WHY SPEAK IN TONGUES?
A study in I Corinthians 14
Pastor Ken Miller
“Visa, its everywhere you want to be. Don’t leave home without it” is a slogan of the popular credit card. It reminds me of the words of Jesus in Acts 1.4-5, where our Lord commanded His followers not to leave Jerusalem without the “Promise of the Father”. This is clearly a reference to the infilling of the Holy Spirit that Jesus went on to call the “Baptism with the Holy Spirit” in verse 5.
Jesus’ early followers obeyed, but today we have many genuine lovers of the Lord Jesus who leave “home” constantly and venture out without the “Promise of the Father”, and as always is the case when we disobey the Lord, they miss out on the best He has for them.
It is my intention with this study to set forth a simple and reasoned approach to the subject of “speaking in tongues”, and since in the Book of Acts we see that when the Holy Spirit is said to “fill” or “baptize” or to be “received” or be “poured out on” or “fall upon”, we also see that these ones “spoke in tongues”. (see Acts 2.4; Acts 9.17 with I Cor 14.18; Acts 10:44-47; Acts 11.15-17 with Acts 1.5; Acts 19.1-6)
It should be mentioned, for completeness sake, that in Acts 8 Phillip took the Word of God to Samaria, and the people there believed and were baptized (verse 12). In verses 14-17 apostles were sent down from Jerusalem to lay hands on and pray for the new converts to “receive the Holy Spirit, for as yet He had fallen upon none of them”. Here it isn’t recorded what Simon saw that so moved him to offer money to Peter for the ability to lay hands on people that they would receive the Spirit. It could have been speaking in tongues; it could have been something else. There is no need, and indeed wouldn’t be right, to force that meaning on the text. What this event does show is that all those who put their faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins, surely have the Holy Spirit of God with them and in their lives. (Romans 8.9) Yet the passage shows clearly that there is another work of the Triune God for the believer. Let the heavenly record show that four times in the gospels Jesus is called the “One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit”. (Matt 3.11; Mark 1.8; Luke 3.16; John 1.33) Once again the Father promises the Holy Spirit baptism in Luke 11.13 where we have the words of Jesus stating “how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him”. This promise shows that the baptism of the Spirit is not an experience automatically received at the time of salvation, but an encounter with the Holy Spirit to be received just as the first followers of Jesus Christ did.
What is "speaking in tongues"? According to Acts chapter 2.4 it is the supernatural speaking of a believer in a language given him by the Holy Spirit. “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance”. They were speaking in other tongues, not the ones they knew. Valid languages, ones the multitudes outside the upper room knew for “we hear each in his own language” is what they said. Note also verse 11, “we hear them speaking in our own languages the wonderful works of God.” Some have made the objection to speaking in tongues that “if I don’t know what I’m saying, maybe I’m blaspheming God, or something equally as terrible”. Let that excuse be put to rest for what Jesus Christ pours out (Acts 2.33) you don’t have to be afraid to speak.
As we continue it should be mentioned that the apostle Paul in his writing to the church at Corinth was addressing folks who believed in “speaking in tongues”. He didn’t have to tell them it was for today, and valid, and not of the devil, and not a false gift like some preachers today. No, Paul wrote from I Corinthians 11.18f through chapter 14 to a church that was meeting together and was so excited about prophesying, speaking in tongues, interpreting, singing, and sharing that they weren’t mannerly about it. He was calling for order in the church when they came together so that all would be encouraged and strengthened, not just the ones who were sharing.
Let’s look at chapter 12 of Corinthians as necessary introduction for our excursion in chapter 14. I want to do away with the excuse that some have for not speaking in tongues by blaming it on Paul who in verse 30 raises the question “do all speak with tongues?” And I want to agree with the apostle whole-heartedly. For he is dealing here with the aforementioned gift of “varieties of tongues” verse 10 and 28. This is indeed a special gift, like the rest mentioned in verses 8-10, where the recipient has the ability to speak in more that one, and probably multiple languages as the Spirit gives him utterance (or the ability to speak). This gift is usually exercised when the body meets together and the speaker addresses the church itself, and must always be accompanied by the companion gift of “interpretation of tongues”. Unlike the language received when the believer is filled with the Spirit, these tongues, or languages, are to be used to edify the body as long as they are interpreted.
