June 6, 2025 | Daniel L. Segraves, Ph.D.

I wrote this article about thirty years ago when some Pentecostals were questioning whether a person could continue speaking with tongues after being baptized with the Holy Spirit. Their assertion was that all who are baptized with the Holy Spirit speak with tongues as a sign of this experience, but that only those who also receive the spiritual gift of “divers kinds of tongues” (1 Corinthians 12:10) can speak with tongues after being filled with the Spirit (Acts 2:4). I have revised the original article for clarity and to include additional insight.

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By definition, Pentecostals believe in speaking with tongues [the biblical practice of speaking with tongues involves speaking in a language or languages one has never learned by the enablement of the Spirit (Acts 2:4-12; 10:44-47; 19:6; 1 Corinthians 12:10, 30; 14:1, 6, 10-11, 13-19, 23, 26-28)]. Pentecostals believe speaking with tongues is the initial sign of baptism with the Holy Spirit. Many understand there is a difference between the speaking with tongues which occurs when a person is baptized with the Holy Spirit and the gift of diverse [i.e., different] kinds of tongues, which some, but not all, receive (1 Corinthians 12:10, 30).

There is, however, some confusion over the continued role of speaking with tongues on the part of the person who has been baptized with the Holy Spirit but who may not have received the gift of diverse kinds of tongues.

There are two extremes of thought on this issue. Some have been known to claim that a person must speak with tongues every day in order to maintain salvation. There is no biblical support for this idea. On the other hand, some have so de-emphasized speaking with tongues that they see no further purpose for it after initial Spirit baptism unless a person has the gift of diverse kinds of tongues [this gift is for the purpose of communicating a message from God to the church, and it must be accompanied by an interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:5]. This latter position leads to the problem of people receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit and never speaking with tongues again.

Believers who have not spoken with tongues for many years often find it difficult to break through some unseen barrier to be able to speak with tongues again. They sometimes believe their first experience must be duplicated in every way before they can speak with tongues. Doubts may assail them as to whether their speaking is genuine tongues or whether it is just their imagination or worse, the work of the devil.

I believe that all those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit can, and should, continue to speak with tongues regularly. This is true whether or not one has the gift of diverse kinds of tongues. Indeed, this latter gift involves different (diverse) kinds of tongues [languages]. The simplest explanation of this is that a person with this gift is able to speak in more than one language unknown to him or her. The gift may also involve various purposes for the tongues, as they are related to the gift of interpretation. That is, one message in tongues may be for the purpose of edification, another for exhortation, and another for comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3-6). A person without this gift, but who has been baptized with the Holy Spirit, has the ability on a continuing basis to speak in at least one language unknown to that person.

The question under consideration here is whether the Bible teaches that a person without the gift of diverse kinds of tongues does indeed have the continuing ability to speak with tongues, whether the individual should regularly exercise that ability, and to what purpose.

A Sign Following Believers

Jesus said, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:17-18).

The “new tongues” spoken of here are new or different languages. This is not a reference to a new believer “cleaning up his language.” It is a miraculous sign, as are all the others listed, involving a new language [tongue=language]. This prediction by Jesus began to be fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost and continued to be fulfilled in the lives of the early believers throughout the New Testament era (Acts 2:4; 10:44-46; 19:6; 1 Corinthians 14:18-39).

Jesus’ promise in Mark 16 clearly indicates that these sign gifts would continue to be present in the lives of believers. There is no indication that any of them would be expected to occur only once in a believer’s experience. In other words, few would interpret the phrase “they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” to refer to a one time event that never needs repeating in a believer’s life. That is, whenever the opportunity and need arises, a person who is a believer can be expected to minister to the sick through the laying on of hands. He will do this even daily, if need be.

The same is true of the prediction by Jesus that believers will “speak with new tongues.” Clearly, speaking with tongues is one of the things that will characterize believers. They will not speak with tongues just once and then cease. Speaking with tongues will be a way of life for them. Whenever the opportunity and need presents itself for them to speak with tongues, they will do so, even if it is daily.

If a believer is expected to speak with tongues only once, it seems strange that Jesus would say, “And these signs shall follow them that believe ….” This phrase indicates a continuing sign, something that follows believers throughout their lives.

The Pattern of Acts

Believers first spoke with tongues on the Day of Pentecost, as they were filled with the Holy Spirit and as “the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). While the mind gives utterance to speech in one’s own language, the Holy Spirit gives utterance to speaking with tongues.

