What Is Speaking In Tongues?
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This can be a touchy
subject among Christians. There are
varying viewpoints, and this issue seems to spark so much emotional and
personal feelings it’s almost taboo to talk about it even among Christian
circles. I’ve decided to focus on
answering 10 questions regarding speaking in tongues.
1. What is speaking in tongues?
2. Is speaking in tongues found in the Bible?
3. What is Baptism in the Holy Spirit?
4. Why is there so much division on this subject?
5. Is speaking in tongues still for today, or was that
just for the Early Church?
6. Who can speak in tongues?
7. Is the “initial physical evidence” really that
important?
8. Do you lose control of yourself when you speak in
tongues?
9. Am I not saved / less of a Christian if I don’t speak
in tongues?
10. If I’ve prayed for this gift, why haven’t I received
it?
1. WHAT IS SPEAKING IN TONGUES?
Speaking in tongues is
when a person begins to speak a language that they do not know through the
power of the Holy Spirit. This language
can be either a language that exists on earth, or a “heavenly” language (Acts
2:8; 1 Corinthians 13:1). This
experience is separate from salvation, and happens after someone becomes a
follower of Jesus.
“It’s a kind of utterance, where you
heart is full, to the point of overflowing with the Holy Spirit, and He loosens
your tongues to utter those syllables. And they are of spiritual value to you,
and if there is someone with an interpretation, they are of spiritual value to
others.”
–John Piper
2. IS SPEAKING IN TONGUES FOUND IN THE BIBLE?
Yes. Speaking in tongues is found throughout the
New Testament (Mark 16:17; Acts 2:4; Acts 10:46; Acts 19:6; 1 Corinthians
12-14). Typically, it is understood in
two ways: public and private.
Public
setting. This is in a group of believers, for the
edification of everyone listening. Someone
would speak in tongues loudly for all to hear.
An interpretation would follow this message that would make sense to
everyone listening (1 Corinthians 14:5).
Without an interpretation, speaking in tongues aloud for all to hear
would be considered inappropriate (1 Corinthians 14:28).
Private
setting. This is on an
individual level, for the edification of the individual praying (1 Corinthians
14:2). This is also known as a private
prayer language. The believer is praying
to God and is personally encouraged and uplifted during this time (1
Corinthians 14:4).
3. WHAT IS BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT?
Baptism in the Holy
Spirit is when a Christian receives extraordinary power from God to live out
the Christian life. The purpose of the
Holy Spirit is to empower the believer
and increase their trust / reliance on
God! Jesus Himself says this
(Acts 1:8). Simply having an experience
and checking it off the box is completely useless. It’s not about getting an emotional “high”
via the Holy Spirit, but increasing our trust in Him.
“Baptism” is symbolic of
immersion, which is probably why the Bible uses this term (Matthew 3:11; Acts
1:5; Acts 2:38; Acts 11:16). This
experience can vary, with some people experiencing little feeling while others
experience overwhelming emotion. There
isn’t a formula or a ritual to follow; it is simply a gift from God that He
gives to His children. The point,
however, is not the experience but
rather its purpose. If we don’t have love, it doesn’t matter how
“spiritual” we are, we’re useless (1 Corinthians 13:1)!
4. WHY IS THERE SO MUCH DIVISION ON THIS SUBJECT?
There are multiple
reasons for this.
1.
Interpretation of scripture. There is a disagreement as to whether
speaking in tongues is normal, normative,
or not for today. Some Christian circles subscribe to
speaking in tongues being the “initial physical evidence” of baptism in the
Holy Spirit, while others teach that one can be baptized without the evidence
of speaking in tongues. Many passages in
the Book of Acts seem to indicate that when someone is baptized in the Holy Spirit,
they spoke in tongues as evidence of the experience (Acts 2:4; Acts 10:44-46;
Acts 19:1-7). However, there is no Bible
verse that explicitly states “initial physical evidence.”
2.
Inappropriate usage. A lot of the confusion is when we mix up the
public and private use of tongues. Other
times, there might be people in church who abuse or outright fake speaking in
tongues. As stated above, it should only
used in a public setting if it is accompanied by an interpretation (1
Corinthians 14:28).
3.
It’s strange uniqueness. Speaking in tongues is perhaps one of the most
extraordinary of all the spiritual gifts, simply because it is so unique and
supernatural. Some churches tend to shut
down spiritual gifts altogether and don’t allow time for them during service,
while others focus too much on experiences during service; however, neither of
these are what God intends (1 Thessalonians 5:19).
5. IS SPEAKING IN TONGUES FOR TODAY, OR WAS THAT
JUST FOR THE EARLY CHURCH?
Speaking in tongues is a
gift that can and should be experienced today.
Those who say it was only for the Early Church rely on 1 Corinthians
13:8-10 which says,
“Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will
cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge,
it will pass away. For we know in part
and we prophecy in part, but when the completeness comes, what is in part disappears.”
Some would argue that
this passage is talking about the completion of the Bible, and now that we have
the entire Bible, we no longer need the gift of tongues. However, this
equates speaking in tongues with Scripture.
