"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4).
Speaking with (or in) tongues is "the supernatural gift of speaking in another language without its having been learnt." [83] The Greek word underlying this phrase is glossa, which means a tongue, either as the organ of the body or as a language. Hence, a modern theological term for speaking in tongues is glossolalia. Some modern translations render the KJV phrase "speak with other tongues" as "speak in foreign tongues" (Moffat), "speak in foreign languages" (Goodspeed), and "speak in different languages" (Phillips).
The New Testament contains four passages that indisputably describe speaking in tongues: Acts 2, Acts 10:44-47, Acts 19:6, and I Corinthians 12-14. In each case, those who spoke in tongues did so by the power of God's Spirit, "as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4).
Speaking in tongues is not gibberish or merely an unintelligible, ecstatic utterance without objective meaning Those who speak in tongues speak in genuine languages, even though the speakers themselves do not understand what they say. Many times observers recognize these languages (Acts 2). The languages can be either human or angelic in nature (I Corinthians 13:1). Speaking in tongues is not an accidental, irrelevant, unimportant, or rare phenomenon; it is a gift from God and a significant part of God's plan for the New Testament church.
Isaiah foretold the role of tongues in the church: "For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear" (Isaiah 28:11-12). The rest and refreshing is the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38 with 3:19), and Isaiah predicted that stammering lips and foreign languages would accompany it.
Some assert that Isaiah referred merely to an invasion of Israel by foreigners, but this argument ignores several important points: (1) Isaiah associated tongues with rest and refreshing, not invasion. (2) Peter's words further link this refreshing with the Holy Spirit. (3) Paul applied Isaiah's words to speaking in tongues: "In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not" (I Corinthians 14:21-22). Paul used the passage in Isaiah to teach that God has chosen speaking in tongues as a sign in the New Testament church to encourage unbelievers to believe His Word.
If Isaiah 28:11-12 does refer to a foreign invasion of Israel, then it has an immediate fulfillment (Assyrian invasion) and a distant fulfillment (tongues in the New Testament church). Double fulfillment of prophecy or typology is such a common occurrence in the Bible that it is known as the "law of double reference." At any rate, on the authority of Peter and Paul Isaiah 28:11-12 does have a valid application to speaking in tongues in the New Testament church.
Just before Christ's ascension, He promised that speaking in tongues would follow believers as a sign: "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues" (Mark 16:17). Some translations render "new tongues" as "new languages" (TAB) or "foreign tongues" (Goodspeed).
Opponents of speaking in tongues have attacked this verse by pointing to verse 18, which lists several other signs: "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." Some small sects in the southeastern United States interpret this verse to mean Christians should prove their faith by handling poisonous snakes, and critics attempt to associate tongues with snake handling in order to discredit the former. In effect they say, "We do not understand verse 18, 50 we refuse to listen to verse 17." However, the proper approach is to understand both verses.
Verse 18 does not mean we should deliberately handle poisonous snakes as a test of faith. An example from Satan's temptation of Christ makes this clear. Satan quoted an Old Testament promise of protection and demanded that Jesus prove the truth of Scripture and His own righteousness by attempting to commit suicide (Matthew 4:6). Jesus answered, "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" (Matthew 4:7). We should not try to force God to act in a certain way, and we should not deliberately ask for trouble to see what God will do. We cannot prove our faith or His Word by trying to harm ourselves, for that is contrary to His will.
Rightly understood, Mark 16:18 promises protection in case of accidents. If a child of God is accidentally bitten by a serpent, he can trust God for deliverance. This harmonizes well with the rest of verse 18, which tells us we can trust God in cases of sickness or accidental poisoning. As an example, when Paul was accidentally bitten by a deadly viper, he calmly shook it off and was miraculously unharmed (Acts 28:1-6).
It is probable that Mark 16:18 also has a spiritual application, promising the believer power over demonic powers. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible characterizes the devil as a serpent. When Jesus gave seventy of His disciples power over evil spirits, He said, "Behold I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you" (Luke 10:19). It is logical to conclude that Mark 16:18 promises both protection against the effect of snake bites and victory in battle against spiritual foes. At the same time, the promise does not instruct us to tempt God by deliberately handling snakes as a test of faith. We should not try to discredit verse 18 in order to ignore verse 17, but we should seek to understand and apply both verses to our lives.
A second objection to Mark 16:17 is that two important Greek manuscripts of the Bible do not contain Mark 16:9-20. Critics thus imply that this passage is not the inspired Word of God. However, many conservative scholars believe that this passage is part of God's Word for the reasons stated below. [84]
(1) The argument against the passage is based primarily on the two oldest existing manuscripts, the Codex Sinaiticus and the Codex Vaticanus. However, both admittedly contain other incorrect additions and omissions. For example, both contain several apocryphal books, and the latter omits the New Testament after Hebrews 9:14. It also contains a blank column where Mark 16:9-20 should go. Their age does not necessarily mean greater reliability. Perhaps these manuscripts were not used very much because of their known unreliability, while more correct manuscripts wore out due to great use and were destroyed when new copies were made from them.
(2) A vast number of other important manuscripts contain the passage, including the third oldest in existence, the Codex Alexandrinus.
