I'm afraid that you misunderstood, TBG. Sorry about that.

When I said "deliberately performing the action", I did not mean physically. Of course, it can be physically, but it doesn't have to be. Certainly, many sins happen in the mind and the heart.

Knowing that coveting is wrong and not turning away from doing it when the idea of coveting something comes up in your mind is wrong. However, if you're struck with a jealous thought and you quickly utter a prayer to God to help you to not be covetous and you do your best to turn your mind away from the thought and not dwell on it, then that's not a sin; it's the experience of a temptation. God gives us the grace to avoid sin when we're tempted.

I definitely agree with you that our hearts need to be fixed! They're broken and need God's help to be able to come to him.

You don't have to dwell on something for it to be a sin!

What if a pop-up on the internet is pornographic and you can't help catching a glance of it? Is that a sin too? No! Only if you stay and look at it and don't close the window!

There is a difference between being tempted and sinning. As a Christian, you know it's a sin when the Holy Spirit convicts you of it. If you exactly what it is, and I mean specifically, then it's a sin. But if you don't what you did, you are being condemned by the enemy and it is not a sin. In Christ there is no condemnation.

Also, as a Christian, you're very nature is changed. As a Christian you are no longer a sinner by nature, but made righteous before God. Does that mean you no longer sin? Absolutely not. But what it means is that when you sin, you sin because you want to. Because you choose to. A sinner in this context is not merely 'one who sins', but 'one who is separated by God due to sin'. Christians still sin but they are not separated from God. The reason this is possible is because the debt for sin has been pain by the Blood of Christ.

Just thinking about a sinful act does not make it a sin. Don't tell me Jesus really didn't think about changing that rock into bread. That was the temptation. He rebuked it with Scripture and overcame it. Same is true with thoughts. A guy is going to get turned on by a girl. That's natural independent of sin nature. That's part of being a guy. But when that guy starts to think about what he could do with her, that's when it becomes lust and adultery in the heart has been committed. I hope that clears things up.

When I say "accidentally sin", I meant something more along the lines of... saying something false without realizing it's false. Or accidentally hurting someone when you were honestly trying to help... Or, like, the little kids who find a gun somehow, and, not knowing what it is, it accidentally goes off and they shoot their brother. Doing something bad... but not due to any bad part within yourself.

What I'm saying is an actual accident is not a sin. In order for it to count as a sin, it has to be something that's not accidental, but coming from something that really is evil inside your heart. Not something you did accidentally, while in your heart, you were innocent.

~Riella

What do you guys think about speaking in tongues? Do you think it's authentic?

Somehow I would imagine the Holy Spirit to sound somewhat more glorious than speaking in tongues sound.

There are two types of 'speaking in tongues' that I am aware of. One is the typical foreign language that nobody understands tongues. The other is speaking naturally in one language and the other person hears it in their own language.

As for the first, there are two types of people: the ones that are authentically speaking in tongues and the ones that Paul describes as just speaking jibberish. I'll need to look up those passages again to really put down my thoughts accurately, but I will say this. Speaking in tongues is a gift and not everyone is supposed to have it. Otherwise it wouldn't be a standout gift. And I do understand that for tongues to be authentic there should be an interpretation to go with it.

As for the latter, my family suspects my dad has that gift. He doesn't speak a word of Spanish and understands even less. And yet, when he is serving in Mexico (my parents work for a ministry that has served in Juarez, Mexico for 21+ years) he'll visit with the guys who don't speak a word of English and yet they get along just fine. We really suspect that this type of speaking in tongues is going on. This has been described happening in Acts 2 when Peter preaches to the crowd at Pentacost.

Now I have heard some people, here on this forum, suggest that tongues was only for the early church and is no longer an active gift. I do not see Biblical reasons for this. The reason given for this claim was that it's mention later in Acts is diminished. But the focus also changes with that. I will say if we can justify tongues being no longer applicable, what else will fit that category? I believe tongues are still being used today authentically, but it is 'overhyped' especially in Pentacostal churches where it appears everyone and thier second cousin does it. Those are my initial thoughts on that right now.

