Does the Fruit of Speaking in Tongues Prove That Someone Is Saved?

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THE FRUIT OF SPEAKING IN TONGUES

This is a topic that I’m personally familiar with. A few years ago, I had the honor of overseeing a Sunday morning worship service on the island where I live. At this time, anywhere from five to ten people would show up.

One of them was quite knowledgeable about various biblical topics. She asked me to speak on the baptism of the Holy Spirit and its relationship to speaking in tongues. While I agreed, I didn’t know the controversy surrounding this subject in church teachings. As I studied, I began finding out.

So, before we analyze whether speaking in tongues proves that someone is saved, we need to determine what the baptism of the Spirit means. There are two opposing views regarding this.



THE BAPTISM OF THE SPIRIT - THE FILLING OF THE SPIRIT

This perspective claims that the baptism of the Spirit refers to the filling of the Spirit. A further explanation is found in the book of John. Please turn there in your Bible.



Suggested Reading: John 20:22-31

Jesus has risen from the dead and made Himself known to Mary Magdalene. On the same day, He appeared to the disciples where they were assembled and showed them His hands and feet. Afterward, He did something quite unusual.

John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. NASB

Many churches teach that the word breathed expresses the action that brought the indwelling Holy Spirit into each of the disciples’ bodies. If this were the case, then each one would be regenerated or born anew at this time. This would be followed by what some consider the baptism of the Spirit, which would take place on the day of Pentecost, when the disciples would be filled with Him. With that said, let’s consider the following question.



What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?

Please turn to Ephesians.



Ephesians 5:18

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, NASB

To be filled with the Spirit means the Holy Spirit fills the believer with Himself. This filling enables the believer to experience His presence (power) and manifest His fruit (His qualities of character). A reference to this filling is found in the book of Acts. Please turn there.



Acts 2:4

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. NASB

The word filled means to be filled with God’s power for witness [of the gospel] and service58 (the exercise of the gifts of the Spirit).

In this rendering, the baptism of the Spirit refers to being filled (empowered) with the Spirit for proclaiming the gospel of Christ, and in this instance, operating in one of the gifts of the Spirit, the speaking in tongues. We’ll disclose what this is all about as we continue in this study.



THE BAPTISM OF THE SPIRIT - THE INDWELLING OF THE SPIRIT

According to this perspective, the baptism of the Spirit refers to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that took place on the day of Pentecost. Please turn to the book of Acts.



Acts 1:4-5

And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, Which, He said, you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. NASB

This was what Jesus told His disciples to wait for, the promise of the Father, i.e., each of them would be baptized by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. This begs the question:



Why couldn’t the disciples receive the indwelling of the Spirit before the day of Pentecost?



John 7:37-39

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. NASB

The Holy Spirit couldn’t be given to those who believed in Christ until He was glorified. This word refers to His being lifted up to the presence of the Father59 (His ascension or departure from the earth) following His resurrection from the dead.

So, when Jesus breathed on His disciples, He hadn’t ascended yet. Therefore, this word must mean something else. This expression is similar to the relationship of an Old Testament saint to the Holy Spirit. An example of this is found in the book of 1 Samuel. Please turn there.



Suggested Reading: 1 Samuel 9:1-27; 10:1-10



1 Samuel 10:6

Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man. NASB

When the children of Israel demanded that a king be placed over them, God told the prophet/judge Samuel that He would send a man from the land of Benjamin to meet him at the gate of the city the following day. This man would become Israel’s first king. His name was Saul. Sure enough, he showed up.

Samuel taught him the word of God, anointed him king of Israel, and sent him on a journey. At some point, he would meet up with a company of prophets, the Spirit of the Lord would come upon him, and he would prophesy with them.

The words come upon thee refer to the Spirit rushing upon him, coming mightily upon him, or passing upon him as fire does when it breaks out and spreads.60

This supernatural occurrence was the seal and pledge of the blessings which the Lord bestowed upon the rulers of the nation for the people’s benefit, suddenly endowing him with a capacity and disposition to act in a manner far superior to that of his previous character and habits. Thus, instead of the simplicity, ignorance, and sheepishness of a peasant, he would display an energy, wisdom, and magnanimity worthy of a prince.61

While the Spirit could impact the king’s life, it could also depart if the recipient rejected His influences and lived in habitual sin. This leaves us with one more question.



