The Bible & Tongues

Tongues in the Bible and Contesting Views

Within the Bible, many issues surrounding the modern church color the nature of discourse and the continuation of particular doctrine. Among these, spiritual gifts are often the most considered and contested by believers. Notably, in the sphere of biblical theology, a pronounced schism exists between cessationism, originating in Reformed theology due to apprehensions about miracles in Roman Catholicism, and continuism of tongues. Despite the gift of tongues being regarded as a secondary doctrine within the canon's framework, the controversies surrounding this pivotal concern remain. 

1 Corinthians 14:1-5 features Paul describing that the careful believer should strive for gifts that build up their spiritual exhortation, character, and the nature of the church. Many regard this manner of tongue as angelic, "Paul’s phrase “If I speak with the tongues of angels” in 1 Cor 13:1, his references to revealing mysteries (14:2) and speaking with God (14:28), and his cryptic mention in 2 Cor 12:4 to heavenly visions which he is incapable of expressing in human terms" all point to an otherworldly language (Johnson, 1992, p. 597). Thus, while unintelligible human languages might be a probable assertion, Jewish apocalyptic literature and the nature of tongues in Acts 2 would suggest otherwise (Johnson, 1992, p. 597). He notably opens this chapter with the following, "Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy" (1 Cor. 14:1 ESV). This connects with 1 Corinthians 12:31, where Paul calls the congregation to earnestly desire the higher gifts, segueing into the influence of love in making one not merely a "noise gong or a clangy cymbal" (1 Cor. 12:31-13:1). Ciampa and Rosner (2020) bring to light the reality of this perhaps conceited worship, “. . . Paul has heard about the behavior that was humiliating poorer members of the church during the Lord's Supper and about the superiority that was being attributed to certain members” (p. 134). Many thought that the gifts signaled spiritual works and their presence as more evident within them (Ciampa & Rosner, 2020, p. 136). In this sense, the spiritual gifts at hand denigrated fellow believers instead of building the church up in worship and practice. Instead of pursuant love as the formatted basis for gifts, some Corinthians have abused these gifts. Gardner (2018) notes, "The pursuit of love thus sets the right perspective, though not for seeking greater grace-gifts as if there is some hierarchy (12:31) but for seeking 'spiritual things' (πνευματικά)" (p. 590). The transliteration of this Greek term, pneumatikós, most likely refers to attributes belonging or emanating by the "Divine Spirit," the same one which has imparted gifts of healing, knowledge, and wisdom throughout 1 Corinthians 12 (Strong, 1996, p. 1291). 

In a greater sense, 1 Corinthians 14:2 describes the iffy nature of these gifts in the context of God's Kingdom. The integral verse reads, "For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit." The person who has accepted the Spirit and speaks "in a tongue," therefore, can only be understood by God (Gardner, 2018, p. 591). Herein lies the problem - The unintelligibility of tongues means that it often cannot build up other believers within the church. From Gardner (2018), "This communication with God is delivered in sounds or a language that cannot normally be understood" (p. 592). Unlike the evangelistic situation mainly applied as a framework in Acts 2:1-3, "Paul views tongues as a form of prayer and praise, but in a language that the speaker does not understand . . . Paul expected tongues in Corinth in most cases to be unknown languages" (Thielman, 2008, p. 2211). Further, Strevanus et al. (2023) describe how this misrepresentation overestimates glossolalia, since the account of Acts features no explicit indication that speaking in tongues is a sign of being baptized in the Spirit (p. 4). This is additionally confirmed by the fact that a total of 120 people at Pentecost were not speaking in tongues (Strevanus et al., 2023, p. 4). For a gathered congregation, such communications are considered highly inappropriate. Biblical tongues are “speaking in other languages,” and “those speaking ecstatic utterances do not have the biblical gift of tongues” (Schreiner, 2018, p. 130). Christ's coming is instituted in the present and future to reveal God's mercies, not shield them behind an indiscernible spiritual language, along with his purposes and love (Gardner, 2018, p. 591). Verbrugge (2008) considers the speculative notion that this language is falsely "mystified," in that people speaking an unknown language in the Bible has inadvertently resulted in the understanding of those who hear and comprehend the linguistics. However, the text seems to clearly indicate that this "ecstatic speech" is distinct from both the Pentecost and the Tower of Babel, and thus cannot be conflated with the expression of distinct but intelligible languages. Clearwaters (1972) asks his readers, concerning this parallel, to "Note the historical progression in the Book of Acts, which is a transition book, in contrast to Paul’s didactic Corinthians epistle" (p. 35). This hinges from Paul's explanation that spiritual gifts derive from a common source, "namely the Spirit who bestows gifts differently among the community" (Longenecker & Still, 2014, p. 128). The corporate filter through which Paul's discussion is extrapolated is one that stresses "the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (1 Cor. 12:7). 

