Speaking in tongues is presented in the New Testament as a spiritual gift associated with the Holy Spirit. Christians differ, however, on whether the gift continues today, whether it refers to known human languages or Spirit-inspired speech, and whether every believer should expect to experience it. The Bible describes several possible benefits—especially prayer, praise, personal edification, and church ministry—while also placing clear boundaries on its public use.
Benefits of Speaking in Tongues with Bible Verses
What Speaking in Tongues Means Biblically
In the New Testament, speaking in tongues refers to Spirit-enabled speech that the speaker has not learned naturally. The Greek word glossa can refer to a language or tongue. In Acts 2, the disciples spoke languages recognized by people from different nations, while 1 Corinthians 12–14 discusses tongues in congregational worship, where interpretation was needed.
The passages show that tongues can function in more than one setting:
- As a sign accompanying the work of the Holy Spirit — Acts 2:4; Acts 10:44–46; Acts 19:6
- As prayer or praise directed toward God — 1 Corinthians 14:2, 14–17
- As a public spiritual gift — 1 Corinthians 12:10, 28–30
- As a message to the church when interpreted — 1 Corinthians 14:5, 27–28
Because these passages describe different contexts, Christians should avoid reducing speaking in tongues to only one purpose.
Personal Prayer and Spiritual Edification
One benefit Paul associates directly with tongues is personal edification:
“The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.” — 1 Corinthians 14:4
To “build up” means to strengthen or edify. In this context, Paul recognizes that tongues can benefit the individual speaker, while prophecy benefits the gathered church because others can understand it.
Paul also writes:
“For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.” — 1 Corinthians 14:14
He is describing prayer that engages the speaker’s spirit without supplying understandable content to the mind. Paul does not reject this form of prayer; instead, he places it alongside intelligible prayer:
“I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also.” — 1 Corinthians 14:15
This suggests that tongues may provide a way for a believer to pray when ordinary words do not express the person’s spiritual burden or worship. It should complement understandable prayer, not replace it.
Praise, Thanksgiving, and Dependence on the Holy Spirit
The first major account of speaking in tongues occurs at Pentecost:
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” — Acts 2:4
The disciples’ speech was connected with the mighty works of God, and people from different nations heard them declaring God’s works in their own languages. Tongues therefore appear in Scripture as an expression of praise and testimony prompted by the Spirit.
In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul explains that a person speaking in a tongue may be giving thanks to God:
“You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.” — 1 Corinthians 14:17
The problem in this verse is not necessarily the thanksgiving. The problem is that the congregation cannot understand it. Tongues may therefore serve genuine worship while still requiring interpretation when used publicly.
For some Christians, praying in tongues also expresses dependence on God rather than confidence in personal eloquence. That can encourage humility and attentiveness to the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, the Bible never presents unintelligible speech as automatically more spiritual than understandable prayer or praise.
A Means of Spiritual Strengthening
Jude encourages believers to:
“Build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.” — Jude 20
Many Pentecostal and charismatic Christians understand “praying in the Holy Spirit” to include praying in tongues, especially when considered alongside 1 Corinthians 14. Other Christians interpret the phrase more broadly as any prayer directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit. The verse supports Spirit-dependent prayer, but it does not explicitly state that all believers must speak in tongues.
The practical benefit is not a special status or spiritual superiority. Rather, prayer in the Spirit can help a Christian pursue dependence on God, perseverance, and deeper communion with Him. Its value must be measured by whether it produces faithfulness, love, obedience, and spiritual maturity—not merely by the experience itself.
A Public Gift That Can Strengthen the Church
Tongues can benefit other believers when they are interpreted. Paul says:
“The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.” — 1 Corinthians 14:5
The comparison is functional, not a declaration that one person is more valuable than another. Prophecy communicates an understandable message directly to the congregation. Tongues become similarly beneficial to the church when interpretation makes their meaning accessible.
Paul gives the practical rule:
“If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret.” — 1 Corinthians 14:27
An interpreted message may encourage, exhort, or comfort the church, which are central purposes of congregational spiritual gifts. Without interpretation, the speaker should remain silent in the public meeting and speak privately to God (1 Corinthians 14:28).
A Sign Connected With the Gospel’s Expansion
In Acts, tongues appear at significant moments as the gospel reaches new groups:
- Acts 2:1–11: Jewish pilgrims from many nations hear the disciples declaring God’s works in their own languages.
- Acts 10:44–48: Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit, and Jewish believers recognize that God has accepted them.
- Acts 19:1–7: Disciples in Ephesus receive the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues and prophesy.
These events demonstrate that God’s saving work extends across ethnic, linguistic, and geographic boundaries. Tongues can therefore function as a sign of the Spirit’s presence and the worldwide scope of the gospel.
