Recently, several new "manifestations of the spirit" have made their appearance in the church of God. Sometimes referred to as "The Toronto Blessing," these manifestations include running in the spirit, and falling down "under the power" while receiving supernatural revelations, as well as such utterance manifestations as laughing, barking like a dog, neighing like a horse, hooting like an owl, and oinking like a pig.
It is with the utterance manifestations that I am particularly interested in this study. Are these manifestations of God? If they are, then they will flow in agreement with God's written Word, for God never does anything contrary to or inconsistent with His own Word. What, if anything, does scripture have to say about these manifestations?
The first thing we need to understand is that animals don't make noises just to be noisy; they communicate with each other by means of these noises. What are just sounds to us are meaningful communications to the animals for whom they are intended. Animal sounds are the LANGUAGES of the animals; they are animal tongues.
Speaking in animal noises as a manifestation of the spirit, then, falls into the category of speaking in tongues! An animal tongue is still a tongue.
But even if barking like a dog or roaring like a lion falls into the category of speaking in a tongue, does it qualify biblically as speaking in tongues by the spirit of God?
The question here is, what limits does the Word of God place on the KINDS of tongues you can legitimately be given to speak when you speak in tongues? Suppose for a moment that there really were Vulcans or Martians. Would it be possible to speak in tongues in Vulcan? or Martian? It might seem to us that there would be no problem with that; after all, God is God, and He can do whatever He wants to do. But God's Word seems to indicate that there just might be a problem with that.
I Corinthians 13:1.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become [as] sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
It seems that there IS a biblical limit on what kinds of tongues we can speak in by the spirit of God. This phrase sums up the full range of legitimate, biblical speaking in tongues. If it is not a tongue of men, and if it is not a tongue of angels, then it is outside the bounds of biblical speaking in tongues. Martian tongues are out; Vulcan tongues are off limits; and the song of the humpback whale has no place in the assembly of the saints of God.
But even if animal tongues WERE legitimate tongues for speaking by the spirit of God, that is not the end of the problem.
I Corinthians 14:10.
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them [is] without significance.
EVERY UTTERANCE IN A TONGUE MEANS SOMETHING!
Even when a dog barks, he means something! We may not know what he means, but he means something -- his bark is not without significance.
When someone barks, hoots, moos or oinks under the power of the spirit, that utterance MEANS SOMETHING.
What does it mean? Is it prayer or praise to God? Is the speaker speaking mysteries in the spirit? or making intercession for the saints? or magnifying God?
Regardless, God's Word is clear that the church is not profited by this utterance -- unless it is interpreted! It does not matter how much the individual is being blessed; in the church, God has declared that if the rest of the church cannot understand what is being said, the speaker is to speak quietly to himself/herself and to God.
I Corinthians 14:6, 9, 18-20.
Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?
...So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.
...I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:
Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that [by my voice] I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an [unknown] tongue.
Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
But this problem is more serious than it might at first appear. When we manifest by the spirit of God in accordance with what God's Word says, we are guaranteed by God that we will say nothing that will bring shame or disgrace to God.
I Corinthians 12:3.
Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and [that] no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
If, however, I go off into a variation of speaking in tongues that is outside the boundaries set by God in His Word, I AM RESPONSIBLE TO GOD FOR WHAT I AM SAYING! God no longer guarantees that the meaning of the words I am speaking are wholesome and godly.
"But if I am speaking by the spirit of God," some will say, "then am I not guaranteed that I cannot call Jesus accursed when I speak?" Yes, if indeed you are speaking by the spirit of God. But it is our responsibility to put the spirit to the test to make sure we are really speaking by the spirit of God, and have not instead received "another spirit," as Paul warned us.
II Corinthians 11:4
For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or [if] ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with [him].
If the right spirit is directing our steps, it will direct them in full harmony and agreement with God's written Word. If the direction of the spirit is contrary to the direction of the written Word of God, then that spirit cannot be the spirit of God.
But there is still another point that must be considered.. God has established certain rules for speaking out loud utterances that cannot be understood by the people present.
I Corinthians 14:26-28.
How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
If any man speak in an [unknown] tongue, [let it be] by two, or at the most [by] three, and [that] by course; and let one interpret.
But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
God's rules are:
Are these suggestions only? Can they be safely ignored without danger to one's fellowship with God?
I Corinthians 14:37.
If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
According to Paul, these are definitely not optional; they are the commandments of the Lord.
But what if I cannot help speaking when the spirit moves me to speak? It is important for us to note that God puts the responsibility for obedience squarely on the shoulders of the believer. If the spirit was supposed to be in charge, one would expect that God would place this responsibility on the spirit. God does not hold us responsible for what we say when we speak in the tongues of men and of angels; instead, He guarantees our obedience, because this is something that is outside our control. But when it comes to speaking by the spirit "decently and in order," or at the right time and under the right circumstances, the responsibility is placed on us.
I Corinthians 14:32.
32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
If the spirit makes you speak, it is not allowing you to exercise the responsibility that God has placed on you. And if the spirit leads you to speak while someone else is speaking, or to speak in an animal tongue without interpreting, or to speak after three others have already spoken, then that spirit cannot be the spirit of God, because it is leading you to disobey God's commandments in this matter.
And if this is the case -- if the spirit has led you to disobey God -- what you are saying in an animal tongue suddenly becomes very, very important.
Of course, it is possible, as one friend pointed out to me, that one who speaks in an animal tongue is saying nothing at all. Just because someone makes a noise like a horse doesn't mean they are speaking "horse." They may just be imitating the sound of the animal. But this is not much of a comfort when you think about it, for that would mean that instead of an animal tongue, we would be dealing with a fraudulent animal tongue. The spirit behind this could not possibly be the spirit of God, either.
When it comes to the manifestation of the spirit, let us be careful to check everything against the Word of God, and to hold fast to that which is good. It is us, not the spirit, who are responsible to be obedient to God in our manifestations.
I Corinthians 14:40.
Let all things be done decently and in order.