The Bible presents speaking in tongues as a genuine spiritual gift — the ability to speak in a language one has not naturally learned, given by the for worship, prayer, or proclamation. What divides Christians today is not whether tongues happened in Scripture, but whether the gift continues to operate in the same way today.
Tongues at Pentecost {v:Acts 2:1-11}
The first major appearance of tongues in the New Testament comes at Pentecost, when the disciples were gathered in Jerusalem and the Spirit fell on them. What happened was striking and public: they began speaking in languages they had never studied, and the crowd gathered outside heard them declaring the works of God in their own native tongues — Parthian, Egyptian, Arabic, and others.
"Each one was hearing them speak in his own language."
This was a sign of reversal from the tower of Babel, a moment where fractured human languages were briefly unified through the Spirit's power. Peter stands up immediately afterward and explains it as the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy: God pouring out his Spirit on all people.
Paul's Teaching on the Gift {v:1 Corinthians 12-14}
The most detailed treatment of tongues comes from Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians. He includes tongues in his lists of spiritual gifts alongside prophecy, healing, and wisdom — but he also places significant guardrails around its use in gathered worship.
Paul draws a consistent distinction between speaking in tongues in private prayer and doing so publicly in the church assembly. For private devotion, he sees real value:
"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."
For public worship, however, Paul insists that tongues must be accompanied by interpretation — otherwise the congregation is left without understanding, and no one is built up. He goes so far as to say that five intelligible words are worth more than ten thousand in an unknown tongue if no one can understand them.
"In church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue."
This is not a dismissal of the gift. Paul explicitly says, "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you," and later, "Do not forbid speaking in tongues." But the consistent principle throughout 1 Corinthians 14 is that love and edification of others must govern how gifts are exercised.
Does the Gift Continue Today?
This is where genuine disagreement exists among faithful, thoughtful Christians, and it deserves honest acknowledgment.
Cessationists argue that the miraculous gifts — including tongues — were given to authenticate the apostolic message during the founding generation of the church. Once the New Testament canon was complete, these sign gifts were no longer necessary and ceased. They point to passages like 1 Corinthians 13:8 ("tongues will cease") and note the relative scarcity of tongues in the later New Testament letters.
Continuationists (including Pentecostal and charismatic traditions) argue that there is no clear biblical warrant for the cessation of any spiritual gift before Christ returns. They point to the ongoing work of the Spirit throughout church history and note that Paul's instructions in 1 Corinthians 14 assume the gift's ongoing use — he does not say "when these gifts end," but "when you come together."
Both positions are held by serious, orthodox Christians. The disagreement is not about whether the Holy Spirit is active today, but about the precise nature of how he works.
What the Bible Emphasizes Most
Whatever one's position on the continuationist debate, Paul's priorities are clear and not in dispute:
- Gifts are given for the common good, not personal status ({v:1 Corinthians 12:7})
- Love must govern the use of every gift ({v:1 Corinthians 13:1-3})
- Public worship should be orderly and intelligible ({v:1 Corinthians 14:26-33})
- The Spirit distributes gifts as he wills — no single gift marks spiritual maturity ({v:1 Corinthians 12:11})
The deepest thrust of Paul's argument is not a policy statement on tongues but a call to prioritize the building up of the body over the expression of individual gifting. That principle applies regardless of where one lands on the theological debate.