Through the rest of this short passage, Paul establishes a sort of hierarchical distinction between tongues and prophecy as beneficial and edifying spiritual gifts. Paul returns to the specific gift of prophecy in verses 20-25, in which he establishes that the "contrast between 'tongues' and 'prophecy' as they are employed by the Corinthians offers a key to understanding how 'love' ought to be the controlling factor in discerning the function of 'spiritual things' when used in the gathered community" (Gardner, 2018, p. 592). This is particularly helpful for the Corinthian community where gifts of the Spirit are considered only as a temporal phenomenon, ceasing once God's eschatological reign is fully implemented (Longenecker & Still, 2014, p. 129). However, Grudem precisely addresses this issue in 1 Corinthians 13:10, saying that prophecy will cease along with the "imperfect." This is argued in reference to 1 Corinthians 3:8-10, where love as the contributing factor leads to prophecy "imperfectly" edifying the church until Christ, the "perfect," comes and the gift itself is replaced by something greater (White, 1992, p. 176). Yet, the assertion of "perfect" and "imperfect" methods of gathering knowledge, an interpretive key, carries with it many preloaded assumptions (White, 1992, p. 176). Gaffin, in contrast, regards that this relationship between love and the gifts is done by Paul to stress the fragmentary nature of knowledge, imparted by temporary revelation, which will terminate when the perfect arrives (White, 1992, p. 177). It is this assertion that holds the most exegetical weight and determines how the rest of the Corinthian letter is dictated. Building up the body becomes an important argument in the rest of 1 Corinthians 14 as a method of bringing many people to God. Prophecy, by focusing on others rather than the individual who is speaking, helps express that unity and the concern each should feel for the other (Fee, 2014, p. 119). In many ways, while Paul encourages speaking in tongues as it aids the edification of the individual, prophecy exceeds tongues (Toussaint, 2015, p. 178). This is drawn from the inference of "but" in 1 Corinthians 14:4, often used in Hebrew and Greek literature to delineate between "bad" and "good" (Thielman, 2008, p. 2211). Paul's desire to set boundaries in regard to speaking in tongues does not mean that he thinks the Corinthians should abandon the gift; rather, "it builds up the individual who has it, and, if interpreted, builds up the church" (Thielman, 2008, p. 2211). This principle is found within the very same letter, where Paul writes, "As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. . . If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together" (1 Cor. 12:20, 26). However, one must also acknowledge that the implication of an interpreter means that, under this circumstance, prophecy and tongues have equal value. Both would qualify as intelligible, understandable speech (Longenecker & Still, 2014, p. 129). Yet, equal value does not equate their function; prophecy is based on something "God brings to the mind of the speaker," while tongues is prayer or praise from man to God (Zoccali, 2016). The goal of any gift, whether prophecy or tongues with interpretation, is that the church may be edified (Gardner, 2018, p. 592). 