(3) The passage appears in many early versions, including the Old Latin, Syriac Peshitta, Coptic, and Gothic.
(4) Many early church fathers quoted or alluded to the passage, including Irenaeus, Papias, Justin, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Ambrose, Chrysostom, Jerome, and Augustine.
(5) The passage is consistent with the other Gospel accounts.
(6) The doctrines taught in the passage are affirmed in other scriptural passages.
(7) It is extremely unlikely that someone would deliberately manufacture this passage with its teaching on tongues, power over demons, divine protection, and divine healing. If the church did not believe these doctrines (as critics of tongues maintain), why would someone add this passage and why would the ancient church accept it?
(8) Mark 16:8 reads, "And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid." This simply does not sound like a plausible ending for Mark's Gospel. We do not believe God would leave the account at this low point of fear and despair without mentioning the resurrection and the commissioning of the disciples.
(9) The passage was probably questioned because of the gradual disappearance of spiritual gifts as most of Christendom lost contact with the Holy Spirit. Indeed, some modern critics reject it primarily because of its content.
(10) If for some reason a few copies of Mark were circulated in an unfinished condition, it does not necessarily follow that other copies did not contain the passage.
In short, there is simply not enough evidence to discard Mark 16:9-20 from the Bible. We must take the words of Jesus in verse 17 at face value; speaking in tongues is a sign that will follow Christian believers everywhere.
The initial fulfillment of the prophecies concerning tongues occurred on the Day of Pentecost. On this occasion 120 Jewish disciples of Christ were baptized with the Spirit and spoke in tongues, including the apostles, the brothers of Jesus, Mary the mother of Jesus, and a number of women: "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave then. utterance" (Acts 2:1-4).
The supernatural sound filled the room, signifying that the Spirit had come to that place to manifest Himself in a special way and to do a special work. The tongues like fire settled on each individual, signifying that the Spirit was ready to baptize and fill each person. "They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them" (Acts 2:3, NIV). After this, they were all filled with the Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:4 teaches that the miracle took place as the Spirit moved on the speakers, not on the hearers. They began to speak in tongues only after the Spirit had entered, so speaking in tongues was the unique sign that each person had been baptized or filled with the Spirit.
The sound of wind and the tongues like fire never appear again in Scripture. Apparently they accompanied the founding of the New Testament church and the first outpouring of the Spirit much as lightning, thunder, and fire had accompanied the giving of the Law in the Old Testament (Exodus 19:16-19). Once God demonstrated that His Spirit was freely available to all, there was no need to emphasize it again in this fashion. Unlike the sound and the fire, however, speaking in tongues does reoccur a number of times in the Bible. Since it is the only sign particularly associated with an individual Spirit baptism (the others are signs of the availability of the Spirit), speaking in tongues has a lasting importance and function that the other signs do not.
Jews from many nations were in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Pentecost. When the 120 received the Spirit and began to speak in tongues, many of these visitors began to gather, with fourteen foreign lands being represented (Acts 2:5-11). These foreign Jews began to hear the various languages of their native countries and marveled that uneducated Galileans could speak all these foreign tongues.
Some people assert that God performed this miracle so the foreigners could hear the gospel preached to them, but a short time later Peter delivered a sermon to all of them in one language. This was probably Aramaic, the native language of all Jews at that time, or possibly Greek, the international language of commerce. At any rate, the audience did not need the miracle of tongues to bring them the gospel message.
Instead, God used tongues as a miraculous sign to show them He had bestowed His Spirit. Peter used their questions and comments about tongues to open his sermon, and he immediately told them this was the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy concerning the outpouring of the Spirit (Acts 2:14-21). Later in his sermon, Peter said, "Exalted to the right hand of God, he [Jesus] has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear" (Acts 2:33, NIV). The audience had just seen and heard people speaking in tongues, so Peter emphasized it as the evidence of the promised Holy Ghost.
We find the next explicit record of speaking in tongues in the story of the first Gentiles to receive the Spirit: "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And ;hey of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God" (Acts 10:44-46).
The Jewish Christians with Peter did not expect these Gentiles to receive the Holy Ghost immediately, because Jews traditionally believed one first had to convert to Judaism in order to be saved (Acts 15:1). Despite this strong preconception, the Jews with Peter were forced to admit that Cornelius and his household had indeed received the Spirit, for they heard them speak with tongues. As The Pulpit Commentary states, "This was the incontrovertible evidence of their reception of the Holy Ghost." [85] There is no mention of either a sound like wind or tongues like fire; speaking in tongues alone was the conclusive evidence.
The Spirit-filled Gentiles also "magnified God," meaning they praised God, either in tongues or in their own language. If the latter, it was a consequence of receiving the Spirit but certainly not the miraculous sign that convinced skeptical Jews.
Peter reported these events to the church in Jerusalem, saying, "And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning" (Acts 11:15). Speaking in tongues is the only sign that both Acts 2 and Acts 10 have in common, but it alone was enough to convince Peter that the Gentiles had received the Pentecostal experience.
The disciples of John the Baptist at Ephesus also spoke in tongues when they received the Spirit: "And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied" (Acts 19:6).
