09/01/2026
NO SPEAKING IN TONGUES TODAY
What does the Bible mean when It speaks of “speaking in tongues?” Is the practice commonly called “speaking in tongues” today the same gift we read about in the New Testament?
First Corinthians 14 gives us an important principle that cannot easily be overlooked: “There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning.” — 1 Corinthians 14:10. The word translated “tongues” is the Greek word glōssa, which can refer to a tongue or a language. Paul’s point is simple: a language communicates meaning. If someone does not understand the language being spoken, the problem is not that the language itself is meaningless. The problem is that the hearer does not know the language.
Paul continues: “But if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me.”— 1 Corinthians 14:11.
This is exactly what we see in Acts 2.
On the day of Pentecost, the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues. Luke records people from many different nations and regions who were gathered in Jerusalem. They asked: “How is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?”— Acts 2:8. Luke then identifies the different peoples represented—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, those from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya, Rome, Crete, and Arabia.
And what did they hear? “We hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” — Acts 2:11. The miracle was not meaningless or unintelligible speech. The miracle was that the apostles were speaking languages they had not naturally learned, and people from those linguistic backgrounds understood them.
Now return to 1 Corinthians 14. Paul says: “If there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church.”— 1 Corinthians 14:28. Why? Because the purpose of spiritual gifts was not religious spectacle. The purpose was to communicate God's truth and benefit the church.Paul repeatedly emphasizes this throughout the chapter: “Let all things be done for building up.” — 1 Corinthians 14:26. This gives us a consistent biblical picture of tongues:
Biblical tongues were meaningful speech.
Biblical tongues communicated information.
Biblical tongues were recognizable languages.
Biblical tongues could be understood by those who knew the language.
When the language was not understood by the congregation, interpretation was required. There is therefore a significant difference between the biblical gift of tongues and the practice commonly called “speaking in tongues” today, in which people produce sounds or syllables that are not identifiable as a human language and are falsely presented as a supernatural language from God.
First Corinthians 14:10 says that “none” of the languages of the world is without meaning. Acts 2 shows people actually recognizing and understanding the languages being spoken. First Corinthians 14:28 commands silence when there is no interpreter. And verse 26 gives the governing principle: “Let all things be done for building up.”
The Holy Spirit did not give miraculous gifts to create confusion or religious spectacle. He gave them to accomplish God's purposes and to communicate God's truth. Paul repeatedly brings the Corinthians back to the same question: Does what you are doing actually communicate God's truth and build up Christ's people?
Therefore, we must allow the Bible—not modern religious practice—to define what “speaking in tongues” was. The question is not, “What do people call tongues today?” The question is, “What does the Bible say tongues were?” And when we allow Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 14 to speak for themselves, the answer is clear: the biblical gift of tongues was miraculous, meaningful, understandable language—not unintelligible speech.
