Speaking in tongues is undoubtedly one of the most controversial topics dividing Pentecostal/Charismatic groups from more traditional churches, such as Baptist or Methodist. The views range from one extreme ("If you don't speak in tongues, you don't have the Holy Spirit!") to another ("If you speak in tongues, you're demon possessed!"), with the views of most people falling somewhere in the middle. Many choose to abstain from taking a position; others consider it vital. However, in all truthfulness, the controversy is somewhat of a mystery to me. The Bible is very clear on this issue, and if more people simply read the relevant passages, I feel they would no longer disagree so much. I first must lay the foundation: what does it mean to speak in tongues?
What Does it Mean to Speak in Tongues?
First things first: what are tongues? What does it mean to speak in them? What is the whole concept? This is easily defined. First, the word used for "tongues" in the New Testament Greek is glossa. It is a word that literally means "tongue," but often was used in a figurative sense to mean a spoken language. It was used for known languages. English is a glossa, French is a glossa, Spanish is a glossa, and ancient Greek is a glossa. Almost every use of the word "tongue" in the New Testament (KJV) translates the word glossa, and it refers to a known, spoken language. Therefore, what does it mean to speak in glossais (plural of glossa)? It means to speak in known, spoken languages. This refutes a common misconception: speaking in tongues does not mean speaking in some secret, heavenly language or babbling in a way that God understands. The only possible reference to a heavenly language is in 1 Corinthians 13:1, which mentions the tongues of angels, but it is never good to base any doctrinal idea from one obscure phrase in a verse taken out of context. Outside of 1 Cor. 13:1, there is no Scriptural reason to believe that speaking in tongues will ever involve speaking in some angelic language.
More evidence to the identity of the tongues gift is found in Acts 2, where the sermon of Pentecost takes place. Here is the appropriate text (Acts 2:1 – 5, from the NASB, emphasis added):
And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitudes came together, and were bewildered, because they were each one hearing them speak in his own language.
Certainly, no one would deny that this was the first occurrence of speaking in tongues. Yet, this text clearly shows that the apostles were speaking in other earthly languages. In fact, the word for "languages" in verse five was not glossa but dialektos, which means more specifically discourse given in a certain language or dialect. The connection between glossa and dialektos in this passage cannot be minimized. Speaking in tongues can only be considered speaking in a foreign language which one has not learned, but acquired supernaturally through the Holy Spirit. This is the only view consistent with Scripture.
Who All Speaks in Tongues?
So, then, now that we know what the gift is, it makes sense to determine who has it. Some will claim that everyone who has the Holy Spirit will speak in tongues. This is a very serious proposition, and it must be critically examined. The evidence given for this is usually Mark 16:17, which says the following (NASB): "And these signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues…" This indeed sounds convincing, but a verse can only be taken in context. Following this statement is verse 18: "…they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it shall not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." Now, how many people argue that you have to be able to pick up serpents and drink deadly poison if you have the Holy Spirit? I've never heard that claim. What about laying hands on the sick and healing them? There are many times that people lay hands on the sick but God allows them to stay sick for His plan. The fact is that Mark 16:17, 18 are not speaking of what all the believers will do, but what some of them will do as signs to validate the Gospel message (more on that point later).
On the other hand, the Bible does explicitly state that not all Christians have the same spiritual gifts. See 1 Corinthians 12:7 – 11.
But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, and to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
This passage specifically tells us that not everyone will have the same gifts, and it specifically mentions speaking in tongues as a gift that some people have. Different people have different gifts, and there is no exception for speaking in tongues. It is a gift for some, but not all.
How Important is the Gift of Tongues?
The gift of tongues is a good gift, as it comes from God. However, prophecy (proclaiming the Word of God, not necessarily telling the future) is a far better gift, according to 1 Corinthians 14. Here is a sample of the teaching on tongues in that passage.
1Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. | To begin, Paul says to want gifts, but especially proclaiming God's Word. |
2For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. | By default, speaking in a foreign language benefits no one but you (it does benefit you since you are in the Spirit). Since we are called to benefit others, tongues is inferior to prophecy. |
3But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation. | Prophecy encourages and benefits other people, making it superior to tongues. |
14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15What is the outcome then? I shall pray with the spirit and I shall pray with the mind also; I shall sing with the spirit and I shall sing with the mind also. | Praying or singing in a foreign tongue is good, but not the best because you don't understand what you are saying. Paul tells us that it is far better to understand what you are praying or singing. |
The conclusion should be obvious. It is better to speak in a language you and those around you know for most situations. By speaking your own language, you can help both yourself and those around you. If I wrote all this in German, it would be useless to all of you reading it. Speaking in tongues is the same way. Only with translation (as Paul mentions in verses 27 and 28) can the gift of tongues be useful. In fact, Paul says, "If anyone speaks in a tongue…let one interpret; but if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in the church." God wants people to use their minds. He wants us to understand Him, understand Truth. We cannot do that if we are using a language we don't know. We can still fellowship with God, but it's just not as good. Therefore, if you are one of those gifted with tongues (remember that not all are), be sure to use your gift only in a way that is well beneficial. Otherwise, you are wasting it just as an excellent singer who only sings inappropriate songs is wasting his/her gift.
Do People Still Speak in Tongues?
