MANY CHRISTIANS, THOUGH curious about tongues, are also afraid of it. They fear that to desire and pray for this gift or to open themselves to the Spirit will cause them to risk exposing themselves to a demonic influence. Why do people think this way?
First of all, Christians who were raised and nurtured in strong, Bible-based churches are extraordinarily fearful of the slightest artificiality in their Christian experience. They demand a virtual guarantee, in advance, that what they do be genuine. Often this caution is borne of a fear that inevitably paralyzes faith, as well as the willingness to try and to risk. After first speaking in what they hope is tongues, the slightest doubt of its authenticity prompts them never to try again. I’m not suggesting that we not be passionate for what is genuine. But we must not let fear control our lives.
Another factor is that often after first speaking in tongues, people conclude that it doesn’t “feel” sufficiently supernatural. It doesn’t seem significantly different from what it takes to pray in English. So either it isn’t real or it isn’t worth the effort.
One’s initial experience with tongues can be disconcerting when it doesn’t “sound” like a language. It seems like irrational and incoherent gibberish, unlike any speech they’ve heard before. “How could something so trite and repetitious be of any spiritual value?” Such disillusionment leads to their abandoning the practice altogether.
Finally, many shy away from tongues for fear of “sounding silly.” Appearing foolish in the presence of people whose respect and love you cherish can often paralyze one’s passion for this spiritual gift. These concerns lead us to the next in our list of thirty crucial questions about speaking in tongues.
27. If I don’t have the gift of tongues but want it, what should I do?
Let’s get one thing clear right from the start. There isn’t the slightest evidence whatsoever that any New Testament author believed a desire for tongues or the exercise of it might expose a person to demonic influence. The church at Corinth was filled with recently converted men and women whose background was characterized by pagan and demonic rituals. It was to these very people that Paul said, “I want you all to speak in tongues” (1 Cor. 14:5)! Nowhere does Paul say or suggest, “I want you all to be afraid of tongues.” Neither Paul nor anyone else ever says, “Be careful! Tongues are dangerous. When you open your heart and make yourself vulnerable in the pursuit of this gift, Satan could easily step in and exert his power in your life.” No! Nowhere do we see this in the New Testament. When Paul turns to the issue of tongues, he says the same thing about this gift as he does about all others: they are expressions of “the same Spirit” and “the same Lord” and “the same God” who “empowers them all in everyone” (1 Cor. 12:4–6). Tongues is no less a “manifestation of the Spirit” given for the “common good” than any other gift.
In addition, when he begins his detailed description of the gift, he tells us that the one who speaks “in a tongue builds up himself” (1 Cor. 14:4). He doesn’t say he or she opens a door to a demon. And when he concludes his argument with a final exhortation, it is specifically that no one should ever “forbid speaking in tongues” (1 Cor. 14:39). Does that sound like the advice of someone who wanted his disciples to be afraid of tongues and to put up their guard lest they be invaded by a demonic spirit? Along these same lines we should remember the words of Jesus Himself:
What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!
—LUKE 11:11–13
If you, one of God’s beloved children, come to your immeasurably good heavenly Father and ask Him for this gift of the Holy Spirit, He’s not going to give you a demon!
Now that we have dismissed that absurd argument, let me suggest several practical steps you might wish to take.
First, don’t let anyone quench your zeal by telling you that if God wanted you to have the gift of tongues, He would already have given it to you. This bad advice is based on an equally bad and unbiblical belief about how many spiritual gifts God may choose to bestow on His children and when He might choose to do it. Some believe every Christian gets every spiritual gift God intends for them at the moment of their conversion, when they are baptized in the Spirit. This is false. It is true, of course, that “to each” Christian the Spirit gives at least one spiritual gift (1 Cor. 12:7). The apostle Peter confirms this when he says:
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.
—1 PETER 4:10–11, EMPHASIS ADDED
But nowhere does any New Testament author say or even imply that once you have received a gift at conversion, you shouldn’t expect, much less pray for, additional gifts.
There are several texts that actually prove the opposite. No one can say with confidence that there is a limit to how many gifts the Spirit might bestow. The apostle Paul probably had the gifts of evangelism, apostleship, prophecy, miracles, healing, tongues, and teaching, just to mention a few. So what biblical evidence is there that we can and should pray for God to bestow gifts beyond what we already have? Here are several texts.
