Speaking in tongues is a controversial spiritual gift in Christianity. Some churches teach it is an essential sign of salvation, while others do not. What does the Bible say on this issue? Let’s explore the key scriptures and themes that shed light on this question.
What is speaking in tongues?
Speaking in tongues refers to praying or praising God in an unknown language as the Holy Spirit gives utterance (Acts 2:4). It is a gift of the Holy Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 along with other gifts like prophecy, healing, and interpretation of tongues.
In the New Testament, there are three main occurrences of tongues:
- On the day of Pentecost, the early disciples spoke in foreign languages previously unknown to them (Acts 2:1-13). This served as a miraculous sign to people from diverse nations.
- In Acts 10 and 19, believers spoke in tongues when receiving the Holy Spirit.
- In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul discusses the gift of tongues practiced in Corinth’s church services. The tongues required interpretation to edify the church.
Is speaking in tongues a requirement for salvation?
The New Testament contains no statement that unequivocally teaches speaking in tongues is necessary for salvation. There are passages that mention people receiving the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. But none state this experience is mandatory for all believers.
In Acts, tongues accompanied Spirit baptism for three groups: Jewish believers (Acts 2), Gentile converts (Acts 10), and disciples of John the Baptist (Acts 19). But these passages do not present a formula that applies to every Christian across all times and places.
1 Corinthians 12:13 states that all Christians have been baptized by the Spirit into one body. It does not link speaking in tongues with this baptism. So the biblical data does not support the view that tongues are an essential initial evidence of the Spirit or salvation.
Should all Christians speak in tongues?
Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 12-14 makes it clear that not all believers speak in tongues. To the contrary, tongues are only one of many gifts of the Spirit, of which each Christian receives a portion (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).
In 1 Corinthians 12:28-30, Paul lists varieties of spiritual gifts, including tongues, then asks rhetorically whether all have been given each gift. The implied answer is no, as the body of Christ includes diversity.
Paul goes so far as to say he wishes all Christians spoke in tongues, which implies they did not (1 Corinthians 14:5). He further notes that prophecy is greater than tongues unless interpretation occurs (1 Corinthians 14:5).
So the apostle acknowledges tongues as a valid but lesser spiritual gift that not every believer exercised. He neither expects nor requires universal tongues speech in the church.
Should churches expect tongues as evidence of baptism in the Spirit?
Some traditions teach that baptism in the Holy Spirit is a second blessing of power following conversion. Tongues are considered the sign that someone has received this post-conversion experience. But the Bible does not clearly distinguish between conversion and Spirit baptism.
1 Corinthians 12:13 states that all Christians have been baptized by one Spirit into Christ’s body. Conversion and Spirit baptism seem to refer to the same reality. The book of Acts records diverse patterns in how believers received the Spirit.
At Pentecost, tongues came with the Spirit (Acts 2). But in Acts 8, Samaritan converts received the Spirit without tongues. In Acts 10 and 19, tongues accompanied Spirit reception. And in Acts 9, Saul was healed and converted before being filled with the Spirit.
This diversity implies believers should not expect tongues or any single manifestation when receiving the Spirit. The Spirit is sovereign in how He works in each person’s life.
Are tongues a private prayer language?
Some advocates of tongues argue the gift can involve a private prayer language that edifies the individual believer. 1 Corinthians 14 addresses public tongues speech needing interpretation to benefit the church.
But some interpret Romans 8:26 and 1 Corinthians 14:2, 4, 14-17 to mean Paul affirmed praying in tongues privately without understanding. Critics argue such an interpretation erroneously pits these verses against Paul’s other instructions.
Four aspects of Paul’s teaching on tongues make a supposed private prayer language doubtful:
- Tongues are an intelligible language needing interpretation to be understood (1 Corinthians 14:10-13).
- The speaker’s mind is unfruitful when delivering a tongue uninterpreted (1 Corinthians 14:14).
- Tongues must be limited when public interpretation is lacking (1 Corinthians 14:27-28).
- Paul desires intelligibility, not mystifying speech (1 Corinthians 14:19).
Overall, the bulk of Pauline evidence suggests tongues are not for unintelligible private devotion but public ministry requiring interpretation.
