Is speaking in tongues wrong?

QUESTION:
Is speaking in tongues wrong?

RESPONSE:
Many conversations, debates, and disagreements have taken place and continue to take place over the subject of speaking in tongues. The Bible lists tongues or speaking in tongues as one of the mentioned spiritual gifts given to some followers of Jesus by the Holy Spirit at the sovereign discretion of God. Where the debate most often comes in on some of the gifts that sometimes are associated with being more supernatural in nature such as tongues, prophecy, and healing is whether or not all of the gifts are still given by God.

The two main camps in this debate are the cessationist camp and the continuationist camp. In short, cessationists believe that some of these gifts such as tongues have ceased while continuationists believe these gifts, including the gift of speaking in tongues, are still given to some by God.

Regardless of which camp you may side with, we believe that God is sovereign in the bestowing of all spiritual gifts. We also believe that when the Bible is silent or not dogmatic on an issue, it is wise for us to take the same approach. The Bible clearly indicates in various Scripture references mentioned below that tongues is one of the listed spiritual gifts given by God to some people at least when the New Testament was written. To whom or if God still chooses to give those gifts today is not for us to determine or to be dogmatic about since the Bible is not dogmatic one way or the other.

It is, however, the believer’s responsibility to attempt to develop their sovereignly given spiritual gift(s). The baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs at conversion and is the placing of the believer into the Body of Christ. We also believe that particular spiritual gift(s) such as speaking in tongues are neither essential, nor prove the presence of the Holy Spirit, nor are an indication of deep spiritual experience (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11, 13; Ephesians 4:7–8). We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accordance with His own will, for the sick and afflicted (John 15:7; 1 John 5:14, 15). We believe that it is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to minister according to the gift(s) and grace of God that is given to him (Romans 12:1–8; 1 Corinthians 13; 1 Peter 4:10–11).

In conclusion, it is not wrong to speak in tongues for those who have been given that spiritual gift by the Holy Spirit according to what the Bible teaches. It is wrong to try and manufacture a gift or to portray a gift that has never been given to a particular individual in the first place be it the gift of tongues or any of the other mentioned gifts listed in the Bible.