Now that we have the background knowledge I’d like to talk about the different views on speaking in tongues. There are two different views that I have seen. Cessationists believe that speaking in tongues stopped at a certain point along the line. Most people believe it stopped once the book of revelation was written, or the Bible was canonized. The other view is the continuationist view. This is the belief that speaking in tongues still happens today. The difference between these views stems from how we believe the Holy Spirit works in the church today versus how He worked in the early church. Cessationists believe the Holy Spirit works differently today because some of the more intense signs that were performed in the early church aren’t needed anymore.
I however am very hesitant to make any claims that something we see in the Bible doesn’t apply today unless it is explicitly stated in scripture. For example, I am willing to say we don’t have to follow all of the Old testament laws because Jesus fulfilled our old covenant and the apostles told us what rule we have to follow now in Acts. But with speaking in tongues we see nowhere that implies that it would cease to happen, in fact, we see the quite opposite. Paul tells us not to ban speaking in tongues in the last verse of 1 Corinthians 14, and in Acts it talks about how in the end times people will prophecy (which is often grouped in with speaking in tongues by cessationists).
It also wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense why we would stop receiving this gift. Speaking in tongues is a gift given to prove to unbelievers our faith (1 Cor. 14:22) and to edify ourselves. Those are both things that very much still need to happen today. I believe the Holy Spirit doesn’t work the same in every place and circumstance, and I believe that’s why people mostly in America don’t believe some of the more miraculous gifts are given. We just don’t have as much of a need for these gifts as some people in other countries. Why would the Holy Spirit give us gifts that we don’t have a use for? I’ve heard many stories of pastors in places like Africa with an amazing gift of healing, and so many stories of missionaries speaking in tongues on their missions trips. This is a good example of the Holy Spirit providing what a specific people need.
All of that being said, as good as the gift of speaking in tongues is, it gets misused a lot. There is a time, place, and way to speak in tongues so that you don’t cause others to stumble in their walk with Christ. 1 Corinthians 14:23 says this perfectly: “So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?” We need to be very careful while speaking in tongues without an interpreter. Over and over Paul tells us that if we speak in tongues in front of others they should know what you are saying, and if they don’t then do it quietly to yourself and God. (1 Cor. 14:28)
In conclusion, speaking in tongues is a useful and powerful gift, but we need to make sure we use it in an orderly and uplifting way.