What Does the Bible Really Say About Speaking in Tongues?

Stmarkdepere   -   November 10, 2025

By Pastor Ben Reichel, Youth & Young Adult Pastor at St. Mark Ministries

When it comes to this spiritual gift of speaking in tongues, the apostle Paul is very clear. He says in 1 Corinthians 14:19 (NIV): “In the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.”

I believe that God loves every language. In fact, he’s the one who created all of those languages when he confused that one common speech at the Tower of Babel. Then, he met people in their own native language at the festival of Pentecost when they heard – probably for the first time – the gospel message clearly in their own language.

Now, I’m not here to make fun of or mock other languages. I enjoy studying languages; in fact, I’ve been privileged to study five languages over the course of my life. 

I’m certainly not here to make light of the spiritual gift of “speaking in tongues.” The main thing that we want to remember today is that God wants the gospel to be heard clearly so that people are built up.

What Does it Mean to Speak in Tongues?

I know that God has given many people the intellectual gift of learning and speaking other languages. But when it comes to the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues, what exactly do we mean?

Well, at Pentecost in Acts 2 (NIV), the disciples were given the supernatural ability to speak in different languages that they had never studied or learned previously. They were given that supernatural ability through the Holy Spirit’s power so that visitors to Jerusalem, from all over the world, could hear the gospel clearly in their own language.

But then we fast-forward to 1 Corinthians 14 (NIV). By the time we get to that church in Corinth, they loved spiritual gifts. So much so that they started having competitions among themselves: “Who has more spiritual gifts? Who has better spiritual gifts?” 

For a number of chapters, Paul has to lay out the rules and the guidelines that govern the use of spiritual gifts, because the Corinthians had lost the purpose of those spiritual gifts.

Spiritual gifts are not meant to be self-serving. They’re meant to edify, to build up the church. 

So in 1 Corinthians 14 (NIV), Paul doesn’t forbid speaking in tongues. He doesn’t dismiss it. He understands it’s a gift that many Corinthians have, but he has to give them guardrails so that the message of the gospel is still heard clearly – especially in a public worship service.

You’ll notice that 1 Corinthians 14 (NIV) is a very long chapter. Paul has a lot to say about speaking in tongues and order in worship! We’re not going to look at all of this chapter; I want to focus on just a few key passages: 

Those are the verses that are going to guide our study of the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. 

Hopefully, you could sense the general flow of this chapter. 

  1. It all starts with love for other people. 
  2. Then you build others up with your spiritual gift. 
  3. If that spiritual gift happens to be speaking in tongues, it must be intelligible, which means people have to understand what you’re saying, so they can be built up. 
  4. This is done in good order in the church so that there is still peace in the gathering of believers. 

Love, building others up, intelligibility, order, and then peace. God gives spiritual gifts of every kind to build up the church. That’s what this whole sermon series has been about.

When it comes to speaking in tongues or speaking in different languages, we prize intelligible, orderly, Christ-exalting speech over private spectacle. 

This gift of speaking in tongues – which means speaking in different languages that you’ve never studied before – served a very unique purpose for a unique amount of time in the early years of the Christian church. But as time goes on, that particular gift has started to fade away. We’re going to see why in just a little bit.

But if we go back to the church in Corinth, I want you to picture a construction site where everybody has a tool that they’re using, but nobody reads the blueprint. So, you’ve got hammers flying everywhere. You’ve got dust and sawdust going all over the place, and the house or the building is not being built. That’s what it was like at the church in Corinth with all of their spiritual gifts. They were using the tools, but they weren’t building anything.

So Paul really asks one clarifying question in chapter 14: Does this really build anyone up? 

Because if a gift draws eyes to me but doesn’t draw ears to Jesus, we’ve lost the purpose. If the gift amazes the room but does not teach anyone about Jesus, Paul says, “I would take five clear words instead.” – 1 Corinthians 14:19 (NIV)

Why Speaking in Tongues Must be Interpreted

You might be wondering, “What are those five clear words?” These five clear words could look like: 

  • “Jesus Christ died for you.” 
  • “You are forgiven in Christ.” 
  • “Jesus is risen, have peace.” 