And this was not gibberish. The amazed multitude said, “We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God” (Acts 2:11). It is noteworthy that on the first occasion when people spoke with tongues, they described in languages unknown to them the wonderful things God has done. This indicates that one of the uses of tongues even by those who do not have the gift of diverse kinds of tongues is to glorify God for His mighty acts. (See Psalm 150:2.)

When the Holy Spirit was poured out at the house of Cornelius, the amazed Jewish believers “heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God” (Acts 10:46). While one could speculate that the Gentiles here first spoke with tongues, then separately and apart from that magnified God in their own language, that does not fit the model of Acts 2, nor does it fully explain the amazement of the Jewish onlookers. The visitors were amazed because they heard the Gentiles, in languages unknown to them, magnify God.

When Paul confronted the disciples of John the Baptist and declared to them that Jesus is the Messiah, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Paul laid his hands on them, and “the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied” (Acts 19:6, NKJV). It is possible that the spiritual gift of prophecy was at work here (1 Corinthians 12:10; 14:3-4). Perhaps, however, they were prophesying in tongues (in languages unknown to them). By his quotation from Joel on the Day of Pentecost, Peter identified speaking with tongues as a prophetic act (Acts 2:4, 11, 16, 17-18). We should also keep in mind that interpreted tongues equal prophecy in value (1 Corinthians 14:5). For an interpretation of tongues to be prophecy, the tongue itself would have to be prophecy in another language. Some would understand 1 Corinthians 14:6 to further support this view: “But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching” (NKJV).

This view understands Paul as referring to tongues which, uninterpreted, do not profit or edify the church, but when interpreted, result in revelation, a word of knowledge, a prophecy, or teaching.

Whether or not the prophecies of the newly Spirit baptized believers in Acts 19 were related to their speaking with tongues, it remains that on the Day of Pentecost believers, in tongues, declared the wonderful works of God and, at Cornelius’ house, magnified God in tongues.

The only other place in Scripture where tongues are explicitly mentioned, in addition to Mark and Acts, is 1 Corinthians, in the context of Paul’s discussion of the gifts of the Spirit.

The Corinthian Letter

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul listed nine gifts of the Spirit and compared their function with that of the various members of the human body working together for the common good. It is understood in the discussion that not everyone has each gift, but that all have at least one gift. The gift of diverse kinds of tongues is one of the nine gifts mentioned.

1 Corinthians 13 points out the emptiness of spiritual gifts not motivated by love. One bit of insight gained as to the nature of speaking with tongues is the possibility of speaking with human or angelic tongues (1 Corinthians 13:1).

Much of 1 Corinthians 14 is devoted to the proper use of the spiritual gifts, including the purpose of speaking with tongues. While Paul indicated the pointlessness of tongues without interpretation as it relates to the edification of the church, he does recognize that uninterpreted tongues have value for the person who speaks with tongues.

For the moment, let’s focus our attention only on the advantages of uninterpreted tongues:

“For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries” (1 Corinthians 14:2, NKJV).

“He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church” (1 Corinthians 14:4, NKJV).

“For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays …” (1 Corinthians 14:14, NKJV).

” … when thou shalt bless with the spirit … thou verily givest thanks well …” (1 Corinthians 14:16-17).

Summary

To sum up the value of uninterpreted tongues from Acts and 1 Corinthians, we note the following:

1. While speaking with tongues, a person may declare the wonderful works of God.
2. While speaking with tongues, a person may magnify God.
3. One who speaks with tongues speaks not unto people, but unto God.
4. One who speaks with tongues speaks mysteries in the spirit.
5. One who speaks with tongues edifies (i.e., builds up, strengthens, or encourages) himself.
6. When a person prays with tongues, it is his or her spirit praying.
7. One who speaks with tongues can give thanks well.

All of these are noble activities and illustrate the value of continuing to speak with tongues following the initial baptism with the Holy Spirit.

Paul defined praying in tongues as praying “with the spirit” (1 Corinthians 14:14-15). While it is true that one’s natural mind is not helped by uninterpreted tongues, whether in prayer or otherwise, it is no less true that the spirit is edified. Rather than rejecting prayer in tongues, Paul wrote, “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also” (1 Corinthians 14:15).

This introduces another possible function of tongues: Not only can a person pray with tongues; he or she can also sing with tongues.

