What is "speaking in tongues.."?

Question

...I've been to churches where they either mention this ''speaking in tongues" like it's something everyone already knows about or believe that it is a sign of being "filled with the holy ghost," but no one has ever really been able to explain it to me. Apparently, some churches are against it and others think you're not even a legit christian unless you do it.

So.........?

......and how do you know if you're really speaking in tongues? How do you know if someone else is?

Answer 1

It amounts to incoherent babbling. At one time it was considered a miraculous occurence, one that has been diminished by needful humans that put on a show so that their peers will think them holier than they are.

Answer 2

Speaking in tongues was (is?) a legitimate spiritual gift, as first recorded in Acts. In that instance, the Holy Spirit gifted the early believers with the ability to speak in languanges that they otherwise did not know. It was not clear if they understood what they were saying, or if they just spoke as the Spirit led.

Today, there are two extremes in what people believe concerning tongues.

1. Some say that the gift is no longer given, because its purpose (or need) has passed. Those who embrace this belief, when hard pressed, will say that those who claim to have the gift are "faking it".

2. Others believe that not only is the gift still alive and well, but that it is an essential evidence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This extreme position claims that unless/until you speak in tongues, you are probably not actually saved.

I am somewhere in the middle. Paul makes it very clear that there is no gift that is given to everyone. Where the idea came from that "everyone" should speak in tongues has its origins in human pride (IMO) without any basis in fact. Upon salvation, we are all given "a" spiritual gift, and sometimes more than one. But there is no one gift given to all. Read Romans chapters 12-14, but particularly 12:7-11 and 12:27-31 for this point. The rhetorical questions at the end of Chapter 12 have an implied "no" answer.

Another modern misuse of the gift of tongues is to speak publicly without the presence of someone with the complimentary gift of interpretation. While I have no problem with someone praying quietly to themselves, speaking out loudly is of no benefit to those hearing it, because they cannot understand it. Remember that the purpose of the gift was not to "show off", but to provide a means to miraculously share the gospel with persons in another language, or to share a message of the Spirit with the congregation (and thus the need for interpretation). All other uses are mis-uses.

So don't let anyone intimidate you concerning your salvation and speaking in tongues. The truth is somewhere between these two extremes.

Answer 3

There is a common belief among Pentecostals, Charismatics, and some other Christians the Holy Spirit, within the believer, uses glossolalia (speaking in tongues) as a method of talking to God the Father in heaven. i.e. two Persons of the Trinity communicate through the believer. Some support this concept with the text of Romans 8:26 which says that the Holy Spirit makes intercessions for us with God with groanings that words cannot express. The "groanings" phrase may mean that these intercessions cannot be spoken in the words of a human language, but only when the individual is in a state of religious ecstasy and speaking in the language of God.

Conservative Christian groups generally teach that believers are "saved" or "born again" when they repent of their sins and trust Jesus as Lord and Savior. Some denominations teach that, at the time that they are saved, or slightly later, the believer will be "baptized of the Holy Spirit." One manifestation of this baptism is the gift of speaking in tongues (aka glossolalia).

Author Tom Brown writes: "Theologians often confuse the baptism in the Holy Spirit with salvation. They often regard these two experiences as being the same...The Bible does not teach this. The Bible clearly teaches that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate experience from salvation and comes after a person is saved, although it can occur at the time of salvation."

For example: The "SALVATION: Heaven on Earth" web site says: "Anyone who is saved is ready to receive [the Holy Spirit]...[Later] when you are Baptised in the Holy Spirit, you too will speak in tongues." This gift of "tongues" is considered proof they have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. And since only saved believers can be so baptized, speaking in tongues is proof that their religious conversion is a valid one, and that the Holy Spirit is dwelling within them.

Other denominations have different views about "tongues." Some take a neutral view. Some consider it evidence of demon possession, and conclude that the believer needs to be exorcised. Although this phenomenon plays a large role in the lives of many tens of millions of conservative Christians, little attention has been paid to it by the scientific community.

Answer 4

Speaking in tongues is a gift of the Holy Spirit. You can read about how it first happened in the early church in Acts 2:1-4
Jesus had promised his diciples that he would send them another 'comforter' or 'helper' and that is the Spirit. He comes to dwell within the believer when they are born again, and as they learn to walk in their faith, He will help them by giving them power to witness, power to love the unlovely, and will edify you and encourage you. He makes Jesus real, and makes the Bible come alive when you read it. Speaking in tongues is considered one of the evidences of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Another one is love. These two combined together make a powerful effect. You get to speak in tongues when you yield yourself to Him... He is a person... the third part of the trinity... and He can be grieved. When you are born again you have all of the Holy Spirit there is...but when you are filled with the Spirit, He has all of you. It is a position of a deeper walk with God.
There are some churches that teach that it was only for the disciples.... that it ended with them... but then salvation and healing would have had to end too... so that's a bad arguement. Some teach that it is of the devil. But if you ask God your Father for a gift... is he going to give you a devil? no..!!! Some confuse the gift of tongues listed in the gifts of the Spirit... with the baptism in tongues... The gift of tongues mentioned in the gifts of the Spirit is for the whole church... while the baptism in the Spirit is for each believer to enhance your personal prayer life.
If you want to know more, contact me.