Despite Paul's praise of tongues in specific instances during the aforementioned passage, his exhortation displays that they can still prove to be occasionally problematic in worship. Much like the first example, 1 Corinthians 14:6-12 touches on the veritable intelligibility of gifts. For instance, 1 Corinthians 14:7 reads, "If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played?" One could easily allegorize the verse at hand and qualify gifts as "instruments" of God's Spirit, but the greater theological principle arises in the form of “building up” the community, which is the criterion by which any of the spiritual gifts must be assessed (Poythress, 1977, p. 132). The key characteristic of praise in this instance is meaningfulness, which naturally derives from comprehensibility. The early church fathers took an excellence of building up the church to mean that “the soul is stirred and rejoices when it learns something more about the Scriptures. . . It is for these reasons that Paul advises that one should make efforts to communicate clearly” (Oden et al., 1999, p. 139). This is further extrapolated by verses ten and eleven, which read, “There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me.” The cosmopolitan city of Corinth serves as a prime illustration to Paul’s exhortation, imbued with many different languages as a “melting pot” (Zoccali, 2016). In addition, this idea of “being a foreigner” in one’s hometown is one that resonates not only a lack of intelligibility in tongues, but also a key divisiveness (Gardner, 2018, p. 604). Tongues are not only an issue because they cannot be understood by the wide breadth of the congregation, but also because they actively parse congregants from one another. 

In verse twelve, Paul writes, “So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.” Here lies the crux of Paul’s message in 1 Corinthians 14; desiring the Spirit’s inspirations comes with the acknowledgement of the whole over the self. Gardner (2018) designates how another interpretation for “enthusiasts” might be zealots, a violent reaction to this spiritual occurrence (p. 596). Visible evidence of spiritual competencies sparked this zealousness within the Corinthian church, who would have seen “each manifestation as an indication of the Spirit’s personal presence with them in a special way” (Johnson, 1992, p. 598). As people appreciate music if it is played properly, and as troops respond to a trumpet call if it is played correctly, so he wants the church to appreciate the communication that comes from other members (Poythress, 1977, p. 131). Clearwaters (1972) believes that, according to Paul, "if you can go out and edify, exhort and comfort people; edify, build up the faith; exhort them to accept Christ and comfort them in their troubles and sorrows, you’re doing a greater ministry than the man who has the gift of tongues" (p. 37). For the church to “abound,” perisseo, indicates a lavish overflowing that “exceeds the requirements,” reminiscent of Matthew 14:20 where Jesus fed the 5,000 (Vine, 1997, p. 237). The one purpose for which the church should earnestly desire the Spirit’s inspiration is striving to firm up the body of Christ.

Lastly, 1 Corinthians 14:13-19 indicates that the nature of public worship includes a characterization of intelligibility and shared community. The opening verse, “Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret,” immediately identifies the crucial problem of the tongue gift – it fails to build up people. In essence, Paul clarifies that if one speaks in a tongue, that person ought to pray for an interpretation, since only then will the church be built up (Clearwaters, 1972, p. 38). At argument is how tongues function in the context of a congregational gathering, intended to be exercised in private, while prophecy is a sign for the greater body. Verse fourteen extrapolates the issue of tongues to its natural conclusion, “For if I pray in tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.” Verbrugge (2018) regards the following possibility, “Thus it may be that Paul simply makes a distinction between, on the one hand, a person delivering some communication to God as a result of a thought process.” However, what is witnessed with the Corinthian people is a deliverance of some communication, inspired by God, that cannot be understood once spoken or received. As elaborated in verse fifteen, the need to engage the mind with regards to spiritual gifts and experiences is necessary for the purpose of building up the body (Longenecker & Still, 2014, p. 131). Keenly, a person will need to engage the mind either to choose to use the gift in private or, if in the congregation, immediately to pray that the Spirit will enable an understandable version (Clearwaters, 1972, p. 36). In verses sixteen and seventeen, Paul uses language which closely parallels Asaph’s song of thanksgiving to the Lord in 1 Chronicles 16:36. In reference, the Greek Septuagint applies both the verb “to bless,” eulogéō, and the transliterated Hebrew “amen” (Verbrugge, 2008). This carries the connotation as invoking blessings upon a person (Rom. 12:14) or a method of "consecrating a thing with solemn prayers, asking God's blessings on it" (Vine, 1997, p. 124). As the song in the Old Testament reaches its end, it is read, “Blessed be the Lord. . . Then all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.” This cross-reference assuredly cements the problem in intelligibility. If thanksgiving fails to be understood by the masses, the well-intentioned thoughts behind the thanksgiving do not matter, since no one is being edified. As said by Fee (2014), “The idea that anyone should find themselves feeling like a “private” individual in the midst of what is supposed to be a functioning community where people are constantly building each other up is anathema to Paul” (p. 124). The section closes with a series of insights into the role speaking in tongues plays in worship through 1 Corinthians 14:18-19. First, Paul reminds his readers that he does not rule out tongues altogether, no matter how harsh his condemnation of uninterpreted tongues seems. Instead, he affirms them as a “grace-gift,” thanking God for their presence in his life, and regards them as something for which God is to be thanked when properly utilized (Thielman, 2008, p. 2212). The strong adversative “nevertheless” stresses the centrality of tongues’ benefit while also making it clear that he does speak in tongues frequently, albeit in private (. All in all, the local assembly of Christians gathered for worship features Paul always seeking to teach in such a way that people will be built up in faith and understanding, not for his own benefit.