We should begin with Paul’s exhortation in 1 Corinthians 12:31 that we should “earnestly desire the higher gifts.” By “higher” Paul means more effective at building up the body of Christ. But if the Corinthians had already received at conversion the only gifts they would ever have, how could Paul have exhorted them to “earnestly desire” to obtain more? A similar point is made in 1 Corinthians 14:1, where he again exhorts the Corinthians (and us) to “earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.” Those to whom this exhortation was given were born-again believers! Paul obviously believed it was possible, and quite desirable, for God to continue to grant more gifts than any person might already have. That especially applies to prophecy because of its superior capacity to build up others.
In 1 Corinthians 14:5 Paul expresses his wish that “all” the Corinthians would speak in tongues. Why would he do this if he knew the Spirit doesn’t grant gifts beyond the time of conversion? Later in that chapter Paul says of the Corinthians, “So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church” (1 Cor. 14:12). If we only receive spiritual gifts at conversion, Paul should have said something along the lines of “Stop being eager for manifestations or gifts of the Spirit, because He’s not going to give you anything beyond what you already have.” But of course, that’s not what he says!
In the immediately following verse Paul issues this exhortation: “Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret” (1 Cor. 14:13). The one who already speaks in tongues is obviously a Christian, yet Paul exhorts that person to pray that God would grant him yet another gift, the ability to interpret the tongue.
One more text will confirm my point. Paul writes 1 Timothy to his young protégé and spiritual son. He tells him: “Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you” (1 Tim. 4:14). So here is Paul reminding the born-again Timothy of how he received a spiritual gift when the elders prayed for him. Paul probably had much the same thing in mind when he wrote later to Timothy, telling him “to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Tim. 1:6). If Timothy had received at the time of his conversion all the spiritual gifts that it was possible for him to have, these exhortations by Paul make no sense. Clearly Timothy was granted additional gifts when he was prayerfully ministered to by the elders at Ephesus as well as on that occasion when Paul himself laid hands on Timothy and prayed for him.
So I trust by now that you know it is perfectly legitimate for you or any other Christian to desire and earnestly pursue and pray for additional gifts of the Spirit, including the gift of tongues. It’s important, of course, that you keep in mind two things. First, you can’t twist the Spirit’s arm (as if He had one!). You can’t force Him to give you something that is contrary to His will. Paul said it clearly in 1 Corinthians 12:11 that all spiritual gifts are “empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” The obtaining of any spiritual gift isn’t ultimately up to what we will or want but is based on what the Spirit wills. So why would Paul still tell us to “earnestly desire” and “pray” for spiritual gifts? The answer isn’t that difficult to discern. One of the ways the Spirit’s will for us is achieved is when He Himself stirs up a desire for a particular gift in our hearts. Oftentimes we find ourselves hungry or desperate or yearning for some spiritual reality precisely because the Spirit is already at work, antecedently to our desire, awakening in us a recognition of our need for it.
There is one more thing to keep in mind, especially if you are among those who think that because the will of the Holy Spirit determines who gets what gift, we should never pray for or earnestly pursue a gift we don’t yet have. Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:11 that God “works all things according to the counsel of his will.” But I seriously doubt you will respond to that by saying, “Well, I guess I don’t have to pray for God to do anything at all since His will is the ultimate and determinative factor in everything that happens.” Or I doubt you will say, “It isn’t necessary or even helpful to preach the gospel to lost souls or to pray for people to be healed because God’s will determines all such matters.” In other words, we know that God’s will is ultimate and decisive, but we also know that one way (perhaps the primary way) in which God accomplishes His will is by stirring and motivating us to preach and pray as the means by which He brings that will into being.
I’ve spoken with some who are reluctant to pray for tongues because they fear that if God were to bestow the gift, they would lose control of themselves and do something foolish or irreverent and perhaps spiral off into some weird physical gyration. But when Paul describes the exercise of tongues, he never portrays people as losing control of their senses or falling under the influence of an alien power. We see this also in Acts. On all three occasions when people spoke in tongues in Acts, they are seen as calm, cool, and collected! The fact that some unbelievers on the day of Pentecost accused them of being drunk isn’t because these believers were staggering around and slurring their speech. Their charge was either one of hard-hearted disdain for the exuberant zeal of these disciples or due to the fact that they didn’t understand any of the languages that were being spoken. So remember, God’s purpose in bestowing the gift of tongues isn’t to overwhelm or humiliate you but to empower you to bless God, bless others, and edify your own soul. I can’t think of any place or posture that is any safer than being under the influence of the Holy Spirit of God. So again: there is no reason for you to be afraid!
