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Presidential Address
1
R. P. Spittler, 'Glossolalia', in S. M. Burgess, ed. The New International Dictionary
of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. Rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002),
p. 675; Note the observation of F. D. Macchia ('Groans Too Deep for Words: Towards a
Theology of Tongues as Initial Evidence', Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 1 [1998]
p. 164) that 'Pentecostalism is not a "tongues movement", but a movement that supports
the gospel of Jesus Christ in salvation, sanctification, empowerment for global witness,
healing, and eschatological hope.'
2
I am speaking out of my own particular situation, recognizing that there are other
Pentecostal communities in North America as well as other parts of the world where speak-
ing in tongues is more widely practiced. However, without a solid theological basis for
and understanding of the practice one might not expect it to flourish at least in a manner
that is most beneficial for the continuing health and well being of the church.
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Reflective Speech: Glossalalia and the Image of God
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PNEUMA The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies, Volume 28, No 2, Fall 2006
[Gen 2.19] and he announces why the partner God makes for him should
be called 'woman' [Gen 2.23]).4 At the same time, the divine commands
in Genesis 1 contribute to a portrayal of God as a ruler. He himself exer-
cises power and authority and then declares with respect to the human-
ity he makes in his image and likeness, 'Let them have dominion
(Gen 1.26). Humans are thus granted authority to share in God's rule.
Their special role is that of representing or imaging God's rule over the
earth.5 These two functions of speech and rule, both reflecting how the
narrative presents God himself, seem to most closely define the Genesis
understanding of what it means to image God.
It is significant that apart from the early statements in Genesis that
describe the nature and purpose of humanity in terms of the image of
God, the vocabulary of 'image' is typically found in contexts that describe
manmade images. The OT strongly condemns the making and use of such
images or idols. In the world of Israel's neighbors an image was not
thought to be an actual god but rather the local means by which a par-
ticular deity became present and visible. It was in essence the place where
the deity and its rule or influence was manifest. The reason for the con-
demnation of images is twofold: on the one hand, the image shifts atten-
tion to an entity other than God, but perhaps even more important it is
tantamount to an abdication of responsibility. Israel was forbidden to make
images not only because this would entail the worship of gods other than
Yahweh, but also because it would mean a renunciation of Israel's role
and responsibility to represent Yahweh's character and will before the
nations and thereby advance his rule throughout the earth.6 And to the
extent that was done well they would also be representing what human
life was to look like.
As we move from the OT to the NT, the concept of the image of God
undergoes significant development. It is Paul more than any other NT
writer who takes up the idea and gives it great theological resonance. Paul
develops his teaching on the image of God by artfully fusing it to other
major theological concerns (such as Christology, soteriology, eschatology,
4
Note the interesting analysis of the prominence given to speech in the opening of
Genesis in G. Auld, 'imago dei in Genesis: Speaking in the Image of God\ Expository
Times 116 (2005), pp. 259-62.
5
For a helpful review of Old Testament scholarship on the image of God, especially
as it relates to this idea of humans representing God's rule, see J. R. Middleton, The
Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1 (Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2005), pp. 24-29.
6
Compare the insightful discussion of the biblical denunciation of idolatry in
B. J. Walsh and J. R. Middleton, The Transforming Vision (Downers Grove: IVP, 1984),
pp. 61-65.
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Reflective Speech. Glossalalia and the Image of God
7
Reading the future indicative . Fee (The First Epistle to the Corinthians
[Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 199?], p. 795) prefers the variant aorist subjunctive reading ('let
us bear'), according to which Paul is urging the Corinthians to presently conform to the
life of the heavenly man as those who now share his character and behavior. Yet Fee's
highly nuanced discussion draws attention to the weight of the future reality that pervades
Paul's discussion throughout 1 Corinthians 15.
8
Cf. 2 Cor 4.3-4 where Paul uses similar language to speak of the gospel being veiled
to unbelievers whose minds have been blinded by the god of this world.
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9
M. J. Harris (The Second Epistle to the Corinthians [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005],
p. 316, n. 146) observes that 'a modal sense of the participle ("by looking . . . as in a mir
ror") implies both a temporal ("as we look") and a causal ("because we look") meaning'.
10
Note that at Rom 12.2, the only other occasion where Paul uses , the
emphasis is on the continuing process of transformation through the renewal of the mind.
11
Paul's other use of is found at Phil 3.21, an eschatological text which
describes the coming of Christ as Savior in terms of the transformation of 'the body of
our humiliation' that it may be conformed to 'the body of his glory'.
12
The present participle indicates an ongoing process.
13
One might compare the wording at Eph 4.23 which speaks of being renewed 'in
the spirit of your minds'.
14
This combining of the two ideas is also present in Eph 4.24: '[you were taught]...
to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God [
] in true righteousness and holiness.'
