A Discussion on Tongues | Topics

Considering the amount of division and debates surrounding the topic of tongues, I've decided to finally take my research and discussions with other believers and place it on this blog for archival and referential purposes. So what I will do for the rest of this article is take questions and conversations that I've engaged with online and display the answers that I gave. I will keep the names of the people who asked the questions disclosed out of respect for their privacy, and as per usual, I will try to give biblical perspective on where I'm coming from with my responses. 

Discussion #1

How To Speak In Tongues?

Question Posted By Anonymous Christian: How do I speak in tongues? Is there something specific that I need to do?

Elevation Crossing: There is no way to speak in tongues in the practical sense of instructions to follow. There is a spiritual gift of tongues and this is given to a person chosen at an appointed time through the Holy Spirit. The spirit gives a particular gift to a particular person for a particular time carrying out the will of God. There are different gifts for different people to serve the Body all under one Spirit. Just keep in mind that we are not to go pursue after these gifts in some desperate obtainment of power or validation but instead to simply desire them and pursue Love.

Continue reading God’s Word and praying for understanding because we’re living in a world where doctrine is being twisted and people are chasing “experiences and miracles” as a result while missing the point of God's ultimate gift entirely. So to answer your question more plainly, if you wanna speak in tongues, that's amazing. But try not to spend your life chasing after it attempting to find directions because there simply aren’t any. That power is entirely in the hands of God to give through His spirit if or whenever He chooses to and no other means.

Instead, research scripture and know God by His word and love others as He loves you which is our true pursuit as believers. If God decides to move through you with a particular gift given by the Holy Spirit, then that's awesome. If not, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, and what is just as awesome is serving Him by sharing His word to others in Love. At the end of the day, is that not what we're commanded to do?

[Bible Scripture References]

1 Corinthians 12:4 -11

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of  healing by the one Spirit, 10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

Romans 12:5 - 8

5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually parts of one another. 6 However, since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them properly: if prophecy, in proportion to one’s faith; 7 if service, in the act of serving; or the one who teaches, in the act of teaching; 8 or the one who exhorts, in the work of exhortation; the one who gives, with generosity; the one who is in leadership, with diligence; the one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

1 Corinthians 14:1

14 Pursue love, yet earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.

[Other people join in the discussion responding to what I said]

An Anonymous Commenter Responds To My Answer: Your advice is foolish!! It's also 90% out of context with the truth!

Elevation Crossing: Okay, well I'd certainly like to know what I said that was considered foolish and out of context. That way I can research to better understand.

A 2nd Anonymous Commenter Responds To My Response: They may be upset that you said that tongues is a specific gift for a specific time but in reality the Holy Spirit wants literally all believers to speak in tongues. Paul said 1 Corinthians 14:5 I would like for all of you to speak in tongues and in verse 18 he said I thank God I speak in tongues more than all of you. To that I say "challenge accepted Paul". Jesus told the Samaritan woman that His worshippers must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. So what can you say to God that can never be untrue and is always from the Spirit? Tongues.

Jude urged believers to build themselves up praying in the Spirit. Paul told us to earnestly desire all of the gifts. I don't think there's a single gift that is barred from you as a believer if you truly want to operate in it. The Holy Spirit told me a while back to look at a "gift" in the same sense as a "present". They're presents from the Holy Spirit. We unwrap it in our worship of the King and then we put them to use since their purpose is to help us or help others, with an emphasis on bringing God's kingdom and bringing people to Christ.

Elevation Crossing Responding To 2nd Commenter: Alright, let’s break this down into parts to better cover as much ground as possible since you do reference a few different things from scripture....

You mentioned 1 Corinthians 14:5. I’ll break that down first and then see if I can tackle the others that you referenced as best that I can with assistance from BibleRef, NASB Lexicon, as well as some of my own understandings from scripture observation. First, let’s establish that Paul’s letter in 1 Corinthians 14 is one of instruction to the church. This is important to keep in context as he’s giving specific direction and understanding to the people in relation to particular topics such as proper conduct amongst the Body (what to do and what not to do) and spiritual gifts being utilized. 