This account demonstrates that the baptism of the Spirit with tongues is for all believers. The tongues in Acts 2 and 10 perhaps could be explained away as one-time signs for the Jews and Gentiles respectively, but Acts 19 has no precedent-setting value other than to establish this experience as the norm for the New Testament church. The only purpose tongues accomplished in this setting was to be a sign to these individual believers that they had received the same experience already given to others. This use of tongues is just as valid and as needed today. Whatever reasons God had for giving the Ephesians the sign of tongues, those reasons still exist today.
These Ephesians also "prophesied" after they received the Spirit. Prophecy is "the speaking forth of the mind and counsel of God" or "the forth-telling of the will of God." [86] According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, one definition of the verb to prophesy is to "speak under inspiration." This can mean the gift of prophecy in which God speaks a direct message through human lips (I Corinthians 12:10), or it can mean any anointed preaching, praising, and testifying (I Corinthians 11:4-5; Revelation 19:10). Just as the 120 on Pentecost told of the wonderful works of God as they spoke in tongues (Acts 2:11), so these Ephesians apparently prophesied as they spoke in tongues. Possibly, the Spirit anointed these men to speak words in their own language after they had spoken in tongues. At any rate, prophecy resulted from the Spirit baptism but was not a sign such as tongues, because of these facts: (1) Tongues preceded prophecy, so tongues was the initial sign. (2) No other account of Spirit baptism mentions prophecy, so it is not a uniform sign. (3) Tongues is readily identifiable as a supernatural, miraculous sign while prophecy is not, especially with respect to a nonbelieving observer.
The account in Acts 8 of the Samaritans who received the Holy Ghost does not explicitly mention speaking in tongues; it gives no description of signs of their Spirit baptism. Despite the lack of detailed description, some tangible sign was present. The Spirit baptism was an objectively observable phenomenon that both believers and nonbelievers immediately recognized as supernatural. It is logical to assume that this sign was speaking in tongues.
(1) Despite the miracles, joy, belief, and water baptism, everyone knew the Samaritans had not yet received the Spirit. Philip, Peter, and John all expected a particular sign and knew the Samaritans did not have the Spirit due to the absence of the sign.
(2) Everyone knew the Samaritans received the Spirit at the moment Peter and John laid hands on them. There must have been a definite sign for everyone to perceive this with such certainty. Moreover, this sign was more than an emotional feeling, a confession of faith, or water baptism, since those had occurred earlier. Neither were they looking for a manifestation of any miracle or any spiritual gift, because healing and casting out of spirits had already occurred.
(3) There must have been a definite, supernatural sign for Simon the Magician to be impressed enough to desire it. Simon apparently wanted to buy and use this miracle in his magical shows; he desired the power to lay hands on people and have the miraculous sign manifest itself. Again the sign was much more than an expression of joy, a confession of faith, or praise to God, all of which could be counterfeited with ease and none of which would impress a magician or his skeptical audience. Moreover, this sign impressed Simon in a way that all the other miracles had not.
The Pulpit Commentary acknowledges the existence of a sign: "There are signs of an impartation of the Spirit by the apostles which we do not appear to understand fully, because it differs from any impartation of the Spirit with which we have experience." [87] It continues, with respect to Acts 8." These points assume that the indications of the Spirit's coming on the disciples were such as we find at Pentecost. There was some gift of tongues, or preaching, or praying - some outward sign which all could realize." [88] Of course, in the Pentecostal account only tongues served as the outward sign of the Spirit baptism itself. Neither preaching or praying is a possibility, since neither is a unique, miraculous sign and since the Samaritans had already observed both.
When we compare the Samaritans' experience with the other accounts, it is obvious that the accompanying miraculous sign was speaking in tongues. Indeed, Hoekema, who does not even believe speaking in tongues is available for the church today, comes to the same conclusion. He states, "Though we are not told in so many words that the Samaritans spoke with tongues… there must have been some public evidence of their having received the Spirit. We may therefore agree with our Pentecostal friends at that point that the Samaritans probably did speak with tongues." [89]
Acts 9 indicates that Paul received the Spirit but it gives no description of this event. As a result, the passage does not mention speaking in tongues. Paul, however, spoke in tongues frequently, for he later said, "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all" (I Corinthians 14:18). Since he taught that speaking in tongues came by the Spirit (I Corinthians 12:8-10), it is consistent to assume that he first spoke in tongues when he received the Spirit, just as everyone else did.
Like the Ephesian account, Paul's witness demonstrates that tongues was not just a one-time, unrepeatable event in the Early Church. Paul, a Jew, spoke in tongues long after the Jews at Pentecost did, and he continued to do so in his devotion and ministry.
We have investigated all five cases recorded in Scripture where people received the Holy Ghost. In three cases (Pentecost, Cornelius, Ephesus) those who received the Spirit immediately spoke in tongues. A fourth case (Samaria) does not explicitly describe any particular external manifestation but it clearly requires the presence of a miraculous, immediately identifiable outward sign, and most commentators agree this was speaking in tongues. In the fifth case (Paul) the Bible gives no description of the Spirit baptism, but later reveals that the recipient spoke in tongues throughout his Christian life.
