This article is part of my resource titled: An In-Depth Study of the Nature, Purpose, and Duration of Tongues.
The book of Acts covers approximately 30 years of church history beginning with the ascension of Christ (Acts 1:6-11) and ending with Paul preaching in Rome while under house arrest (Acts 28:30-31). The events which unfold within its pages can hardly be classified as normal. This is a period of time in which phenomenal things are taking place. Thousands of souls are being saved, the gospel is forcefully advancing throughout the world, demons are being exercised, miraculous healings are occurring, tongues are being spoken in, and on and on it goes. It was during this time that the transition from Old Covenant to New Covenant occurred. And, as usual, when God gives new revelation He does so with accompanying signs and wonders which accounts for the plethora of them we read of during this period of church history.
Most modern day believers would attest to the fact that they haven’t witnessed any miracles equivalent to those read about in the book of Acts. There are some, however, namely of the charismatic variety, that see the events detailed in Acts not exclusively as historical narrative, but as setting the standard for every subsequent age of believers. This is to say that the miraculous phenomena recorded in its pages are to be the normative experience for every church age and every believer to come. This view is often applied to speaking in tongues in particular. If none of the other events are supposed to be normative, speaking in tongues is, at least according to the charismatic.
To support their claims they appeal to the only three places in the book where believers are said to have spoken in tongues: Acts 2, 10, and 19. What we see, however, after examining the text, is that not all three instances of tongues are the same. That is, they occur under different circumstances. In Acts 2 the recipients of the gift were the apostles exclusively. They were already believers and had been so for a period of time prior to their infilling of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 10 the gift was given to a Gentile audience. Cornelius is said to have been a “devout man who feared God” but he was not a believer under the New Covenant. Upon hearing the words of Peter and being convinced thereof, “the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word” and they began “speaking in tongues and extolling God”. After being baptized with the Holy Spirit, Peter baptized them with water “in the name of Jesus Christ” (See Acts 10:44-48). In this instance the Holy Spirit with accompanying tongues were given at the moment of conversion, not after as in the case of the apostles in Acts 2. In Acts 19 the disciples of John the Baptist converted after Paul reasoned with them but it wasn’t until after Paul laid hands on them that they “began speaking in tongues and prophesying” (Acts 19:1-7). Again, their tongues occurred at conversion but only after an apostle laid hands on them.
The point is that in every instance of tongues being imparted unto a believer, they weren’t given according to a set, specific, unchanging model. Each occurrence was different. This stands contrary to the manner in which charismatics are said to receive the Holy Spirit today. Their claim is that all believers receive a portion of the Holy Spirit at conversion but at some future point in their walk with Christ they receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the gift of tongues per the examples set forth in Acts. However, from what we’ve seen, the baptism of the Holy Spirit accompanied with tongues didn’t always occur in this fashion. Sometimes it occurred at conversion, sometimes afterwards, and sometimes tongues didn’t manifest at all. With this being the case, what are we to make of their claims?
Not All Believers Speak in Tongues
First of all, we should address the claim that all believers can or ought to speak in tongues. This theory isn’t backed by Scripture. In fact, when we zoom in on the believers mentioned in Acts, we’ll see that the vast majority of them aren’t said to have spoken in tongues or have any manifestation of the supernatural accompanying them.
The 3000 converts on the day of Pentecost aren’t said to have spoken in tongues. No doubt they received the Holy Spirit for Peter had instructed them on what to do in order to obtain it (Acts 2:38-39, 41). The lame beggar healed by Peter and John, who presumably converted upon this experience, isn’t said to have spoken in tongues post-conversion (Acts 3:1-10). Simon the Magician believed and was baptized but he wasn’t able to speak in tongues either. In fact, he tried to offer the apostles money so that “anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit”. Of course, this man was “in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity” but nonetheless he is classified as a believer and we see that the sign of tongues didn’t accompany him, nor did any other supernatural sign for that matter (Acts 8:9-24). The Ethiopian eunuch, upon being saved and baptized simply “went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:39). “All the residents of Lydda and Sharon…who turned to the Lord” aren’t said to have spoken in tongues (Acts 9:32-35). A disciple named Tabitha, from Joppa, was “full of good works and acts of charity” but apparently wasn’t gifted with tongues for we have no record of her speaking with them (Acts 9:36-43). And what of that great number of believers who turned to the Lord in Antioch? Nothing is recorded of them speaking in tongues (Acts 11:19-26). We can say the same thing concerning Sergius Paulus, the “great number of both Jews and Greeks” who believed at Iconium, the “many disciples” who were made at Derbe, Lydia and her household, the Philippian jailer, those in Thessalonica who were persuaded by Paul and Silas, the many Bereans who “received the word with all eagerness,” Dionysius, Damaris and the others who believed in Athens, Titius Justus, Aquila and Priscilla, Apollos, and the believers in Ephesus, none of which are said to have ever spoken in tongues or had any other miraculous abilities assigned to them (See Acts 13:12, 14:1, 14:19-23, 16:11-15, 16:25-34, 17:4, 17:10-15, 17:34, 18:7, 18:2, 18:18, 18:26, 18:24-28, 19:17-20).
