What the Bible Means by Tongues
Speaking in tongues is the best-known mark of the Pentecostal and charismatic movements, and for many believers it stands at the heart of their experience of God. Before we weigh what is practiced today, we need to know what the Bible itself describes. Scripture speaks of tongues in only a few places: the Lord's promise in Mark 16, three accounts in Acts, and Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 12 to 14. Read together, they give one consistent picture.
The Spirit-given ability to speak a real human language the speaker had never learned, so that hearers who knew that language heard the wonderful works of God (Acts 2:11).
From the Greek glōssa (tongue, language) and laleō (to speak). The word is used today for the modern practice of speaking in fluent, language-like sounds that belong to no known language. That practice is examined in Modern Tongues.
- Tongues were known human languages (Acts 2:4–11).
- They were a sign to unbelieving Israel and, when interpreted, a means of building up the church (1 Corinthians 14:21–22; 1 Corinthians 14:5).
- Not every believer had the gift (1 Corinthians 12:29–30).
- Paul regulated the gift strictly and preferred understanding (1 Corinthians 14:19; 1 Corinthians 14:40).
When the Bible speaks of tongues, does it mean real languages, or a heavenly speech that no one on earth can understand?
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For Deeper Study
- The Modern Tongues MovementAmazon Robert G. GromackiA Baptist scholar's careful study of the biblical gift of tongues and of modern claims to it.
- What About Tongue-Speaking?Amazon Anthony A. HoekemaA short, fair evaluation of tongues from Scripture, written by a Reformed theologian.
- The Final Word: A Biblical Response to the Case for Tongues and Prophecy TodayAmazon O. Palmer RobertsonA study of tongues and prophecy in the New Testament, including tongues as a sign to Israel.
- Charismatic ConfusionAmazon Ernest PickeringA Baptist pastor's examination of charismatic teaching, including tongues, in the light of Scripture.
- Strange FireAmazon John MacArthurA 2013 critique of the charismatic movement, with chapters on the biblical gift of languages.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
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Modern Tongues
The speaking in tongues practiced today is not the biblical gift of languages but learned, language-like speech, so believers should test every experience by Scripture and rest their assurance in Christ alone.
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