"You Must Speak in Tongues if You Have Been Baptized in the Holy Spirit"

I’m writing this with the understanding that the church of my youth is teaching that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is separate from salvation and that speaking in tongues is evidence of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

To challenge this, we only need to read 1 Corinthians 12 and 14. I highly recommend reading them fully, as well as chapter 13 if you have the time.

To highlight a few verses of my own choosing:

“to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” (I Corinthians 12:10-11 NKJV)

“Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?” (I Corinthians 12:30 NKJV)

“I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.” (I Corinthians 14:5 NKJV)

Not all people have all the gifts, or even necessarily the same gifts. Not all people have the same role in the church. Not all people in the church will speak in tongues, and in fact, prophecy is the more desirable gift according to Paul. But all believers have “one and the same Spirit.”

These passages should inform us that the presence and baptism of the Holy Spirit does not require speaking in tongues, nor does salvation.

In the following paragraphs I address passages of Scripture used in a recent sermon on baptism of the Holy Spirit at this church.

“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11 NKJV)

“I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:8 NKJV)

“John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Luke 3:16 NKJV)

“And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”” (John 1:32-34 NKJV)

All of theses passages deal with an expectation for the believers of that time for a new baptism from Jesus that differs from John’s baptism. We are not present for this event, and as such the baptism of John is no longer something that concerns us. We are not baptized for or by or in the name of John; we are baptized according to the command of Jesus in Matthew 28:19, which says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Yes, we still use water, but to be baptized into the Christian faith is to receive the baptism of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is included. The “fire” is included. These are worked by God, not by us. This is also an aspect of salvation. To receive salvation is to receive the Holy Spirit; to receive the Holy Spirit is to receive salvation.

Notice that this, where John is prophesying of the baptism that Jesus offers, would be the perfect time for Jesus to describe what exactly this baptism entails. There is no mention of speaking in tongues, by Jesus or by John, here or anywhere in the Gospels.

“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”” (Acts 1:4-8 NKJV)

“And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22 NKJV)

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4 NKJV)

I appreciate that these three passages are all included together, because they help demonstrate some very clear things. First, the passage from John demonstrates that the apostles already had the Holy Spirit and weren’t somehow operating without it prior to Pentecost. Rather, the apostles were awaiting some kind of power. What power and for what purpose was unknown to them. However, Jesus breathing the Holy Spirit onto them is a foreshadowing of the rushing mighty wind at Pentecost.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the same as our salvation, according to the command of Jesus (referenced earlier in Matthew 28). As the apostles are no longer awaiting their baptism in the Holy Spirit, they are now awaiting the power to expand their ministry (once again according to the words of Jesus in Acts 1). This power is referenced in Acts 1 and comes after the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which they received in John 20. The people they minister to in Acts receive the salvific baptism of the Holy Spirit.

When we get to Acts 1, the purpose of the power they would receive is made clear: to be witnesses of Christ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Reading in Acts 2, we see the diaspora returning to Jerusalem. Jews from many places who all speak in many languages are present. The apostles receive power from the Holy Spirit that allows them to speak and all to hear in their own language, like a reversal of the Tower of Babel.

At the Tower of Babel people elevated themselves to be like God in their own eyes and God confused their language, while here God humbled Himself to be like man and then brought everyone’s languages together so that His apostles could share the Gospel.

The power the apostles received from the Holy Spirit makes a lot of sense. If their ministry were to extend to “the ends of the earth,” they would need to speak more languages than Greek, Aramaic, and Latin.

We are not the apostles that Jesus spoke to; we are not the apostles described here. We do not minister to Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, but usually to our neighbor. We have no need for the gift of tongues here because we all speak English, and when we perform missions we have relatively easy access to translators.

This is not to suggest that God can’t or won’t do such a thing again. Instead the emphasis is the right application of Scripture. Using a prophecy given to a specific people and its fulfillment by those people as an example of what we should do today, especially when it had a purpose clearly defined by Jesus that was fulfilled by the apostles, seems a stretch at best. Why not use this same argument for us to look for the coming of the Messiah born to a virgin? That prophecy was given to people who came before us and lived far from us, and was fulfilled as well. There is no need for us to re-enact it, and in fact we can’t because we do not command the Holy Spirit.