A woman once asked me if God would make her leave her church and join a Charismatic congregation if she received the gift of tongues. She was devoted to her church and had no desire to leave it. I can’t predict what God may ask of you with regard to church attendance, but I seriously doubt it would have anything to do with the particular spiritual gift He has granted to you. Of course, it may be that your church is staunchly opposed to tongues and perhaps even accuses those who exercise the gift as being psychologically imbalanced or even demonized. In such a case I suspect that common sense would indicate a change in churches is in order. But even then God may want you to remain in your church as a witness and source of encouragement to others who hold to an unbiblical view of tongues.
If you do choose to remain in a church that denies the validity of tongues today, honor their wishes not to exercise the gift anywhere outside your own private prayer life. God didn’t grant us these gifts to be divisive. Neither does He want you to be defensive or argumentative. Be patient and loving with them and allow time for the fruit of this gift to grow. It may prove helpful to seek support and encouragement in a small Bible-study group or home prayer fellowship sponsored by another church that is attended by believers who embrace the gifts of the Spirit.
You may also encounter the charge, “Oh, I guess this means you think you’re better than we are. You’re the ‘have’ and we’re the ‘have-nots.’” This is a tragic misunderstanding not only of the gift of tongues but of our relationship to the work of the Spirit in general. Simply reassure them as gently but firmly as possible that the gift of tongues has not made you a better Christian than they. Perhaps the best way to respond is by saying: “I don’t believe that I am now a better Christian than you. I simply believe I am now on my way to becoming a better Christian than I was before I received this gift.” God forbids us to compare ourselves with others, as if we, because of a particular gift, are better than they. (See 1 Corinthians 4:7.) But it is an essential part of the Christian life that we grow up in our faith and deepen in our devotion to Jesus through the increase and expansion of the Spirit’s work in our lives. 1
Also, as I argued in an earlier chapter, speaking in tongues is not an exercise in anti-intellectualism where you have to put your brain on ice. Tongues is often an extremely exhilarating and emotionally charged spiritual experience. But it is just as often quite mundane, and when I pray in tongues, it doesn’t feel substantially any different from how I feel when I pray in English. And my love for Scripture and the deep things of God has only grown since I received this gift. So don’t live in fear that once you begin to speak in tongues, your gray matter will turn to mush! Don’t you think that if there were a cause-and-effect connection between tongues and disdain for doctrine that Paul would have informed us of it and warned us against it? And let us never forget that it was the apostle Paul, author of the Epistle to the Romans and other doctrinal treatises, who said, “I thank God I speak in tongues more than you all!”
So what are we to do when it comes to helping and supporting those who long for this gift? Many think they should “prime the pump” by encouraging the individual to repeatedly say “banana” backward! This is rarely helpful and lacks any biblical support. Neither am I supportive of those who would suggest that the individual simply begin speaking meaningless syllables or made-up words, waiting, as it were, for the Spirit to, in a sense, co-opt or take hold of your vocal capacities. And yet I don’t want to be overly dogmatic on this point, as I’ve heard from a few people that this is in fact the way in which the Spirit then imparted tongues to them.
The simple fact is that there is no prescribed method or procedure in the Bible for how the Spirit imparts the gift of tongues to men and women. I wasn’t trying to speak in tongues when it happened. I didn’t start out at will uttering strange syllables and words with the hope that the Spirit would take hold of my speech pattern and transform it into genuine tongues. I was praying in plain English when suddenly and without warning I was praying in words that I had never heard or learned before. But that happened only once, at the beginning.
We read in Acts 2:4 that “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (emphasis added). That sounds much like what happened to me the first time I spoke in tongues. But in 1 Corinthians 14 Paul clearly envisions a scenario in which people have control over whether to speak in tongues, when to speak in tongues, and for how long. They can start and stop at will.
