What is speaking in tongues? Is it demonic? What does it look like? What is its purpose? Some people are opposed to it because they don’t understand it, but it is mentioned in the Bible and listed as one of the Gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).
These are the gifts of the Spirit:
1 Corinthians 12: (NLT) 7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,[in various tongues] while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
The initiation of speaking in tongues:
In Acts 2:5-24, the disciples received the Holy Spirit and began speaking in tongues. There were many people in the crowd in Jerusalem from other countries who spoke various languages and were there for Pentecost. These people were amazed, but there were skeptics in the crowd (in verse 13) who were saying that the people speaking in tongues were drunk. Then Peter corrected the skeptics and pointed to Joel 2:28-32 as evidence of a fulfilled prophecy of the Holy Spirit.
These skeptics said they sounded drunk, even though others could hear these “Galilean Jews” speaking in the languages of various ethnic groups from the Middle East, Mediterranean Europe, and North Africa. What happened? How can one person hear drunk babbling and another hear the gospel in their language? At first, one may think that the people speaking in tongues were each speaking different languages independently, i.e., one person speaking Greek, another Ethiopian, another Arabic, etc. But the skeptics thought they were all drunk, which means they probably heard random babbling from all of them.
Even if someone only spoke one language, they would be aware of the existence of other languages, especially in the Levant, which is right in the middle of Eurasia. So people living there would have been used to others speaking foreign languages. Therefore, it seems illogical for these people to conclude that all these individuals were drunk because they were speaking a different language. Wouldn’t a person assume that the orator is simply talking to one group of people who share that language, since they speak a foreign language?
So why did they think the people were babbling drunkards? What if it wasn’t one spirit-filled person each speaking a foreign language, but rather all of them were babbling in the natural, and only those whom God opened the ears of through the Spirit heard the gospel in their language? That means that only the people who heard the interpretation were amazed, and those who called them drunk couldn’t hear because their spiritual ears were closed.
Jeremiah 5:21 says, “the hard-hearted people have eyes that can’t see and ears that can’t hear”, which Jesus quoted in Mark 8:18 when talking about the hard hearts of the Jews in his day. Paul also mentions the hard hearts of the 1st-century Jews in 1 Corinthians 2:9, when quoting Isaiah 64:4. Here, Paul discusses the Spirit’s ability to reveal once-hidden truths.
1 Cor 2:6 Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. 7 No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. 9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”[Isa 64:4]
10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. 11 No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. 12 And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. 13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. 14 But people who aren’t spiritual[g] can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others.
So there was a supernatural reunification of languages through the Holy Spirit for those with “ears to hear” (Matt 13:9-17, Isa 6:9-10). In other words, this was a reversal of the Tower of Babel incident from Genesis 11. Genesis 11 states that all humans spoke one language, and they rebelled against God, building a tower to the heavens. As a result, God supernaturally divided their languages. This is the biblical explanation for the existence of multiple languages.
Hypothetical scenario, if a modern person were to travel back in time to that location and record it with their phone, it would simply sound like babbling. But if that time traveler (let’s assume an English speaker) was a believer and filled with the Spirit, I believe the Spirit would have allowed them to personally hear the gospel in their language, even though modern English hadn’t yet developed. This shows that speaking in tongues is not just about translation but also involves “babbling” like a drunkard in the natural, which is then interpreted supernaturally into a language that everyone can understand.
Paul’s usage of this gift:
Sometimes people quote 1 Cor 14:33 which says that “God is not the author of confusion (or disorder)” as a scripture against tongues, but this is the same chapter in which Paul endorses it so the confusion is not related to the act of praying in the Spirit its related to how it is done in the assembly.
1 Cor 14:18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than any of you. 19 But in a church meeting, I would rather speak five understandable words to help others than ten thousand words in an unknown language.
