The Purpose and Practice of Tongues Speaking
1 Corinthians 14:20-40
By Matthew Recker

There is a very popular movement going on today in Christian circles, commonly called the Charismatic Movement.  This movement transcends any one denomination.  The charismatic movement is the infiltration of Pentecostal theology into all the denominations: Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Episcopalian to name a few.  The heart of Pentecostal theology is the belief that the baptism or fullness of the Holy Spirit is evidenced by speaking in tongues.  Many sincere people are involved in this movement, and it is not my goal to be negative or critical, but to give a Biblical position on why we are not a part of this Charismatic movement.  The word Charismatic comes from the Greek word, charisma, which means gift.  The Charismatic movement is that which emphasizes the gifts of healing, miracles, or tongues speaking.  Many of you may have either visited or once been members of a charismatic church.  Why has this become such a popular movement today?

This movement is a reaction against the deadness and coldness of mainline denominational churches.  People are tired of the deadness of so many churches today and are looking for excitement, warmth, and love.  Most of the mainline denominations in America have denied the Word of God and become social clubs.  People are tired of the spiritual deadness.

The charismatic movement appeals to the emotions.  People like to be emotionally charged.  Charismatic preachers have likened tongues speaking to "the sweetness of peaches that you can't know until you taste it yourself."  The problem however is it is so experience centered that the truth of the Scripture is often overlooked.  Experience cannot dictate doctrine!  People are looking for fulfillment and satisfaction.  Many are promised they can find this satisfaction by speaking in tongues. 

In Corinth there were pagan religions, or, mystery religions that practiced ecstatic utterances and emotional frenzies.  They would drink and dance themselves into a frenzy until they went into a semiconscious or even an unconscious state.  When they were in this state they often spoke in tongues, believed to be the language of the gods, and they believed this was the highest form of communion with God.

There is nothing miraculous about ecstatic babbling; many pagan religions do it, and it is nothing more than pagan religion creeping into the church.

Many in the charismatic movement believe tongue speaking is vital for spirituality.  How often people tell me they are saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost.   That means they have spoken in tongues.  This often is equated with being spiritual.  If you are in a charismatic church and do not speak in tongues you will be looked upon as a “have not.”  There is a type of peer pressure in many such churches to speak in tongues.  Some charismatic churches go so far as to say you must speak in tongues if you are saved.

Tongues speaking can be addictive.  Ben Byrd, a former charismatic writes, "Speaking in tongues is addictive...the habit plus the psychic high it brings plus the stimulation of the flesh equals a practice hard to let go of."  People have an experience and that experience becomes more important than the Bible itself. 

Understand this about tongues:  they are mentioned in just three books of the Bible: Mark, Acts (2, 10, 19) and 1 Corinthians.  Tongues’ speaking is not mentioned in Romans where Paul also lists spiritual gifts (Romans 12).  Tongues are not mentioned in the Book of Ephesians even though tongues were spoken during Paul’s ministry in that city (Acts 19).  In 1 Corinthians Paul writes to reprove the church for their misuse of the gift and give them proper guidelines for exercising this gift.  The following is a brief outline of the only doctrinal epistle which deals with tongue speaking.

1 Corinthians 12: Groundwork of Spiritual gifts.  Not everyone has the same gift!  To say that all Christians are to speak in tongues is a false concept!

1 Corinthians 13: Environment of Spiritual Gifts: Love.  Spiritual gifts are not for one's own personal gratification or edification.  Love is not self seeking.

1 Corinthians 14: Abuses of Spiritual Gifts.  The church of Corinth did not lack spiritual gifts, but they did lack spirituality!  Tongues which went without interpretation were without purpose!  The Corinthian church was full of problems: division, moral compromise, brothers taking brothers to court, divorce, liberty was being abused, idolatry was being practiced.  Corinth had gifted believers, but they were abusing the gifts.  Paul writes them to give God's correction of the problem and to tell them how they were to exercise their gift.  The gift most misused was the gift of tongues, and I believe the same can be said today of many churches!