Those are just a few examples of what those five clear words could be; you could come up with your own if you want. If believers have those five words ringing in their ears, the Holy Spirit has done his good work!

Now, I want you to think of one of those flashing “open” signs in a storefront window. As you’re pulling into the parking lot or as you’re walking up to that store, that sign is very important, don’t you think? But once you’re inside the shop or inside the store, do you keep staring at that “open” sign? No. You start to enjoy what that sign told you about.

What God did at Pentecost with all of those different languages was basically his version of a bright neon sign that says “open for the nations.” 

God pushed his gospel through the language barrier created at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9 (NIV)). But the challenge comes when those languages are not being interpreted.

So in Corinth, those uninterpreted languages were not helping anyone, which is why Paul gave the requirement “someone must interpret,” and if you don’t have someone to interpret, “keep your mouth shut, keep quiet in the church,” he says. (1 Corinthians 14 (NIV))

Why does he put it so strongly? Because the words that we use should be understood clearly. That’s what we mean by intelligibility. 

Intelligibility is love in action. Clarity in word is kindness. People need to hear clear, simple words. So God’s gift of being able to speak in tongues has a very clear purpose: that the message of Christ – the message of the gospel – is understood clearly.

Is Speaking in Tongues Still Happening Today?

So now comes the big question: Is speaking in tongues still a real spiritual gift today? 

The only answer I have for you is that God can do whatever he wants. If God has a missionary overseas who has not had an opportunity to learn the culture, learn the language, get fluent in that language over the course of years, but allows that missionary to speak that language to those people overnight so that they can hear the message of the gospel quickly and clearly, he can certainly do that.

But for the rest of us, there are some tests that need to be involved with this particular gift of speaking in tongues:

  1. Does it build others up? 
  2. Can it be understood clearly? 
  3. Does it provide good order in the body of Christ? 

If the spiritual gift doesn’t serve those purposes, then it doesn’t pass the test.

We sometimes hear the word “order” and think “boring.” Paul isn’t trying to tame the Holy Spirit or tell the Holy Spirit what he can or cannot do. 

He’s actually trusting the Spirit that gave us the Scriptures. 

He says that two or three people who have this gift of speaking in tongues may speak in a worship gathering. It has to be one at a time. It cannot be chaotic. And there must be someone to interpret because if those things are there, the gathered body of Christ is built up.

When it comes to spiritual gifts, no matter what that gift is, it is meant to serve others, not steal the spotlight. 

When a worship service is organized and the message is clearly heard and understood, it’s not just the body of Christ that is being built up. There are guests, there are visitors, there are outsiders who come to these worship gatherings, convicted by the message of the law and also praising God in response to the message of the gospel. 

They might even say, “God is really among you.” 

That’s the goal. The message that God is here, clearly heard and clearly spoken.

Imagine that you’re at a birthday party and it’s time to sing “Happy Birthday,” but everybody starts on a different note and everybody sings at a different tempo. It’s the thought that counts, right? The love is there, but the melody is missing.

The same thing goes for this gift of speaking in tongues. A key and tempo when it comes to music is not legalism. It’s not trying to tame the spirit of the song. A key and a tempo are actually love in action! Order in worship, clarity in words and preaching, and intelligibility are love’s “key and tempo.”

Speaking in Tongues in the Early Christian Church

Now we need to go back just a little bit into this historical perspective, because I mentioned earlier that the gift of speaking in tongues had a very unique purpose for a very specific amount of time in the early years of the Christian church. 

Hebrews 2:4 (NIV) gives us the reason why: “God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”

God authenticated the apostolic message through these signs and wonders, including the spiritual gift of speaking in different languages (speaking in tongues).