Some of you will have an experience like mine. Others may simply step out in faith and begin speaking whatever words come into your heart, trusting that the Spirit is the source of your speech and will sustain it within you. You may feel something profoundly emotional and exhilarating. But some may feel nothing at all. Don’t draw any conclusion about the legitimacy of your speech based on your feelings. Some of you will be hesitant to speak, fearing that what comes out of your mouth sounds silly or artificial, or worse still, fleshly or demonic. Do not be afraid! For all of you it comes down to whether you believe what Jesus said in Luke 11:11–13, quoted previously.
Quite a few have shared with me how they first spoke in what they had hoped was the gift of tongues only then to abandon the practice because it didn’t “feel” supernatural. But it doesn’t have to feel supernatural to be supernatural! Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:6 that God empowers all spiritual gifts: all! Not just those that appear or feel to be more overtly miraculous, but all of them: service, mercy, teaching, etc. Never conclude that it isn’t genuine tongues if you speak and it doesn’t feel out of the ordinary, special, or super spiritual. Every gift is a manifestation of the Spirit. In that sense every spiritual gift is supernatural.
This is a high hill to climb for those of us who were raised in intensely cerebral or deeply intellectual churches where theological precision and doctrinal authenticity were prized above all else. Don’t take that to mean we shouldn’t be rigorously biblical in all we believe and do. But there is something of a built-in defense mechanism in many Christians that makes them extraordinarily sensitive and resistant to the slightest hint of artificiality. So at the first onset of tongues, if it doesn’t come with a self-attesting witness of absolute authenticity, we tend to shut down or withdraw. This can be a good thing at times, especially among those in the Charismatic world who are on occasion slightly more gullible and naïve about claims to the miraculous than are others. Discernment is always proper for every believer. But discernment can also easily degenerate into cynicism that views virtually all subjective or experiential phenomena with deep suspicion.
Regardless of the path you walk in your pursuit of tongues, be certain that you persevere in prayer. The apostle Paul doesn’t give us any details about what it means to “earnestly desire” spiritual gifts. But at minimum I think we’d all agree that he means for us to relentlessly and ceaselessly press into the heart of God in prayer. (See 1 Corinthians 14:13.) You should never be ashamed or embarrassed by your desire for tongues. Neither should you give in to discouragement if your requests for it are not immediately answered.
There is yet one more practical step that you can take that many have found helpful in their prayerful pursuit of tongues. It has to do with worship. Make every effort to find a time and the proper place to wait in solitude with the Lord. We are an inordinately prideful people who are easily intimidated by others and worry about their opinions of us. So find a moment when no one else is around and you needn’t worry that your behavior might provoke their disdain or laughter. Begin to sing your praises as the worship leader sings his or hers as you listen to your favorite song list. You need to do all you can to devote considerable time, perhaps even a few hours, to be alone with the Lord in uninterrupted meditation on His Word and heartfelt singing to Him. I’ve personally found it especially helpful to combine this with a period of fasting. Devote yourself in single-minded and whole-hearted adoration of the beauty of Christ and the joy of being enjoyed by Him (Zeph. 3:17). Open your heart, open your mouth, and sing forth the love songs He has put within. What happens next is between you and God.
Whatever else you do, be patient. Persevere. Press in. Be relentless. Never cease to ask until God says, “Shut up.” (Although I’m not convinced He ever would!) Or never cease to ask until you lose the “earnest desire” for this gift. If in the final analysis God doesn’t grant you this gift, don’t ever, ever, ever conclude that it is because He loves you less than He does the person to whom He grants tongues. If you faithfully, fervently, and frequently ask God for the gift of tongues, one of two things will happen. Either God will say no, in which case you should thank Him for the spiritual gifts you already have. Or God will say yes, and in some manner, at some point in time, the Spirit will impart to you the ability to pray, praise, and give thanks in words you don’t understand but that perfectly express your deepest desires and hopes. There isn’t a third option.
28. Can or should all Christians speak in tongues? Is tongues a gift God intends to supply to every believer, or is it only given to some? 2
This question will often provoke equally heated and dogmatic answers, both yes and no. Most non-Charismatic, Evangelical believers think it hardly worth the time even to ask the question. The simple fact that so many millions of born-again believers do not speak in tongues strikes them as experiential confirmation that the answer is decidedly no. In other words, how can it be that God’s will is always that everyone speak in tongues when so many millions of Bible-believing, born-again followers of Jesus throughout the course of two thousand years of church history never have? Must we account for this by arguing that they are all living in disobedience to something God so clearly requires and commands in His Word? On the other hand, few cessationists are even familiar with the depth of argumentation that has been put forth by those who would answer yes. So let’s take a minute and try to gain some biblical clarity on this issue.