Based on the evidence before us, speaking in tongues seems to be somewhat of an anomaly within the early church. It certainly wasn’t as common as the charismatic makes it out to be and it definitely cannot be said to be the normative experience of all believers during that period of time. Out of all the instances recorded in the book of Acts, whether of individual believers or believers collectively, only a small handful of them are ever said to have spoken in tongues.
If tongues were to be a common trait among all believers, certainly we should hope to find more evidence in support of this claim in Scripture. The fact that there are only three references to believers speaking in tongues, when close to two dozen references are made regarding them, seems to suggest that the majority of Christians in the first century church did not speak in tongues. While this stands contrary to the charismatic position, we must let the Bible speak for itself. In this case Scripture demonstrates to us that in the majority of cases where believers are mentioned, whether at conversion or post-conversion, they did not have the sign of tongues accompanying them. Based on the Biblical evidence before us, and the witness of church history which testifies to the same, we can conclude that speaking in tongues was not the normative experience for all believers in the early church and therefore should not be imposed as such upon the believers of the contemporary one.
Timeline of Tongues in the Book of Acts
When reading the book of Acts it’s easy to make the mistake of overlooking the timeframe in which the events it records took place. We may fall into the error of thinking that the affairs we’re reading about happened relatively close together, giving the impression, perhaps, that the instances of tongues mentioned on its pages were more in number than they really were. However, as previously stated, there are only three explicit occurrences of tongues recorded in this book. This being the case, it would do us well to examine the length of time that elapsed between these occurrences so as to defend ourselves from the allusion that these marvels were common, banal even.
The first mention of tongues being exercised is found in Acts 2:4 where the Apostles “spoke in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance”. This took place in 30 A.D., the same year in which our Lord was crucified, buried, resurrected, and ascended into heaven. Fast forward to 37 A.D. and we find Peter preaching to a Gentile audience. While in the process of doing so “the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word” and the Jews were “hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God” (Acts 10:44-48). Peter, when being criticized for going to “uncircumcised men and [eating] with them” (Acts 11:2-3), recounts the events which led up to this encounter and defends himself by pointing out that “God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
This, of course, is in reference to the Holy Spirit accompanied by speaking in tongues. If tongues were as common as they’re made out to be by charismatics, why did Peter have to point to an event which took place seven years prior? Did he not have a closer point of reference he could have made mention of? After all, between these two occurrences thousands of souls had been saved. Did not any of those believers speak in tongues? And if so, why didn’t Peter refer to them instead? It seems as though the occurrence of tongues had not been repeated since the initial manifestation of them on Pentecost. In fact, we have no biblical evidence that they did. Any suggestion otherwise is based on inference.
The final occurrence of tongues takes place in 54 A.D, seventeen years after the Gentiles spoke in tongues and 24 years after the apostles did so initially. On this occasion 12 disciples of John the Baptist were baptized into Christ and “they began speaking in tongues and prophesying” (Acts 19:1-7).
When we consider the fact that tongues are mentioned only three times during a 24 year period of time, the charismatics argument loses even more weight. If tongues were to be the normative experience for all believers, why don’t we see more believers speaking in tongues during this era of church history which is so clearly marked God’s Spirit at work? Tongues in Acts are episodic, not normative. The fact that they’re mentioned irregularly only further suggests that not every believer spoke with them and were given during this period for a specific purpose.
The Purpose of Tongues in Acts
While many make the claim that the gift of tongues is for self-edification, their presence in the book of Acts doesn’t appear to be so self-serving. Did the apostles, on the day of Pentecost, speak in tongues to build themselves up? Were tongues granted to the Gentiles and the Ephesian disciples for this purpose? We have no indication that such is the case.
We do, however, have the promise of Christ to the apostles that once they received power from the Holy Spirit, they would be his “witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). It’s interesting to note that the instances we have of tongues occurring in the book of Acts correspond to the locations where Jesus said the apostles would be his witnesses. These locations were representative of the people within them who were being included in God’s plan of salvation. The salvation made available by the Messiah wasn’t exclusively for Jews, but for Samaritans and Gentiles as well. God was granting His salvation to all men and the locations set by Christ were meant to depict that.
The first instance of tongues occurred in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. It was on this day that the Spirit was dispensed and the proclamation of the gospel began. It was fitting that Jerusalem be the starting point of the apostles’ ministry so as to testify against the Jews who killed their own Messiah and to simultaneously ensure that the firstfruits of the Holy Spirit were of Jewish descent.
The Holy Spirit was given at Jerusalem as the fulfillment of Christ’s promise to his apostles. However the promise was not made to them exclusively but to “you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself” (Acts 2:39). Meaning that the baptism of the Holy Spirit wasn’t exclusively for the apostles whom God had chosen as his vessels of revelation but for the common man as well. Even John the Baptist said, when speaking to the crowds at his baptism, that Christ would “baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 3:11). That being said, when the crowds heard Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, many of them repented and believed, thus receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:14-41).
Subsequently, the apostles continued to preach in Jerusalem amidst intense persecution. Other believers scattered “throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:1), where they continued to preach the gospel. Nonetheless the apostles bore witness of Jesus’s resurrection in Jerusalem just as Christ had predicted, making the gospel available to the Jews.
