Time to address the misconception of this Pentecostal belief.
Growing up as a Methodist, the act of speaking in tongues was NEVER spoken of. In fact, I only learned about speaking in tongues when I became a member at a Pentecostal church, where I was promptly freaked out when I heard someone near me speak what seemed like nonsense.
As time went on, the Pentecostal leadership explained more and more what the gift of speaking in tongues was, and that it is something to pray for and desire. It was a heavenly language, an act of baptism done by the Holy Spirit himself, just like in the story of Acts during Pentecost. If you managed to do it, you knew the Holy Spirit was with you.
It appears that Pentecostal churches specifically, place high value on speaking in tongues and the outward expression of decisions and gifts that you have. Tongues spoken in churches today are thought to be languages of Heaven. A language only that an interpreter, the Holy Spirit inside of you, and God can understand. Let's see what the Scriptures say:
The New Testament Definitions
Let's find and translate the word 'tongues' in the New Testament. Of course, we will use The Blue Letter Bible for these translations. We first encounter speaking of tongues in Acts:
Act 2:3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
Act 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Act 19:6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
The word 'tongues' above translates to 'Glossa':
Tongues - γλῶσσα glōssa, gloce-sah'; of uncertain affinity; the tongue; by implication, a language (especially, one naturally unacquired):—tongue. The language or dialect used by a particular people distinct from that of other nations.
Glossa indicates a language (i.e. tongue).
But, as we read on, we can find more examples of the word 'tongue' in the English Bibles, but they end up translating differently than Glossa:
- 1Co 14:21 In the Law it is written: “With other tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me,
- Act 2:8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
- This verse translates tongue as 'Dialektos', referring to a language.
- διάλεκτος diálektos, dee-al'-ek-tos; from G1256; a (mode of) discourse, i.e. "dialect":—language, tongue.
So in summary, in the New Testament, we have three translations for 'tongues'.
- Glossa - means tongue/language.
- Heteroglossos - means foreign tongue/language.
- Dialektos - means language.
Let's examine these in the context of Pentecost and see if we can put together the real meaning behind speaking in tongues.
The Day of Pentecost
Starting with the Scripture:
Act 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
Act 2:2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
Act 2:3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
Act 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Act 2:5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
Act 2:6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.
Act 2:7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?
Act 2:8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
To summarize, the key verses are:
- Act 2:3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
- Here, 'tongues', translates to 'Glossa':
- Tongues - γλῶσσα glōssa, gloce-sah'; of uncertain affinity; the tongue; by implication, a language (specially, one naturally unacquired):—tongue. The language or dialect used by a particular people distinct from that of other nations.
- Here, 'tongues', translates to 'Glossa':
- Act 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
- Act 2:8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
- This verse shows that the language people heard was a language that they knew!
Based on the Scripture above, the languages spoken at Pentecost were NOT Heavenly languages, but normal languages that different people spoke. To put it another way. Imagine you had two groups. One spoke Language X and the other group spoke Language Y. These two groups did not speak each others languages, but at Pentecost, they each spoke each other's languages and the other group was amazed at this.
Speaking in Tongues, Post Pentecost
Besides Pentecost, there are two other places where tongues are mentioned. Let's see what they translate to:
Act 10:46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said,
Act 19:6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
In both verses, tongues translate to 'Glossa'. Which means 'a language'. The verses should actually read:
Act 10:46 For they heard them speaking in a (different) language and praising God.
Act 19:6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in a (different) language and prophesied.
The author (Luke) could also tell the language being spoken, as he could identify that they were praising God and also prophesying. If they were speaking in a 'Heavenly' language only God could understand, he would not have known this. Most likely a foreigner heard his language being spoken here.
So at this point, one has to wonder where the Pentecostal belief of a 'Heavenly Language' originates from. Luckily, Paul's letter to the Corinthian church gives us the answers we are looking for.
Addressing Paul's Letter to the Corinthians
The foundation for the Pentecostal movement of speaking in Heavenly tongues is found in Paul. In most of our teachings, we have discovered people do not understand what Paul truly means, often twisting and misinterpreting his words. Let's see if we can decode what Paul is trying to say:
1Co 12:8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
1Co 12:9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
1Co 12:10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
1Co 12:28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.
1Co 12:30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
Paul is highlighting the spiritual gifts, along with how they manifest. Regarding tongues, he always mentions that different kinds of tongues are manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Tongues once again translate to 'Glossa', which refers to the language or tongue spoken. This is further backed up when you translate 'different kinds', as this is translated as 'Genos' - which indicates a specific kind of race or ethnic group. With that in mind, Paul is indicating that different types of tongues mean different types of languages from different ethnic groups.