Recent developments within the Southern Baptist Convention are illustrative of the ongoing controversy about tongues. Many of you may have heard or read that the International Mission Board (known as the IMB) of the Southern Baptist Convention has reversed itself on the question of whether they would appoint Southern Baptist missionaries who employ a “private prayer language,” their way of referring to the practice of praying in tongues.
The initial decision of the IMB to ban tongues-speech among its missionaries was announced in 2005. According to an article on the website of the Texas Baptist Standard, “The Southern Baptist Convention agency already excludes people who speak in tongues in public worship from serving as missionaries. But the mission board’s trustees voted Nov. 15 to amend its list of missionary qualifications to exclude those who use a ‘prayer language’ in private.” 3 The article goes on to say that “the restriction of ‘prayer language’—a private version of the charismatic worship practice of tongues-speaking—was approved by a vote of 25-18. . . . Some trustees did not vote on the issue during their Huntsville, Ala., meeting, the agency reported.” 4 But when David Platt was appointed to the presidency of the IMB, he soon secured a reversal of this policy. 5 No one can easily predict in what direction the IMB will go now that Platt has resigned as president to return to the local church pastorate.
I cite this ever-changing scenario only to point out that the controversy over the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues shows no signs of going away. As long as there are Christians who believe the gift is valid today while others insist it is not, this issue will be discussed and debated. And no issue related to the gift of tongues is as potentially divisive as the question of whether this gift is intended by God to be received by every born-again believer.
Those Charismatics who would answer yes to our question are dumbfounded that anyone would disagree. As far as they are concerned, Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 14:5 settles the debate once and for all. There the apostle says, “Now I want you all to speak in tongues.” Is Paul’s expressed “wish” a reflection of his understanding that God’s “will” is the same?
Those who insist that tongues is not designed by God for all believers appeal to several texts in 1 Corinthians. For example, they direct our attention to 1 Corinthians 7:7, where Paul uses language identical to what is found in 1 Corinthians 14:5. Paul says this about his own celibacy: “I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another” (1 Cor. 7:7). Few, if any, would contend that Paul is insisting that all Christians remain single as he is. His wish, therefore, should not be taken as the expression of an unqualified and universal desire. The same understanding, so they argue, should be applied to Paul’s expressed wish in 1 Corinthians 14:5 that all Christians speak in tongues.
Yet another argument by those who believe tongues is a gift bestowed on only some Christians is the language Paul employs in 1 Corinthians 12:7–11. There he says tongues, like the other eight gifts mentioned, is bestowed to individuals as the Holy Spirit wills. If Paul meant that all believers were to experience this gift, why did he employ the terminology of “to one is given . . . and to another . . . to another,” etc.? In other words, Paul seems to suggest that the Spirit sovereignly differentiates among Christians and distributes one or more gifts to this person and yet another different gift to this person and yet another gift to that one, and so on.
Those who answer no to our question are insistent that there is no escaping what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:28–30. In this text the apostle argues that all do not speak in tongues any more than all have gifts of healings or all are teachers or apostles. Let’s look closely at how Paul frames his question:
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.
—1 CORINTHIANS 12:29–31
It’s difficult, if not impossible, to escape the conclusion that Paul expects us to respond by saying no. This is reinforced when we take note of how such questions were posed in Greek. But first consider how we ask questions in English when we already know the answer. English speakers have a way of emphasizing certain words, of elevating our voice, and even utilizing certain facial expressions when we intend for the person listening to know that the answer to our question is decidedly no. For example:
• “You’re not going to jump off that ledge to your death, are you?”
• “Not everyone is a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, are they?”
In each of these cases we anticipate a negative response: no.
But in Greek there is a specific grammatical structure that is designed to elicit a negative response to the question being asked. Such is precisely what Paul employs here in 1 Corinthians 12. The translation provided by the New American Standard Bible makes this slightly more explicit than does the English Standard Version.
All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?