Why was the word filled used on the day of Pentecost and not a reference to the indwelling of the Spirit?



Acts 2:4

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. NASB

It’s because when the Spirit indwelt them, they were simultaneously filled with the Spirit. In this sense, the baptism of the Spirit refers to the Spirit’s indwelling.

As you might gather, when I attempted to present the opposing views about what the baptism of the Spirit represents, this person lost it. They became extremely angry and began voicing their displeasure. This was so unsettling that after she left the assembly hall, everyone else expressed the sentiment that they didn’t come to a church service to hear arguing. And so, the rest of them walked out, never to return. Church attendance went from about five to ten to zero.

Some would argue that it was all my fault. My teaching brought division. All I was trying to do was let the members know that there were two schools of thought concerning this topic, regarding whether speaking in tongues proves that a believer is saved.

I hope this won’t prevent you from proceeding in this study. Shouldn’t we know why we believe what we believe, and if there is a view that’s contrary to the church teaching we’re listening to, shouldn’t we find out what it has to say and exercise due diligence through prayer and personal study to find out which avenue is supported by Scripture?

Now that you have been informed as to what the baptism of the Holy Spirit could refer to, let’s turn our attention to speaking in tongues. What are they? Does the Bible indicate that there are different kinds of tongues? Yes, it does. Let’s find out what these are.



A. The Natural Tongues or Languages

These are the natural tongues or languages that the many cultures of the population speak (e.g., Italian, German, etc.).

The Bible indicates that the peoples of the earth initially spoke the same language. However, when they attempted to build a tower to reach the heavens, God thwarted their plans. Please turn to the book of Genesis, and we’ll learn more about this endeavor.



Suggested Reading: Genesis 11:1-9; 6:8-9

9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth. NASB

Following a cataclysmic flood, the survivors—Noah, his wife, and his three sons and their wives—began to repopulate the earth. Eventually, they relocated to a plain in the land of Shinar. At this time, they were of one language and one vocabulary.

They had a collective desire to build a city and a tower (temple) that would reach heaven. This complex, called a ziggurat, would have been an enormous structure comprised of a series of stairs designed to reach the heavens, where the gods were thought to dwell. At the top of each staircase would be a bed, a table, and food, providing a place of rest and refreshment when the gods descended from the sky to the earth.

This could indicate that the people wanted to have a relationship with God (Yahweh) but didn’t know what was pleasing to Him. However, there was someone who had entered into a relationship with Him: Noah. The Bible says this about God’s relationship with him.



Genesis 6:8-9

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. NASB

Noah found grace (the favor of God; God’s response to saving faith) in the eyes (sight) of God. God revealed Himself to Noah, and Noah believed in Him. But this was not all that was said about Noah. It was mentioned that he was a righteous (just; blameless in character and conduct) man and blameless (always obeyed God). As a result, he walked (had continual communion or fellowship) with God.

This is what God truly wants of us: not someone building a tower to try to reach Him, but an inward tower. We can’t find God through human effort, but He invites us to respond to His invitation for salvation. After this, to those who have believed in Him, He declares His plan for their lives.

In Noah’s case, God wanted him to build an ark to protect as many people as possible from the impending flood that was to come and destroy most of mankind, removing the wickedness that had permeated their thoughts, words, and actions to such a degree that if the flood had not occurred, it was possible that there wouldn’t even be a small remnant left who would follow Him. It appears that God’s means of communicating to Noah was by words spoken to his mind—words that probably only Noah could hear.

So, the Lord decided to come down to Earth and see the city and tower for Himself. His comment about it was that it was based on evil plans and schemes, because anything man attempts to do to find God and attain His approval through self-effort is considered evil. To halt this project, the Lord confused (put in disorder) their language. This conveys the idea that the people couldn’t understand each other. Considering the massive building project, it probably would have taken all the people to build it. Now a large segment of the population couldn’t communicate.