The apostle Paul also speaks of the marks of a true apostle: Signs, wonders, and miracles (2 Corinthians 12:2 (NIV)).

So, as the gospel took root and this apostolic foundation was laid, the church’s normal method of growth came through the clear message of the gospel in many different languages and the proper use of the sacraments. So, as time went on, this special, unique gift of being able to speak in a language that you’ve never learned before started to slowly fade away as the gospel was proclaimed in all of the world’s different languages.

Now, God can still do as he pleases and as he wants, but Scripture doesn’t tell us to expect these “sign” gifts – like speaking in tongues – to be normative or some sort of mark of Christian maturity, or the true sign of real Christian faith. We don’t mock or minimize what God is able to do, but we do insist on Scripture’s tests: Intelligibility, interpretation, good order, and building others up. 

We never confuse the spiritual gift with the gospel. The gift is the tool. The gospel of Jesus is the foundation.

What if You Can’t Speak in Tongues?

So now you might be wondering: “If I don’t have this gift of speaking in tongues, am I missing out on something?”

No. The Spirit has given a variety of gifts to his church. That’s what this entire sermon series has been about!

We’ve talked about gifts of teaching and encouragement, mercy, generosity, leadership, and evangelism. Every single spiritual gift matters. Every single part of the body of Christ matters. Each one of you has a unique set of spiritual gifts that God expects you to use to build others up.

But if you don’t have one particular gift, that doesn’t mean you don’t have the Spirit, because the same Spirit gives spiritual gifts to God’s people. We can’t read 1 Corinthians 14 without going back to review 1 Corinthians 13 (NIV), the great love chapter of the Bible. That chapter in particular starts with these words: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:1 (NIV)).

The aim for every single spiritual gift is love, because spiritual gifts are the tools that point us to Jesus. 

Jesus is love in the flesh. When he came to this world, he didn’t speak in secret codes. He didn’t speak in noisy static that nobody could understand. He spoke in a cross and an empty tomb. It was on that cross that he actually gave us five clear words that the church will never stop repeating: “It is finished… for you.” 

Then he rose and breathed peace on his people. Peace that you can hear in any language.

That’s what we want when we gather as the body of Christ. We don’t want spiritual noise. We want spiritual news: Clear, simple, saving news about Jesus.

So, as you use your words this week in any language, whether you have the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues or not, there are three things I want us all to pursue this week.

1. Pursue Clarity

If you have the opportunity to pray out loud, to teach, or to lead, or to testify, or to witness, see if you can focus on five clear words that are going to bless someone else. Whether it’s a returning neighbor, a curious teenager, or a new believer, five clear words are all you need.

2. Pursue Order

We do that in our worship services. We follow the Spirit’s guardrails. Not to control the Spirit, but to make sure that Christ is clear. So again, if you are in a group, you can have more than one person speak. You have two or three people speaking, but make sure it’s one at a time. Make sure it’s not chaotic and that everything said is understood. That’s not quenching the Spirit; that’s obeying the Spirit’s word.

3. Pursue Edification 

This is a big fancy word that means “building other people up.” So before you open your mouth, think before you speak. Whether you are in a group of believers or you’re surrounded by unbelievers, ask yourself this question: “Is what I’m going to say going to build someone else up?” If it is going to build them up, speak boldly. But if it’s going to confuse, frustrate, or divide, keep it to yourself. Wait for another time because the Spirit loves to use clear, ordinary words to do extraordinary things.

Now that we’re at the end of this sermon series on spiritual gifts, if you’re starting to feel like you’re on the outside because you don’t have one of these big, fancy, flashy gifts that draws attention, remember that the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you and has given you spiritual gifts that you can use to build others up. 

And he’s already given you the greatest gift of all: Eternal salvation, through faith in Jesus, by grace alone!

Understanding that gift allows you to delight in your own words, because the Spirit uses clear, ordinary words to rescue others from the pits of hell and to refresh God’s people. 

Five clear words – “Jesus Christ died for you” – could change a life forever.