We have already established up until now that speaking in tongues means the following:
- You speak in a different, but Earthly language to what you would normally speak.
- People speaking in Tongues were glorifying God in this other language. This showed that the power came from the Holy Spirit. I will expand on the example given earlier to give even more clarity - if you grew up speaking Language X. You then go to a new continent, where people only speak Language Y. They have never heard of your language X before. Suddenly, with the power of the Holy Spirit, all these people start speaking language X (Your home language). You understand Language X fully and you hear these people glorifying God with it, and you are amazed that these people are speaking it! You now know the power of the Holy Spirit.
Now we come to the most used verse to back up the claim that speaking in Tongues is a Heavenly language. Chapter 14 of 1 Corinthians.
1Co 14:2 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.
1Co 14:4 Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.
1Co 14:5 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.
Keeping in mind what we have established, in verse 2, Paul says that the people who speak in tongues, speak to God and not to people. This is true, as when people speak in tongues, they glorify God by speaking to God in a foreign language. They are not turning to other people and glorifying God in that moment. That would be very weird. If I talk to my wife and look her in the eye, but then start talking to my cat, she would be very concerned about my mental state.
The next part of the verse reads "Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit". This is also true because if your church speaks Language X and you suddenly start speaking Language Y (One no one has heard before), they will not understand you and it will seem like a mystery.
With this context established, what Paul says in the next verses makes a lot more sense:
1Co 14:4 Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.
Paul is saying that speaking in tongues is selfish in this context. If everybody (Including you) in your church speaks Language Y, and you suddenly start speaking in Language X, what use is that? No one gets any value from it. However, if you have a foreigner in your church, who speaks Language X or someone who receives the gift of interpretation, and realizes the power of the Spirit, then you edify/glorify the church and God. That is what Paul means by it only being good if someone interprets.
Paul continues this theme with verses like below:
1Co 14:11 If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me.
1Co 14:12 So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church
The Gift of Interpretation
Paul tries to clarify what the gift of Interpretation of tongues truly means:
1Co 14:13 For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say.
1Co 14:16 Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer,say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying?
1Co 14:19 But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
Through these verses, Paul is continuously re-affirming that praying in tongues does not build up the Church unless what is said in this foreign language is understood by someone (Either the person praying or another person). At this point, it edifies the church. Paul is clarifying that the gift of interpretation is being able to understand the foreign language being spoken and then using that information to lift up those around.
Paul continues to drop bombshells on the Corinthian church with the following verses:
1Co 14:22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.
1Co 14:23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?
This is in line with what we have discussed in this teaching. Tongues were used to show other people the power of the Holy Spirit. It was not meant to be used inside a congregation, because if no one understands what is being said, only the person praying in tongues is edified, but not the church. In fact, this could harm the congregation by turning people away if the tongue is not interpreted.
The Conditions for Speaking in Tongues
Paul gives guidance to the congregation on how to properly speak in tongues (In a way that builds the Church)
1Co 14:27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret.
1Co 14:28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.
This concludes the chapter (If you are wondering about the 'Women should remain quiet in Church' verse, we have a whole teaching on this in our Men vs Women Teaching). Paul has given amazing guidance to the Corinthian church on how to properly navigate the gift of tongues.
Speaking in Tongues is Good
It is important to remember that speaking in tongues will always be a good thing. Paul's letter is addressed to a specific church with specific problems. The Corinthian church had problems with unruly members who were causing rowdyness and chaos within the congregation. Paul addresses this by suggesting that praying in tongues does not benefit the church unless done correctly. Paul is NOT saying praying in tongues by yourself is inherently bad, as the person praying still glorifies God and that is never a bad thing.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear that the Pentecostal understanding of speaking in tongues as a "Heavenly language" differs from the Scriptural context in the New Testament.
The term "tongues" (Glossa) refers to actual, earthly languages, and the events of Pentecost show that this gift was meant to communicate the message of God in languages previously unknown to the speaker, yet understood by others around the speaker.
Paul’s teachings in 1 Corinthians emphasize that speaking in tongues should be used to edify the church and must be accompanied by interpretation to be effective. Without interpretation, it becomes a personal experience rather than something that benefits the congregation. Ultimately, Paul's instructions guide believers to use spiritual gifts, including tongues, in ways that build up the body of Christ and do not cause confusion. This exploration highlights the importance of understanding tongues as a means of communication and a sign for unbelievers, rather than an exclusive spiritual language meant solely for private use.
I hope you enjoyed this teaching!