A few years ago, I offered to help build houses with Habitat for Humanity on the island of Haiti. Six hundred-plus volunteers from all over the world attended. When we arrived at the worksite to build 100 houses, the group broke up into teams of about 8-10 for each two-house construction project. In addition, a family member who would eventually live in each house was obligated to assist with its construction.

One day, I was asked to work with a male owner who spoke Creole. I didn’t comprehend a single word of what he said, nor did he understand a single word of English. I attempted to communicate with him by hand gestures. When I tried to get him involved in carpentry, I had to literally show him by example what I wanted him to do. This was so time-consuming that we got very little done.

The natural result of the language confusion was that the people with different languages scattered (parted from one another). The city and the story associated with it were called Babel, which means to confound or confuse. By means of new languages, the Lord prevented the people from mingling and continuing to work together, as their deed of building this temple was evil.

The next type of tongue that we’ll look at is mentioned by the Apostle Paul in the book of 1 Corinthians. Let’s go there.



B. Angelic Tongues

1 Corinthians 13:1

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. NASB



What is an angelic tongue?

It seems that an angelic tongue is a language unique to angels.



Why would a believer want to speak in this manner?

This verse states that there’s no value in speaking in a foreign tongue (a natural language) or the tongues of angels if God’s love isn’t the motivating factor. In the Corinthian church, having the gift of tongues, which we’ll talk about next, would be considered valuable before the assembly.

The first word of this verse, if, according to Koine Greek, in which most of the New Testament was written, has four meanings based on the condition it’s in, i.e., its position and function in the sentence. This word is in what is termed a third-class condition, meaning “if: maybe yes or maybe no.” In other words, Paul was saying something like this: “Either way, if I spoke in a different human language or an angelic tongue and didn’t have God’s love, then this awesome accomplishment would be like playing a musical instrument without harmony or melody that would contribute nothing to the welfare of others.” It’s possible that the Apostle Paul never spoke in an angelic tongue, but instead used the declaration of such an event as an example to convey that even if a believer could speak in either one without God’s love, it would profit them nothing.

The tongue we’ll discuss next is the one this study is about: the gift of tongues. Please turn to 1 Corinthians.



C. The Gift of Tongues

Suggested Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. NASB

The word gifts refers to divine empowerments that the Holy Spirit distributes to each believer. A gift isn’t a talent. A talent is received at natural birth; a spiritual gift is received at spiritual birth. Some believe that there could be as many as fifteen different spiritual gifts.

7, 10 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. NASB

This particular gift involves a believer speaking forth words in an unknown foreign language that they themselves wouldn’t understand, but that the hearers would comprehend. It could also involve speaking a foreign language, which would be interpreted by another believer with a different gift, the interpretation of tongues conveying its spiritual meaning in the hearers’ language. The gift of tongues or various kinds of tongues was first exercised on the day of Pentecost.



What is the day of Pentecost?

Please go to Acts.



Suggested Reading: Acts 2:1-41

The day of Pentecost was the fiftieth day following seven weeks of grain harvest for the Jews. Many of them attended this feast from all parts of the world, speaking different languages (having, over time, learned the language of the country where they resided). This was the day when the promised Holy Spirit came upon the disciples in an upper room in Jerusalem.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. NASB

Almost immediately, after they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to speak with other (foreign) tongues. The word tongues comes from the Greek word gloosais, meaning unintelligible sounds. In other words, the sounds were unintelligible to the person who spoke them.

6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because they were each one hearing them speak in his own language. NASB

The tongues to which this referred were unveiled when all the Jews who attended this feast each heard a tongue spoken in their own language by the disciples. There were 120 disciples gathered at this time, including the 12 apostles.



How many actually spoke in a foreign tongue unbeknownst to them?

The word them in verse 4 in Koine Greekis a third-person masculine plural dative pronoun.



What is a pronoun?

A pronoun takes the place of a noun. An antecedent, a noun, is the word to which the pronoun refers. The pronoun and noun will agree in gender (male, female, or neuter), number (singular or plural), and case (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, and vocative). The dative case refers to the indirect object, indicating “to whom” or “for whom” an action is done.