Now the full verse of 1 Corinthians 14:5 says “Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but rather that you would prophesy; and greater is the one who prophesies than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edification.” Paul is emphasizing here that the real value of tongues comes with interpretation that the Body of Christ (the Church) is edified from as revelation is being given. That’s why he highlights the gift of prophecy over tongues [without interpretation] because the gift of prophecy is direct revelation being given to the people whereas tongues with no interpretation does not benefit the Body.

The spiritual gifts are for edification, so to have a bunch of people in the church speaking in a manner that nobody can understand benefits absolutely no one and thereby goes against its intended purpose. That’s why, right before that verse, 1 Corinthians 14:2-4 is so crucial in that Paul emphasizes what prophecy does that tongues [without interpretation] ultimately falls flat with in regards to the grander mission of believers. 

[Bible Scripture References]

1 Corinthians 14:2-4

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. 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. 4 Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.

Edification, Exhortation, and Consolation comes through with the gift of Prophecy whereas the one who speaks in a tongue does not edify anyone but instead, speaks mysteries that he does not understand. For how can the church say Amen or be given revelation from God if no message is uttered intelligibly for understanding and benefit? You’re essentially talking to the air. Your desire for the gifts of the Spirit should come with your love for the Body of Christ to edify (build up) one another. So to desire to speak in tongues should be to desire to give revelation to the people by the Spirit. That’s why interpretation is pivotal if tongues are to be present. If not…you ought to keep silent and speak to yourself and God which means you ought to quietly worship God keeping in line with the order of conduct that is commanded for the church and with gifts.

[Bible Scripture References]

1 Corinthians 14:6-11

6 But now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you either by way of revelation, or of knowledge, or of prophecy, or of teaching? 7 Yet even lifeless instruments, whether flute or harp, in producing a sound, if they do not produce a distinction in the tones, how will it be known what is played on the flute or on the harp? 8 For if the trumpet produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle? 9 So you too, unless you produce intelligible speech by the tongue, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will just be talking to the air. 10 There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and none is incapable of meaning. 11 So if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be unintelligible to the one who speaks, and the one who speaks will be unintelligible to me.

1 Corinthians 14:12

12 So you too, since you are eager to possess spiritual gifts, strive to excel for the edification of the church.

Alright, let’s get into the next verse that you referenced where you quoted 1 Corinthians 18 “I thank God I speak in tongues more than all of you”. You then said “challenged accepted” as a response to that verse which I think is very interesting. If you take a look at the scripture, right before and immediately after verse 18, Paul is following up on what he was stating earlier in the chapter about tongues being of no major benefit to one’s self. In 1 Corinthians 14:13, Paul actually gets very specific and says that one who speaks in a tongue is to pray that he may interpret. And before he jumps all the way to Verse 18’s “I thank God I speak in tongues more than all of you” statement, he talks about the issue that comes with tongues on its own.

[Bible Scripture References]

1 Corinthians 14:13

13 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue is to pray that he may interpret.

Verses 14-17 can essentially be broken down to Paul explaining how speaking in tongues with no understanding of what’s being said is considered unproductive. Why? Because, the mind does not understand what the spirit is saying and therefore no real progress is being made. Remember, how can anyone utter “Amen!” when they have no clue what was stated to come into agreement with? Then in Verse 19, and this is right after he says that he thanks God that he speaks in tongues more than the people there, Paul says “nevertheless, in church I prefer to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue”. 

Now, just to be clear and straight forward in terms of my beliefs, I believe the Gift of Tongues are foreign languages that are already established in the world. 

This is highlighted a couple verses after in 1 Corinthians 14:21, where Paul paraphrases Isaiah 28:11–12. In that Old Testament passage that Paul is referencing, Israel had rejected God's clear and simple message to them in their own language. Soon God would speak to them through the Assyrians (people with "strange lips" and "foreign tongues."). In other words, His messages to them would become less clear as a result of His judgment for their sin. So Paul connected that Old Testament passage to what was happening in Corinth during his time.  He is helping the Corinthians see that the clear instruction that comes from the gift of prophecy is better than the lack of meaning that results of the gift of tongues being used without an interpreter. 

Listeners may be impressed by a display of foreign languages being spoken, but they will not respond to the direction of the Lord because they will not be able to understand it. And just in case anyone misunderstands me, in no way am I saying that the gift of tongues is useless. Far from it as every single spiritual gift, when used appropriately lining up with God's will and proper conduct, edifies the Body and glorifies God. Instead, what I am emphasizing is simply what Paul's letter is talking about which is the issue of tongues being misused or misguided as something that can be fruitless with improper conduct.

