What Is the Gift of Speaking in Tongues? Is It for Today? What About Praying in Tongues?
1) Direct answer
- The gift of tongues is a real work of the Holy Spirit where a believer speaks a language unknown to them as the Spirit gives utterance.
- Yes, it is for today.
- Praying in tongues is the Spirit praying through a believer; it edifies the individual and should be kept in order when in a public service.
2) Scriptural explanation
- The Bible says, “These signs shall follow them that believe… they shall speak with new tongues” (Mark 16:17). In Acts 2:4-11 they spoke languages they did not know as the Spirit gave utterance.
- Tongues are one of the gifts God set in the Body (1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28). The same chapter asks, “Do all speak with tongues?” (12:30). The obvious answer is no—so tongues are not the evidence of having the Holy Ghost; they are a gift given as God wills.
- In the church, tongues must follow order: “If any speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God” (1 Corinthians 14:27-28). God is not the author of confusion (14:33).
- Tongues with interpretation equals edification for the church; tongues without interpretation edifies the speaker (1 Corinthians 14:4-5). That’s why Paul said he would rather speak five words with understanding in the church than ten thousand in an unknown tongue (14:19).
- Praying in tongues: “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue… in the spirit he speaketh mysteries” (1 Corinthians 14:2). “If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful… I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also” (14:14-15). This shows private devotion in the Spirit is right, and in public we seek understanding for the sake of others.
- Do tongues cease? The Bible says tongues “shall cease… when that which is perfect is come” and then we shall see “face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:8-12). We have not yet come to that face-to-face, so the gifts remain. The same chapter commands, “Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts” (14:1) and “forbid not to speak with tongues” (14:39).
3) Simple clarifying logic
- It’s not three Gods; it’s one God who sent His Spirit into the Church, and that same Spirit divides gifts as He wills. Not every member does the same thing (1 Corinthians 12:14-21).
- If tongues were the proof of the Holy Ghost, Paul would not ask, “Do all speak with tongues?” Nor would he limit public messages to “two or three.” The new birth is evidenced by the life of Christ and obedience to the Word; gifts are tools for service, not badges of salvation.
- If tongues had ceased, the clear New Testament instructions for their use would be meaningless. But the Bible says, “forbid not,” and “let all things be done decently and in order.” So we receive it, but we keep it Scriptural.
- Praying in tongues is right when the Spirit leads. In a gathering, if there’s no interpreter, keep it between you and God so the Body is not confused. The Spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets (1 Corinthians 14:32); the Holy Spirit does not force disorder.
4) Reinforcing statement
Now notice, the Bible sets the balance: love first, the Word as the absolute, desire spiritual gifts, and keep the operation of tongues under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and in harmony with Scripture.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Questions and Answers
61-0112 §95
"Oh," he said, "Brother Branham, I see where you're confused." He said, "You see," he said, "there is tongues. That's tongues of angels. When you receive the Holy Ghost," said, "then you speak in tongues and nobody has to interpret that. That's the Holy Ghost speaking, see. But then you have a gift of tongues, and that's to be interpretation." I said, "Then you've got the cart before the horse. On the day of Pentecost they got the cart before the horse. Before they got the Holy Ghost (unknown tongues), they spoke i...
Questions and Answers on Genesis
53-0729 §80
And your Sudan Missions said, "We have no place for a man that would speak in tongues." And he come to me and said, "'Somebody speaking in tongues'?" "Why, why," I said, "they have no place for Jesus Christ, for Jesus Christ spoke in unknown tongues; and died, speaking in unknown tongues." They couldn't accept Paul's teaching. Paul spoke with tongues more than all of them. One said to me yesterday, said, "I'd rather speak five words with understanding." But Paul's teaching said, "Covet prophecy, and forbid not to s...
Questions and Answers
54-0515 §139
Now, when the pastor or the evangelist, or whoever it is, is preaching, hold your peace. Paul said to do that, you see. Now, and then he said, "You may all speak, one by one." That's true enough. And he said, "I would that you all speak with tongues. That's good." But you can't speak with tongues unless you have the gift of tongues. And no doubt at all but what there's many gifts of that in this church now. There's many gifts of it over here in the Methodist church, there's many of it over here in the Baptist churc...
Debate on tongues
60-0807 §1
The subject on this speaking with tongues---it's an issue with the Pentecostal people; and I've had quite an affair. I don't make any issues on the platform because now I'm sponsored by different groups; and as a Christian gentleman, I certainly would not want to hurt anybody. If they're Christian enough to have me at their place, their people sitting there, I want to be brother enough to say nothing about it (see), and I just preach the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and then when they ... let them do what they wish...
Debate on tongues
60-0807 §30
So then... But this fellow lost the debate; of course there's a lot more, but you see what I'm talking about there, see. Come right back to the beginning, see, right back to the beginning. [A brother says, "There's many of these people who are speaking in tongues and feel they have the baptism, but they really haven't."] They haven't got it. [The brother says, "They've made a confession of it but they..."] They haven't got it, see. When the true Holy Spirit comes in, it's the life of Christ, see, that lives in the...