The spiritual gift of speaking in tongues is a topic of considerable debate among believers. While some believe the gift of tongues is a spiritual gift still bestowed upon Christians today, others do not. But even within that group, people misunderstand the purpose and function of this particular gift of the Holy Spirit. Speaking in tongues is when an individual speaks a language that he or she does not know.
The ability to speak in tongues is one of many potential spiritual gifts given to Christians by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). Every Christian is given one or more spiritual gifts. Equally as important as speaking in tongues is the ability to interpret tongues (1 Corinthians 12:10). Speaking in tongues would be useless without the ability to interpret and proclaim what the utterances mean.
The gift of speaking in tongues, like every spiritual gift, is miraculous. Not sure what your spiritual gifts are?
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There is probably no spiritual gift that is so discussed or so misunderstood as the gift of speaking in tongues. The exercise of this gift has led to an exaggerated emphasis by some while a denial of its existence by others. Even the nature of the gift is debated. Some believers elevate the gift to a place of importance that is far beyond what the New Testament teaches. In addition, the gift of tongues is believed by some to have ceased with the death of the apostles while others think the gift is still valid today. What is important is that we have a biblical understanding of the gift.
From the New Testament there are a number of things that we can know for certain about speaking in tongues. Tongue speaking is also called glossolalia. Glossolalia is made up of two Greek words - glossa meaning tongue, or language, and lalia from the verb laleo to speak. One of the unfortunate things about this spiritual gift is the regrettable way in which it is often understood.
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Using the phrase “speaking in tongues” gives the idea of something bizarre occurring. While it would be more proper to translate this phrase as “speaking in languages,” the designation “speaking in tongues” has become part of Christian vocabulary. We find speaking in tongues only mentioned in the Book of Acts and in First Corinthians. However this reference is found in the disputed portion of Mark’s gospel.
Paul does not mention speaking in tongues in his letters to the Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, or Thessalonians. Speaking in tongues is not mentioned in the universal letters: Hebrews, James, 1,2 Peter, 1,2,3, John, Jude. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are mentioned in three different letters that Paul wrote: Romans, Ephesians, and First Corinthians. Peter also mentions the gifts in First Peter.
Purposes of Speaking in Tongues
The gift of tongues seems to have at least two different purposes. One of the purposes for tongues was a sign for the unbeliever. It follows that speaking in other languages is intended as a sign, not to believers but to unbelievers. In the Book of Acts we find accounts of tongue-speaking which gave evidential value of the message of Christ.
Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-we hear them speaking in our own languages the magnificent acts of God.
On this particular day, each person in the crowd heard the message of Christ in their own dialect. It is also a means to pray to God. Paul spoke of praying in tongues. It is clear from the New Testament that speaking in tongues is not a sign of receiving the Holy Spirit. However, not all of the believers in Corinth had the gift of speaking with tongues.
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Does everyone have the gift of healing? Of course not. Does God give all of us the ability to speak in unknown languages? Can everyone interpret unknown languages? No! The sentence is structured in the original Greek in such a way that demands that the answer be “No.” Not everyone should be expected to speak in tongues. What a strange thing a body would be if it had only one part! A body is made up of different parts. All parts of the body are necessary yet all parts are different.
The Apostle Paul spoke highly of the gift of tongues. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. But he also warned against the misuse of the gift. Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? This tells us that there is a proper, as well as an improper way, of using this gift. The Bible sets down guidelines by which the gift of tongues should be exercised. They are found in 1 Corinthians 12-14.
If the gift of tongues were to be exercised among believers, then there must be someone there with the gift of interpretation. Otherwise the person is to keep silent. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret.
The gift of speaking in tongues will someday come to an end. Love never ends. Even with all the abuses of the gift, speaking in tongues was not forbidden. The exercise of the gift of speaking in tongues should not be something that is divisive among Christians. Whether or not the gift still exists, it should not be a point of contention. Speaking in tongues is a spiritual gift. It is the ability to speak in languages that have not been previously learned.
Speaking in tongues is only mentioned in two New Testament books - Acts and First Corinthians. In the New Testament, speaking in tongues seemingly had one of two purposes. It was a sign to the unbeliever or a means of prayer. We know that not every Christian has the gift. Indeed, the gift was given by God to only a select group. Scripture also warns about the misuse of the gift and has set down certain guidelines for its use.
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There was to be no tongue-speaking in church without an interpreter present. The gift, like all spiritual gifts, is not meant to be permanent. There will come a day when this spiritual gift will cease. Finally, tongue speaking should not be an issue that divides believers. These are some of the things we know for certain about the gift of speaking in tongues.
While speaking in tongues is no longer the "hot topic" it once was, there is still a significant amount of disagreement over its nature and purpose. Thankfully, the two extreme positions - (1) that you must speak in tongues in order to be saved, and (2) that anyone who speaks in tongues is demon-possessed-have been soundly rejected by the vast majority of believers in Christ.
The Day of Pentecost
In Acts chapter 2, the first occurrence of speaking in tongues, the Holy Spirit gave the apostles the ability to speak to the crowds in Jerusalem in languages the apostles did not know. The crowds responded, "We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own languages!" (Acts 2:11). It is clear, then, that the tongues in Acts 2 were literal and understandable human languages. The gift of speaking in tongues in Acts 2 was the miraculous ability to speak a language you do not know in order to minister to a person who does speak that language.
