Is Speaking in Tongues Evidence of the Holy Spirit

When the Bible talks about speaking in tongues, it is referring to speaking in another language unknown to the speaker. There is a common doctrine known as “being baptized in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues.” This doctrine teaches that you have not been filled with the Holy Spirit unless you have operated in this gift.

In fact, many people believe you aren’t even saved unless you speak in tongues as well. But is speaking in tongues actually the evidence that you have received the Holy Spirit?

The argument in favor of this doctrine is that when people were filled with the Holy Ghost in the New Testament, they always spoke with tongues. Because of this wrong assumption, many people believe the doctrine. But as you will soon find out, that isn’t actually the case.

Nothing in the Bible says or indicates that tongues are the evidence of the Holy Ghost. In fact, we are told that the true evidence of the Holy Ghost is the fruit of the Spirit being produced in a person’s life.

Before I go into further detail on why this doctrine is untrue, let’s take a look at the scriptures used to justify it. We’ll see why the claim is made—and why the claim is false—through the scriptures themselves.

Many people claim this passage proves that the sign of tongues must follow everyone who has truly received the Holy Spirit. But look at the passage again. It also says they will cast out devils, take up serpents, be unharmed by deadly drink, and heal the sick.

Take note of this—it shows the cherry-picking that happens with this false doctrine. All of the focus is placed on speaking in tongues, yet no one claims that you must also cast out devils, pick up snakes, drink poison, and heal the sick the moment you receive the Holy Spirit.

This passage cannot be used to claim that speaking in tongues is the evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit. If that were the case, there’s a lot of other “evidence” these same people are missing. By their own standard, they show that they either do not have the Holy Spirit themselves, or they are wrong.

When Jesus said “them that believe,” He was speaking generally of a group of believers. He said they would do these things collectively. He didn’t say each individual would operate in all of these gifts, and He certainly didn’t say that each individual must operate in this one gift in particular.

But there are other scriptures that this doctrine also misuses.

There is a false assumption made based on a supposed pattern seen in the book of Acts. Because there were a few instances where people spoke in tongues when they first received the Holy Spirit, the assumption is made that it must always happen that way.

There are three events recorded in Acts where the Holy Spirit was first given to people. In these three events, we do see people speaking in tongues. However, these scriptures are often used improperly—without considering the broader context of Scripture as a whole—and by making assumptions that the text itself does not teach.

These events include:

• The Day of Pentecost (Acts 2)
• Peter ministering to the Gentiles (Acts 10)
• When Paul asked certain disciples if they had received the Holy Ghost (Acts 19)

It’s important to note that Acts 19 isn’t talking about Christian disciples—they were disciples of John the Baptist. This is why Paul had to preach Jesus to them. Therefore, this passage is not proof that the Holy Spirit is given sometime after salvation rather than at salvation, as some claim.

In any case, these are not the only accounts of people receiving the Holy Spirit recorded in the Bible. Some people claim that no one in Scripture ever received the baptism of the Holy Ghost without speaking in tongues. But that claim is false, because there are passages that clearly show otherwise.

At no point do these verses tell us that all 3,000 people spoke in tongues.

Here it says they spoke the word of God with boldness, but it doesn’t say they did so in an unknown tongue.

Again, there is no mention of them speaking in tongues.

Even Paul is not said to have spoken in tongues when he received the Holy Spirit.

Now, omission isn’t proof that it didn’t happen—but neither are three isolated events proof that it always happened. We need something more solid before we can know for sure whether it happens every time. Thankfully, we have passages that spell it out clearly for us.

This passage tells us that the Spirit may give one person a certain gift and another person a different one. So not everyone receives or operates in the same gifts. Take note that among these gifts—used by some but not all—is the gift of tongues.

Again, not all believers have these gifts or positions. I’d also like to point out that tongues are listed last among these gifts. Yet for something God considers to be among the least of the gifts, many people place a disproportionate amount of emphasis on it.

Taking all of these scriptures in proper context, we see that not everyone who receives the Holy Spirit speaks in tongues. It is not the evidence of the Holy Spirit. As we have already covered, the true evidence is the fruit of the Spirit being produced in a person’s life.

Praying in the Spirit Doesn’t Mean Praying in Tongues

There are also those who believe that speaking in tongues is what the Bible calls praying in the Spirit. But this is not always the case.

These verses are often used to claim that speaking in tongues is a special prayer language. Many say this is what the Bible means when it says we must worship God in spirit. Supposedly, when you pray in tongues, you are praying in the Spirit.

But again, this is not what the term “praying in the Spirit” means. Scripture shows that a person can pray in the Spirit without using tongues.

Paul says he will pray with the Spirit and with understanding—both together. He isn’t saying he will pray with the Spirit and then without it. Paul knew better.

Obviously, Paul knew he must pray with the Spirit every time he prayed. This creates a problem if praying in tongues is what praying in the Spirit means. Because if that were true, Paul would not be praying in the Spirit whenever he prayed with understanding. Yet Paul says he will pray with both the Spirit and understanding in 1 Corinthians 14:15.

He had to do both at the same time—he had to be in the Spirit while praying and still understand what he was saying. So, speaking in tongues is not the same thing as praying in the Spirit.

There are many passages that show people speaking or praying in the Spirit without using tongues.

In each of these cases, we are told they were speaking in the Spirit. And in each case, they were speaking in a language they understood. So, speaking in the Spirit is not always done with unknown tongues.

Notice that the last part of the verse says these “groanings” cannot be uttered. If they cannot be uttered, they cannot be spoken. These groanings are not referring to tongues.

And if you don’t consider speaking and praying to be the same thing, there are also passages showing that praying in the Spirit isn’t always done with unknown tongues either.

In Revelation, nothing John said in his vision when speaking with the Lord was in a language he didn’t understand. In Ephesians, Paul tells us that all prayer must be in the Spirit—even prayer offered with our understanding. In Galatians, the Spirit cried out in a language the people understood at that time; Abba was not an unknown tongue to them. In Luke, Jesus also spoke to God in a known language.

All of this leads us to the inescapable conclusion that speaking in tongues is not what the Bible means when it says we should pray in the Spirit.

So what does it mean when the Bible says we should pray in the Spirit?

What Does It Mean to Be Full of the Holy Spirit

I want you to notice in the next set of verses that the use of the gift of tongues is not mentioned—yet they still speak of being filled with the Spirit.

What can we gather from these verses?

Worshiping God in Spirit and in truth doesn’t mean speaking in tongues—it means being joined to the Lord. It means expressing love, gratitude, and devotion toward God from the heart.

Worshiping God in Spirit and in truth can only be done by those who carry His Spirit within them. Some try to fake it. Even the Devil can say “Jesus is Lord.” But he will never say “Jesus is my Lord” and mean it.

That’s the difference. Anyone can say the words—but only someone filled with the Holy Spirit can truly mean them.

This kind of genuine, Spirit-led worship is not possible without Him. And it isn’t always done with tongues, nor is that ever required by the Spirit.

So what is the gift of tongues for, exactly?

There’s much more to be said on that subject—and we’ll continue exploring it in our next study.

Continue To Unit 4:12 – Is Speaking in Tongues Biblical OR

Return To Christianity 101 Unit 4 – The Baptism of the Holy Spirit