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Reflective Speech: Glossalalia and the Image of God
already been clothed with Christ. At Rom 13.14 this language is found
in the context of ethical instruction: believers are to clothe themselves
with the Lord Jesus Christ so as to make no provision for the flesh. For
Paul being clothed with Christ describes what we are now and what we
must ever strive to become. It is perhaps significant that for Paul being
'clothed with Christ' is an actual and progressive condition, whereas con
formity to the image of Christ is a progressive and ultimate condition.
One might observe that just as awareness of nakedness was the immediate
result of the Fall and marked the first in a series of stages in the debas
ing of the image of God in humanity, so the clothing of humanity in Christ
is both the necessary first step and the continuing action in a process lead
ing to the ultimate restoration of the image of God in humans. Thus for
Paul the putting on of Christ marks the entry point into salvation and con
tinues to describe the process of renewal according to his image that will
culminate in the final realization of the restored image that marks the
completion of the salvation process.
Paul does exhort believers to clothe themselves with Christ and as such
to be active participants in the process of renewal. Yet when he speaks
directly to the process of conforming to the image of Christ he avoids
such exhortation. The restoration of the image of God is not of our own
doing but rather the work of God, specifically the work of God's Spirit.
Paul states this clearly at 2 Cor 3.18: transformation into the image is
from the Spirit.15 It is the Spirit of God that actuates and directs this
process which brings to fruition that for which humans were created. This
eschatological process is very much the work of the Spirit.
For Paul the eschatological restoration of the divine image in human
ity is essential to salvation. In the present the eschatological Spirit oper
ates in the lives of believers effecting a transformation that fashions them
towards that end. Paul does not speak directly to the means by which the
Spirit produces this change but it is more than probable that the gifts of
the Spirit play an important role. The argument that will now be advanced
is that the gift of glossolalia is one significant way that the Spirit effects
such transformation in the life of the believer.
The difficulty that attends the interpretation of Paul's teaching on glos
solalia is that his clearest statements on the subject appear within a polem
ical and corrective context. When Paul speaks about glossolalia in 1 Cor
12-14, the only place in the Pauline corpus where there is direct reference
15
The preposition may refer to the Spirit as the origin or the cause of this work
of transformation; possibly both connotations are intended.
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16
Whether by 'more' Paul is speaking quantitatively ('more often') or qualitatively
('in a greater way') is a matter of debate. Given that Paul's understanding of the value and
meaning of the gift significantly goes beyond that of the Corinthians, the ambiguity may
well embrace both ideas.
17
The term occurs 28 times in the NT. There are 21 occurrences in the
Pauline letters; of these the term is found 6 times in the Corinthian correspondence.
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Reflective Speech Glossalalia and the Image of God
It is probable that the mysteries Paul shares with his churches were
first revealed to him through just such a process. His discussion in 1 Cor
2 is quite instructive. He begins the chapter with the assertion that when
he came to them proclaiming the mystery of God his words were not the
product of human wisdom but of God's Spirit (2.1). He continues by not-
ing that he is able to speak God's wisdom, at hand in mystery and hid-
den (2.7), because God has revealed this to him through the Spirit (2.10).
This is possible only because he has received God's Spirit. He explains
this by means of the analogy that just as the human spirit enables one to
know what is truly human, so the Spirit of God enables one to under-
stand what is of God (2.11-12). As a consequence, Paul is so bold as to
affirm at the end of the chapter that he has the mind of Christ (2.16). The
nature of Paul's experience of the Spirit is such that he comes to know
aspects of the divine will and purpose that otherwise would be closed to
him. It is for this reason that he can describe himself at 4.1 as a steward
of God's mysteries.
The basis for such an experience of the Spirit lies in the fact that
humans are created in the image of God. Yet only the redeemed are able
to receive God's Spirit to the end that they might understand his plan
more fully. It was noted earlier that in Genesis the image of God is linked
to the activities of speech and rule. It is significant, therefore, that glos-
solalia is a form of speech, issuing from a profound encounter with God's
Spirit, that facilitates access to mysteries that enable a greater under-
standing of how God will accomplish his purposes for the created order.
In other words, through this gift of the Spirit believers are brought into
fuller participation in God's rule to the extent that his purpose is made
known to them with the attendant increased capability that bestows.18
Moreover, glossolalia is a form of speech that demonstrates a unique
encounter with God. Those who speak in a tongue speak to God and yet
at the same time speak that which God gives them. It is at the same time
speech to and from God. It is a kind of speech appropriate to those who
would image God, inasmuch as it is directed to God yet also reflective
of God. This special character of glossolalia makes it very probable that
the correct exercise of this gift of the Spirit affects speakers in such a
way as to contribute to the formation of the divine image in their lives.