Just as all Christians are to have faith, but not all will have the special gift of faith mentioned in verse 9, so all Spirit-baptized believers may speak in their own language of prayer and praise, but not all will have the “varieties of tongues” gift.
Now to a look into what the 14th chapter of Corinthians says about speaking in “tongues”. It is important to remember that Paul here is addressing the problem of tongues addressed to the church body when the family of God is meeting together, and there is no interpretation of those tongues. In doing so he carefully explains other relevant matters about speaking in tongues, and it is here that we can pick up some wonderful and practical information about our subject.
1) He who speaks in a tongue is speaking to God, not men (verse 2) This is contrasted to the person prophesying in verse 3, who is said to be speaking to men. When we speak in a tongue we are told that we are speaking mysteries to God! I like it! In verse 14 Paul notes that when one prays in a tongue “his spirit prays”. We all have a deep part of us. We know that there is a part of us that feels, and loves, and longs to worship our Lord beyond what our understanding will take us. We are told here that our spirit is talking to God, and in verse 15-17 Paul writes further, saying that when we “bless with the spirit” (speak in a tongue) “we give thanks well”; but if we are doing it loudly in church how will someone uniformed in these things agree with us seeing he can’t understand what we say?
Someone has asked, “but what good is speaking in tongues?” Well, here you have it! You give thanks well to the Lord, speaking from your spirit directly to His. Remember on the day of Pentecost when the upper room bunch spilled out into the street, and it was said of them by the Jews from around the world that they “heard them speak in our own tongues the wonderful works of God”. Perfect praise is the good of speaking in the language the Holy Spirit gives the believer.
2) He who speaks in a tongue strengthens and builds up himself (verse 4). This, the apostle writes, is in contrast to the one who prophesies, because that one edifies or strengthens the church. If the one who addresses the church in a tongue interprets, then his message from the Lord is of equal worth to the one who prophesies.
But tell me truly people, who among us can’t use some strengthening? Who is the believer so strong that comfort and admonition wouldn’t be in order in his or her life? Truly the scripture says, “he who speaks in a tongue edifies himself”. What blessing we are missing out on when we refuse what the Spirit of God so graciously offers to us as a means of our spiritual building.
In Jude 20 it is written “But you, dearly beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.” This is just one passage that before one experiences the blessing of the baptism with the Holy Spirit, you just aren’t sure what in the world brother Jude is going on about. But once you begin to pray with the spirit (I Cor 14.15) you realize that your spirit is indeed yielding to the Holy Spirit (Acts 2.4 “they spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” and you understand what “praying in the Holy Spirit” is. A prayer made by our spirit, directed by the Holy Spirit, powerful and dynamic and useful in building up our faith.
3) Praying in a tongue, that is, praying in the Spirit, is to be for others. Ephesians 6.18 “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints”. Our prayers in the language the Holy Spirit gives us and enables us to speak, is our spirit directed by the Holy Spirit and we are told here to pray for other saints.
Who among us couldn’t use help beyond our understanding to pray for other Christians who are undergoing hardships, sicknesses, persecution, etc? The Holy Spirit is looking for yielded vessels who won’t waste their time in unbelief about His ways of working, and will just get on board the intercession ship “Prayer in the Spirit”. Some dear saint is waiting for us to pray effectively in tongues, directed by the Holy Spirit, for their encouragement or healing or deliverance, and what do they get? Some excuse laden argument for why “speaking in tongues” isn’t for today.
I implore anyone hearing or reading this to refresh yourself again in the pages of the Bible, and listen for the truth that wants to come to your heart and bless you, and bless others through you. Prayer with the understanding has its place, as verses 15-17 of I Cor 14 states, but so does prayer in tongues, or prayer in the spirit. So let’s pray!
