The New Testament speaks surprisingly little about the practice of speaking in tongues. Out of the twenty-one epistles, only 1 Corinthians addresses the topic directly. Across the whole New Testament, tongues are mentioned in just three books—Mark, Acts, and 1 Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 12:10 and 30, tongues appear last in Paul’s list of spiritual gifts. In his other lists of gifts, such as in Ephesians 4 and Romans 12, tongues are absent. Likewise, when the apostle Peter speaks about gifts in 1 Peter 4:10–11, he makes no mention of tongues at all.
This omission is significant. Tongues were never the central gift of the Spirit, and Paul’s main concern in 1 Corinthians 14 is not to promote tongues-speaking but to warn against its abuse. He urges believers to prioritise those gifts that build up the church. Edification, not self-expression, is the goal of all spiritual gifts.
The Greek word translated “tongues” is glóssa, which means “language.” Acts 2 gives the clearest biblical description of this gift. At Pentecost, the disciples “were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues (glóssa) as the Spirit enabled them.” The crowd was astonished because each one heard the disciples speaking in their own language (dialektos). Biblical tongues, then, were known human languages—unknown to the speaker but understood by those who spoke them natively. This was not a random utterance or private prayer language but a miraculous communication of the gospel across language barriers.
In the early church, tongues served as a sign of authentication, marking the transition from the old covenant to the new. At the inception of the church, such supernatural signs verified the gospel message. As the church matured and the New Testament Scriptures were completed, the need for such signs diminished. Some understand tongues as revelatory, which would mean their purpose ceased with the closing of the biblical canon. Paul does not forbid tongues but sets clear restrictions: if there is no interpreter present, the speaker is to remain silent in the church (1 Corinthians 14:28). Public tongues-speaking without interpretation does not benefit the church, may confuse unbelievers, and brings no glory to God. The consistent pattern in Scripture is that the purpose of all gifts is to edify others, not ourselves. Today, God could still grant the gift of speaking an unlearned human language for the sake of evangelism, but such cases would be rare rather than normal.
By contrast, Paul encourages believers to “follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy” (1 Corinthians 14:1). Prophecy, he explains, strengthens, encourages, and comforts God’s people. While tongues may be a sign for unbelievers, prophecy builds up the church. In the New Testament sense, prophecy is Spirit-inspired proclamation of God’s truth—not the invention of new revelations, but the faithful explanation and application of God’s already revealed Word. The Anchor Yale Bible Commentary describes prophecy as “a Spirit-inspired dynamic and effective preaching of the Scriptures and the gospel.” Since the Bible is now complete, God’s norm for His church is not to seek mystical, extra-biblical revelations but to faithfully study, proclaim, and apply His authoritative Word.
Paul also addresses the way worship should be conducted. In 1 Corinthians 14:26–40, he emphasises that everything in the gathering of God’s people must be done for the building up of the church. Tongues, if spoken, are to be limited to two or three speakers, one at a time, and always with interpretation. Prophetic words must be weighed carefully by others, and the Spirit’s work is never chaotic—“God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (verse 33). Spontaneity is not a sign of greater spirituality; clarity and order are marks of God’s presence. True worshipers come not to showcase their gifts but to serve in love, seeking to strengthen and encourage others in Christ.
In the end, Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 14 is clear. Tongues were a sign gift of the early church, never meant to dominate the worship gathering. Prophecy—the Spirit-empowered proclamation of God’s Word—is of greater value for building up believers. And worship, whether in word, song, or prayer, must be orderly, intelligible, and edifying. The real question for us today is not, “How can I have the most spectacular gift?” but rather, “How can I use the gifts God has given me so that others are strengthened in Christ?”
[AI-generated notes based on the sermon]
