If speaking in tongues is a gift (1 Cor 12 and 14), then wouldn’t we think that only the gifted would be able to speak in tongues? The answer might seem to be “yes.”
This possible answer might find support in Paul’s questions at the end of 1 Corinthians 12. Here, after he has said much about the spiritual gifts, Paul asks, “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?” (1 Cor 12:29-30).
Paul’s implied answer to all of these questions is, “No, not everyone is an apostle, not everyone teaches, does miracles . . . or speaks in tongues.” And this is true! The Spirit gives people different gifts. This recognition does not mean, however, that only a few people (the gifted) can pray in tongues.
Considering a few other gifts of the Spirit makes this point clear. In the verse before Paul asks his questions (“Do all speak in tongues?” and so forth), he mentions people with a number of spiritual gifts: “those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues” (verse 28).
Like Paul, we can ask, “Do all have gifts of healing?” (verse 29) and the answer would be “no.” And yet, God can use any praying Christian to heal somebody. Similarly, we can ask, “Do all have the gift of helping others?” (verse 28). Again, the answer would be, “no.” But I sure hope that when I am in a pinch, anyone has the ability to help me, even if they don’t think they are “gifted!”
The same could be said about the gift of encouragement, the gift of giving, and other gifts (Romans 12:8). If only those with the gift of giving can give, then pastors might as well give up collecting offerings on Sunday morning! If some have the gift of prophecy, and yet “you can all prophesy in turn” (1 Corinthians 14:31), then it becomes clear that, similarly, some can have the gift of speaking in tongues (for a congregation), but any Christian can potentially speak in tongues as they pray.
This makes sense of Paul’s warning about times when “the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues” (verse 23). It also makes sense for Paul to write, “I would like every one of you to speak in tongues” (1 Corinthians 14:5).
This blog post is an excerpt from a (non-academic) book I am writing on the Holy Spirit and Spirituality, now titled Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit.
Interesting article and encourages one to earnestly seek the gift of “praying in tongues” (and not “speaking in tongues” as Pentecostals commonly mention). But the bigger question is, “Is speaking or praying in tongues the only evidence of having received the Holy Spirit?”, as the Pentecostals everywhere uniformly insist. I don’t find any scriptural support for this. Are other gifts of the Holy Spirit not a sign of someone having received the Holy Spirit?
That Pentecostals think tongues is “the only evidence of having received the Holy Spirit” is a bit of a misconception, though it is an understandable one given the language that Pentecostals use. Here are two articles I’ve posted that address your question:
1) Tongues is NOT the Only Sign of Spirit Baptism
2) PAOC Clergy on Tongues and Spirit Baptism: Changing Views.
Thanks for your comment!
Thanks for your gracious reply. I enjoyed reading the two articles that you posted in the reply.
Just a few comments on your article.
When Paul says “You can all prophesy one by one” , I don’t think he is referring to the entire church. It seems to me that he is speaking to only the prophets in the church. The preceding verses suggest that he is addressing the prophets. In the preceding verse (verse 29), Paul says “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others [??the other prophets] judge. But if anything is revealed to another [another prophet] who sits by, let the first [i.e , the first prophet] keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one . . . .” So, it seems to me that Paul is addressing the prophets here; he is not speaking to the whole church. This is obvious because he begins by saying, “Let two or three PROPHETS speak, and let the others [?the other prophets] judge. But if anything is revealed to another [another prophet] while the first prophet is still speaking, then the first prophet should keep quiet and allow the second prophet to speak. The context of this section of the passage suggests that Paul is specifically talking to the prophets in the church about the need for order in the operation of the gift of prophecy. The prophets should speak one at a time, rather than more than one prophet speaking simultaneously. Rather than speaking simultaneously, they [the prophets] can all prophesy one by one, in an orderly fashion. This is my understanding of the text. I don’t think Paul is saying that all members of the church can and should prophesy.
The other thing I wanted to say has to do with your comment about 1 Cor. 14 verses 5 and 23. In verse 5, Paul says “I wish you all spoke in tongues”. This does not necessarily mean that everyone ought to speak in tongues. If tongues were meant for everyone, then that would directly contradict Paul’s own rhetorical question “Do all speak in tongues” (1 Cor. 12:30). So, in 1 Cor. 14:5, it seems to me that Paul’s statement is a mere wish. In fact, some Bible translations read “I wish you all spoke in tongues”. First of all, the fact that Paul wished the Corinthians all spoke in tongues is a confirmation that not all of them spoke in tongues. Not all of them had the gift of tongues. So, Paul is basically saying, ‘I really wish all of you had this gift of tongues’. This statement does not in any way mean that all of them should or could speak in tongues. It’s similar to Paul’s statement about celibacy when he said he wished all men were single even as he himself was single (1 Cor. 7:7). Clearly, Paul wasn’t advocating celibacy for all men. It was simply a wish which he knew was not going to happen because, as he put it, “each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that manner” (1 Cor. 7:7). Paul had the gift of celibacy but he recognized that not every man had that gift, even though he wished everyone had the gift of celibacy. In the same way, Paul’s wish that everyone spoke in tongues should not be interpreted to mean that all believers should speak in tongues.
Why is it that some believer do not speak in tongues