[Bible Scripture References]

1 Corinthians 14:14-17

14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unproductive. 15 What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit, but I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit, but I will sing with the mind also. 16 For otherwise, if you bless God in the spirit only, how will the one who occupies the place of the outsider know to say the “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you are saying? 17 For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified.

1 Corinthians 14:19

19 nevertheless, in church I prefer to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.

1 Corinthians 14:21

21 In the Law it is written: “By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me,” says the Lord.

Isaiah 28:11–12

Indeed, He will speak to this people

Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue,

12 He who said to them, “This is the place of quiet, give rest to the weary,”

And, “This is the resting place,” but they would not listen.

Moving on to where I believe you’re quoting John 4:24 when you’re talking about Jesus telling the Samaritan woman that his worshippers should worship him in Spirit and Truth. Then you suggest tongues as being the answer to that principle when faced with the question "What’s the one thing that’s always true and from the Spirit?". So let’s look at this closely and see what we can find from scripture to dive into this. So this verse (John 4:24) is talking about how true worship of God has no specific labels attached whether it’s a person being of an exclusive ethnic origin or being in a specific setting but instead that God requires spirit and truth. 

Now where you asked the question to yourself "What’s always true that anyone of us can express to God?", instead of your answer being tongues, what I'd wager to be the better answer is "Honesty from the heart of the person." Remember God knows our hearts, as said in Romans 8:27, and knows when we are genuinely seeking Him in faith and even deeply crying out to Him sometimes not knowing what to say. But the Holy Spirit knows, which He has given to us, and is directly connected to God as our advocate which we see in Romans 8:26. As He searches our hearts through the Holy Spirit, He knows the things that are too deep for words which He receives in connection to the Spirit. 

So Truth and Spirit have nothing to do with tongues but instead the heart of the believer being revealed by prayer and in intercession by the Spirit of the Lord. People take the phrase "groanings too deep for words" from scripture and make that out to meaning unintelligible noises (so-called "heavenly language" as heard in many churches today). Instead, what scripture seems to be speaking about is something that is completely soundless and is instead spiritual hence the Holy Spirit being significantly needed to carry out what we're not able to with our own mouths. Wordless groans deep within us interceded by God's very own Spirit. 

[Bible Scripture References]

John 4:24

24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Romans 8:26-27

26 Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

You later mentioned that Jude urged that we as believers are to build ourselves up praying in the Holy Spirit. This would be quoting Jude 1:20. But when reading the whole section of that chapter where that verse is included in context, it’s talking about how there will be mockers filled with ungodly lusts and are worldly minded causing divisions. And how the apostles warned us of this earlier, therefore we ought to faithfully look to Christ for God’s mercy for eternal life. With this in mind, we ought to pray in the Spirit. 

That is to say we pray entirely in faith to God believing that He hears us as the Holy Spirit carries our prayers forward. Remember, this is the Spirit of God after all and He knows our heart. This section in Jude is talking about faithfully leaning on God’s mercy for these sinners to be snatched away from the fire, praying for them to be saved. It’s not talking about tongues anywhere in that part of scripture and is primarily about praying in Faith with the Holy Spirit which believers have access to doing every day without the need of a spiritual language. 

[Bible Scripture References]

Jude 1:20

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,

Discussion #2

Does God Respond More Quickly To Tongues?

Proclamation Posted By An Anonymous Christian: Speaking in tongues is the same as speaking to God because when you pray in tongues, God responds quickly because it is a heavenly language.

Elevation Crossing: Where does it specifically say this in scripture so that we may test this to be indeed God's word?

The Anonymous Christian's Response: In the book of 1 Corinthians 14:2

Alright, let's see if we can break this down by scripture as best as we can. Chapter 14:2 says "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". Now reading the entire chapter and book of Corinthians for context and not just cherry picking a verse, you see that Paul's letter to the Corinths is one of instruction in regards to conduct. There is nothing stated about God responding quickly because speaking in tongues is some "heavenly language".