This is another commonly debated point regarding tongues. It is the belief of many traditional denominations that the gift of tongues ceased entirely after the end of the early church. Others believe that it has always been around, and its increase in prominence today is indication of some kind of revival. Which position is correct? Well, while I lean towards the first one, I do not believe it is entirely correct. This is why:
Historically in the Bible, God has given miraculous signs (such as tongues) to validate His message through His prophets. When someone came with a message from God, they could prove it was from Him by doing something amazing. This is demonstrated all throughout the Old Testament and New. Exodus 4:1 – 17 explains how God would use miracles to validate the message of Moses to Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and even the Israelites. God gave Gideon three signs to assure him of his future victory (Judges 6). Saul was given several signs to validate Samuel's claim that he was to be king of Israel (1 Samuel 10). The prophets performed sign after sign to prove that their message was true. Then, when the Old Testament was finished, there were no signs for hundreds of years. God used miracles to prove the message of the Old Testament before it was completed. For the new few hundred years, He gave no more signs. Instead, He let the Scripture He had given them speak for itself. The Old Testament was a sign.
The same concept applies to the New Testament. When Jesus showed up, God had a new message for the world. "For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11). What happened with that message? God immediately started providing signs to validate it. Immediately after the aforementioned verse, the angel (a sign himself) said, "And this will be a sign for you…" Angels, a star, the virgin birth: these are the first signs of the New Testament message. Thirty years later, God speaks from heaven and the Holy Spirit descends as a dove to inaugurate Jesus' ministry. This is the kind of sign that hadn't been seen for hundreds of years! Jesus began healing, casting out demons, and raising the dead. What did He do while He did those things? He preached the Gospel, the new message from God. His miracles proved His teachings. His miracles restored little things to their state before the Fall, proving that He is the God who made the world before the Fall. Finally, through THE sign, the sign of Jonah, Jesus rose from the dead of His own power, ultimately proving everything He said. From this point He sent out His disciples with power to perform miracles. What was the purpose of these miracles? They validated the Gospel message to those who were not there to see the original signs. Eventually, the apostles started writing letters and documents under their authority. These were the New Testament. The signs they had performed proved that their writings were authorized by God Himself. Tongues was included in these signs. It was the sign used to break the language barrier of the first century, allowing Christianity to spread like wildfire in its early years. In time, however, like with the Old Testament, the Scripture was complete. Signs were no longer needed to prove the Gospel, because there were credible, reputable documents with the Gospel message. Thus, they could stand on their own. No form of history records significant miracles continuing after the first century church. God let His Word stand on its own.
What, then? Do I believe that tongues ceased entirely after the early church? No. The purpose of tongues, like other gifts, was to be a sign to unbelievers (1 Corinthians 14:22) before the written Word was available. This purpose has still been valid in various places and times since the end of the first century. In evangelizing unexplored parts of the world, even today, believers (have) found people with unwritten languages, or languages that were incredibly difficult to learn. In such cases, there are real reports of the gift of tongues showing up again. This is the God-ordained use of tongues. It is to communicate and demonstrate the power and reality of the Gospels to those who cannot learn these things any other way.
"Tongues" Today
What, then? If only a few people in special circumstances are speaking in tongues today, then what is happening at the many Pentecostal/Charismatic gatherings in America? Many people, especially teenagers, get up and begin to speak something we don't understand while feeling in the Spirit. Is that not tongues? I will not apologize for answering in the truth: certainly not in most cases. The supposed "tongues" in most of those settings today is performed even by people who most certainly are not saved (see my post "Repentance: The Forgotten Faith" for more on those people). Obviously, if both Christians and non-Christians are doing it, it is not really a gift of the Holy Spirit. What is it really? Well, it is one of three things. In some cases, people see others around them doing it, so they begin to emulate it to fit in with them. This is likely one of the most common causes. Another cause is pure emotion. In a lot of these gatherings, many people mistake emotion for spirituality. Instead of being in the Spirit, as they think they are, they are really just excessively emotional. Emotion has no spiritual power. Your feelings have no bearing on spiritual reality. While the Spirit will stir a genuine believer to emotion at times (even many times), Spirit-inspired emotions produce genuine change, including holiness, repentance, and increased love for God and man. In cases such as these with "tongues," all these emotions usually do is allow the subconscious to spit out nonsense through the mouth and make people think they are speaking in tongues by the Spirit. This is the cause of much of the false tongues today. Note that these experiences are not necessarily inherently bad—however, they are not true instances of being Spirit-filled, and will often trick people about their spiritual lives. That makes them often dangerous. Finally, these tongues sometimes come from demons. Now, don't throw pitchforks at me just yet. This is likely the most rare cause of these fake tongues. However, it does happen. There is one pastor who was preaching when a woman stood up with a crazy look in her eyes and began "speaking in tongues" [read: babbling incoherently]. He told her, "In the name of Christ, don't ever do that again." She looked at him and said in a disturbing voice, "I am the Christ." Does that not sound demonic to you? I thought so.
Conclusion
So, what is the end of all this? First, a tongue (the speaking of a foreign language without learning it, but being given it by the Holy Spirit) is a rare gift today. Unless you are a faithful, lifelong missionary to an uncivilized tribe, you will probably (though not definitely) never see anyone speak in tongues for real. Secondly, the purpose of tongues is to communicate and prove God's truth to those who can't understand your natural language. Any other use of the gift is a waste. Thirdly, the "tongues" in most Pentecostal/Charismatic events today is usually not real, but instead a conscious effort, a subconscious emotional response, or the result of demonic possession (the least likely of the three). The first two of those things are not necessarily wrong, but are often dangerous and at least of no real value to God. In the end, if you want to use a spiritual gift, don't hold your breath for tongues, but instead investigate and look for in what God has given you incredible ability. Living in the Spirit is more about your day-to-day life being Christ-like, dedicated to the glory of God and the good of others, than it is about supernatural gifts or emotional experiences. If you want to please God through your speech, read James 3. It is far more valuable.