Third Reason
Because the apostles did not teach it.
Our friends will take exception to this. Very well, hold steady. Peter, James, John, and Jude say many things in their epistles relative to sound doctrine and practice, but not one word about this gift. Paul mentions it in only one of his many letters. And where he does treat it, he suppresses rather than encourages the gift. In fact, this entire first letter to the church at Corinth was corrective. From the first to the last chapter he is reproving and correcting their use and abuse of things. He had more trouble with this church than with all others put together. For, strange to say, at the very time they were exercising this gift he declares they were “yet carnal” (1 Corinthians 3:3) and guilty of the grossest forms of immorality (1 Corinthians 5:1). If what the Corinthian church had was genuine, then the gift of tongues is not a mark of deep piety, but just the contrary. These Corinthians were contentious, licentious, and superstitious. I am sorry to say that these are some of the chief characteristics that exist with many of the tongues people today.
When Jesus was about to ascend He gave His disciples a farewell blessing and commission. He said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20) I take it that the disciples were true to this last command of their Lord. If so, we get the gist of our Lord’s teachings beginning with Acts’ first chapter and closing with Revelation 22. We do not repudiate the Old Testament or the gospels, but we get all that Christ considered essential to precept and practice in Acts and the Epistles.
But how about the tongues question? We answer, the apostles did not teach it, but rather taught the more essential thing—purification of the heart by faith. The incidental thing at Pentecost was signs and wonders, such as (1) “a rushing mighty wind,” (2) “cloven tongues like as of fire,” and (3) the speaking “with other tongues.” (Acts 2:2-4) Be it known that we are not opposed to any of these outward manifestations, but do insist that the greater miracle was then and is now on the inside: heart cleansing. If we must have an outward sign of an inward work, why hold tenaciously to a certain one? Why not expect any or all three that they had at Pentecost? But alas! Lopsided humanity will not believe except they see “signs and wonders.” (John 4:48) Shallow and superstitious minds always take to and magnify the spectacular, rather than the underlying principle; they notice the effect rather than the cause. Though there are three instances in the New Testament (Acts 2:4; 10:45-46; 19:6) where, when they received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, they spoke in “other tongues,” there are more instances on record where they did not thus speak.
But did not Paul thank God that he spoke in tongues more than they all? Yes (1 Corinthians 14:18), and we say amen. Adam Clarke and Dr. Lightfoot tell us that Paul’s learning enabled him to speak at least four popular languages of his day, viz., Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, and Latin. In addition to these, doubtless while on his missionary journeys when occasion demanded, he was enabled to speak other dialects by direct inspiration, as on the day of Pentecost.