The next outpouring of the Spirit occurred at Samaria. Samaritans and Jews despised one another and without irrefutable evidence that God was including them in His plan of salvation, it’s not likely that the Jewish apostles would’ve readily accepted them as fellow heirs of salvation. In Acts 8:5 we see that “Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.” Many of them “had received the word of God” and as a result Peter and John were sent to them so that “they might receive the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:14-15). This they did when the apostles laid hands on them. It is not said that they spoke in tongues but it is evident from the text that something miraculous occurred. Simon the Magician “saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles hands” (Acts 8:18). What exactly did he see? We don’t know. But it was likely some supernatural manifestation of the Spirit, such as tongues, which accompanied this Spirit baptism just as it did with the apostles when they were filled. This outpouring of the Spirit was irrefutable proof that salvation was available to the Samaritans too.
In Acts 10 Peter preaches in Caesarea, a predominantly Roman city, meaning a predominantly Gentile one. On this occasion Peter is summoned by Cornelius, “a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort” (Acts 10:1). While Peter was preaching to Cornelius and those with him “the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word” and they began “speaking in tongues and extolling God” (Acts 10:44-48). A Gentile Roman soldier and his companions had now received the same gift that the Samaritans and the apostles had. This, too, was irrefutable proof that God was including the Gentiles in his plan of salvation. At this point the gospel had spread from Jerusalem to all Judea and all Samaria, reaching both people from both Samaritan and Gentile backgrounds.
Finally, the apostles were to be witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). This statement, “to the end of the earth”, wasn’t meant to be taken literally. What it suggests, rather, is that the gospel was to be taken outside of the land of Palestine and into other nations. This correlates to Jesus’ mandate in Matthew 28:18-20 where he tells his apostles to “make disciples of all nations”. The Great Commission was not to be contained to Palestine exclusively but was to be made available to all of mankind.
This outward expansion of the gospel begins in Acts 13 where Paul and Barnabas set sail for Cyprus to begin their missionary work. Fast forward to Acts 19 and we find Paul in Ephesus, approximately 600 miles from Jerusalem. Here Paul encounters 12 disciples, presumably of John the Baptist, who had yet to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Upon laying his hands on them they “began speaking in tongues and prophesying” (Acts 19:6). This outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Ephesus marked the advance of the gospel even to “the end of the earth”. It signified that the Holy Spirit was, indeed, available for “all who are far off” (Acts 2:39) and that, as Peter said, “God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him” (Acts 10:34).
Looking again at Acts 1:8 we see that Jesus tells his apostles that they’ll be his “witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” When we study the book of Acts in its entirety, we find that it’s broken up into phases, so to speak, that correlate with the expansion of the gospel in these locations.
The first phase centers on Jerusalem and is recorded in chapters 1-8. The second phase focuses on preaching in Judea and Samaria and is recorded in chapters 8-12. The last and final phase focuses on the gospel reaching the ends of the earth and is found in chapters 13-28. In each of these phases we see the Holy Spirit being poured out and accompanied by the gift of tongues. Tongues, then, served a few purposes in this book. First, they were a sign to the Jews that salvation didn’t belong to them exclusively; that God was offering salvation to men from every nation. And second, they marked the expansion of the gospel in these areas. They served as undeniable proof that the Holy Spirit was indeed ministering in these locations, per Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8.
In Conclusion
With the evidence before us, let us readdress the claims of modern tongue speakers in regards to the purpose of tongues, the manner in which they were given, and the inclusivity of all believers with regards to their acquisition and use.
The purpose of tongues in the book of Acts was not self-edification. We have no text that indicates they were ever used for this purpose. Every record of their occurrence correlates to the locations in which Christ sent his apostles to preach, marking the advance of the gospel in these areas as well as testifying to the Jews that God’s salvific plan included people from every nation under heaven.
The manner in which the sign of tongues manifested differs in each account. With the apostles, tongues were given post-conversion without the laying on of hands. With the Samaritans, they received the baptism of the Spirit post-conversion as well but only when Peter and John laid hands on them. The Gentiles of Acts 10 received the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues at conversion without the laying on of hands. And the disciples of Acts 19 spoke in tongues at conversion but only after Paul laid hands on them. No two accounts are the same. How then can the Pentecostal rightly claim that the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the “evidence” of speaking in tongues is something which is to occur subsequent to one’s salvation? They can’t. At least not biblically speaking. The Bible doesn’t record for us a set pattern by which this occurred in the early church.
And finally, as previously stated, not every believer can or ought to speak in tongues. The record of Acts clearly demonstrates that this wasn’t the case with believers in the early church and, therefore, is not to be the case with the contemporary one. Furthermore, nothing in the texts discussed give precedence to the theory that one must be in fervent prayer for the gift of tongues and seek it vehemently in order to receive it. Neither the apostles, the Samaritans, the Gentiles, or the disciples of Acts 19 are said to have been seeking this gift prior to its acquisition. Thus, the manner in which modern tongue speakers are said to have obtained their tongues is contrary to the biblical pattern demonstrated to us.