1 Cor 14:27 No more than two or three should speak in tongues. They must speak one at a time, and someone must interpret what they say. 28 But if no one is present who can interpret, they must be silent in your church meeting and speak in tongues to God privately. 29 Let two or three people prophesy, and let the others evaluate what is said. 30 But if someone is prophesying and another person receives a revelation from the Lord, the one who is speaking must stop. 31 In this way, all who prophesy will have a turn to speak, one after the other, so that everyone will learn and be encouraged. 32 Remember that people who prophesy are in control of their spirit and can take turns. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people
In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul addresses the problem of disorganization in worship gatherings. Some people would get up and start praying in tongues, while others would prophesy, all amid a sermon or discussion. Paul asked for an order in service. This is why we have an “order of service” in modern churches today. Typically, it involves elements such as pre-service prayer, praise and worship, a sermon, a benediction, and an offering, all presented in a specific order. His point was that the Holy Spirit doesn’t take control of people and force them to do something; the Holy Spirit leaves control in the hands of the person, so they must wait their turn and not talk over each other. This way, everyone can speak, the message is delivered, and new believers aren’t confused. The ultimate message is that when we operate in love, we will follow an orderly structure, enabling people to receive the word of God for that meeting and be edified.
Furthermore, Ephesians 6:18 says to “pray in the Spirit at all times.” Romans 8:26 says, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words”.
However, according to 1 Corinthians 14:1-19, when assembled (as a congregation), tongues must be interpreted for the church’s edification. In verse 5, Paul says he wishes that all the believers at Corinth could speak in tongues. Still, more importantly, he hopes they had the gift of prophesying for the edification of the whole assembly because speaking in tongues without interpretation is not fruitful for a congregation. This is summed up in verses 18-19, which were quoted above.
Lastly, when the gift is ministered TO the congregation, everyone must be silent so that the interpreter and the interpretation hear the tongues speaker is given. This is distinct from united or corporate prayer, where people pray in a group. When praying in tongues in private, we are simply ministering to God and praying out his perfect will (Rom 8:26). 1 Corinthians 14, as a whole, discusses expressing God’s will to the congregation through prophecy, but also through tongues; this is a distinct operation from personal prayer and edification. 1 Corinthians 14:4 says, “ A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church.” Praying in tongues to God can be done in a corporate setting; in this case, there is no need for an interpreter, as it is not a message from God to the congregation, unlike prophecy. It is a united group of people praying to God together, like in Acts 2:1 and 4:23-31.
Conclusion:
The conclusion I get is that praying in the spirit for personal prayer time is fine because we are praying to God (1 Cor 14:4) and not for other to understand and it is for God’s perfect will without interference from the limitations of our error-prone minds (Rom 8:26, Ep 6:18). In addition, this can be extended to group assembly where everyone is praying to God. However, when the gift is ministered to the group, there must be an interpretation of the language of the people assembled so that they can hear God speaking through the speaker prophetically. This is often how prophecy is given in the New Covenant. It must be interpreted so that the prophecy given can be understood, for the edification and exhortation of the comfort of the people hearing (1 Cor 14:3). The difference is orientation.
Different people have different views on this. There is a debate about whether it is merely a supernatural translation of foreign languages or a purely spiritual language that the spirit must interpret for an assembly when spoken in public. One question is, why would there be a separate gift of interpretation if it were just the ability to speak any language? Others don’t do it because they believe it is bad, even though it is a gift of the spirit. Some believe that the gifts of the Spirit from 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 have ceased since the first century, even though there are no scriptures that suggest God’s gifts would terminate at a specific time. To each their own. Here is a critical aspect of it: denying speaking in tongues and calling it “the devil’s language” is heresy, according to Paul. Read what he wrote at the end of 1 Corinthians chapter 14 (v37-40).
1 Cor 14:37 If you claim to be a prophet or think you are spiritual, you should recognize that what I am saying is a command from the Lord himself. 38 But if you do not recognize this, you yourself will not be recognized. 39 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and don’t forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But be sure that everything is done properly and in order.