From assessing veritable scholarship and the biblical corpus, cessationism resonates across the biblical narrative and displays how the gift of tongues not only has no place in the modern church but has also ceased entirely. This arises from the statement that the end of the apostolic age brought a cessation of the miracles associated with the age, imparted unto those present for express and specific ministry (Poythress, 1977, p. 134). Miracles occurred during particular periods of time in the biblical record, such as Moses’s performance before Pharaoh and Elijah’s miracles before Ahab, to authenticate their respective ministries (Ex. 4:1-8; 1 Kings 17:1). This extends to Jesus’s ministry throughout the Gospels, indicated by the Apostle John’s mention of “signs” in John 2:11, proving His message. (Poythress, 1977, p. 134). As the Church was being established and the New Testament was being written after Jesus’s resurrection, the apostles demonstrably evidenced signs like tongues and the power of healing (Thielman, 2008, p. 2212). However, the Apostle Paul himself predicted the gift of tongues would cease, “Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away” (1 Cor. 13:8). In addition to this, Rick Walston (2003), a Trinitarian Pentecostal, finely divides what is "normal" and what is "normative" in readings on spiritual gifts (p. 13). Thus, for Pentecostals, speaking in tongues is not only normal for the believer, but also a normative function. As Walston (2003) clarifies the classic Pentecostal position, he states, "Thus, for them, if a Christian does not believe in tongues, it means the person has not yet received the baptism of the Holy Spirit" (p. 14). The biblical evidence displays that the apostles, through whom the tongues came, were unique in the history of the church. Once their ministry reached completion, the need for authenticating signs ceased to exist (Strevanus, 2023, p. 5). This is further confirmed by the miracle gifts only seeing a reference in the earliest epistles, such as 1 Corinthians. However, later books such as Ephesians and Romans, contain detailed passages on the gifts of the Spirit, yet the miracle gifts are not mentioned (Moo et al., 2015, p. 110). Romans mentions the gift of prophecy, but this likely means the Greek word for ‘speaking forth,” not necessary including a prediction of the future (Vine, 1997, p. 225). Many believe tongues to be a sign to the unbelieving Israel that God’s salvation was now available to other nations as per Isaiah 28:11-12, and history indicates that tongues did cease (Gardner, 2018, p. 604). 