Usually, the closest noun is the antecedent, but not in all cases.

Acts 1:2 until the day when He was taken up, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. NASB

The word, which appears to be the antecedent, is the noun apostles (masculine plural dative). So, it was they, the apostles, who spoke in tongues on the day of Pentecost, and not everyone who was filled with the Spirit.

Acts 1:14 These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. NASB

Some might contend that there is another noun, brothers, in the form of a masculine plural dative, that should be considered the antecedent. However, this doesn’t agree with the previous analysis. This brings us to the following question.



Why wasn’t the gift of the interpretation of tongues used to interpret what was being conveyed by the foreign tongues?

The word language in verse 6 is taken from the Koine Greek word dialektoo, which means the tongue or language peculiar to any people. Because of the diversity of languages present among the people, there was no need for the gift of the interpretation of tongues to be employed. In a different setting, such as a church assembly, where most of the people would speak the same language, if a tongue (a foreign language) were exercised, someone with the gift of interpretation of tongues would be needed to unveil its spiritual meaning to the congregation.

The next tongue that we’ll discuss is called an unknown tongue. What is this all about? Please stay in the book of 1 Corinthians.



D. Unknown Tongue



What is an unknown tongue?

An unknown tongue could be characterized as a foreign tongue (language) that is unknown to both the speaker and the hearers.An example of an unknown tongue can be found in contrast to the gift of prophesy in the book of 1 Corinthians. Please go there.



1 Corinthians 14:1-4, 27-28

1-2 Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. NASB



Is there any indication as to what kind of tongue is being referred to here?

27-28 If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and let one interpret; but if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God. NASB

This tongue is a foreign tongue, associated with the gift of interpretation. To understand an unknown foreign tongue of the Holy Spirit, there needs to be someone in the body of Christ who can interpret it by means of the gift of interpretation of tongues. In the Corinthian church, there were some concerns about the exercise of the gift of tongues. Some exercised it when praying privately, others during corporate prayer or during times of worship when the assembly of believers gathered without someone present who had the gift of interpretation of tongues. Without an interpreter, the believer who exercised it privately or with other believers in their periphery would not grasp the Spirit’s message. Therefore, those who had received the gift of tongues would be asked to speak it to themselves privately if no one with the gift of interpretation of tongues was present.

3-4 But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation. One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church. NASB

When the interpretation isn’t available, the Apostle Paul emphasizes the exercise of another gift, i.e., of prophesy.



What is the gift of prophesy?

Someone who has this gift will call forth words from the Spirit, which is another way of saying that they’ll speak under the immediate influence of the Holy Spirit in the common language of the people. This is unlike the gift of teaching, which could be preplanned. Such a gift speaks unto men for edification (build doctrine in the soul for the spiritual growth and development of character of believers62), exhortation (encouragement, which can include reproof), and consolation (comfort; remove sadness).

This brings us to the final unusual type of tongue. Believe it or not, it’s not found in Scripture.



E. Ecstatic Utterance



What is an ecstatic utterance?

An ecstatic utterance is the transmission of sounds, which you could also call gibberish, unintelligible, or babbling in a non-existent human language. Some have given different names for ecstatic utterances, such as the language of the spirit or the language of heaven. Some believe that, in certain instances, when the word tongue is used in Scripture, it could refer to the transmission of unintelligible sounds in a non-existent human language.



Is there any example of this in Scripture?

The only one I can think of is angelic tongues, which we talked about earlier.

Some believe that the phrase unknown tongue represents an ecstatic utterance. The only way to determine whether this is the case is to examine the Scriptures, the historical background, and the words used in the original Koine Greek to make an informed decision.

Now that we know about the different kinds of tongues mentioned in Scripture, let’s examine the idea that the gift of tongues is a fruit or demonstration that the person who exercises it is saved. Here’s the proclamation.



●SPEAKING IN TONGUES PROVES THAT THE PERSON WHO EXERCISES IT IS SAVED

Let’s begin by turning to Mark.



