I Don’t Speak In Tongues, Do I Have The Holy Spirit?

Speaking in tongues is a core doctrine among Pentecostals and Charismatics. Tongues is seen as the evidence of baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is captured for example in the statement of belief/tenets of The Church of Pentecost (CoP).

We believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit for all believers with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues (Joel 2:28, 29; Acts 2:3,4,38,39; Acts 10:44-46; Acts 19:16), and in the operation of the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:6-8; Galatians 5:22,23 and 1 Corinthians 12:8-11; 28-30).¹

The basic inference from this is that every believer must speak in tongues, else they have not received the Baptism of The Holy Spirit. “As an enthusiastic form of religion, pneumatic [Pentecostal] Christianity generally promotes radical conversions [and] baptism of the Spirit with speaking in tongues.²

Now, by this core Pentecostal teachings on tongues speaking, the general practise and expectation of every Pentecostal is that if you have been saved, you must speak in tongues else, you have not been baptised by the Holy Spirit. This fundamental Pentecostal belief is therefore evidenced in what Pentecostals practise. When you come to faith in Christ, the next experience is to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit: a second blessing

Before I proceed, let me clarify that there are two schools of theology by which this subject can be addressed. There is cessationism, “the doctrine that the spiritual gifts that communicate or confirm divine revelation—particularly the gifts of tongues, miracles, and prophecy—ceased with the death of the last Apostle”³ Cessationism simply means that certain –not all — gifts of the Holy Spirit has ceased. In contrast to cessationism is continuationism “the belief that the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit taught in the bible — such as prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues, healings, miracles, etc. — have not ceased and are available for the believer today” ⁴

Tongues Speaking Is Not For Every Christian

I don’t believe the gifts of tongues is for today, I am a cessationist. But let me for the purpose of this article, assume that the gift is operational today. If it is, the biblical teachings doesn’t point to a gift that every Christian must have. Therefore it cannot be a mark or evidence of Holy Spirit baptism. The apostle Paul addressed this in his letter to the Corinthians from Chapter 12 -14.

He explains that the Holy Spirit gives particular gifts to individuals as he wills (12:11). As you read through 1 Corinthians 12, it becomes obvious the gift is not for every single believer. Paul first points out there are different gifts but it is the Spirit who distributes them to everyone individually and for various activities and services(12:4). This thought is presented clearly in subsequent verses

8For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another  the interpretation of tongues.

Note the recurring phrase in the verses above: “to another“. This phrase distinguishes the various gifts as they are distributed to members of the body. The Spirit gives different gifts to different people and there is no indication every single believer in Corinth receives the gift of tongues speaking. Indeed, it is one of the gifts distributed just like all the gifts: “to another various kinds of tongues?”

My point is that not all possess the gift of speaking in tongues in the Corinthian Church. And so we cannot expect every Christian to have it as evidence of baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Paul continues with a series of questions which expresses this thought more clearly

Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? (12: 29-30)

It’s safe to conclude that even if the gift exists today (which I don’t affirm it exists) it is not every believer who will possess it because that is not the pattern revealed in Scripture. The absence thereof of tongues, is not the absence of the Holy Spirit.

Historical Narrative Is Not Normative

The Scripture undergirding Pentecostal doctrine about the Holy Spirit and tongues is the historical event recorded by Luke in Acts Chapter 2 where the Holy Spirit descended on the believers in the and they spoke in tongues: “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:4).

In the midst of this and misunderstanding of what was happening, the disciples were accussed of being drunk (Acts 2:13). The apostle Peter rose to the occasion and pointed out to the people what they are witnessing is a fulfillment of a prophecy by the prophet Joel.

For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, .since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:“‘ And in the last days it shall be, God declares, w that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and y your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;

What Peter says here points to the events of Pentecost as fulfillment of a prophecy. We don’t expect this then to repeat itself through all Christian generation for every Christian who will believe. Pentecost is not normative for believers to look forward to and experience. The events of Acts Chapter therefore is not normative teaching Christians to seek the Holy Spirit’s baptism after salvation, i.e. a second blessing

D.A Carson, in a sympathetic tone argues against seeking second blessing saying “If the charismatic movement would firmly renounce, on biblical grounds, not the gift of tongues but the idea that tongues constitute a special sign of a second blessing, a very substantial part of the wall between charismatics and noncharismatics would come crashing down.“⁵

Every Believer Has The Holy Spirit

The Bible teaches that everyone who has come to faith in Jesus Christ has the Holy Spirit indwelling them. Indeed, no one can come to faith without the work of the Holy Spirit. He regenerates, convicts and saves (John 3:3;5; 16:9). It cannot be said of any Christian that they don’t have the Holy Spirit:”…no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit” (1Corinthians 12:3). With this understanding, speaking in tongues shouldn’t be marked as evidence of Holy Spirit Baptism because it is not. Every Christian is indwelt by the Holy Spirit: “…Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (Romans 8:9).

Dear believer, you don’t have to speak in tongues to have the Holy Spirit. By virtue of being in Christ you have the Holy Spirit and are indeed Baptised in the Holy Spirit.

References
1 The Church of Pentecost, Tenets of The Church of Pentecost, https://thecophq.org/beliefs-tenet
2 J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Contemporary Pentecostal Christianity: Interpretations From An African Context, Akropong-Akwapem: Regnum Books, 2013
3 Robert Rothwell, TableTalk, Cessationism, https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2020/04/cessationism/
4 Theopedia, Continuationism, https://theopedia.com/continuationism.                5 D.A Carson, Showing The Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1 Corinthians 12–14, Michigan: Baker Books, 1987