Tongues

By Grant Steidl

Should We Be Speaking in Tongues?
The Reason for Tongues
The Definition of Tongues
Tongues in the Acts
Tongues in the Epistles
The Purpose of Tongues
Summary
Conclusion

Should We Be Speaking in Tongues?

This question confronts Christians today as it never did before, because the tongues movement has long since burst its confinement in Pentecostal circles and has infiltrated nearly every segment of professing Christendom. Because it lacks any organizational structure or uniformity in principle and practice, the tongues movement is not easy to define.

Adherents at its fanatical fringe believe that speaking in tongues (i.e., using sounds unintelligible to others) is the only valid evidence to prove one has received the Holy Spirit. They also believe that those who do not speak in tongues are not Christians in the full sense of the word. More moderate spokesmen believe that tongues-speaking is only one of the spiritual gifts, and therefore not to be expected in every Christian's experience.

In all fairness, the vast majority of tongues-speakers claim allegiance to Jesus Christ as Savior and the Bible as the inspired Word of God. However, adherents can be found in the Roman Catholic Church, liberal Protestant churches, and even some non-Christian religions. Sometimes, people without regard for God or religion may pursue psychic sensations through tongues.

A wide range of opinion and attitude exists among those who oppose the tongues movement. Some psychologists believe that the practice of tongues leads to emotional disorders and breakdowns. Among evangelical Christians, there are frequently conflicting feelings toward tongues—sometimes ridicule, sometimes fear, and sometimes a nagging concern: “Am I missing out on a vital part of the Christian experience? Am I lacking the fullness of the Holy Spirit in my life?”

Some Christians are convinced that much of contemporary tongues-speaking results from the activity of Satan and his agents. One writer calls it, “A new movement of Satanic deception… the self-conscious self takes over and substitutes cheap excitement for real spiritual values. A love of psychic thrills is thus substituted for research in the Word of God, stunting growth into maturity.”

Of vital importance to every Christian who desires to follow the Word of God is the question: “To what extent (if any) is the experience of supernatural tongues, as recorded in the Bible, comparable to its contemporary use in the tongues movement?” To answer this question, we must carefully consider and compare the Scriptures that address this subject.

The Reason for Tongues

Let’s begin this study by quoting the only verse in the Bible which explicitly tells the reason for the gift of tongues: “Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to unbelievers” (1 Cor. 14:22). We shall consider this verse in detail later. For now, I invite you to keep it in mind as we explore the various references to tongues in the New Testament. You will be amazed by the beauty and accuracy of God’s Word as you see how all these references fit together. In every case recorded, the gift of tongues provided a sign to unbelievers.