Suggested Reading: Mark 16:1-18

Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, purchased anointing oil following the close of the Sabbath. Well before sunrise, on the first day of the week, they left the town of Bethany and proceeded to Jerusalem, where the tomb in which Jesus’ body was placed was located. They arrived at the burial place at sunrise and found that the stone covering it had been rolled away. So, they decided to enter and saw a man dressed in white. The man told them that Jesus was risen and they were to let the disciples and Peter know that He would meet them in Galilee.

Also mentioned was that Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, who went and told some of His followers in general that He was risen. They didn’t believe her. Jesus also appeared to two others, who rejected the report. Finally, Mary told the eleven disciples the news, but they didn’t believe it either. When Jesus showed up before the eleven disciples, He rebuked them for their unbelief.

15 And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. NASB

Then Jesus informed them of their mission: to go throughout the world (to the Jews as well as the Gentiles) and preach the gospel (good news) to all creation (every human being). The reality of this declaration, which would include the Gentile unbelievers, was unveiled by future special revelation given to the Apostle Peter, who shared it with a centurion named Cornelius, his relatives, and his near friends.

16-18 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it shall not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. NASB

Then He said to them that there will be certain signs (evidences) that accompany (follow; always be present with) those who have believed (belief in the gospel). These supernatural events were: They will cast out demons, speak in new tongues, not be hurt by drinking any deadly thing, not be hurt by being bitten by poisonous snakes, and heal the sick by the laying on of hands. The words speak in new tongues mean to speak with new tongues [that] the speaker has not learned previously.63

There we have it. Those who respond to the gospel will be endowed with evidence that they’re saved, and one example of this evidence is the gift of speaking in tongues. Therefore, the gift of tongues is one of the fruits that prove whether someone is saved.

Another example of this is found in the book of Acts. Please turn there.



Suggested Reading: Acts 10:1-48

24 And on the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. NASB

The Apostle Peter, a Jew, came to the house of Cornelius, a Gentile, who was accompanied by his relatives (kinsman) and near friends. Peter proceeded to tell them that the Jews weren’t forbidden from talking to uncircumcised Gentiles on the street or in their places of business, but they weren’t allowed to go into their houses and eat with them, because their dwellings were considered to be ceremonially polluted.

Then he recounted the events that had brought him to this house. After which, he talked about how God had sent His Son, Jesus, to preach peace to the Jews and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. Peter said that, eventually, He was rejected by them, hung on a tree, and raised from the dead, being witnessed by many.

43 Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins. NASB

Whosoever believes in Him will receive forgiveness (remission; refers not only to the guilt of sin, but also to its power, nature, and consequences64) of sins. Then something remarkable happened.

44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. NASB

The Holy Spirit fell (took possession of, came into) upon all who heard the word. The word fell is from the Koine Greek word epepesen, which is derived from epipipto.

45-46 And all the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon the Gentiles also. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, NASB

The Jewish Christians who accompanied Peter were amazed (astonished; beside themselves) because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out (bestowed; given) upon the Gentiles also, with the subsequent hearing by each of them speaking with tongues and exalting God.

Speaking in tongues is one of the signs that the Gentiles were saved and had received the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Another example that speaking in tongues is a fruit that proves someone is saved, is found in the same book in a later chapter.



Suggested Reading: Acts 19:1-7

2 and he said to them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? And they said to him, No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit. NASB

As the Apostle Paul was on his way to Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit commanded him to return to Asia. While passing through the upper coasts, he came to Ephesus. There, he came upon twelve disciples of John the Baptist. He asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit, as they believed in the coming Messiah, but they responded that they weren’t even aware of Him.



What did they mean by this?

While they might have heard about the receipt of the Spirit when someone believed in Christ, they were unaware that He had been received by anyone.

3-4 And he said, Into what then were you baptized? And they said, Into John’s baptism. And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus. NASB



Paul followed this up with another question, the essence of which was: “What baptism were you baptized into?”

Evidently, they hadn’t heard about being baptized in water in the name of Jesus after believing in Him

5-6 And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. NASB

Subsequently, they were baptized in water in the name of Jesus, had hands laid upon them, received the Holy Spirit, and spoke in tongues and prophesied.