The disagreement arises when we get to 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14. Some believe the tongues in 1 Corinthians 12-14 is the same as the tongues in Acts 2. Others believe the tongues in 1 Corinthians 12-14 is related, but different, to the tongues in Acts 2. They interpret the gift of tongues in 1 Corinthians 12-14 as being a private prayer language between a believer and God and/or the miraculous ability to speak an unknown language in order to minister to other believers (not unbelievers and not people who can understand the language as in Acts 2).
Shortly after I came to faith in Christ, I began attending a strongly charismatic church. I really enjoyed the gusto of the worship and the seemingly undeniable evidences of God working in people's lives. However, fairly quickly, after several failed attempts by church leadership to give me the gift of tongues, I started to feel like an outcast, like a lower-class Christian. What was wrong with me? Why wouldn't God give me the gift of tongues like He seemed to have given to everyone else in the church?
When I got sick of feeling like an outcast, I began attending a different church. And this church was definitely on the extreme edge of the cessationist movement (which believes all the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit have ceased). At this church, I was basically taught that charismatics were influenced (or possessed) by demons. I was taught that tongues had absolutely ceased and that God never gave the gift of speaking in tongues to believers today. Therefore, if anyone was speaking in tongues, since the gift was not from God, it had to be from Satan.
Thankfully, many years later, I am, for the most part, recovered. A pastor-friend recently told me that I have my feet planted firmly in mid-air on this issue. Both charismatics and cessationists seem to want to argue with me, which I have learned sometimes means you are in the right place. Ultimately, here is where I have landed on the gift of speaking in tongues. There is nothing that prevents God from giving any spiritual gift.
If God gives a spiritual gift, He expects that it will be used in submission to what the Bible teaches. Gifts being systematically abused does not necessarily mean that the gifts are not truly present. The completion and sufficiency of the Word of God has an impact on how the gift of tongues functions today. All that to say, avoid the extremes. Recognize that both charismatics and cessationists are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Argue for and defend your beliefs, but do so in love, gentleness, and respect (Ephesians 4:15; 1 Peter 3:15).
Three Expressions of the Gift of Speaking in Tongues
There are three expressions to the gift of speaking in tongues. Here’s how I’ve termed them:
- The Personal Tongue
- The Proof Tongue
- The Prophetic Tongue
The Personal Tongue
Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives-especially the ability to prophesy. For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious. But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them. A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church (1 Corinthians 14:1-4).
The personal tongue does not benefit others, but that doesn’t mean it holds no value. The Bible says, “A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally.” The personal tongue is for self-edification, and it’s a heavenly language. Those who use it aren’t speaking an earthly dialect; they are speaking mysteries-only God can understand them. This personal expression of the gift of tongues strengthens you personally.
The Proof Tongue
The second expression of the gift of tongues is the proof tongue. Now this is the expression of tongues that is heard as an earthly language. We see this demonstrated in Acts 2: And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers (Acts 2:4-6). Many heard their own languages being spoken by the believers. It was a true miracle. The Holy Spirit supernaturally empowered the believers to be heard speaking in earthly languages they did not know. The gift was a sign to the unbelievers; thus, I call it the proof tongue.
The Prophetic Tongue
The prophetic tongue is the expression of the gift that is used in the context of a church assembly. This gift, when used, commands the attention of the assembly of believers. Because this expression of the gift can disrupt the flow of a church service if misused, Paul put some regulations on it: Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you. No more than two or three should speak in tongues. They must speak one at a time, and someone must interpret what they say. But if no one is present who can interpret, they must be silent in your church meeting and speak in tongues to God privately (1 Corinthians 14:26-28).
The prophetic tongue is meant to be spoken aloud in a gathering of believers. The tongue is then to be supernaturally interpreted so that the believers present can be helped by the prophetic message.
Now, allow me to embolden the lines of distinction between the three expressions of this gift:
- The personal tongue benefits the individual (1 Corinthians 14:4).
- The prophetic tongue benefits the Church (1 Corinthians 12:7; 14:26).
- The proof tongue benefits the unbeliever (1 Corinthians 14:22).
- The personal tongue requires no interpreter or interpretation to be beneficial to the individual (1 Corinthians 14:4).
- The prophetic tongue requires an interpreter to benefit the Church (1 Corinthians 14:26).
- The proof tongue requires no interpreter for the interpretation to be understood by the unbeliever (Acts 2:8).
- The personal tongue is understood by no one but God (1 Corinthians 14:2).
- The prophetic tongue is understood by the Church with the aid of an interpreter (1 Corinthians 14:27).
- The proof tongue is supernaturally understood by the unbeliever (Acts 2:8).
One gift, three expressions. Each expression serves a different purpose.
These gifts require that Christians work alongside one another to proclaim the words of God through the Spirit of God. Rather than being primarily evangelistic in nature, the gift of speaking in tongues is a way to give God the glory while bringing believers closer together (Acts 2:11, Acts 10:46). We all know how difficult it is to learn a language.
Here's a table summarizing the three expressions of the gift of speaking in tongues:
| Expression | Beneficiary | Interpreter Required | Understanding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Tongue | Individual | No | Understood by God only |
| Prophetic Tongue | Church | Yes | Understood by the Church with an interpreter |
| Proof Tongue | Unbeliever | No | Supernaturally understood by the unbeliever |