Notice that unlike the tongues that Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians, which is only personally edifying and to be kept silent in the church if there is no interpreter, this gift of tongues to the apostles has a clear and edifying purpose for growing the early church. This first outpouring of the gift of tongues in Acts 2 fulfills the purpose of the ministry of the apostles in Jerusalem.

“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,” (Acts 10:44-46 NKJV)

This passage fulfills the outpouring of the gift of tongues for the apostles’ ministry in Samaria (refer back to Acts 1). Notice that the gift of tongues to the Gentiles here is also a sign to Peter and the other Jewish believers that God’s gift of salvation and the Holy Spirit is available to everyone, not just the Jews. This isn’t something that is necessary for us, but it was important for Peter and the others who had some reservations about interacting with Gentiles. God would correct Peter for shunning the Gentiles through outpourings of the Holy Spirit, visions, and the ministry of Paul.

“And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?” (Acts 11:15-17 NKJV)

This passage fulfills the outpouring of the gift of tongues for the apostles’ ministry in Judea (refer back to Acts 1).

“And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.” (Acts 19:1-6 NKJV)

This passage fulfills the outpouring of the gift of tongues for the apostles’ ministry to “the ends of the earth” (refer back to Acts 1). Just about everything in Acts from chapter 13 onward fulfills these words of Jesus to His apostles. These outpourings of the Spirit are directly confirmed by Jesus to be for the ministry of the apostles to help grow the body of believers in Christ.

Regarding the disciples who had been baptized into John’s baptism; the meaning is that these were disciples of John (refer back to the ministry of John the Baptist in the first four passages quoted from the Gospels) who had apparently not yet heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ and were still looking for Him as John had told them to do so. This is made clear by Paul’s own words in this passage. Paul then baptized them in the name of Jesus (in the form commanded by Jesus), and once again the Holy Spirit came to them immediately. To be baptized as a Christian, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, conveys the Holy Spirit immediately. This passage is a testament of this.

I agree that the gifts of the Spirit are sometimes given separate from Salvation. However, receiving a gift of the Spirit is not baptism of the Spirit; it’s receiving a gift of the Spirit.

Also of note is that these passages speak of similarities to the first outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost (“as upon us at the beginning”), which would include physical similarities like the wind and the fire. Of date, I have not noticed the presence of rushing wind and tongues of fire in any church today.

To attempt to imitate the ministry of the apostles would require all of this, and all of this is only possible by the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit wills this, He can make it happen, but we are not promised it no matter how hard we pray.

Sometimes a fog machine and lights can get people excited though.

“But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:” (Acts 2:14-16 NKJV)

“And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” (Joel 2:28-29 NKJV)

This is for sure a prophecy from Joel about the passages we just read together.

“Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you— The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.” (Joel 2:23-24 NKJV)

The favorite passage of the “Latter Rain” movement, a movement condemned as heresy from its inception by the Assemblies of God, one of the largest Pentecostal denominations.

An observant person would notice that this passage comes before the prophecy of the outpouring of the Spirit; a more studious person would read Joel 2 in its entirety and know with certainty that the latter rain distinctly comes before the outpouring of the Spirit prophesied in verses 28-29 (see usage of the word “afterward” in verse 28). Even if by some strange hermeneutic we were to apply verses 23-24 to verses 28-29, the latter rain would be fulfilled in the later outpourings of the Spirit in the ministry of the apostles in Acts (which were already covered).

Lastly, before moving out of Acts, all passages used here are descriptive; they describe to us what the earthly ministry of the apostles was like. For prescriptive scriptures (Scriptures that tell us what to do, how to operate a church, and what to expect in our churches and daily lives) we can primarily look toward the teachings of Jesus and the epistles.

“Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”” (John 4:13-14 NKJV)

I’m not sure what the relevance of this passage is to this topic.

“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:37-39 NKJV)

Believers have easy access to the Holy Spirit, it’s not hard. This passage is clear that those having saving faith, believing in Jesus, receive the Holy Spirit. Those who receive the Holy Spirit will overflow with living water. There are no other conditions here; believe in Jesus and you receive the Holy Spirit pouring out of you.