Instead, tongues are actually already established languages. The greek word being used in that verse for tongue (glōssē) actually translates to meaning "a language". Speaking in a foreign language that the speaker doesn’t know would be miraculous (hence the spiritual gifting nature of it). The edification comes where someone else present gets the revelation by what is being said thanks to someone else having the gift of interpretation of tongues. This is how I believe this is to be understood as stated in other areas of 1 Corinthians 14. 

Now of course the response comes “Okay but that’s about public use, what about private use?”. Well using what we know from 1 Corinthians 14 overall as a chapter, we see how the same principle applies to an extent. If we're assuming that tongues is something that can be activated by someone with that gift whenever they choose (which is a debatable belief), then sure you can speak in a foreign language with this gift by yourself. However, what revelation would there be to receive? Instead, it would be a sign of the Holy Spirit being in you which, yes, that can build you up as a believer to witness such a miracle, but what larger purpose does it serve? It is merely a reminding sign to yourself. 

If you are of the opposite belief that you cannot activate the spiritual gifts whenever you want and that it's only when God appoints it so for a specific time, we're still in a similar situation. What purpose would there be to speak in a language that you do not understand by yourself? This would still just be a sign of the Holy Spirit being in you. There's nothing wrong with that sensibility per se, but are the gifts not for serving others and glorifying God in the process? For building up one another in the church? Is this not what we ought to desire more than anything? 

So again…there’s no “heavenly language” that I can find in scripture that causes God to respond to us "more quickly". And the idea of using tongues specifically as a spiritual language to speak to God directly is questionable having no bearings in scripture as far as I could find. Instead, we ought to pray, which goes hand in hand with worship, “in spirit and truth” to God (John 4:24). Which is to say, we go to Him wholeheartedly and in faith with the Holy Spirit interceding for us. And as believers, we ALL have this ability since the veil has been torn and our direct access to God has been granted thanks to Jesus and his finished work on the cross. We can all pray to God and faithfully know that He listens and will respond however and whenever He decides to. 

We also have God's Word that we have access to which is one essential way of "hearing God" every day. 

Final Statement

Concerns To Being Right Or Wrong About Tongues

There's more that can be mined from this whole tongues discussion that I would love to get into, but I think it would require more research on my part and the part of others. Plus, I've already exhausted this article in length, so maybe this can be a topic followed up on a separate occasion. But I do want to take the time to acknowledge a few concerns that I hope gets shined upon more in the mainstream. The first being "Is speaking in tongues necessary for someone to be saved?". To that I say no as the Bible is very clear about how one is to receive salvation through faith in Christ's finished work on the cross which goes alongside repentance as a sinner. 

But another question would also be this...Despite my disbelief of tongues being the unintelligible noises heard in many of the churches today, what are people who claim to be experiencing the Holy Spirit actually experiencing when they're uttering these noises? I do have my personal theories after spending time analyzing and observing many of these church instances for years as I too was caught up in some of these beliefs once upon a time. So, let's get the most semi-harmless theory out of the way first before we gradually get into the more, shall we say, disgusting and sinister one. 

For some people, I believe that, due to their genuine zealousness and desire for the Lord, they end up psyching themselves into speaking in a manner that makes them "feel" as though they are being "filled by the Holy Ghost" just to connect to God. I believe some people simply just want to be a part of the church crowd movement which is completely understandable and a good desire to have on the surface, but is unfortunately blinded to truth. These would be the people who are chasing a concert-like experience or a "spiritual high" with other believers thinking that it's the purest form of worship following the flow of the room without having any scriptural word to back up their conduct. 

True genuine lovers of the lord wholeheartedly, but unknowing to the Word of God. Innocent enough, right? Even if these people might be wrong, their hearts are at the very least aimed towards the Lord. And if they're saved, then guess what? They're NOT gonna end up going to Hell just because they're speaking in complete gibberish chasing an emotional high that they genuinely believe is connected to the one who saved them. Instead, they're just legitimate believers who need to spend more time getting clarification on the gifts of the Spirit and the conduct of the church as taught in the Bible. The biggest problem with this faction is simply ignorance that can lead to time wasting and improper labeling of experiences. 

But...what about the other end of the spectrum? The one that many people feel uncomfortable talking about. Let's not disregard or sugar coat anything here and instead expose what we know is likely happening in certain areas of the world. I truly believe that some of it is emotional and psychological manipulation done so by disingenuous church leaders looking to hook people into their ministry via theatricality and performance. Whether it's musical methods, a loud charismatic personality, a disco light show, or all of the above and more, I believe that there are church leaders who are essentially great public speakers and performers using their talents to lead people into a cleverly twisted doctrine.

