Yes, speaking in tongues is biblical. The New Testament describes believers speaking in languages they had never learned, beginning on the day of Pentecost, and Paul lists tongues among the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Christians disagree about whether the gift continues today and how it should be used, but Scripture clearly treats it as a real gift from God, meant to be practiced with love and order.
Two Views Christians Hold
Your answer to this question may depend on how you were raised. Pentecostal churches, which grew out of revivals in the early 1900s such as the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, emphasize a direct experience of the Holy Spirit, including speaking in tongues, healing and prophecy. In the mid-1900s, the charismatic movement carried similar emphases into many other denominations.
On the other side are cessationists, found in many Reformed and some Baptist churches. They believe the more miraculous gifts, including tongues, were given to confirm the apostles’ message and establish the early church, and that they ceased being normal once the New Testament was complete. Many other Christians land somewhere in between, open to the gift but cautious about how it is used.
1 Corinthians 12:7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
Whatever view we hold, this verse reminds us that spiritual gifts are not trophies or badges of spiritual status. They are given to build up the whole church.
Tongues in the Book of Acts
The first time believers spoke in tongues was on Pentecost, a Jewish festival that drew pilgrims to Jerusalem from across the known world. The Holy Spirit came on Jesus’ followers, and they began declaring God’s wonders in languages they had never studied.
Acts 2:4-6 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.
The gift spread as the gospel crossed new boundaries. The Spirit came on Samaritan believers in Acts 8, and many scholars think something visible like tongues happened there too, though the text doesn’t say so directly. In Acts 10, Gentiles in Cornelius’s house spoke in tongues, and in Ephesus, “the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied” (Acts 19:6). Each time, God was showing that the good news about Jesus was for every people group, just as Jesus promised in Acts 1:8.
Paul’s Guidance in 1 Corinthians
The church in Corinth was excited about spiritual gifts but had gotten carried away, especially with tongues. Paul’s response in 1 Corinthians 12-14 is balanced. He explains that not everyone has the same gift, and he reminds the church that even the most impressive gift means nothing without love: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1).
1 Corinthians 14:18-19 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
Paul seems to distinguish between his personal prayer life and public worship. Privately, he spoke in tongues often and was grateful for it. In church, he cared most about words everyone could understand, and he instructed that any tongue spoken aloud in a gathering should be interpreted so the whole body could be strengthened.
A Word to Both Sides
Paul’s closing instructions on the subject offer a gentle challenge to Christians on every side of this debate. His words are short, but they carry a lot of wisdom for churches today.
1 Corinthians 14:39-40 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.
For Pentecostals and charismatics, the warning is to avoid misusing tongues in a way that confuses people or turns a gathering into chaos. For cessationists, the warning is to be careful about forbidding what Paul refused to forbid. For all of us, the goal is the same: a church where the Spirit is welcome, love leads the way, and Jesus is clearly honored.
The Takeaway
Speaking in tongues is biblical: it appears throughout Acts and in Paul’s teaching on spiritual gifts. Christians may disagree about how the gift works today, but Scripture calls all of us to pursue love, avoid forbidding what God gives, and make sure everything is done in a fitting and orderly way.