When a person is moved to speak with tongues, but there is no interpreter in the congregation to render the message in the language of the people, the person with the tongue is to keep silence in the church (i.e., he is not to speak aloud in the public assembly). But rather than forbidding him to speak altogether, Paul instructed this person to “speak to himself, and to God” (1 Corinthians 14:28). In other words, even if speaking in tongues in this case would have no value to the congregation at large, it could still have value to the individual speaking with tongues, because he would be speaking to God and at least he himself would be edified.

Even though Paul gave clear instructions on the proper use of tongues, emphasizing the importance of interpretation for the edification of the body, he could not be interpreted as denigrating tongues. He wrote, “I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all” (1 Corinthians 14:18) and ” … do not forbid to speak with tongues” (1 Corinthians 14:39, NKJV).

Praying with the Spirit

For our purposes here, it is important to note that Paul equated praying in tongues with praying in the spirit (1 Corinthians 14:14-15). This gives insight into other Scriptures that discuss the role of the spirit in prayer.

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26, NKJV).

Some would disagree that this is a reference to praying in tongues. They would point out that the Spirit’s work here results in “groanings which cannot be uttered” rather than words which can be articulated, albeit in a language unknown to the speaker. Perhaps this is true, although the possibility remains that those could be groanings that cannot be uttered with the aid of the natural mind, but which can be uttered by the direction of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit did, on the Day of Pentecost, give utterance to words that otherwise would have remained unspoken. The “groanings” Paul has in mind are those arising from “the mind of the Spirit,” not the natural mind, and they are employed by the Spirit as “He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:27, NKJV).

But whether or not this is a reference to praying with tongues, Romans 8:26 points out important features of praying in or with the Spirit:

1. Our natural understanding is insufficient to give us direction in prayer.
2. The Spirit compensates for this human weakness by giving us direction in prayer, even leading us to pray with “groanings.”

Paul concluded his discussion of the armor of God with these words: “[P]raying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit …” (Ephesians 6:18). Clearly he had reference to prayer that goes beyond that which springs from human understanding alone.

Another reference to prayer in this spiritual dimension is found in Jude 20: “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit” (NKJV). The word translated “building up” [epoikodomeō] is related to the word translated “edifies” [oikodomeō] in 1 Corinthians 14:4. Jude uses a participle, 1 Corinthians a verb. The sense of the word is the same in both cases: “To make nearer to fullness or completion” (Logos Bible Software). The connection between these texts indicates that Jude’s reference to “praying in the Holy Spirit” is to praying in tongues.

While praying in the Spirit includes praying in a language understood by the speaker words impressed upon him by the Holy Spirit, prayer in tongues is always — by definition — prayer in the Spirit.

Once a person’s human spirit is reborn (John 3:6), he possesses the ability to speak with tongues on a continuing basis. This is inherent in Jesus’ prediction that speaking in tongues is a sign that will follow believers and in the fact that the first sign of the indwelling Holy Spirit is the ability of believers to speak with tongues by the utterance of the Spirit.

If we see the new birth as comparable to the birth of a child, it would be unreasonable to expect any of the abilities inherent in the new birth to cease as one matures. Instead, we would expect the abilities — including the ability to speak — to increase in proficiency and effectiveness.

By praying or singing in tongues, a person can:

1. give evidence of being a believer
2. declare the wonderful works of God
3. magnify God
4. speak to God in a way that surpasses human understanding
5. speak mysteries
6. edify himself or herself
7. allow the born again spirit to pray
8. give thanks well.

A sincere believer in Jesus Christ who loves the Lord does not need to worry about the origin of the tongues he speaks. Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13, NKJV).

No loving human father will allow an evil person to slip his children poison when they ask for food. How much more will our heavenly Father not allow Satan to deceive His beloved children by giving them a false gift! The allegation that some witch doctors or practicing Satanists may have been known to speak with counterfeit “tongues” has nothing at all to do with sincere believers in Jesus Christ who come to God on the basis of the promises of Scripture to receive a good gift from God. (See James 1:17.)

During the last years of his life, Andrew D. Urshan devoted his ministry almost exclusively to emphasizing the importance of believers continuing to speak with tongues frequently after their initial Spirit baptism. He said that if people would speak with tongues every day, they would always live in victory.

That is good counsel for our day, a day when some are de-emphasizing tongues, but a day when the need for praying in the Spirit is greater than ever before.

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