What is the purpose of tongues?
According to the New Testament, biblical purposes for speaking in tongues include:
- A sign for unbelievers: Tongues speech served as a miraculous sign to validate the gospel message and convict unbelievers of sin (1 Corinthians 14:22; Acts 2:5-13).
- Edification with interpretation: Appropriately interpreted in church services, tongues edify believers by conveying revelation, prophecy, or praise (1 Corinthians 14:5).
- Intercession: The Holy Spirit intercedes through wordless groans, which may include tongues (Romans 8:26-27).
- Praise and prayer: Tongues can express praise and gratitude to God (1 Corinthians 14:15-17; Acts 10:46).
When exercised orderly, the gift builds up others. But tongues do not guarantee or indicate salvation.
Are tongues angelic speech?
Some proponents of tongues suggest the gift allows believers to speak divine mysteries and the tongues of angels. This stems primarily from 1 Corinthians 13:1:
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
Does this verse imply humans can speak an angelic language? The wider context indicates Paul is using hyperbole. He begins chapter 13 by emphasizing love’s primacy over eloquence, predictive powers, and displays of spirituality. Reference to angelic tongues highlights the utter lack of meaning without love.
Moreover, scripture nowhere else indicates humans can speak angelic languages. Paul’s statement should not be taken as affirming an experience unknown to the rest of biblical teaching. The gift of tongues enables Spirit-empowered ability to speak human foreign languages.
Is tongues-speech Spirit-inspired?
Because tongues involve relinquishing one’s speech faculties to the Spirit, by definition they are Spirit-inspired messages. In Acts, tongues proclaimed the gospel cross-culturally at key transitional moments in the church’s expansion:
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4).
In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul instructs tongues speakers to remain silent without interpretation so others can weigh carefully what is spoken:
If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God (1 Corinthians 14:27-28).
This assumes tongues consist of Spirit-given messages that need discernment, rather than meaningless babble. But their source in the Spirit does not automatically validate them as truth or revelation. The content must still be weighed and interpreted.
Should tongues be forbidden or promoted in church?
Since Paul details proper use of tongues in church services, he does not forbid them entirely. However, he stipulates intelligibility, order, self-control, and love must govern the gift to contribute to others’ growth. Uninterpreted tongues must be limited:
If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret (1 Corinthians 14:27).
Prophecy is valued over uninterpreted tongues because all can understand its direct exhortation (1 Corinthians 14:1-5). Ill-managed tongues hinder corporate worship, while well-managed tongues can strengthen it.
Though Paul does not exclude tongues, their use was regulated in his churches. Churches must therefore minister according to biblical guidelines if choosing to incorporate the gift. Prophetic ministry subject to discernment is a more reliable source of edification.
Are tongues normative today or only for an apostolic age?
Cessationists argue the miraculous gifts including tongues served only a temporary purpose in the early church. But continuationists counter that tongues and other gifts remain valid. So is tongues-speech meant to be normal today?
The New Testament nowhere directly states tongues would cease before Christ’s return. Tongues fulfilled important purposes, such as authenticating the gospel message before skeptics and expanding church horizons.
However, church history records very little tongues-speech or other miraculous gifts between the first few centuries after Christ and the modern Pentecostal movement beginning in 1906. So cessationists argue this absence indicates tongues ceased.
Continuationists note that while rare throughout church history, scattered reports exist of tongues-like phenomena that prevent claiming complete non-existence. The biblical text itself does not explicitly teach cessation.
Whether tongues persist today remains subject to different views given the implications both of long historical silence and lack of definitive biblical statement on when this gift would cease or persist.
Conclusion
Speaking in tongues is promoted by some churches as proof of baptism in the Holy Spirit or being filled with the Spirit. But the New Testament does not present tongues as either universal or normative for all Christians in all places and times.
While a valid gift in certain contexts, tongues do not constitute definitive evidence of salvation or greater spirituality. Prophecy and love are greater gifts because they clearly edify the church.
Tongues have a limited place in collective worship and are overshadowed by other gifts that communicate God’s truth in ways all can understand. While not ruling tongues completely out of order, wisdom suggests major caution in promoting tongues as normative for the church today.