What about other possible signs of the Spirit baptism? Acts 2 records a sound like wind and tongues like fire, but these preceded the first outpouring of the Spirit and are not mentioned in any other account. Acts 8 demonstrates that not all spiritual gifts and miracles were considered as signs. Acts 19 mentions prophecy, but only after it mentions speaking in tongues. Acts 10 mentions magnifying (praising) God, which is not a miraculous sign; more importantly, it clearly identifies speaking in tongues as the one sign sufficient in and of itself to prove that the Spirit had been given. The following table summarizes this comparison:
| Occasion | Description | |
| 1 | Pentecost | Sound like wind filled room |
| Tongues like fire (on or over each person) | ||
| Speaking in tongues (at individual filling). | ||
| 2 | Samaria | Miraculous, public sign (not named, but evidently tongues). |
| 3 | Paul | No description |
| Paul spoke in tongues often as a Christian | ||
| 4 | Cornelius | Speaking in tongues. |
| Magnification of God (praise). | ||
| 5 | Ephesus | Speaking in tongues. |
| Prophecy (probably inspired praise or testimony). | ||
Speaking in tongues is the only outward manifestation to appear in more than one account and the only one to occur at the actual moment of the individual Spirit baptism. The Book of Acts teaches that a person will speak in tongues when he receives the Holy Ghost. Therefore, speaking in tongues is the initial sign (evidence) that one has received the gift (baptism) of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus perhaps had speaking in tongues in mind when He said, "The wind bloweth where it listeth [pleases], and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). Speaking in tongues at least initially fulfills Romans 8:16, which says, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." It was also probably a factor in Paul's mind when he wrote about confessing with the mouth the Lord Jesus as part of salvation (Romans 10:9-10), for no one can truly confess Jesus as Lord except by the Spirit (I Corinthians 12:3).
Tongues in and of themselves do not save. Nevertheless, the relationship between the Spirit baptism and tongues is similar to that of faith and works. We are saved by faith, not works, yet works always accompany genuine faith. Likewise, tongues cannot save us, yet the Spirit baptism produces tongues as the initial sign.
Do tongues always accompany the baptism of the Spirit? The Book of Acts indicates this to be so; it describes tongues and nothing else as the initial sign associated with the individual filling. A Spirit baptism without tongues is a nonbiblical concept; the Bible does not discuss this possibility. We should always expect speaking in tongues when someone receives the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
Why did God choose tongues as the sign of the Spirit baptism? We must realize that God is sovereign; He can establish a plan without explaining His reasons to us. The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and God often uses unusual, foolish, or despised things in the eyes of men to accomplish His will (I Corinthians 1:25-29). Examples are water baptism for the remission of sins and prayer to the invisible God.
We must accept speaking in tongues because God chose this sign. God has historically used outward, physical signs to accompany His covenants with man and the promised blessings under those covenants. Examples are the rainbow to Noah and circumcision to Abraham.
Humans did not invent tongues in a desperate, faithless search for a tangible sign of salvation. God Himself ordained tongues for the church, and we accept His plan by faith. Tongues cannot substitute for faith in the Christian's walk with God, but God gives tongues as the confirmation of faith (Mark 16:17).
Having said this, we can identify several reasons why God chose tongues as the initial sign of the Spirit baptism.
(1) The tongue seems to be the most difficult member of the body to control. It is a small member, but it can direct, control, and defile the whole body (James 3:2-6). "The tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8). If a man cannot control his tongue his religion is vain, but if he can control his tongue he can control the whole body (James 1:26; 3:2). Before someone receives the Holy Ghost he must surrender his whole being to God, and the last member he surrenders is the tongue. When this happens, God enters and takes complete control, demonstrating His Lordship by using the most unruly member for His glory. Since the brain controls speech, this actually signifies that God has taken control of our center of consciousness, reasoning, and will - in short, the whole person.
(2) Speaking in tongues symbolizes the unity of the church. After the flood, human beings persisted in disobeying God and tried to compete with God by building the Tower of Babel. To stop their evil schemes and to scatter them, God gave them many languages instead of one (Genesis 11:1-9). Beginning with Pentecost, God reversed the process, taking people from many nations and uniting them into one spiritual family by the sign of tongues. The church contains people of every tribe, nation, and tongue, but all are one through the language of the Spirit. Speaking in tongues becomes the new language associated with citizenship in the kingdom of God.
(3) Speaking in tongues is universal in application and a valid sign under any circumstances. Regardless of a people's nationality, language, or location, they can recognize speaking in tongues when it happens among them.
(4) Speaking in tongues provides certainty about one's experience with God since it signifies the baptism of the Spirit at a certain point in time. If one has been baptized in the name of Jesus, has received the Holy Ghost with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues, and continues to obey God's Word, he can know he is saved.
Many churches deny this evidentiary role, and as a result their members struggle with uncertainty about salvation. One Protestant writer stated, "Probably the majority of Christians have a problem with assurance of salvation at some time during their Christian experience. In some cases the difficulty lingers for years… Many are those who continually trip to the altar in search of assurance - and repeatedly leave without finding it." [90] This writer also said, "A Christian may know intellectually, 'I am saved' and yet be overwhelmed by the feeling, 'I am not saved.'" [91] His solution is this: If one believes that Jesus is the Son of God and has asked Him to enter his life as Lord and Savior, then he should ignore all feelings and claim salvation. We acknowledge that salvation does not rest in human feelings, but we should certainly pay attention to conviction from God, especially if our experience does not conform to the biblical pattern.