What tongues according to the Bible?  A tongue either refers to the physical organ in our mouth (James 3), or to a language.  The gift of tongues was the ability to speak a language without ever having studied that language.  Tongues’ speaking, as God designed, was never a babbling or ecstatic utterance.  Anyone can learn how to babble, but who can speak Spanish, French, Egyptian, etc. without ever having studied?  Some say that modern day tongues’ speaking is the “tongue of angels.”  There is no proof that angels speak in some ecstatic utterances, but rather whenever angels speak they spoke understandably in the language of men (See Matthew 1:20-23; Luke 2:10-14).  The tongues’ of angels was the speech of ministering servants of God, faithfully delivering God’s message with power and eloquence.

Tongues is so misunderstood and misused because people ignore the purpose and the principles of practice for tongues.

First, let us see the Biblical purpose of tongues’ speaking, 1 Corinthians 14:20-22

Paul tells us that tongues was a sign gift to the unbelieving nation of Israel of a judgment that was coming.

“Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not.” 

Tongues are a sign.  What are signs for?  They point to something.  If you are driving to New York City along the New Jersey Turnpike, you will see signs along the way, pointing you to New York City.  You will see a sign that says “New York City: 200 miles”  Then you will see another one when you within 100 miles, fifty miles until you get to New York City.  Once you pass New York City there are no more signs.  The signs accomplished their purpose, and once you pass what the sign pointed to, the signs for New York City stop. 

Similarly, once the purpose of the sign gift of tongues to Israel was complete, there was no further reason for the sign gift.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14:20, 21:

Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding by men.  In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people, and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.

Paul quotes from the Law in Deuteronomy. 

Deuteronomy 28:49-50; The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue (or language!) thou shalt not understand; a nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young.

A mark of God's judgment would be people marching through Israel speaking languages they did not understand.  Literal languages is clearly meant here under the context of judgment because of Israel's disobedience.

Isaiah 28:11: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

Assyrians fulfilled this prophecy by invading Israel and taking it over.  Their language would sound like stammering.  Literal language which Israel could not understand is again the clear meaning.  Israel because of disobedience will be brought under the judgment of God and taken into captivity.  This was a message of judgment:

Isaiah 33:19; Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.

As Paul quotes from the law, he refers to prophecies which related clearly to Israel.  Therefore, the "this people" of 1 Corinthians 14:21 is Israel and only Israel.  The gift of tongues was the ability to speak languages which one had not studied in order to demonstrate the mighty power of God to an unbelieving nation, Israel.  Each time tongues was spoken in Acts, Jews were present.  This is vital to understand.  If tongues are to be spoken today it must meet this Biblical Purpose.  The true biblical purpose of tongues was to warn Israel of a coming judgment which would again remove them from their land. 

How had Israel in Paul’s day become a disobedient, unbelieving people?  They had disobeyed God and rejected Jesus, God's Son as their Messiah.  Fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus, on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came in fullness.  A mighty rushing wind filled the Temple in Jerusalem.  Tongues of fire sat upon the leaders of the early church.  Then the Spirit gave them utterance and they spoke in the languages of all the Jews who were present (Acts 2:1-12).  Yet the Israelite leaders of the land rejected the powerful coming of the Holy Spirit.  They continued persecuting those believers who preached Jesus and the resurrection.  The spiritual leaders of Israel not only rejected Jesus the Messiah but also the Holy Spirit.  They were bringing upon themselves the judgment of God and the coming destruction of the Temple.  But God would give them one final sign of this coming judgment, and it was the miraculous ability of some in the early church to speak in languages they had never studied.  Surely this power authenticates the truth of the Gospel of Christ, for how could one suddenly speak a language they had never previously studied?

In a few years after the Corinthian epistle, in 70 A.D., Titus the Roman General would sweep into Jerusalem and scatter the nation of Israel until 1948!  And even to this day, although Israel is a nation, they do not have access to the Temple mount area.  Since 70 A.D. the temple area was removed from the grip of the Israelites so that they cannot offer sacrifices prescribed in the Mosaic Law. 