Some final thoughts:
Paul wished that all the church there at Corinth spoke in tongues. 14.5 I know that he is speaking this in the context of prophesy, and tongues and interpretation. However if speaking in tongues is to be avoided, or is false, or not for today, why would he even say such a thing?!
Paul went so far as to affirm that his speaking in tongues was something to be thankful to God about! 14.18 How about it believer, when was the last time you said “Thank You Jesus for the gift of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues!” Paul wasn’t ashamed to say it.
Speaking in tongues can be controlled by the one speaking! 14.27,28 Paul admonishes the believers in Corinth that if there is no one to interpret a message in tongues, then there is to be no message spoken for the church to hear. “But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church”. The tongues that the Holy Spirit gives utterance to are no ecstatic, uncontrollable spectacle, such as has disgraced the church of Jesus Christ on occasion in some meetings. Let it be said that as long as Christians are folks on the way to perfection there will be some fleshly performances, but these ones can usually be taught the way to edify the church without acting like idiots. I’ve heard testimonies that were enough to make one blush, and we don’t dispense with them; we admonish and teach and go on.
Private prayer in tongues has a place in the believer’s life 14.28 Unlike some teach, Scripture does too give place to speaking in tongues in the believer’s private prayer life.
Verse 28 “let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.”
Could it be more plain that it was fine by Paul to speak in tongues privately, strengthening oneself and others, speaking praises and thanksgiving to God? I think so.
In Conclusion:
"Speaking in tongues" is for some reason a touchy subject. I want to be plain. This is a truth, but it is only one truth out of many in God’s Word. It’s meant to bless God’s people, not be the only thing they hear about for ten years at a time. The truth of the Holy Spirit Baptism is tremendously important; but so are a host of other teachings in the Bible, and we need them all, in balance, to become mature and strong in Jesus. There will be good Christian people who disagree with me, and I can live with that. They are as born again as I am, have light in other areas where I don’t, and can and do live godly lives. I can and do learn from pastors and Bible teachers who say they don’t have the experience of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and in some cases teach against it. I think that teaching against speaking in tongues is unwise, as Paul said “forbid not to speak in tongues”; but I don’t believe that those who do ought to be ridiculed or derided. I do think that they are missing a big blessing, and my prayer for them is that they would come on in, cause the water is fine!
Now that I mention it, water might serve as a good analogy. A person who can’t swim can stand on the banks of the lake all day, shouting to us that swimming isn’t possible, and we’ll go right on swimming. Because we swimmers know that it is possible to swim. Maybe not all have to swim, but swimming is possible.
They can tell me swimming isn’t for anyone but the first-century swimmers, and I’ll just keep on happily swimming away. Maybe they’ll say I have the false gift of swimming, or that I can only swim in public, that there is no private swimming for me. But I know better. Why? Because I have the experience of swimming, and this experience is perfectly in line with all the science of the human body, and of the composition of water. According to the books of science, I should be able to swim if I want to. And I do want to, so away I go.
The baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues is like swimming in that way. No matter who tells me I can’t or shouldn’t, I just keep on speaking in tongues. And I’m not alone. Paul was a tongue-talker in his day, as was the bunch at Corinth, and Cornelius’ house, and the 120 on the day of Pentecost, and the disciples in Acts 19, and so on. And we have the textbook, the Bible, that tells us that we can too swim, oops, I mean speak in tongues. If someone doesn’t want to, well, I guess they don’t have too. And they can be smarter than me, and better looking, and hold more degrees from a seminary than I do. But if you’ll notice, I’m still swimming, I mean, well you know what I mean by now. There’s just one more thing. Maybe you don’t have to swim; now. But someday you just might find that you have either got to swim, or know someone who does. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, I thank you for the gift of your son Jesus on the cross for people like me. And I also thank you that in your wisdom You have seen fit to send your blessed Holy Spirit in the way that you have, with speaking in tongues and all. May your church reach out in faith for all that You have for us, in whatever way Your Word says we are to receive it, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