Comments by another Protestant author demonstrate why many church members still have doubts despite the simplistic formula above: "It is possible to make a public profession of faith in Christ and be baptized and still not experience salvation. It might have been only a historic belief with no personal commitment. Your doubts may mean that you really need to be converted." [92] For example, if a prominent member of a church that teaches unconditional eternal security begins to live in open sin, the church will say he never had a genuine conversion in the beginning. This leads many to wonder how they can ever know if their own conversion is genuine. The writer quoted above often surveyed seminary students to ascertain how many once made a public confession of faith, later became convinced they were not saved, and then had a second experience which they felt to be a genuine conversion. He found that usually twenty percent fall into this category. His conclusion: "This is probably representative of most of our churches. Some of our members struggle with doubts and conclude that they have not been truly converted. It may be true of you." [93] His solution: Turn from sin, ask Christ into your heart as Savior and Lord, and believe in Him. These instructions are fine, but somehow they must be applied spiritually and not just intellectually. The Lord provides objective evidence of full commitment to Him; when one repents from sin and believes on Jesus according to the Scriptures, he will receive the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues.
Speaking in tongues is the initial sign of receiving the Spirit, but by itself it does not prove the abiding presence of the Spirit. Many more important evidences of the Spirit's abiding presence exist, such as the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). In particular, love is the ultimate test of true discipleship (John 13:34-35). The true child of God will love God, obey His commandments, walk after the Spirit, and be led by the Spirit (I John 2:3-5; Romans 8:4, 14). In the absence of these characteristics, speaking in tongues does not guarantee that the Spirit dwells in one and controls his life.
After one has received the Holy Ghost, a continual ability to speak in tongues indicates only that he has faith for that particular gift and can yield to God for that particular purpose. He might still believe false doctrine, resume a life of sin, or refuse God's leadership in other areas of life. We must always adhere to biblical doctrine, obey biblical instructions, and submit to God's Spirit in order to be saved.
Someone can have the ability to speak in tongues and not be ready to meet God, because God will always honor faith in a certain portion of His Word despite a lack of submission in other areas. This explains why God answers the prayers of sinners, fills people with the Holy Ghost before baptism in Jesus' name, and performs miracles when hypocrites preach. Many people experience miracles and preach in Jesus' name but will not be saved because they do not follow God's Word and will (Matthew 7:21-27).
Romans 11:29 says, "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." Although this verse occurs in another context, perhaps it teaches a principle with general application: once God bestows a spiritual gift He never revokes it entirely. Even if the recipient turns from God or abuses the gift, God seems to leave a portion of it to encourage the backslider to repent.
It is also possible that the human mind or spirit can "learn" to speak in tongues. When God enables someone to speak in tongues, He apparently places the words in his brain. God directs the speech but does so by using the person's physical apparatus, including brain cells, nerves, voice box, mouth, and tongue. It is possible, then, that the brain may store these words just as it stores other information. The next time God moves on the individual, He may give new words or He may activate the existing words in memory. This could explain why some people repeat the same phrases when the Spirit moves on them.
Over a period of time the brain can possibly subconsciously "learn" to activate this stored combination of words on its own. If so, even without the moving of the Spirit, the person could utter words that were at one time given by the Spirit. This would explain how some people can "speak in tongues" at will even without the moving of the Spirit or even after the Spirit has left their lives.
In addition, we should not overlook the possibility of false imitations of tongues by men or even counterfeit tongues caused by the power of Satan. Satan has power to perform many miracles, and he often tries to imitate God's work (Exodus 7:10-12; Revelation 13:2, 11-15). Some unbelievers or apostates may "speak in tongues" by the power of Satan. Of course, the existence of counterfeit tongues produced by the spirits of men or devils does not destroy the reality of biblical tongues as given by the Spirit of God.
The Bible does not teach that speaking in tongues is a necessary sign after the occurrence at the initial Spirit baptism. Just as frequent tongues speaking does not necessarily signify spirituality, so a lack of the same does not necessarily signify unspirituality. Speaking in tongues plays no further evidentiary role, except perhaps as a reminder and confirmation of the previous experience. Of course, Paul spoke in tongues frequently (I Corinthians 14:18), and those who receive the Spirit usually speak in tongues again and again throughout their lifetimes.
The gift of tongues is one of the gifts available to those who have the Spirit (I Corinthians 12:8-10). First Corinthians 12:30 implies that not everyone continues to speak in tongues on a regular basis, although it probably refers primarily to public messages.
A Spirit-filled person who does not continue to speak in tongues is no less a Christian because of it. However, if he will seek the gift of tongues, exercise faith, and yield to the Spirit just as he did at the initial experience, he can speak in tongues again. Since tongues is for private edification, we believe that God desires for him to seek and use the gift of tongues. Once received, a failure to exercise this gift may indicate a drifting away from God. The gift of tongues is available to all Spirit-filled people who ask in prayer, with persistence and faith (Matthew 7:7-11; 21:22; John 14:12-14; I Corinthians 12:31).