And by displaying a false version of tongues, they can lead many to believe that they are spiritually on a whole other level and therefore should be taking seriously as a messenger of God. But why? Why would anyone who doesn't love the Lord and is clearly anti-Christian in their manipulative intents teach about Him? It's simple. Worldly benefits. Scripture actually warns us of people using God's word for their own selfish desires whether it be for money (church donations from people who think they're "sewing" into a true man of God's ministry) or vanity (the notoriety that comes with the position of a popular self-proclaimed prophet, shepherd, “apostle”, etc.). 

So that's certainly one negative side of the picture that's very prominent today that I'm sure would put a lot of leaders in heated positions if the congregation and staff started doing their due diligence in God's Word. But then...then there's the more concerning theory. The more...disgusting one. And just for the record, I utterly despise the thought of this particular theory and I hope that it gets completely exposed and eliminated today if it's indeed true. Here it is. I believe that there are some church leaders who are wicked in their hearts that are demonically influenced in their display of so-called “tongues”. Now what am I talking about here? Is this like the previous concern? Well, it's close, but not entirely.

You see the previous concern was about people chasing their own fleshly desires like fame and money making nonsensical noises as "tongues" be a part of their theatrics. And yes, that is indeed wicked but there is something even more vile. What I'm talking about with this final concern are the leaders and members who are actually devoted to or completely in step with the Devil and are using demonic spiritual influence to cause people in the church to erupt in a lack of self control through incantation (what they call "tongues"). They speak evil into the air and the biblically ignorant people who came to seek signs and wonders (who may not be saved yet) are receiving demonic blasphemy leading to having a supernatural bodily reaction.

The audience is completely in the dark of what's happening to them and is being told that it comes from the Holy Spirit when in fact it comes from a demonic spirit. They have no foundation to test what is being uttered by because they are not informed to even know that they should be testing what is being displayed or felt by God’s Word. The leader feeds on this ignorance and gives the Devil exactly what he wants...chaos, blindness, and negatively influenced addiction to a false miracle. If the Devil has always given mankind a twisted version of what God offers throughout history, then we can see that very same sensibility displayed in false tongues. But how exactly?

What is one of the traits synonymous with having the fruit of the Holy Spirit according to God's word (Galatians 5:22-23)? Self Control, right? So how is it that in many of these so-called "pouring out of the Holy Spirit/speaking in tongues sessions" in some of these churches, you have a portion of the congregation yelling out in noises, flailing their bodies around, laughing out, and carrying on with no sense of conduct or order whatsoever including the preacher and his staff? How is this the Holy Spirit at work when nothing but chaos and confusion is being displayed and no one is getting any revelation? How is God being glorified? God does not give us a spirit of confusion and chaos calling it good for Christians to be engaged with, so what are we witnessing in many of these proclaimed "spiritual experiences"?

And then you ask them "What did God reveal to you during that event?" and they respond "I just know I felt something strange". How is this edifying anyone considering its lack of a clear revelation? This is a topic that needs to be addressed more seriously and with more direct and honest testimonies and exposure. All I, and others like myself concerned and intrigued about this topic, can do is continue to research and pray for truth to be given. Until then, always remember to test what you hear, see, and yes, even what you feel to make sure that it lines up with God. But how does one do this? 

Well, God gives us that answer through His divine word. If something does not align with what He has given us to know Him by in structure, conduct, understanding, and foundation, then we ought to question it, pray for revelation over it, and do our due diligence through biblical research. Remember, we shouldn't be leaning on some rollercoaster of feelings to decipher what is of God...we ought to lean on truth. What does the Devil want to do? Get you as far away from the truth as possible. What's a really effective way of doing that? Getting people to ignorantly chase after "experiences" and signs instead of what God has firmly established. 

Truth is found in Scripture and is reflected in the world in perfect alignment, so you'd be doing yourself and the Body of Christ a disservice to not at the very least try to pursue the Word with a prioritized context driven, investigative lens. Do not let the wolves of the world lure you in like a blind helpless sheep. Remember...we actually have a Shepard. It's time to start seeking Him out and paying close attention to what He said.