One final example used to indicate that speaking in tongues is a fruit that proves that someone is saved is found in the same book in an earlier chapter, with a twist.



Suggested Reading: Acts 8:5-24

12 But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. NASB

Philip, one of the seven deacons of the church at Jerusalem, went to the city of Sychar in the region of Samaria. While there, he preached Christ to the Samaritans, who were of both Jewish and Gentile lineage and observed both Jewish and pagan rites. After they heard the good news about the kingdom of God (the coming kingdom) and the name of Jesus Christ (that He is the Christ, the Messiah), they believed what was conveyed to them and were baptized in water.

However, someone was missing. Do you know who this could be? Read on.

14-15 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit. NASB

Somehow, word got back to the apostles in Jerusalem that the Samaritans had responded favorably to the good news about the kingdom and Christ and had been baptized in water, but they hadn’t received the Holy Spirit.



How did they know the Holy Spirit was not received?

This is the million-dollar question.

One suggestion is that this was disclosed to the apostles residing in Jerusalem by the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls. NASB

Another explanation was that the speaking in tongues by the eleven disciples on the day of Pentecost, along with the Apostle Peter’s declaration about what was taking place that day, had a direct bearing on the salvation of about 3000 souls. So, Philip could have sent word to Jerusalem that the Holy Spirit wasn’t received because the exercise of the gift of tongues hadn’t taken place.

Acts 8:16 For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. NASB

A third theory is intimated by the word fallen. This is from the Koine Greek epipeptookos from epipipto. It means comes into, comes to possess, and comes to live in. This is similar to the word fell in the previous story about the Apostle Peter and Cornelius, who believed, received the Holy Spirit, and spoke in tongues. The inference is that because speaking in tongues is one of the signs proving that someone is saved, it doesn’t have to be mentioned in every instance after the Holy Spirit is received.

17 Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. NASB

When the apostles heard that the Holy Spirit hadn’t come to indwell the Samaritans, they sent Peter and John, who, upon arrival, prayed for them. This was followed by the laying of hands, the subsequent receiving of the indwelling Spirit, and the speaking in tongues (inferred).

Now we’ll take a look at the opposing view and the Scriptures that support it.



●IF A BELIEVER DOES NOT SPEAK IN TONGUES, THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY ARE NOT SAVED

Let’s begin by turning to 1 Corinthians.



Suggested Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:1-13:1

The Apostle Paul was giving instructions to the believers at the church in Corinth concerning the non-leadership spiritual gifts. We’ll focus on one in particular: various kinds of tongues. This begs the question:



What are spiritual gifts?

Each one is a divine empowerment distributed by the Holy Spirit to each believer. There can be as many as fifteen different spiritual gifts.



What is the purpose of these gifts?

7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. NASB

The manifestation (the activity of God in each believer’s life65) of the Spirit is given to each believer for the common good (common benefit of the church66).



Does this mean each believer will receive every gift?

8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; NASB

One believer receives a certain gift, while another receives a different one.

28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. NASB

Then the apostle mentions that there are other kinds of gifts, office (leadership) gifts. Some of them are mentioned in accordance with certain of the gifts of the Spirit.

29-31 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? NASB

He asks a series of similar questions regarding the office gifts and the gifts of the Spirit. Initially, he asks, All are not apostles, are they? The word not in Koine Greek is Mee, which is a particle that can affect the meaning of a sentence. In this context, it’s an article of qualified negation that expects a negative answer. Therefore, the reply can be no: Not all members of the body of Christ are apostles. As to tongues, he asks a similar question: All do not speak with tongues, do they? With the expected answer of no, not every member of the body of Christ will speak with tongues.

Simply put, what the apostle is getting at is that office leadership gifts, as well as the gifts of the Spirit, are distributed in such a manner that no one member constitutes the whole body. Rather, each [contributes] his portion to the common advantage. All together, they constitute an entire and perfect body.67

This forms the basis for concluding that if a believer doesn’t speak in tongues, this doesn’t mean they’re not saved.