—1 CORINTHIANS 12:29–30, NASB
You can clearly see from the way the questions are phrased that the author wants you to respond by saying, “No, of course not.”
YES
Many think this forever settles the argument. But those who insist on answering yes to our question are quick to remind us that 1 Corinthians 7:7 isn’t the only place where Paul uses the “I want” or “I wish” terminology. One must also address passages such as the following:
For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea [actually, a more literal translation would be something along the lines of, “For I do not wish you to be ignorant, brothers . . .”].
—1 CORINTHIANS 10:1
But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
—1 CORINTHIANS 11:3
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.
—1 CORINTHIANS 12:1
In each of these three texts the same Greek verb (thelō) is used that we find in 1 Corinthians 14:5 (“I want” or “I wish”), and in all of them what the apostle wants applies equally and universally to every believer. Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 7 Paul goes on to tell us explicitly why his wish for universal celibacy cannot and should not be fulfilled. It is because “each has his own gift from God” (1 Cor. 7:7). But in 1 Corinthians 14 no such contextual clues are found that suggest Paul’s wish or desire for all to speak in tongues cannot be fulfilled. Then again, Paul’s use of thelō in 1 Corinthians 14:5 may suggest only that this is Paul’s desire without telling us whether he (or we) might consider the desire within the realm of possibility. At minimum we may conclude that Paul would be pleased if everyone spoke in tongues. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they all should.
Those who believe the answer to our question is yes pose yet another question. “Why,” they ask, “would God not want each believer to operate in this particular gift?” In other words, they ask: “Why would God withhold from any of His children a gift that enables them to pray and to praise Him so effectively, a gift that also functions to edify them in their faith?” But could not the same question be asked of virtually every other spiritual gift? Why would God not want all His people to be able to teach or to show mercy or to serve or to give generously or to pray for healing with great success or to evangelize? In any case I think we should avoid speculating on what we think God may or may not want for all of us unless we have explicit biblical instruction to that effect.
Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 14:23 also factors into the debate. There he says: “If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?” Paul’s question reveals a scenario in the church at Corinth that the apostle finds quite problematic. Those who had the gift of tongues were all speaking aloud without the benefit of interpretation. Whether they did this simultaneously or in succession, we don’t know. But the problem this posed for unregenerate visitors was obvious. The latter would have no idea of what was being said and would likely conclude that those speaking were mad or deranged or in some sense out of their minds, a scenario hardly conducive to effective evangelism! This most likely accounts for Paul’s subsequent demand that only two or three speak in tongues and that there always be an interpretation to follow. But aside from that issue, the argument is that Paul at least envisions the hypothetical possibility that every Christian in Corinth could speak in tongues, even if he advises against it in the corporate meeting of the church. Or could it simply be that he is speaking in deliberately exaggerated language when he says that “all speak in tongues”?
A view that many Charismatics are now supporting is that 1 Corinthians 12:7–11 and 12:28–30 refer to the gift of tongues in public ministry, that is to say, ministry exercised during the corporate gathering of the entire church, whereas 1 Corinthians 14:5 is describing the gift in private devotion. In 1 Corinthians 12:28 Paul specifically says he is describing what happens “in the church” or “in the assembly” (cf. 1 Cor. 11:18; 14:19, 23, 28, 33, 35). Not everyone is gifted by the Spirit to speak in tongues during the gathered assembly of God’s people. But the potential does exist for every believer to pray in tongues in private. These are not two different gifts, however, but two different contexts in which the one gift might be employed. A person who ministers to the entire church in tongues is someone who already uses tongues in his or her prayer life.
Well-known Pentecostal pastor Jack Hayford argues in much the same way, using different terms. He suggests that the gift of tongues is (1) limited in distribution (1 Cor. 12:11, 30), and (2) its public exercise is to be closely governed (1 Cor. 14:27–28) while the grace of tongues is so broadly available that Paul wishes that all enjoyed its blessing (1 Cor. 14:5), which includes (1) distinctive communication with God (1 Cor. 14:2); (2) edifying of the believer’s private life (1 Cor. 14:4); and (3) worship and thanksgiving with beauty and propriety (1 Cor. 14:15–17). 6 The difference between these operations of the Holy Spirit is that not every Christian has reason to expect he or she will necessarily exercise the public gift, while any Christian may expect and welcome the private grace of spiritual language in his or her personal time of prayer fellowship with God (1 Cor. 14:2), praiseful worship before God (1 Cor. 14:15–17), and intercessory prayer to God (Rom. 8:26–27).