18
One might also observe that in view of the transformative effects of such revela-
tory insight into the divine mysteries, this greater understanding of God's purpose (which
for Paul can be described as * having the mind of Christ') should result in even greater con-
formity to the image of Christ
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19
There is a negative use of at 8.10 in the wry observation that a Christian
with knowledge but insufficient love might 'build up' another Christian, who is without
knowledge and possessing a weak conscience, to act in a way that is not at all beneficial.
Paul's use of here is clearly ironic which is not the case at 1 Cor 14.4. If Paul
intended to counter self-serving attitudes towards glossolalia at 14.4 he could have done
this more clearly and effectively by reprising the same contrast he employed at 8.1: speak
ing in a tongue 'puffs up' () but prophesy 'builds up' ().
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Reflective Speech: Glossalalia and the Image of God
20
The only other occurrence of in the NT is at Col 3.10 (see above).
21
In the light of what was said earlier about the relationship between nakedness and
the debasement of the image of God in humanity, Paul's words in 2 Cor 5.3-4 take on a
poignant significance: death for the redeemed will not mean nakedness but a more definite
and final covering.
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to that process which ultimately ends in the restoration of the divine image.
Glossolalia is not the only activity that builds up.22 Yet it is the only activ
ity Paul speaks of wherein believers are able to build themselves up. Once
again there is something intrinsic to glossolalia that makes its practice
beneficial to the transformation of the believer. Presumably, latent in the
expression of language, albeit unusual (and perhaps due to its unusual
character), is a capacity to shape the speaker in a way that conforms to
the image of Christ.
With respect to the place of unusual language in the redemptive process,
there is an additional feature of 2 Corinthians 5 that deserves comment.
Paul expresses confidence that believers will in the end attain the escha
tological building from God. Yet he notes that in the present we groan
(5.2, 4: ) as we long to be clothed with that reality. In context
these groans appear to be Spirit inspired. The Spirit, who is here described
as the guarantee (5.5: ) that God will complete what he has begun,
prompts such utterances that give voice to our hopes to attain that for
which we were created.
This passage finds a parallel in Romans 8 where Paul also employs
the idea of groaning. There all of creation, which had been subject to
futility because of human disobedience, is described as groaning as the
eventual freedom from bondage is anticipated. Likewise, believers groan
as they await the consummation of their redemption. The Spirit inspires
such groans in the believer (v.26: 'the Spirit intercedes with sighs too
deep for words'). It is not uncommon to interpret these sighs or groans
generated by the Spirit as a reference to glossolalia.23 If such is the case,
this further demonstrates that glossolalia serves to focus attention on the
goal for humanity that God has purposed. It is, of course, noteworthy that
this section of Romans culminates in Paul's statement that God has pre
destined those he called to be conformed to the image of his son. Glossolalia
is thus an important means by which the Spirit leads us towards that goal.
C. S. Lewis called the book that he considered the best he had writ
ten Till We Have Faces. The theological truth he was expressing through
22
All the gifts of the Spirit contribute in some fashion to this end. Note Paul's argu
ment in Ephesians 4: the ascended Christ gives gifts to his church for the 'building up' of
the body of Christ to the end that all attain to the measure of the full stature of Christ
(4.11-13). The resources of the Spirit are given in order to promote the formation of the
image of Christ in believers.
23
See in particular F. D. Macchia, 'Sighs too Deep for Words: Toward a Theology of
Glossolalia', JPT 1 (1992), pp. 47-73 (esp. pp. 60-64). In this article Macchia makes the
intriguing observation, which is not further developed, that glossolalia 'is the language of
the imago DeV (p. 61).
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Reflective Speech: Glossalalia and the Image of God
the title is that we cannot meet God face to face until we have faces. In
a letter responding to a query about the book's title Lewis wrote the fol-
lowing: 'The idea was that a human being must become real before it can
expect to receive any message from the superhuman; that is, it must be
speaking with its own voice (not one of its borrowed voices), expressing
its actual desires (not what it imagines that it desires), being for good or
ill itself, not any mask, veil ox persona.'2* It is of interest that in the book
itself and in this comment on his book, Lewis joins together the two ideas
of having a genuine face and a genuine voice. Both are essential if we
are ever to meet God.
It is noted in scripture that one cannot see God's face and live. We are
not at present prepared for such a face to face encounter. And yet the goal
of redemption is that we will one day see his face. In the meantime the
Spirit of God is active in our lives transforming us ever more into his
likeness. It has been the argument of this paper that, as an essential ele-
ment in this process of moving us towards our own true face, the Spirit
causes us to speak with a genuine voice. It is a voice that gives expres-
sion to the truth of God's purpose for his creation and to our actual long-
ings as his people. Glossolalia is the true voice given us today that helps
form the true image of tomorrow.
24
A letter to Dorothea Conybeare published in 1964 and quoted in W. Hooper, C. S.
Lewis: A Companion and Guide (New York: HarperCollins, 1996), p. 252.
201
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