Question:  Dear Greg,

            I’ve been studying about speaking or praying in tongues.  First of all, is it a known language such as what took place at Pentecost or a glossolalia of unknown words?  If it is the latter, then how does it serve the purpose of edifying the church when it is not interpreted?  Is one who does not speak in tongues not filled with the Spirit?  Evidence of the Spirit is the fruit of the Spirit, and tongues is not listed.

            Heath

Answer:  Dear Heath,

            Most scholars believe that Acts 2 involved known languages.  But this does not mean that all New Testament references were known languages (at least known to the audience) because Paul notes that there must be an interpreter in such cases.

            Some believe that all New Testament gifts are still being given, in a similar way, as they were during the first century.  Others, called cessationists, believe that the gift of tongues and possibly the gift of healing are not being given today—nor indeed have they for many centuries.

            Those who believe that they have the gift of tongues are not superior to those who have such a gift.  There is no biblical warrant for imposing the idea that someone must speak in tongues in order to be more deeply or truly sanctified or converted.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht