Bible, Theology & Christian History

Say What? The Gift of Tongues: A Contemporary Analysis

By Pastor Chris Cahill · 5 minute read · First published 2024-04-25

The gift of tongues deserves more than automatic applause or an automatic eye roll. Examine the passages, contemporary claims, and different Christian understandings with disciplined discernment.

Some Christians hear tongues and recognize a familiar practice of prayer. Others hear something they do not understand and have serious questions. Both deserve a fair hearing. Let us start with Acts and Corinthians, then ask what the practice is meant to do for the people gathered.

This discussion distinguishes recognized human languages from what some Christians describe as spiritual expression. That distinction is an interpretation to examine, not a shortcut past the passages.

A Foreign Language

In the book of Acts, tongues are depicted as a miraculous manifestation of the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, believers were gathered together when suddenly, "a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them" (Acts 2:2-4, NIV).

This event served as a powerful sign of God's presence and inaugurated the spread of the gospel to diverse linguistic groups. The disciples spoke in languages unknown to them but understood by the multicultural crowd gathered in Jerusalem for the feast. This miraculous phenomenon demonstrated God's power and underscored the universal scope of His message of salvation (Acts 2:5-12).

Modern reports of speaking an unlearned language and descriptions of glossolalia make different claims. The distinction requires examination of what was spoken, who understood it, and what evidence is available. Acts 2 describes hearers recognizing languages; First Corinthians 14 discusses intelligibility and interpretation. Those passages provide a starting point for comparison rather than a verdict on every contemporary report.

Spiritual Language

In contrast to the tongues witnessed in Acts, the apostle Paul addresses the gift of tongues within the context of spiritual edification and worship in his first letter to the Corinthian church. He writes, "For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 14:2, NIV).

Here, tongues are described as a form of prayer or praise expressed in a language not understood by the speaker but intended for communication with God. Paul emphasizes the importance of interpretation in the corporate worship setting, stating, "For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding" (1 Corinthians 14:14-15, NIV).

Some denominations, usually charismatic or Pentecostals, may report instances of what they believe to be the gift of tongues. However, the authenticity and verifiability of such claims vary, and many skeptics attribute these experiences to psychological influence or cultural factors rather than supernatural intervention. For those who have not been given the gift of tongues, this is purely a doctrinal debate, whereas for those who have the gift, without effort or outside influence, there is no debate.

While both manifestations of tongues are valid expressions of the work of the Holy Spirit, it's essential to discern their distinct purposes and contexts within the broader framework of Christian faith and practice.

Paul puts love before the spectacle

Paul’s discussion of gifts places love at the center. That should slow us down before we use any spiritual experience as a badge of superiority. A congregation needs more than an impressive moment; it needs people building one another up.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV): "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing."

Paul emphasizes the importance of desiring spiritual gifts, urging believers to seek those that contribute to the edification and unity of the body of Christ:

1 Corinthians 14:1 (NIV): "Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy."

Regarding the practice of tongues in the corporate worship setting, Paul provides clear directives aimed at maintaining order and ensuring the edification of the congregation. He stresses the need for intelligibility and comprehension, asserting that speaking in tongues should always be accompanied by interpretation to facilitate understanding and spiritual growth:

1 Corinthians 14:5 (NIV): "I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified."
1 Corinthians 14:27-28 (NIV): "If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God."

In the absence of an interpreter, Paul advises individuals to speak to themselves and to God privately rather than publicly in the assembly:

1 Corinthians 14:28 (NIV): "If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God."

The aim is a church that can understand, participate, and be built up. Gifts should serve the body rather than make a stage for the gifted. Whatever our position on tongues, love and consideration are not optional extras.

Why Christians reach different conclusions

The interpretation and practice of the gift of tongues vary widely among Christian denominations. Some Pentecostal and charismatic groups believe in the ongoing validity of tongues as evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and a sign of spiritual empowerment.

On the other hand, “cessationist” traditions maintain that certain spiritual gifts, including tongues, ceased with the completion of the apostolic era and the establishment of the New Testament canon (1 Corinthians 13:8-10). According to this perspective, tongues served a specific purpose in the early church but are not normative for believers today.

Listen carefully, especially when you disagree

Read Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 14 together. Ask what the hearers understand, how interpretation works, and whether the gathering is being served. Hear a contemporary account without mockery, and examine a claim without pretending that personal certainty settles the evidence.