Paul’s point at the end of 1 Corinthians 12 is that not every believer will contribute to the body in precisely the same way. Not everyone will minister a prophetic word, not everyone will teach, and so on. But whether everyone might pray privately in tongues is another matter not in Paul’s purview until 1 Corinthians 14.
It must be noted, however, that nowhere does Paul or any other New Testament author differentiate explicitly between tongues as a “gift” and tongues as a “grace.” All “gifts” are expressions of God’s “grace” to us through the Holy Spirit. Indeed, as most of you are undoubtedly aware, the Greek word for a spiritual gift (charisma) is clearly related to the Greek word for grace (charis). All spiritual gifts, not just tongues, are expressions of divine grace. I must confess a discomfort on my part in establishing a distinction between two expressions of tongues based on a supposed difference in words that nowhere is found in the New Testament.
Those who embrace this view find what they believe is a parallel in Paul’s perspective on who may prophesy. “All are not prophets, are they?” (1 Cor. 12:29, NASB). No, of course not. But Paul is quick to say that the potential exists for “all” to prophesy (1 Cor. 14:1, 31). Why could not the same be true for tongues? Couldn’t Paul be saying that whereas all do not speak in tongues as an expression of corporate, public ministry, it is possible that all may speak in tongues as an expression of private praise and prayer? Just as Paul’s rhetorical question in 1 Corinthians 12:29 is not designed to rule out the possibility that all may utter a prophetic word, so also his rhetorical question in 1 Corinthians 12:30 is not designed to exclude anyone from exercising tongues in their private devotional experience.
One problem with the view that Hayford defends is that when Paul says, “God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers” (1 Cor. 12:28, emphasis added), and so on, he isn’t referring to what happens “in the church” gathering or corporate assembly. The phrase “in the church” means in the body of Christ at large (whether that be in Corinth or Thessalonica or Rome or any other place where God’s people may be found). However, in several other texts Paul quite clearly has in view the public meeting of God’s people. (See 1 Corinthians 11:18; 14:19, 23, 28, 33, and 35.) But in the one passage where Paul denies that all have been given the gift of tongues, he is referring to “the body of Christ” (1 Cor. 12:27), of which we are “individually members.” New Testament scholar Max Turner also points out that
the other functions signified in 12:28–30 are surely not restricted to what happens when the Corinthian believers formally assemble. We must assume that prophecy, teaching, healings, miracles, leading and administration, were all both inside and outside the formal ‘assembly’. But all this in turn means that the question of 12:30, ‘Not all speak in tongues, do they? (No!)’, cannot be restricted to mean ‘Not all have a special gift to speak tongues “in the assembly”, do they?’ It must mean only some speak in tongues at all, whether privately or in the assembly. 7
My sense, then, is that Paul is not making a distinction between tongues that are exercised in public and tongues that remain a staple of private devotional prayer. Although there is certainly a variety of “kinds” or “species” of tongues, the difference is not one between private tongues and public tongues.
As you can see, good arguments exist on both sides of the fence when it comes to answering this question. I must confess it seems unlikely that God would withhold the gift of tongues from one of His children if they passionately and sincerely desire it. My suspicion is that, all things being equal, if you deeply desire this gift, it is probably (but not certainly) because the Holy Spirit has stirred your heart to seek for it. And He has stirred your heart to seek for it because it is His will to bestow it. So if you long for the gift of tongues, persevere in your prayers. My sense (with no guarantee) is that God will answer you in His time with a satisfying yes.
On the other hand, it is important to remember that as far as we can tell, there is no other spiritual gift that is ever described, defined, or portrayed in the New Testament as one that God bestows, or wants to bestow, on every single Christian. In other words, as I pointed out earlier, few if any would argue that God wants all to have the gift of teaching, or the gift of mercy, or the gift of leadership, or the gift of evangelism. Why, then, would tongues be unique, the only one among the many charismata that God intends for all believers to exercise?
In the final analysis, I am inclined to conclude that it is not necessarily God’s will that all Christians speak in tongues. But I’m open to being persuaded otherwise! 8