Conclusively, tongues are not mentioned in any sense by the Post-Apostolic Church Fathers (Oden & Bray, 1999, p. 140). Writers such as Augustine and Chrysostom considered tongues something that happened only in the earliest days of the Church (Kuyper, 1951, p. 12). Additionally, indications that the gift of tongues has ceased abound in the New Testament. One can draw a fitting comparison to the gift of healing, which was primarily associated with the ministry of Jesus and the apostles as written in Luke 9:1-2 (Toussaint, 2015, p. 180). As the era of the apostles saw its natural close, healing became much less frequent. A fitting example of this is the Apostle Paul, who raised Eutychus from the dead in Acts 20:9-12, not healing Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:25-27), Trophimus (2 Tim. 4:20), or Timothy (1 Tim. 5:23) (Toussaint, 2015, p. 180). The distinctive reasons for Paul’s failure to heal in these cases naturally follow. First, the gift was never intended to make every Christian well, but to authenticate apostleship (Heb. 2:4) (Schreiner, 2018, p. 143). Second, the authority of the apostles by this point was sufficiently demonstrated to the people (Fee, 2014, p. 128). While the miraculous sign gifts have ceased, God continues to work through the other gifts of the Spirit. While God does miracles in the present age, Schreiner (2018) says, “Christians can be as credulous and superstitious as unbelievers" (p. 165). One must recall the charge of 1 Corinthians 14:1, “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.” The faithful Christian would do well to “pursue love” in all instances, the greatest gift of all, desiring to speak forth the Word of God for the edification of everyone (Moo et al., 2015, p. 103).

In summary, the Bible addresses various issues that significantly influence contemporary church discussions and the perpetuation of specific doctrines. One of the most deliberated and disputed topics among believers is that concerning spiritual gifts. Particularly in the realm of biblical theology, a distinct divide is evident, with cessationism emerging from Reformed theology based on concerns about miracles in Roman Catholicism, while continuism advocates for the ongoing manifestation of tongues in the new covenantal context of the church. Despite tongues being categorized by Paul as a secondary doctrine within the canon, even taking place after prophecy, the dissent and ongoing debate surrounding this crucial matter color just one of the ways in which church denominations fracture over controversial issues.

References:

Clearwaters, R. V. (1972). “The Gift of Tongues and Prophecy.” Central Bible Quarterly, 15(2), 34-39.

Ciampa, R. E., and Rosner, B.S. (2020). The First Letter to the Corinthians. PNTC. IVP.

Fee, G. F. (2014). The First Epistle to the Corinthians (Rev. edition). NICNT. Eerdmans.

Gardner, P. D. (2018). 1 Corinthians. ZECNT. Zondervan Academic.

Image by Towfiqu Barbhuiya on Unsplash

Johnson, L. T., (1992). Tongues, Gift Of. In D.N. Freedman (Eds.). The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary: Si–Z (pp. 596–600). Doubleday: Yale University Press

Kuiper, B. H. (1951). The Church in History. The National Union of Christian Schools.

Longenecker, B. W., & Still, T. D. (2014). Thinking Through Paul: A Survey of His Life, Letters, and Theology. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan.

Moo, D. J. et al. (2015). NIVAC Bundle 7: Pauline Epistles. Zondervan Academic

Oden, T. C., & Bray, G. (1999). 1-2 Corinthians. ACCS. IVP. 

Poythress, V. S. (1977). "The Nature of Corinthian Glossolalia: Possible Options." Westminster Theological Journal, 40(1), 130-35.

Schreiner, T. R. (2018). Spiritual Gifts: What They Are and Why They Matter. Nashville: B&H Academic

Strevanus, K. et al. (2023). "A critical study of Pentecostal understanding of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in Acts." HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies, 79(2), 1-6.

Strong, J. (1996). The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Thielman, F. S. (2008). 1 Corinthians. pp. 2187-217 in ESV Study Bible. Crossway.

Toussaint, S. D. (2015). “Rethinking Tongues.” Bibliotheca Sacra, 172(686), 177-189.

Verbrugge, V. (2008). 1 Corinthians. In Harris, M. J. (Ed.), The Expositor's Bible Commentary: 1 and 2 Corinthians (Vol. 29). Zondervan Academic.

Vine, W. E. (1997). Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Walston, R. (2003). The Speaking in Tongues Controversy. Xulon Press.

White, R. F. (1992). Richard Gaffin and Wayne Grudem on 1 Cor 13:10: A Comparison of Cessationist and Noncessationist Argumentation. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 35(2), 173–181.

Zoccali, C. (2016). “Spiritual Gifts.” In John D. Barry et al. (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Thank you Garrett Fish for writing this article!