I'm a little confused, could you tell me why you believe speaking (I assume in prayer) to the Spirit through your spirit is in a language other than earthly? What or where does "a prayer language from God which no man understands" come from?
Thank you for your honesty. This is a confusing doctrine. The church has been fighting over it for centuries. And IMO the Charismatic theology has plenty of error in their understanding also. To answer your question as simply as I can, let me say this;
1. "why you believe speaking (I assume in prayer) to the Spirit.."
Yes I am talking about
verbal/audible prayer, but not '
to the Spirit'....unless you mean "God is spirit" which would not be
capitalized as you did. Capitalization picks out 1/3 of the triune Godhead IMO.
2. "is in a language other than earthly?"
2. That language comes from the vocabulary of "
my spirit" and bypasses my brain/soul's "
understanding" because my soul understands English. But my soul (mind will emotion) does have to participate because the soul is the 'functioning brain'. And your brain must tell your vocal cords to wiggle and make sound. Your soul just doesn't know what the words are going to be until your ears hear them. That's the best description I can give, others (prayer tongue speakers) may have a different POV.
3. where does "a prayer language from God which no man understands" come from?
It comes from the holy spirit power (gift) which is poured upon you from the Holy Spirit of God (gift giver).
1CO 14:14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue,
my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
When I speak through my spirit to God in prayer, it is true I am not speaking to men, but to God. How could any man understand my silent prayer to God, since my voice is not heard? If I speak aloud my prayer through my spirit to God, who is Spirit, why would I speak with a sound that none by I and God understand?
When you pray 'with your understanding' it isn't coming from your spirit completely. IOW I'm not going to say your soulish/English prayer can't be somewhat in alignment with your spirit. But it will be mixed in with the stinking thinking we all have in our minds.
And I don't consider '
silent prayer' as praying with tongues. When
God created he SPOKE let their be light...He didn't just think it or meditate it.
"why would I speak with a sound that none but I and God understand?"
Ask God He set this up IMO not me. ;) A common thought is your spirit knows your spiritual need better than your soul. AND the familiar spirit assigned to you at birth is also listening to what you are struggling with. You give him your weak spot, and where do you think he is going to hit you most?
Is not the purpose for public prayer for the benefit of all who hear it? What benefit if the sound heard makes no sense? The only person being edified then is I.
Paul addressed that very issue. He points out that your spirit's prayer tongue is for 'SELF EDIFICATION'.
1CO 14:4
He that speaketh in an unknown (prayer) tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
If the apostle Paul needed self edification...who are we to say "I don't"?
1CO 14:18
I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:
I've never heard of "prayer tongues". And the reason they thought the apostles were drunk at Pentecost is not because they spoke in some nonhuman language, but because they spoke in human languages they had not known before. Hearing them all speaking together in different languages of those who witnessed this miracle, indeed would sound like a bunch of drunken men babbling at the same time.
Actually, on the Day of Pentecost the first tongue they spoke was their prayer languages....120 different languages. None of them earthly. All non human, and that's spelled out in the scripture when it says;
KJV ACT 2:4 And they were
all filled with
the holy ghost (POWER not the PERSON), and began to speak with other
tongues, as
the spirit gave them utterance.
Even the KJV had trouble distinguishing what holy ghost/spirit was being talked about. That's why KJV says Holy Ghost 89 times holy Spirit 6 times Holy Spirit 1 time.. WHY WHY?
This verse speaks of their initial ‘spirit baptism’ and ‘prayer tongue’ which is an unknown tongue to man And "the spirit" that gave the utterance was their spirit. Which it was enabled to do after being "endued/clothed", by the gift of holy spirit power poured "from on high", by the (person) Holy Spirit of God.)
And you're right it did sound drunken, goofy....even '
beastial'.
ACT 2:6 Now
when this (prayer tongue of their spirit) was NOISED abroad,
the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language
(Holy Spirit tongues). (After prayer tongues from their spirit, this was the subsequent ‘gift of tongues, without interpretation’. It was from The Holy Spirit and was given after the crowd heard the “noise/sound” of ‘prayer tongues’, which caused them to gather to where the disciples were.)
"NOISED"
5456 phone:
a tone (articulate,
bestial or artificial); by impl. an address (for any purpose), saying or
language
And it was that
bestial or artificial sounding language that first drew the crowd. BUT that was when the 1 Cor 12 "gift of tongues" manifested from the Holy Spirit, through these disciples all babbling like the PENTECOSTAL nut house that they were. But this tongue from the Holy Spirit was an earthly tongue. One that the disciples did not speak so it was bypassing their understanding, but it impacted all the Jews from other lands perfectly with 'their understanding.
Yes Jesus taught us HOW to pray....and then man made that HOW TO into 'a Prayer'. But what's your point? Tongues wasn't even available for anyone else because only Jesus had the holy spirit of Christ in Him. And it was with that spirit that I believe He prayed in tongues just like I do. Can't prove that. But neither can it be disproven...as far as I know.
I hate long posts and this one is. Please don't try to address everyone of these comments or nobody will read, let alone understand. Hope you appreciate what/where I am coming from. ;)