the SELF—of LOVE toward God and toward fellowman. Satan’s counterfeit is SELF-SEEKING, lusting for fleshly thrills, and feelings, and ‘blessings’ that bring pleasure through the five senses.

“And the greater pity is that the very ones most deceived are the ones who RESENT having the Scriptures opened to them to CORRECT them, to REPROVE, and to set them right! If you feel resentment of these words, it is the surest BIBLE EVIDENCE that you are under the deceptive power of Satan the Devil, and you should flee the influence he has over you, and drop to your knees at once, and ask God to renew a RIGHT spirit within you.

“So many in this modern ‘tongues’ movement do not seem to understand the real purpose of receiving the Holy Spirit. They look upon spiritual gifts as ornaments to decorate and embellish the PERSON. But the gifts of the Spirit are the TOOLS placed in our hands to DO THE WORK OF GOD.

“After Jesus had received the FULLNESS of the Holy Spirit, He said: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, BECAUSE he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind…’ (Luke 4:18).

“The object and purpose of the Holy Spirit is not to give feelings and thrills that are of the senses of the flesh, and therefore sensual—not to please the SELF—but to enable one to crucify the SELF—to endow with power to overcome sin, which is transgressing of God’s Commandments (I John 3:4)—to cleanse us of all unrighteousness—to impart to us GOD’S righteousness, so our light may shine and others may see Christ in us—to understand the Word of God, so we may know how to live by its every word—to give us the FAITH of Jesus, making possible His righteousness—to give us POWER to be kind, patient, gentle, and of service to others—to preach the Gospel—to heal the sick…

“Jesus did not say, ‘Ye shall fall helpless UNDER the power.’ He did not say the Holy Spirit would ROB us of power, render us powerless. He said, ‘YE SHALL RECEIVE POWER!’

“The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of POWER, and of LOVE, and of a SOUND MIND (II Tim. 1:7). The Spirit of UNDERSTANDING (John 16:13; I Cor. 2:10). And that kind of power comes from just two things: SURRENDER and FAITH, along with much earnest PRAYER.

“Let us YIELD to God, and His Word. Let us seek more of His Love, more of His FAITH, a better UNDERSTANDING, more POWER FOR SERVICE! And let us leave manifestations and feelings to Him!”