Q: As a Christian, is it important to speak in tongues? Is speaking in tongues meant for every Christian? Thanks. —Oloruntoba
A: Here’s what we know about speaking in tongues:
• The first occurrence of speaking in unknown tongues in the Bible involved God’s judgment at the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9).
• The next reference to tongues was in Isaiah’s warning to Israel of a coming judgment by a nation that would speak to them in another language (Isaiah 28:11-12; 1 Corinthians 14:21).
• At Pentecost, tongues were a sign confirming Peter’s words indicting Israel for their rejection and crucifixion of the Messiah (Acts 2:12-36).
• On the Day of Pentecost, tongues were also a sign to the disciples of the coming of the Spirit (Acts 2:2-4,16-18).
• At Pentecost, the Spirit enabled the disciples to speak in real dialects previously unknown to the speakers (Acts 2:5-11).
• Tongues were a sign to unbelievers, not believers (1 Corinthians 14:22).
• Speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues were supernatural gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:10,28).
• God bestowed the gift on tongues and interpretation of tongues on some but not all believers (1 Corinthians 12:30).
• Tongues-speaking was of lesser importance than prophecy and of far less importance than love (1 Corinthians 12:31; 13).
•Paul said that the gift of tongues “will cease” (1 Corinthians 13:8).
• The gift of prophecy was better than tongues because it edified the church (1 Corinthians 14:1-4).
• At best, uninterpreted tongues could only edify the speaker (1 Corinthians 14:4).
• Unregulated speaking in tongues sometimes led to confusion (1 Corinthians 14:7-12).
• In Corinth, public speaking in uninterpreted tongues had no value (1 Corinthians 14:13-19).
• Unregulated tongues could be a hindrance in the salvation of others (1 Corinthians 14:23).
• Since tongues could be counterfeited, public tongues-speaking had to be strictly regulated (1 Corinthians 14:26-40).
• Public tongues-speaking was to benefit and build up the body (1 Corinthians 14:26).
• Only two or three were to speak in tongues in a service, and they were to speak in turn (1 Corinthians 14:27,30).
• Tongues were not to be used in church without supernatural interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:28).
• Women were not to speak in tongues in the church (1 Corinthians 14:34).
• A proper and orderly atmosphere in church services was to be maintained (1 Corinthians 14:40).
• Acts and 1 Corinthians are the only new Testament books that refer to tongues-speaking.
• Tongues-speaking was not the universal evidence of the baptism of the Spirit, because while every true believer is baptized by the Spirit, not all believers spoke in tongues (1 Corinthians 12:13). —Herb Vander Lugt
For more reading on this subject, check out this online booklet: What about speaking in tongues?
Feel free to submit a “you choose Q” to ODJ by using the contact us form on the home page!
cali4ange on January 11, 2012 at 6:35 pm
Speaking in tongues is a gift, everyone is given a gift that God has for you. So it is not important if you can’t speak in tongues. You may have a gift that others do not have.
I believe that any verse can be taken out of context, just staying a quote mean it’s a fact, you need to look at the context of where the quote is coming from.
The Holy Spirit guides us and leads us to communicate to God, through whatever gifts He has given to you.
cali4ange on January 11, 2012 at 6:40 pm
When it comes to speaking in public, yes, you can’t unless someone else has the gift to interpret tongues, otherwise, others will not understand what you are talking about.
What you can do is ask God to give you a gift, and to help you find the gift that He has for you.
daisymarygoldr on January 13, 2012 at 7:46 pm
“Tongues” means languages in modern English. Not divine language, angel’s language, or prayer language. It is natural, human languages and just that. When ‘tongue(s)’ is replaced with the word ‘language(s)’, we can get the right interpretation—the meaning God actually intended for the use of tongues.
At Babel, languages divided people apart due to distrust— as humans fuelled by fear and misunderstanding became parochial captives of their own languages. At Pentecost, this disunity was overcome by the gift of the Holy Spirit. The languages were previously unknown to the speakers but known and understood by foreign listeners.
At Corinth, carnal Christians caused confusion with the spiritual gift that enabled them to speak non-native languages. Although not their mother tongue, these languages were known to the speakers but unknown to the unlearned listeners.
Speaking new languages (Mark 16:17) was a sign for Jewish unbelievers that God’s plan included saving people from Gentile nations as well. Being a gifted linguist himself, Paul preferred praying and preaching in the language that is understood by all—for the benefit of the church.
1 Corinthians 14:34 does not say women were not to speak in languages. This implies a woman is free to speak in English at an English-speaking church but not in French even if it got interpreted. It does not make any sense. In summarizing his lecture (1 Corinthians 11-14) on orderly worship, Paul’s instruction for women was: to not speak in general, during church meetings.
To answer the above Q: in cosmopolitan societies, to speak in languages other that one’s native tongue is important for purposes of evangelization and useful for the edification of members in multilingual congregations. It is not meant for every Christian but for those who have been called to serve such mixed cultural groups.
Born and raised in the melting pot of an industrial community, I grew up among Christians who are equipped with the gift of multiple languages. Sermon messages are translated simultaneously in four different languages and the same songs are sung together in six different dialects. Once, the church also had the privilege to evangelize and win over some wandering gypsies who taught us to sing in their language. Truly, it is a foretaste of heaven when diverse ethnicities worship God together as one body of Christ.
In conclusion, the gift of tongues and all spiritual gifts are in operation until the time of perfection—the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns (1 Corinthians 1:7-8). When we will stand in God’s presence and see Him face to face, languages will no longer be necessary. For then, people from every nation, tribe, and language (Revelation 7:9) will join in to worship God in a universal language of— love.