Paul discussed the gift of tongues in I Corinthians 12-14. He wrote the book to saved believers who were all baptized in the Spirit and thus had all spoken in tongues (I Corinthians 1:2; 12:13). His purpose was to instruct them in the use of the gift of tongues, particularly in public meetings. Since these three chapters are so important to any discussion of tongues in the church today, let us summarize their main points relative to this subject.
Verse 1: Paul's purpose is to teach about spiritual gifts.
Verse 2: The Corinthians had been totally ignorant of spiritual things before their conversion.
Verse 3: The Spirit will always exalt Jesus. No one can understand that Jesus is Lord except by the illumination of the Spirit, and no one can actually have Jesus as Lord of his life except through the power of the Spirit.
Verses 4-11: There are many spiritual gifts, but ail come from the Spirit of God for the benefit of the church. Paul listed nine: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues.
Verses 12-27: Born-again believers are all members of one body, the body of Christ. We are baptized into the one body by the one Spirit of God.
Verses 28-30: God has given different functions to various members of the body. Paul listed eight offices and gifts God has placed in the church as a whole: apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, gifts of healings, helps, governments, and diversities of tongues. Not everyone has these public offices or exercises these public gifts.
Verse 31: We should earnestly desire the best gifts.
However, there is something greater and more important than spiritual gifts.
None of the spiritual gifts is of any value without love. Speaking in tongues (whether human or angelic in origin) is useless without love. Prophecy, tongues, and knowledge will all pass away when perfection comes to the world, but love will remain forever. There are three great things in this world - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love.
Verse 1: We should follow after love but also desire spiritual gifts, particularly prophecy.
Verses 2-4: Speaking in tongues edifies (builds up, benefits) the speaker, but prophecy (inspired utterance in a tongue known by all) edifies others.
Verse 5: Paul wanted everyone to speak in tongues, but wanted even more for them to prophesy. In the church (public meeting of believers), prophecy is greater than tongues, unless the tongues is interpreted.
Verse 6-11: Without an interpretation, a public message in tongues does not profit the church as a whole.
Verses 12-14: We should seek to exercise spiritual gifts for the benefit of the whole church. Specifically, if someone gives a public message in tongues, we should pray for the interpretation.
Verses 15-19: Paul personally prayed and sang both in the spirit (i.e., in tongues) and in an understandable language. A public, representative prayer should be in the language of the hearers. Paul personally spoke in tongues more than any of the Corinthians, but in the church (public meetings) he spoke in a known language in order to teach others.
Verse 20: We must be mature in understanding when the gift of tongues is and is not appropriate.
Verses 21-22: Tongues are a sign for unbelievers, while prophecy helps believers. In other words, tongues will attract attention and inspire belief, but after that the real teaching must be done in a known language.
Verses 23-25: If everyone continually speaks in tongues in church, observers will think they are insane. However, if everyone prophesies in a known language, listeners can be led to God. Even though tongues will arrest unbelievers' attention initially, it does not benefit them if the whole service is devoted to tongues speaking.
Verses 26-31: Conclusion for public meetings. A normal church meeting can and should include psalms (songs), doctrine, tongues, revelations (spiritual truths in a known tongue), and interpretation of tongues; but all of this must be done for the benefit of everyone.
Some guidelines for implementing this principle are: (1) Let there be two or at most three public messages in tongues. (2) Take turns in giving them instead of everyone speaking at once. (3) Let someone interpret each message. (4) If there is no interpretation, the one speaking in tongues should stop giving public messages but he can speak in tongues quietly for his own private benefit. (5) Let there be two or at most three messages of prophecy. (6) The listeners should judge for themselves whether the message is of God. (7) Take turns in prophecy; everyone is allowed to prophesy.
Verses 32-33: The gift of prophecy is subject to those who exercise it. God desires that all gifts be exercised in an orderly manner in church.
Verses 34-35: Women should not disrupt church services by asking questions aloud, but should ask their husbands at home. (Of course, women can prophesy in church, I Corinthians 11:5-6 and 14:31.)
Verses 36-38: Let all acknowledge these guidelines to be of God.
Verse 39: Everyone should desire to prophesy and no one should forbid speaking in tongues.
Verse 40: We should do everything decently and in order.
(1) Speaking in tongues is a normal part of the New Testament church. Paul spoke in tongues, encouraged other believers to do likewise, gave instructions for the proper use of tongues, and commanded the church not to forbid tongues.
(2) Speaking in tongues is the same phenomenon in I Corinthians as in Acts. The Greek word is the same in both books. Paul talked about literal languages as in Acts 2, not unintelligible, ecstatic gibberish (I Corinthians 13:1).
(3) In Acts, speaking in tongues is the initial sign of the Spirit baptism, but in I Corinthians we find that tongues have two additional purposes. Specifically, speaking in tongues has continuing value for edification of the individual in personal devotion and for edification of the church as a whole when interpreted.
(4) A public message in tongues has little benefit unless it is interpreted.
(5) Tongues are very beneficial in personal devotion.
Genuine, biblical tongues speaking comes only as the Spirit of God gives the utterance (Acts 2:4). If one desires to speak in tongues, he must first receive the Spirit. He should not begin by seeking tongues, for tongues themselves are not very important. Speaking in tongues will occur automatically when he receives the Spirit even if he knows little or nothing about the evidence of tongues.