The sign gift on tongues clearly points to this judgment.  When the judgment was accomplished, the purpose of the sign gift no longer existed!  This is why the gift of tongues did cease (1 Corinthians 13:8).  The Bible says that tongues “shall cease.” Church history clearly documents the cessation of this gift as well.

Today, many are coveting this gift while others go to seminars or classes to speak in tongues.  Others pray and pray.  Many go from church to church, go forward at the altar call and have hands laid upon them.  But what is the purpose?  Tongues was not given as a sign to the one who speaks in tongues that he himself is saved or has the power of the Holy Spirit.  The only sign you need to have to know that you are saved is Jesus Christ rose again!  Jesus says an evil and adulteress nation seeks after a sign!  Neither were tongues a sign to show someone else that you are saved.  Neither were tongues spoken to have some joyous experience to draw the person speaking closer to God.  Tongues are not to be used as a private prayer language.  Tongues were not to edify the one speaking.  That is a misuse of tongues which Paul corrects.  That is not the purpose.  The one and only purpose of tongues is a sign to the unbelieving nation of Israel.  If you disagree with me, study your Bible and find another and come to me, because I want to know!

The second major point we must consider is the procedure for speaking in tongues (v.26-40).

Paul gives a list of guidelines for speaking in tongues, and if these were followed, probably all tongues speaking would be eliminated from our churches!

First, tongues were for edification (v.26).  Tongues were not for self gratification, self fulfillment, or to show myself or others how spiritual I am, but to build up others in the body of Christ.

Second, tongues must be an actual language, not a gibberish (v.27).

Third, no more than three people could speak in tongues in a single service (v.27).

Fourth, tongue speaking must be done one at a time, or "by course."  It is never to be done all at the same time.  Two or more people are never to speak in tongues at the same time.

Fifth, tongues speaking must be interpreted.  This is not optional.  It is a necessary requirement for tongues speaking.

Sixth, any confusion or disorder is not of God.  v.33, Confusion is "tumult or a lack of quietness."

Carol Wimber writes of an experience in the ministry of her and her husband, John Wimber.  John Wimber is one who practices tongues speaking.   "One fellow, Tim, started bouncing.  His arms flung out and he fell over, but one of his hands accidentally hit a microphone stand and he took it down with him.  He was tangled up in the cord with the mike next to his mouth.  Then he began speaking in tongues, so the sound went throughout the gymnasium. The majority of the young people were shaking and falling over.  At one point it looked like a battlefield scene; bodies everywhere, people weeping, wailing, and speaking in tongues, much shouting and loud behavior.  And there was Tim in the middle of it all, babbling into the microphone."

This sounds like mass confusion to me!

Seventh, women were not ever to speak in tongues in the worship service (v.34). 

Eighth, recognize these commandments as from the Lord (v.37,38).

With these regulations in mind, Paul says in conclusion to his discussion on spiritual gifts, “forbid not to speak in tongues” (v.39).  Those who endorse tongues speaking often quote this verse, but Paul only writes it after laying down specific guidelines. 

In conclusion, let me emphasize some of the dangers of tongues speaking.

It places an emphasis on Extra Biblical Revelation.  The whole tongues movement has placed an emphasis on "fresh revelation from heaven."  To many charismatics, the tongues message is more important than the written word of God, for it is up to date and contemporary.  This is not true!  The written Word is sufficient for all our spiritual needs!  We must not add or take away from the Bible!

For many, the signs and wonders become more important than the mighty work of Jesus Christ.  An expression used by the Third Wave Charismatics is "Power Evangelism."  Healing, tongues speaking, so called supernatural demonstrations of miracles take the place of the preaching and teaching of God's Word, the Bible. 

Tongues are uniting many denominations together, especially with the Roman Catholic Church.  We do not need false unity with the Roman Catholic Church as Chuck Colson promotes, or the ecumenical errors of ecumenical evangelism.  We do need Biblical unity based upon the truth of Scripture.  Any movement that leads to unity with the Roman Catholic religious system of a tool of the devil.  The charismatic movement is bringing about a false unity that is not based upon the truth of Scripture, but upon an emotion-based experience.