He says that tongues are not to be forbidden, but they must be done in order. In addition, he says that anyone who calls themselves a prophet and denies his prescription for using the gifts of the Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and prophecy, as mentioned in this chapter, is to be unrecognized. So, Paul discredits people who reject the gift of speaking in tongues as false teachers.
Baptism of the Holy Spirit:
Baptism of the Holy Spirit is defined as receiving the power of God as a believer and is typically accompanied by the outward evidence of speaking in Tongues. There is a distinction between the indwelling and infilling of the Holy Spirit. Those two terms come from John 14:16-17, which states that the Holy Spirit will dwell with us and shall be in us. The way I was taught is that there is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which occurs when we get saved. The disciples received the Holy Spirit because they believed in Jesus, and in John 20:22-23. However, they were instructed to remain in Jerusalem until Pentecost (Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8) to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. The infilling of the Holy Spirit refers to the distribution of the power that Jesus spoke of in Acts 1:8. This is the power to be His witnesses as we evangelize the gospel. It is the power of the gift of the Spirit that Paul discusses in 1st Corinthians 12.
Why does speaking in tongues appear more than any other gift of the Spirit (Mark 16:17, Acts 2:1-4, Acts 10:44-48, Acts 19:1-7)? Could it be that it has a significant role in the lives of believers? In Mark 16:16-18, speaking in tongues is bundled with other signs that follow believers, such as exorcism, healing, supernatural protection from deadly animals, and accidental ingestion of dangerous substances. Suppose it is merely a supernatural translation, necessary for translation purposes. Why could Peter preach to the multilingual multitude in one language in Acts 2:14-41 after they spoke in tongues initially in Acts 2:1-4? Peter didn’t speak in tongues when he started preaching. He spoke in a language that everyone understood and explained that the prophecy from Joel 2:28-32, about God’s people being filled with His promised Holy Spirit, was poured out on those who received Jesus as Savior. Afterward, 3,000 people became believers in Christ at the end of his speech, so they understood him without any problem. This demonstrates that it is not merely a supernatural phenomenon, akin to Google Translate, because it wasn’t necessary for translation; instead, it was a sign to show that God was reaching out to all nations and unifying them into one Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven, ruled by Jesus Christ. In addition, according to Paul’s other writings (1 Cor 14, Rom 8:26, Eph 6:18), praying in tongues (or praying in the Spirit) serves to edify believers and speak the perfect will of God in prayer.
Furthermore, when Peter ministered to the household of the Gentile proselyte Cornelius in Acts 10:34-48, the entire family believed and received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and they began speaking in tongues (Acts 10:44-48). Why did they need to speak in tongues? They all lived in the same house, so surely they shared a common language for communication. Unlike Acts 2, this moment didn’t involve multitudes of Jews from other countries; it was a single household, yet they all spoke in tongues. Acts 19:1-7 presents a scenario where Paul encountered a group of 12 men in Ephesus who had been baptized by John but hadn’t yet received Jesus. Paul then ministered to them the gift of salvation, and they were baptized in the name of Jesus. They received the Holy Spirit and started speaking in tongues. These men were all living in Ephesus at the time, and one could presume they all spoke the same language, so again, why would there need to be a supernatural translation? Speaking in tongues is about communicating with God on a deeper level, one that is only available to believers in Christ who are filled with the Holy Spirit. It can be to God in private or corporate prayer, or from God through a speaker and interpreter by the Spirit, similar to prophecy.
Some say speaking in tongues is a “heavenly language”, distinct from human languages. I don’t think it is necessary ot believe that. I believe that the original pre-Babel language was a combination of all languages, and that Acts 2 was a reverse of Genesis 11. Instead of heaven speaking a distinct language, it is just the original language before the division of languages. I believe the language that Adam and God said is the same one Noah’s family spoke before the Tower of Babel. So, speaking in tongues includes all earthly languages because they were all fractured from one original language at Babel. Learn more about this here.