Answer 5

REALLY good question. I personally do not believe that men are gifted with speaking in tongues today. The only incidents that are seen today are people who claim to speak in unkown tongues. So there is really no way to verify whether or not they are actually speaking in a tongue.

What is also interesting is that we have examples such as on the day of pentecost when the apostles were speaking in tongues and the people who heard were amazed because they each heard the apostles speak in their own tongue.

That is amazing because one man would speak and all would hear in their own tongue. It was also amazing because the apostles were speaking in a real language which they had never learned.

I'll be convinced of the ability of men to speak in tongues as soon as I see someone who can speak in one voice and many hear in their own tongue or when I see someone speak in a tongue (let's say Swahili) that they have never learned.

It just won't happen because the gift does not exist today. I challenge you to find one person who claims the gift of tongues who will tell you they can do one or the other of the above.

Answer 6

In many languages including romance languages, Semitic languages and Greek, the word for "language" and "tongue" are either exactly the same or similar. In the context of the book of Acts, disciples began to preach and were understood by everyone of every different language.

The meaning would seem to be that they were able to speak different languages or tongues without having previous understanding of the language.

Some ultra-conservative churches like to have people babble a bunch of gobbledygook that no one understands and call it "speaking in tongues". Don't buy into it.

Specifically it means "speaking in (different) languages"

Answer 7

Speaking in tongues is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, others being the gift of healing, the gift of discernment, and the gift of interpreting tongues, just to name a few. These spiritual gifts were supposed to unify the church, but instead they divided it causing rivalries among the gifts. According to the apostle Paul speaking in "tongues" was the least of the gifts (1Cor. 12:27). The bible says in 1Cor. 12:11 that the Holy Spirit distributes these gifts and decides which ones each person should have. A person does not have to speak in tongue in order to be saved, speaking in tongue is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

Answer 8

Speaking in tongues Biblically is when a person speaks a known human language that they have never studied. You can read about it in the beginning of Acts in the Bible.

Many people have done "miraculous" things (even Judas who betrayed Christ) but there are certain things given only to believers - the main thing being love (That is the point of 1 Corinthians 13). Don't think that because you "heal" someone or speak in "tongues" that you are saved - non-saved people have done and will continue to do those things. But look to Christ alone for salvation - if you want to know more you can read 1 John - it talks about what it means to be a Christian.

Answer 9

In the bible, the 'gift of tongues' meant that anyone could understand your speech, no matter what language they spoke. For example, someone who had the 'gift of tongues' could be speaking to a crowd in Greek, and people who DID NOT UNDERSTAND Greek would hear and understand the speaker as if he were speaking in their own language... just like the 'babblefish' in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

Somewhere along the line, Christians got the idea that if they babbled incoherently, they were 'speaking in tongues'... and being touched by the Holy Spirit. It is actually just hysteria-induced gibberish.

Of course, just like the 'babblefish', this is pure horseshit. It was horseshit in biblical times... it is horseshit now... it will still be horseshit tomorrow.

Answer 10

Shortly after Jesus (supposedly) ascended into heaven, his disciples were gathered in front of a large and very diverse crowd that was made up of people who spoke many different languages. When they started to preach, the holy spirit descended upon them and made their words understandable to each person listening.

Nowadays, there are some religious groups (such as Pentecostals, in particular) who believe that the only way to connect with the holy spirit is to give themselves up and speak in tongues. Some people get very euphoric and do it naturally and others fake it. Of course, it all sounds like babbling and no one can understand it...most times.

There are some who believe that people who open themselves up to any sort of "possession" (even possession by the holy spirit) open themselves up to any entity passing by, making this sort of thing dangerous. If you believe in that stuff, that is.

Answer 11

Speaking in tongues is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. You can use it to pray to God when you don't know what to say and some people can have their tougues interpereted.

Speaking in tongues is NOT required as a sign that you are filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul says "do all speak in tongues?' 1 Cor 12:30b. He also stresses that speaking in tongues must not take away from orderly worship and must be done with love (1 Cor 13)