However, Acts does not say that every conversion is accompanied by tongues. For example, many conversion accounts emphasize faith, repentance, baptism, and the reception of the Holy Spirit without mentioning tongues. The passages should not be turned into a universal formula that Scripture itself does not consistently state.
Key Bible Passages About Speaking in Tongues
Acts 2:4 and the Languages at Pentecost
Acts 2:4 says the disciples spoke “other tongues,” and the surrounding verses describe listeners hearing their own languages. This passage emphasizes God’s power to communicate the gospel across language barriers.
It also reverses the isolating effect associated with Babel in Genesis 11. Pentecost does not erase human linguistic diversity; instead, God uses diverse languages to announce one gospel. The central miracle is therefore not speech as a spiritual performance but the Spirit’s empowerment for God’s mission.
1 Corinthians 12:10 and the Gift of Tongues
Paul lists “various kinds of tongues” and “the interpretation of tongues” among the gifts of the Spirit:
“To another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.” — 1 Corinthians 12:10
The wording indicates that tongues are a gift distributed by the Holy Spirit according to His will. They are not presented as a human achievement that someone can produce through effort or imitation.
Paul later asks:
“Do all speak with tongues?” — 1 Corinthians 12:30
The expected answer is no. In the context, Paul is teaching that the body of Christ has many members with different functions. This verse is especially important because it challenges the idea that every Christian must speak in tongues as proof of salvation or spiritual maturity.
1 Corinthians 14:2 and Speech Directed to God
Paul writes:
“For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.” — 1 Corinthians 14:2
In the immediate context, Paul is contrasting unintelligible speech with prophecy that others can understand. The verse describes tongues as speech directed toward God and inspired by the Spirit, but it does not remove the need for order or interpretation in public worship.
1 Corinthians 14:18–19 and the Priority of Understanding
Paul says:
“I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.” — 1 Corinthians 14:18–19
This passage holds two truths together. Paul values tongues, yet he gives priority to understandable communication in the gathered church. His concern is that believers should be instructed, not merely impressed or emotionally moved.
The principle applies beyond tongues: public worship should pursue intelligibility, mutual benefit, and responsible participation.
Biblical Boundaries and Different Christian Views
Tongues Must Be Governed by Love and Order
First Corinthians 13 places spiritual gifts within the larger framework of love. Even remarkable spiritual experiences have no lasting value if they are separated from love:
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” — 1 Corinthians 13:1
Paul’s point is not to encourage pride in spiritual gifts. A gift used without love can become disruptive, self-centered, or spiritually harmful.
He concludes his instructions with:
“Let all things be done decently and in order.” — 1 Corinthians 14:40
Therefore, biblical practice rejects both extremes: suppressing every expression of tongues without considering the relevant passages, and allowing uncontrolled public speech that leaves the congregation confused.
Christians Disagree About Whether Tongues Continue Today
Christian interpretations generally fall into three broad positions:
- Continuationist and charismatic Christians believe the gifts described in 1 Corinthians remain available to the church and may include prayer tongues and interpreted public tongues.
- Cessationist Christians believe miraculous sign gifts served a foundational apostolic purpose and are not ordinarily given in the same way today.
- Some Christians hold a mediating position, accepting that God may sovereignly give such gifts while rejecting the claim that tongues are required for every believer.
The Bible clearly teaches that the Holy Spirit gives gifts, that tongues appeared in the early church, and that public use requires interpretation and order. The more specific question of whether the gift continues today is interpreted differently among faithful Christian traditions.
Speaking in Tongues Is Not Proof of Superior Spirituality
The New Testament does not teach that tongues make one Christian more important, more saved, or more loved by God. Salvation is grounded in God’s grace received through faith in Christ, not in possession of a particular gift.
Likewise, tongues should not be used to pressure believers into imitating an experience. Spiritual gifts are distributed by the Spirit, and the church contains many gifts and ministries. Faithfulness, love, sound teaching, holiness, service, and perseverance are also central evidence of Christian maturity.
How Should Speaking in Tongues Be Evaluated?
A biblical evaluation should ask several questions:
- Does it direct attention to God and honor Jesus Christ?
- Does it produce love, humility, holiness, and self-control?
- In public worship, is there interpretation so others can benefit?
- Is the practice consistent with Scripture rather than treated as unquestionable?
- Does it contribute to the church’s strengthening rather than confusion or competition?
- Is the person free from manipulation or pressure?
Tongues should not be judged only by intensity of emotion. Nor should they be accepted merely because someone claims divine authority. Scripture calls believers to spiritual discernment, responsible worship, and love for the whole church.
Speaking in tongues may provide personal prayer, praise, spiritual edification, and—when interpreted—benefit to a congregation. The Bible also limits its public use, teaches that not every believer will have the gift, and places every spiritual experience under the authority of love, understanding, and order. The most faithful approach is neither to exaggerate tongues nor to dismiss the biblical passages, but to interpret and practice them within the full teaching of Scripture.