There is also no indication here that the Holy Spirit we receive upon salvation is somehow “measured” or “lesser than” the Holy Spirit we could receive.

“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” (II Corinthians 1:21-22 NKJV)

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 NASB2020)

“In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 CSB)

As has already been established, the gift and sealing of the Holy Spirit is not equivalent to the gift of tongues. John 7 precedes John 20, which makes good sense. Although John 20 was already touched on earlier, just to be clear, there was no speaking in tongues in John 20 when the apostles first received the Holy Spirit because it was not necessary.

The Holy Spirit is a guarantee, a part of our inheritance in Christ. But a guarantee of what? A down payment or investment of what? What inheritance? Tongues? More Holy Spirit, as if the Holy Spirit isn’t permeating everything we do as believers? No, the inheritance is eternity in the presence of God.

If these passages are an attempt to show that speaking in tongues is a confirmation of the presence of the Holy Spirit (or of more of the Holy Spirit), I’ve already addressed this earlier with Scripture, and Scripture does not contradict itself. Regardless, reading 2 Corinthians 1 for more context reveals no mention of tongues, and instead clearly states that the seal of the Spirit is “in our hearts.” As for Ephesians 1, there is once again no mention of tongues. Refer back to 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 for where the seal of the Spirit is. It isn’t in our physical actions, regardless of whether we are speaking in tongues or prophesying; the sealing of the Spirit is in our hearts.

“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. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27 NKJV)

“Which cannot be uttered” - The intercession of the Holy Spirit is not the same as the gift of a prayer language, as this intercession clearly “cannot be uttered.” What you might call a “prayer language” is something that you utter, and which Paul gives very clear rules for in 1 Corinthians and which I will address at the end.

Additionally, it is clear in this Scripture that it is the Spirit that intercedes for us when we are weak and when we do not know how to pray. This isn’t something we do or somehow allow the Spirit to do through us. This is something that the Spirit does for us and there is no physical expression of it.

“praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—” (Ephesians 6:18 NKJV)

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,” (Jude 1:20 NKJV)

These aren’t relevant to any parts of this topic, unless you are suggesting that a believer is not praying in the Spirit when they pray in their native language. If this is indeed what you are saying, it is contrary to Scripture. According to the words of Jesus, as recorded in John 14:15-18, the Holy Spirit abides in His followers forever. Therefore, the prayers of Christ’s followers in any language are prayed in the Spirit.

“For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.” (I Corinthians 14:14-15 NKJV)

The point of this reference is lost on me. Perhaps including a few verses from both before and after would help us, as context is always important. Doing so will make it clear that any gift is desired for the edification of the church. The preceding verse insists that the one who speaks in tongues should pray for interpretation. The verses after explain why: without interpretation, no one is edified.

Reading 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 reveals that the gift of tongues in the church is only useful if it edifies the church; it has a clear function and clear limitations.

I hope that I have made sufficiently clear that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not separate from salvation; that the outpourings of the Holy Spirit in Acts fulfill the words of Jesus in Acts to the apostles and are not commanded nor expected for us; that gifts of the Holy Spirit are diverse and that speaking in tongues is not universal for all believers; and that the Holy Spirit is easily accessible for all believers in fullness.

Lastly, if you are attempting to merely encourage more speaking in tongues, I would remind you of the Scriptures I opened with. Not every believer will speak in tongues. Additionally, Scripture has this to say about those who do speak in tongues in the church:

“Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind?” (I Corinthians 14:23 NKJV)

“If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.” (I Corinthians 14:27-28 NKJV)

We are supposed to be considerate for unbelievers who might come into the congregation. Additionally, even when among only believers, if there is no interpreter, we are commanded to keep silent. And if there is an interpreter, no more than three people should speak in tongues in turn for the whole gathering. Not everyone going at it whenever: three people, one at a time.

You may oppose this with the argument that you shouldn’t quench the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19), and to that I say when God gives a clear command you should not test the Spirit of God with deliberate disobedience.

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30 NKJV)

Instead, let’s walk in the Spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-25 NKJV)

I pray for you and your congregation, that the Spirit of God would not be quenched and would grow in your hearts with wisdom and love. Amen.