With that said, there are examples of believers who spoke in tongues following salvation, while there are other instances in which this gift was not exercised. Here’s an example of the latter, found in the book of Acts.



Suggested Reading: Acts 8:26-40

After Philip, one of the seven deacons of the early church, shared the gospel with the Samaritans, an angel of the Lord spoke to him and gave instruction to go to a certain geographical place, the purpose of which was unknown to him at the time. So, he traveled to the area where he was sent and was directed more specifically by the Spirit, who told him to go near a particular chariot on which a certain person was reading.

27-30 And he arose and went; and behold, there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship. And he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, Go up and join this chariot. NASB

When he got close to someone described as an Ethiopian eunuch (someone who served as a trusted servant in royal courts68), he heard him reading from the book of Isaiah. Philip asked, Do you understand what you’re reading? The eunuch said, No, not unless someone explains it to me. So, Philip preached to him about Jesus. Subsequently, the eunuch believed in Christ and was baptized in water. However, this was not accompanied by his speaking in tongues.

Based on this perspective, the previous translation of the opposing view from the book of Mark would need to be changed. Don’t you agree? Let’s see what this revision might look like.



Suggested Reading: Mark 16:1-18

Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, purchased anointing oil following the close of the Sabbath. Well before sunrise, on the first day of the week, they left the town of Bethany and proceeded to Jerusalem, where the tomb in which Jesus’ body was placed was located. They arrived at the tomb at sunrise and found that the stone covering it had been rolled away. So, they decided to enter it and saw a man dressed in white. The man told them that Jesus was risen and they were to let the disciples and Peter know that He would meet them in Galilee.

Also mentioned was that Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, who went and told some of His followers in general that He was risen. They didn’t believe her. Jesus also appeared to two others, who rejected the report. Finally, Mary told the eleven disciples the news, and they didn’t believe it either. When Jesus showed up before the eleven disciples, He rebuked them for their unbelief.

15 And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. NASB

Then He informed them of their mission: to go throughout the world (to the Jews as well as the Gentiles) and preach the gospel (good news) to all creation (every human being). The reality of this declaration, which would include the Gentile unbelievers, was unveiled by a future special revelation given to the Apostle Peter, who shared it with a centurion Gentile named Cornelius, his relatives, and his near friends.

16-18 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it shall not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. NASB

Then He said to them that there will be certain signs (evidences) that accompany (follow; always be present with) those who have believed. This begs the question:



Who are the believers that are being referred to, the newly converted who have believed in the gospel when presented to them, or the disciples?

The key to determining this is the word those, translated into English in the NASV (New American Standard Version), or them, translated into English in the King James Version. Huh? The word them in Koine Greek is tois. This is the definite article the that changes form for gender, number, and case. In whatever form, it strongly resembles English demonstrative pronouns that point out something or someone. Whatever noun it points to must have the same gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter), number (single or plural), and case (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, or vocative) in Koine Greek.

The article in this context is in the form of a masculine-plural-dative. By the way, the dative case means this noun is identified as an indirect object, and the noun it refers to must appear in the same gender, number, and case.

7 But go, tell His disciples and Peter, He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you. NASB



With that said, is there a noun that comes before the article and that agrees with its grammatical structure?

Yes, there is. It’s the word disciples. With that said, the words those who believe pertain to the disciples, i.e., the eleven, the apostles. Therefore, we can make this statement. The signs that will accompany the disciples are that they will cast out demons, speak in new tongues (new tongues [that] the speaker had not learned previously69), not be hurt by drinking any deadly thing, not be hurt by being bitten by poisonous snakes, and heal the sick by the laying on of hands.

The only thing to add is to be careful when using verses from the four gospels to substantiate a doctrinal platform for the New Testament believer to adopt. Rather, use verses from the book of Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation to come up with a comprehensive rendering on a particular topic, one that can be used to translate a verse or verses from the four gospels that pertain to such.

Finally, we’ll reintroduce a section of Scripture covered in the opposing view and provide an alternate explanation for why the Holy Spirit wasn’t received following belief in Christ.



