Tongues Shall Cease?

by Tony Watts

Overview

No topic sparks more controversy or emotion in the modern Church than the gift of tongues, and it is in this volatile environment that Tony Watts tackles the issue head-on. In his book, "Tongues Shall Cease?" Tony addresses the three most basic questions asked. "What," for example, "was the nature of the gift of tongues?" Was it human in nature, or did it consist of some unintelligible, angelic, or heavenly utterance? Second, and as importantly, "Why were tongues given in the first place? Was it given as evidence of something significant or as means to a deeper devotional life? Finally, Tony answers the one and most hotly debated question about tongues, and that is, "When, if at all, did tongues cease?" In other words, did God intend for tongues to appear and then disappear in the first century or did He mean for the gift to continue throughout the Church age? Tony answers these and other questions in this work, "Tongues Shall Cease?"

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781543913637
Publisher:	BookBaby
Publication date:	09/22/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	126
File size:	418 KB

About the Author

Tony is no stranger to Charismatic doctrine. In his late teens and into his early twenties, he regularly attended a local Church of God. Although he is now a Cessationist, his association with his church gave him much exposure to those who “spoke in tongues.” Add that first-hand knowledge of Charismatic theology to the fact that Tony also has many family members and friends involved in the movement to one degree or another, thus making him handily familiar with the arguments on both sides of the issue. “Tongues Shall Cease?,” then, is a compilation of both his experience with Charismatics and his years of study on the topic. Tony Watts is also founder of link2eternity ministries, preacher, columnist, and author addresses contemporary issues from a biblical perspective. Receiving Christ in 1979 catapulted Tony into a life of personal Bible Study that eventually led him from the Charismatic church he attended at the time and then to Piedmont Bible College in 1983 (Now Piedmont International University). There he completed both his undergrad and graduate degrees in Biblical Studies. He has also studied the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection under Gary Habermas at Southern Evangelical Seminary.

Table of Contents

Dedication v

Why Another Book on Tongues? 1

Truth Matters 2

Biblical Objectivity Matters 3

Biblical Authority Matters 5

Interpretation Matters 6

Actual Spirituality Matters 7

Christian Joy Matters 8

Pastoral Involvement Matters 11

First Things First 11

Simplifying a Complex Issue 13

D.A.R.E.: An Interpretive Compass 16

Distribution: God as Sovereign Distributor 17

Allocation: No Gift is for Everyone 26

Regulation; Self-Control 29

Edification: Every Gifts Purpose 32

Foundational Questions and Answers 35

WHAT: The Nature of Tongues 35

Tongues: Unintelligible Utterances? 36

Perception Problem 38

Theological Problems 39

Linguistic Problem 42

Tongues: Heavenly / Angelic Language? 44

A Contextual Problem: Hyperbole 45

A Consistency Problem 47

Tongues: Human Languages 51

Key Words: Tongues ("glossa") 51

Key Words: Tongues (Dialectos) 52

Key Observations: A Sound Historical Link 53

Key Observations: The Plurality of Tongues 55

WHY? The Purpose(s) of Tongues 58

Assumed Purpose #1: Continued Evidence of Spirit Baptism? 58

Assumed Purpose #2: A Special Prayer Language? 64

A Contextual Problem 67

A Contingency Problem (1 Corinthians 14:5) 70

A Character Problem 71

A Comparison Problem 73

A Counterfeit Problem 77

The Actual Purposes of Tongues 81

Condemnation: Actual Purpose #1 83

Confirmation of a New Reality: Actual Purpose #2 91

Construction of the Body of Christ: Actual Purpose #3 97

When? The Duration of Tongues 99

The Grammar: "Tongues Shall Cease" (1 Corinthians 13:8-9) 100

The Context: "Tongues Shall Cease" (1 Corinthians 13:8-9) 104

The Warning: "Tongues Shall Cease" (1 Corinthians 13:8-9) 105

Conclusion 107

Bibliography 111