Speaking in Tongues​—Is It From God?

“I JUST don’t understand,” says Devon. “Each week at my church, many seem to get the holy spirit and miraculously speak in different languages. Some of them lead immoral lives. Meanwhile, I try to live in a morally upright way. Yet, as much as I pray for it, I never receive this gift of the spirit. How can that be?”

Gabriel likewise attends a church where people appear to receive holy spirit and speak in tongues. “What bothers me,” he explains, “is that during my prayers, others interrupt me with loud speech that neither I nor they understand. No one really benefits from this speech. Should not a gift of God’s spirit have some useful purpose?”

The experiences of Devon and Gabriel raise an intriguing question, Is speaking in tongues as done in some churches today really from God? To answer that question, it is helpful to examine the gift of miraculous speech among first-century Christians.

Speaking in Tongues Today​—A Sign of God’s Backing?

Where would you post a sign to benefit as many individuals as possible in your community? Inside a small building? Of course not! The account of the day of Pentecost tells us that a “multitude” of passersby observed the sign provided by the disciples’ miraculous speaking in tongues. Why, as a result, “about three thousand souls were added” to the Christian congregation on that day! (Acts 2:5, 6, 41) If people today claim to speak in tongues but do so within the confines of a church building, how can the practice serve as a public sign to multitudes of unbelievers?

God’s Word mentions fornication and other “works of the flesh” as being opposed to the operation of holy spirit, adding that “those who practice such things will not inherit God’s kingdom.” (Galatians 5:17-21) If you observe people of questionable morals speaking in tongues, you might rightly wonder, ‘Would it not be inconsistent​—even misleading—​for God’s holy spirit to be bestowed on individuals who persistently engage in conduct that God’s own Word condemns?’ That would be like installing a street sign that directs traffic the wrong way.

Speaking in Tongues Today​—A Tool to Spread the Good News?

What about the other purpose of the gift of tongues in the first century? Does the speaking in tongues practiced in churches serve as a tool for preaching the good news to people of different languages? Recall that observers who were in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost 33 C.E. were from many lands, and they clearly understood the languages miraculously spoken by the disciples. In contrast, those who speak in tongues today usually utter speech that is unintelligible to any listener.

Clearly, modern-day speaking in tongues is very different from the gift of holy spirit given to Jesus’ early followers. In fact, there is no reliable record of anyone receiving that same miraculous power since the death of the apostles. This is not surprising to Bible readers. Regarding the miraculous gifts, including that of speaking in tongues, the inspired apostle Paul prophesied: “They will cease.” (1 Corinthians 13:8)