Suggested Reading: Acts 19:1-7

2 and he said to them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? And they said to him, No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit. NASB

As the Apostle Paul was on his way to Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit commanded him to return to Asia. While passing through the upper coasts, he came to Ephesus. While there, he came upon twelve disciples of John the Baptist. He asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit, as they believed in the coming Messiah, but they responded that they weren’t even aware of Him.



What did they mean by this?

While they might have heard that receiving the Spirit was associated with believing in Christ, they were unaware that anyone had received the Spirit.

3-4 And he said, Into what then were you baptized? And they said, Into John’s baptism. And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus. NASB



Paul followed this up with another question, the essence of which was: “What baptism were you baptized into?”

Evidently, they hadn’t heard about being baptized in water in the name of Jesus after believing in Him.

5-6 And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. NASB

This begs the question:



Why wasn’t the Holy Spirit received after the disciples of John believed in Christ?

It was because it provided recognition that Paul was sent by God to proclaim the gospel message. The speaking in tongues that followed was not to prove that the disciples of John were saved; rather, the declaration of such was a sign or confirmation of Paul’s divine calling to the leadership office of apostle.

Subsequently, the disciples of John were baptized in water in the name of Jesus, had hands laid upon them, received the Holy Spirit, spoke in tongues, and prophesied.

The next fruit, which some believe proves that someone isn’t saved or has lost their salvation, is habitual bad behavior. But before we turn the page, I would like to leave you with another personal story about speaking in tongues, albeit an uplifting one.



THE SOUND OF LAUGHTER

Not too long following my spiritual conversion in Christ in 1977, I was having a physical issue of passing blood. A fellow believer told me about a Christian healing service that was soon to take place at what was then called the Worcester Auditorium, where various events would take place throughout the year. Finally, the day arrived, and I attended this with some friends.

Here I was listening to the speaker’s testimony. After which, she said that God the Holy Spirit was revealing to her various physical ailments that He was ready to heal. So, she would mention what these were and ask that if anyone needed [healing, they should] stand up. She would repeat the process again and again with different maladies until finally she mentioned [an] illness associated with the passing of blood. Upon hearing this, I for some reason chose not to stand but prayed to God the Father in the name of His Son that if what was taking place was of Him, the Spirit could heal me as I decided to stay seated. All of a sudden, a warm tingling sensation began around my stomach area. God had [shown] up. This lasted for about 30 seconds.

A short time after the healing service ended, the faith healer asked if anyone would like to speak in tongues. I had no idea what she was talking about. She handed the microphone to another person, who explained what this gift was about and how every believer should speak as such. He directed anyone who’d like to receive this gift to proceed to a back room. So, being curious, I went to this designated area that could contain about 75 people. Every seat was taken.

After a little while, a pastor showed up and proclaimed that within a few minutes, everyone would have this gift and speak according to the Spirit’s leading. He asked everyone to repeat certain sounds out loud that he would proclaim. One sound would come forth, we’d repeat it and so on. When he got to the fourth or fifth sound, not only did we sound like animals in a zoo, but we forgot the order of the sounds.

And then it began. One person started laughing hysterically, then another, and then myself, my friends, and everyone in attendance. It was bedlam. I wound up on the floor with an uncontrollable belly laugh. The pastor was so alarmed that he walked out. After a short time, we left the facility. And by the way, I noticed that the bleeding had stopped. Praise God!



Endnotes

58The Bible Exposition Commentary/New Testament.

59UBS New Testament Handbook Series.

60Barnes’ Notes.

61Jamieson, Faucet, and Brown Commentary.

62Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words Pc Study Bible version 5, 2005.

BIBLESOFT. WEB. 16 December 2025

˂http://www.biblesoft.com>.

63Thayer’s Greek Lexicon Pc Study Bible version 5, 2006. BIBLESOFT. WEB. 21 December 2025

˂http://www.biblesoft.com>.

64Adam Clarke’s Commentary.

65UBS New Testament Handbook Series.

66Adam Clarke’s Commentary.

67Calvin’s Commentaries.

68“THE MAN WHO HAS BEEN CASTRATED.” 21 December 2025

.

69Thayer’s Greek Lexicon.



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