If we don’t need tongues because the Bible is complete, then tongues are
equal with the Bible! There is no
biblical evidence to suggest this, nor evidence to suggest that speaking in
tongues should have stopped. In fact, we
see just the opposite in Scripture.
6. WHO CAN SPEAK IN TONGUES?
Anyone who believes in Jesus can be Baptized in the Holy Spirit,
or utilize the private use of tongues (Numbers 11:29;
Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17; Acts 15:7-9). This isn’t just for the leaders
of the church, or the pastors, or just for theology professors to talk
about. This is a gift that God wants His people to have to increase
their love and trust in Him! Some will reference 1 Corinthians
12:30, which asks the rhetorical question: “Do all speak in
tongues?” However, this is not necessarily referring to the private
use or Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This passage also
recognizes a reality that not everyone will receive this gift; just as not
everyone will accept salvation even though it is available to all.
The public use of tongues is not a gift everyone
will personally utilize, as we each have different gifts (Romans 12:6; 1
Corinthians 7:7; 1 Peter 4:10).
7. IS THE “INITIAL PHYSICAL EVIDENCE” REALLY THAT
IMPORTANT?
This is kind of a loaded
question, but the short answer is no.
Talking about the “initial physical evidence” from a purely
theological/intellectual perspective can sometimes divorce us from what God
truly wants for us. Instead of focusing
on whether or not you’re “supposed to” speak in tongues as evidence of being
baptized in the Holy Spirit, we should keep the focus on God! The initial physical evidence is evidence of something God is already
doing in your life. If you feel like God
has been filling you up and using you more to witness or worship Him, then
speaking in tongues simply serves as a confirmation
of something God is already doing in
you.
8. DO YOU LOSE CONTROL OF YOURSELF WHEN YOU SPEAK
IN TONGUES?
No. Although some charismatic Christian movements
appear to make speaking in tongues spooky and confusing, this isn’t the proper biblical
expression. Specifically referring to
using spiritual gifts, Paul says, “God is not a God of confusion but of peace,”
(1 Corinthians 14:33). Christians are in
complete control during this experience (1 Corinthians 14:32), and if a
Christian states otherwise, they are either lying or experiencing something
that isn’t from God. The believer does
not become “possessed” by the Holy Spirit as with a demon. God
does not override our will, but aligns our will with His.
9. AM I NOT SAVED / LESS OF A CHRISTIAN IF I DON’T
SPEAK IN TONGUES?
No! Not by any means. Being saved / being Christian is not
determined by speaking in tongues, but by believing in Jesus (John 3:16; John
5:24; John 10:28; Romans 10:9, 13; 1 John 5:13). When someone becomes a Christian, they are
filled with the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16; Ephesians 1:13-14; Titus 3:5). Unfortunately, an over-emphasis on speaking
in tongues can make people feel this way.
Spiritual maturity shouldn’t be measured by spiritual gifts.
“There’s never a problem with
spiritual gifts, sometimes there’s a problem with spiritual maturity. If you’re not spiritually mature, then the
gift becomes divisive. If you are
spiritually mature, than the gift doesn’t become divisive.”
–Mark Driscoll
10. IF I’VE PRAYED FOR THIS GIFT, WHY HAVEN’T I
RECEIVED IT?
God gives different gifts
to different people at different times.
If your dad gave your brother a birthday gift, does that mean he doesn’t
love you? Of course not! Even though you might not have received a
gift from Him when someone else did, it might not be the right timing. God might be waiting for a significant time
in your life to give it to you.
Instead of searching for
reasons why one hasn’t received it, we should look at the reasons why we should
continue to seek it. God wants to baptize you in His Holy Spirit
to empower you to do His work and to trust Him more. It isn’t about speaking in tongues and
checking a box off your bucket list; it’s about learning to trust God with
something new in your life. Even if you
haven’t received it, continually seeking after God is always the right thing to do.
ADVICE FOR THOSE SEEKING:
1.
Pray out loud. When someone speaks in tongues, it isn’t
silently to themselves; it’s out loud.
If you are seeking this gift, pray to God out loud in your quiet
times. Like we said earlier, God doesn’t
override your will and “make” you speak in tongues. Start becoming used to hearing your voice out
loud when you pray.
2.
Seek the Giver, not the gift. Remember that it isn’t about checking off a
“spiritual box,” just saying that you spoke in tongues once. If your focus is just on speaking in tongues, try refocusing on how you can learn to
trust Jesus with this gift. Ask
yourself: “In what way could I use this gift to trust Jesus more?”
3.
Do something. Whatever the answer to your question is
above, do it! If you want to trust Jesus
more to become a better witness, to worship Him more passionately, etc., go out
and do it. Speaking in tongues is the confirmation of what God is doing in
your life; don’t wait to receive it and do nothing in the meantime.
4.
Trust God. Ask God to empower you as you go out, and
increase your reliance on Him. When you
speak in tongues, it doesn’t make any sense to your mind; you’re speaking a
language you don’t understand! But if
you can trust God with this unknown language, how much more can you trust Him
in your own language?
**For more information on
speaking in tongues and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit check out these links:
**Mark Driscoll on speaking in tongues:
**John Piper: What Is Speaking In Tongues?
**Part of the Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental
Truths:
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