Of course, if one is not familiar with the phenomenon of speaking in tongues, he may unconsciously restrain the utterance. In such a case, the seeker should be encouraged to relax and surrender totally to God's Spirit, but in no case does he need to be "taught" to speak in tongues. Asking him to form nonsense words or repeat unknown syllables is unbiblical and wrong. It seeks to give tongues without the Spirit, and any "tongues" not inspired by the Spirit is vain babbling. Someone who has not received the Spirit should not concern himself too much with tongues but should concentrate on repenting and believing God for the Spirit.
Someone who has received the Spirit can and should seek the gift of tongues as a regular part of his life, but he should also recognize that not everyone will exercise the public gift (I Corinthians 12:28-30). It is much more important to bear the fruit of the Spirit and live a Spirit-filled life than it is to cultivate tongues speaking. Of course, the mature Christian can have both the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit.
Many people today raise objections to tongues speaking. Here is an analysis of the most prominent ones, as paraphrased from Protestant Professor Anthony Hoekema's book, What about Tongues Speaking? [94]
(1) "The Bible does not teach that every believer must seek a postconversion Spirit baptism." This objection applies to many "Pentecostal" groups, but not to the doctrine presented in this book. The Spirit baptism is part of conversion, but tongues still accompany it.
(2) "Pentecostalism implies a nonbiblical subordination of Christ to the Holy Spirit." Again, this does not apply. We believe the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, and we receive Christ when we receive the Spirit. The doctrine of the Spirit baptism thus magnifies Christ above all.
(3) "Pentecostalism tends to create two levels of Christians: those who have received the Spirit baptism and those who have not." This does not apply to us either. Since the Spirit baptism is part of conversion, it simply distinguishes true apostolic Christians from everyone else.
(4) "Pentecostalism implies that the church has not had the fulness of truth from the end of the first century to the beginning of the twentieth." Chapter 11 - The Witness in Church History: Tongues will show that speaking in tongues has existed throughout church history. In any event, history and tradition cannot stand against Scripture. Man's sin, rebellion, error, and ignorance can drastically affect the history of God's people, but this does not mean it is God's will. Israel's backsliding and subsequent captivity does not mean God desired this from the start. Actually, all of Protestantism rests on the belief that for centuries the visible church discarded many essential truths of the gospel.
(5) "A spiritual blessing does not need to be attested to by a physical phenomenon." We can accept this statement, but this does not prevent God from designating one if He so chooses, and in the case of the Spirit baptism He has done so. The Bible describes speaking in tongues as the evidence of the Spirit baptism (Acts 10:46) and as a "sign" (I Corinthians 14:22).
God often chooses a physical sign to accompany a spiritual work. Water baptism consists of both a spiritual blessing (remission of sins) and a physical manifestation that is a necessary part of it (the outward ceremony). Other examples that combine a spiritual blessing with a physical manifestation are prayer, anointing of the sick, ordination, the Lord's supper, holiness of life, and the Second Coming. The long-term evidence of the Spirit baptism is spiritual fruit, but this does not prohibit God from establishing an initial physical sign.
(6) "It cannot be proved that miracles are for the church today." We discuss this objection below in all of its variations.
The most popular argument against tongues today is that the days of miracles are over. Chapter 8 - The Baptism of the Holy Spirit established that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is for people today, so logically tongues are for today also. Below we analyze each variant of the argument that miracles, and specifically tongues, no longer occur.
(1) "Miracles were only for the apostles." We can easily disprove this statement by the 120 at Pentecost, Cornelius, and the Ephesians, all of whom spoke in tongues. Stephen and Philip, who were not of the Twelve, also performed many miracles (Acts 6:8; 8:6-7).
(2) "Only the apostles or those commissioned by them (by the laying on of hands) could perform or receive a miracle." This modification to account for the above counterexamples still fails. Ananias prayed for Paul and he received his sight (Acts 9:17-18), but absolutely nothing indicates that Ananias received a special commissioning from the Twelve. Paul and Barnabas were not of the Twelve nor commissioned by them, but God performed many miracles in their ministry (Acts 14:3).
The New Testament promises miracles to all believers without restriction or discrimination. Jesus promised that all believers could speak in tongues and experience other miracles (Mark 16:17-18). All believers can receive answers to prayer, including miracles (Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:22-24; John 14:12-14; 15:7). Local elders can pray successfully for the saints' divine healing and all saints can pray for each other's healing (James 5:14-16). Miracles and tongues are God's gift to the whole church (I Corinthians 12:8-10, 28).
(3) "Miracles were only for the days of the apostles." The passages cited above discredit this statement, for none specify a time limitation. To the contrary, each was given to all believers or to the church as a whole without restriction as to time. Paul wrote I Corinthians to the entire church of all ages, addressing it "unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours" (I Corinthians 1:2). He expressed confidence that they would "come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Corinthians 1:7). That book discusses the gifts of the Spirit, including gifts of healing, working of miracles, and kinds of tongues (I Corinthians 12:8-10), 50 Paul clearly expected the church to retain and properly use all the spiritual gifts until Christ's return.