My parents have the Gift. I've seen them talk in it, and they have no idea what language they're speaking. And they're not making it happen. They said it felt like something beyond their control.

My dad mentioned a scripture -- I don't remember where. I just remember him mentioning it -- where it says everyone is supposed to speak in tongues and even more to prophesy. What is everyone's take on that? I've always wondered. Because my opinion has always leaned more toward Fencer's opinion of only certain people having it. But I don't want to ignore that scripture either. I thought maybe that scripture meant something else? Or was meant to be taken in a different context?

~Riella

I personally don't believe that tongues is spoken anymore. I'm not 100% sure, but it seems like in the New Testament, tongues fades away and is no longer mentioned at a certain point.

Riella, doesn't it say in the Bible that when you speak tongues, you are supposed to have an interpreter? Yet your parents speak it to each other? Or other people? Do they have an interpreter?

By the way, I do NOT believe that you can go to a class and be 'taught' to speak tongues.

Lucy, I don't believe you can be taught it in school either. It's something you can only be given by the Holy Spirit.

And yes, my parents have spoken it at home when there was no interpreter present. (Although sometimes my dad got an interpretation himself, along with it.) Just because no interpreter was present, that doesn't mean the Gift they were given is temporarily unavailable. When you have a gift, you always have it. But it doesn't do much good for other people unless it can be interpreted.

However, my parents have found it useful to speak in tongues when they're alone during prayer. It brings them closer to God, and have even found that those prayers prayed in tongues were more effective.

~Riella

Hm, I'll have to look up the interpreter issue.

I personally thought 'tongues' was being able to speak in languages that you did not previous learn. Like if I started speaking Russian or Chinese or something, when I have never studied those languages....I could be wrong, though, I never studied that thoroughly. That's just what I thought...

There's an older man in our church who has the gift of tongues. Sometimes he has the interpretation, other times someone else does.
My friend's mom also had the gift of tongues, but their family has since moved away.

I personally don't believe that tongues is spoken anymore. I'm not 100% sure, but it seems like in the New Testament, tongues fades away and is no longer mentioned at a certain point.

On the contrary, tongues is a huge part of the New Testament!

First off, there are people in my church who speak it. They say sometimes in private, like they can pray in tongues, but do not speak it publicly unless it will bring glory to God (Paul mentions a present interpreter as a sign that it is truly from God).

Anyways, Acts 2 recounts the Pentacost, when disciples were given the gift to speak to men in their own languages. A similar thing will happen in the end days to two prophets in Jerusalem, many speculate these will be a resurrected Elijah and Moses.

I think there is a distinction between what kinds of tongues are spoken - the tongues of men and of angels, as Paul mentions in passing (1 Corinthians 13:1). From what I understand from people with the gift today, they are praying or prophesying in the language of heaven. As for speaking so that men of all languages can understand, I cannot speak to whether or not that still happens.

Ithwilen, I think the point of having an interpreter is to interpret what the Holy Spirit is saying through the person. I've witnessed the praying of tongues a number of times, sometimes even in a large group setting. I've never heard the tongues translated. If the whole room is praying in tongues but not everyone present can understand and/or speak tongues, you better get an interpreter because otherwise I'm going to believe some people are doing it for real (good) and the rest are faking it to look holy (not good). The gift is to bring glory to God, not ourselves. Just a thought.

Hm, I'll have to look up the interpreter issue.

I personally thought 'tongues' was being able to speak in languages that you did not previous learn. Like if I started speaking Russian or Chinese or something, when I have never studied those languages....I could be wrong, though, I never studied that thoroughly. That's just what I thought...

That is what I thought is meant by the Pentecostal 'speaking in tongues'. St Paul wasn't there at the time, having joined the apostles later on. But he was an accomplished linguist, who understood Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, besides Aramaic. The other apostles who hadn't had his education, were able to overcome this crucial hurdle, thanks to the Holy Spirit. Suddenly they could speak other languages fluently, whereas beforehand, they were lucky to have a smattering of a few words.