Everyone agrees that the Great Commission applies to the church today, and so must its fulfillment. The Early Church fulfilled it: "And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following" (Mark 16:20); "God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will" (Hebrews 2:4). If we have the same Lord, the same commission, the same gospel, the same faith, and the same needy world, surely we will have the same signs accompanying and confirming our message.
I Corinthians 13:8-10 states, "Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. Some people use this passage to teach that tongues have ceased, by identifying "that which is perfect" with the completed New Testament. This argument fails for a number of reasons:
(1) The spiritual gifts, including tongues, will reside in the church until the second coming of Christ (I Corinthians 1:2, 7).
(2) This being so, it is logical to identify "that which is perfect" with Jesus Christ or, more specifically, with the Second Coming of Christ. The Greek word translated as "perfect" is teleion, which is neuter singular, but the Greek language always refers to the Scriptures in the feminine plural.
(3) Tongues will cease at the same time as prophecy and knowledge, according to verse 8. Prophecy includes inspired preaching, praising, and testifying. Obviously the church still has prophecy and knowledge.
(4) The Bible and miracles do not have interchangeable functions. The Bible presents the Word of God in written form, but God still uses miracles, signs, and spiritual gifts to confirm the Word (Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:4).
(5) In I Corinthians 13:11-13, Paul compared levels of spiritual growth to physical and mental growth, but he did not label tongues as childish. He compared our partial knowledge to the perfect knowledge we shall have when Christ returns. If we have already reached the ultimate stage, then we are more mature than Paul was, for he died before the completion of the New Testament. If speaking in tongues be childish, Paul never left the childish stage, for he continually spoke in tongues (I Corinthians 14:18).
(6) The New Testament is God's Word, but we are not yet perfect, nor is the world perfect. Perfection will come only after Christ returns.
(7) It is difficult to see how the completion of the New Testament could have put a halt to tongues, prophecy, and knowledge. Did all tongues suddenly cease when John penned "Amen" to the Book of Revelation? Did each person cease to speak in tongues when he first read the entire New Testament?
We analyzed all five biblical accounts of the Spirit baptism and concluded that tongues were present in each case. Many other passages describe believers as "filled with the Spirit" without mentioning tongues, but they refer to people who had already been baptized in the Spirit. Tongues do not necessarily accompany all subsequent experiences with God after the initial baptism.
Some conversion accounts in the Book of Acts do not specifically mention tongues. The plan of Acts is to describe a few representative conversions in detail, then briefly mention other conversions. Three very important passages describe tongues, and these detailed accounts set the pattern for the general accounts, not vice versa. No argument from silence can overwhelm or erase these explicit testimonies.
It is not surprising that speaking in tongues is mentioned no more than it is. The important things are repenting, believing, and receiving the Spirit. Tongues simply come along with the Spirit baptism and have no significance apart from this experience. Appropriately, the Bible places more emphasis on believing and receiving the Spirit, letting us know just enough to expect tongues without unduly emphasizing it.
The discussion in The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries of speaking in tongues at the conversion of Cornelius (Acts 10:45-46) makes an amazing concession for a non-Pentecostal work: "We cannot tell for certain whether the gift of tongues was the inevitable accompaniment of the coming of the Spirit." [95] In other words, it admits that on the biblical evidence tongues may have always accompanied the outpouring of the Spirit in the apostolic church. It tries to avoid this conclusion by two facts: (1) Speaking in tongues is not mentioned frequently in Acts. (2) In I Corinthians Paul indicates that not all members of the church had the gift of tongues. The first fact is explained as the Bible's way of emphasizing the Spirit baptism without placing too much emphasis on speaking in tongues in and of itself. With respect to the second, Paul was not discussing tongues at the initial Spirit baptism (which all had received). Rather, he implied that not all Spirit-filled believers exercised the subsequent gift of tongues, particularly in the sense of giving public messages in tongues.
Some points from The Pulpit Commentary with which we agree are: (1) Speaking in tongues means the miraculous utterance of a foreign language unknown to the speaker. (2) It is not the gift of a foreign language for missionary purposes. (3) It is a real language, not gibberish. (4) It can be a heavenly or a human language. (5) Speaking in tongues in Corinth was the speaking of real languages. (6) Speaking in tongues is a symbol of the unity the church has in Christ. [96]
In conclusion here are the three functions that speaking in tongues has in the New Testament church:
(1) Speaking in tongues is the initial sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4; 10:46; 19:6). This is to be distinguished in purpose from "the gift of tongues," which God grants to Spirit-filled believers subsequent to conversion.
(2) A Spirit-filled person can exercise the gift of tongues in personal devotions (whether private or congregational) for his own personal edification (I Corinthians 12:8-10; 14:1-5,14-18, 23, 28).
(3) A Spirit-filled person can exercise the gift of tongues for the edification of the local assembly. This occurs when a public message is given in tongues and interpreted (I Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30; 14:5, 12-13, 27-28).
If we understand what speaking in tongues is and the purposes for which it is given, we can correctly understand and harmonize all scriptural teaching on the subject. Speaking in tongues is a normal part of the believer's experience with God, the personal devotion of the believer, and the public meetings of the church. Most of all, we can expect a person to speak in tongues when he first receives the Holy Spirit into his life.