Do you have to speak in tongues to be saved?

Many believe that unless one can speak with tongues one has not received the Holy Spirit; but in this day of the Church's ruin a true Christian, guided by the Word of God, need not be troubled nor allow others to trouble him because he is not able to do signs and wonders or speak with tongues. The apostles and others had this special gift (Acts 2:4, 43; 4:30; 5:12; 14:3), but even in the beginning not all spake with tongues or did miracles; but all who believed were sealed with the Holy Spirit (See 2 Cor. 1:21-22; Eph. 1:13). The questions of the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 12:29-30 show conclusively that all did not speak with tongues. Every member in the Body of Christ has a place and service, but each member, however useful, has not the same gifts. "Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?" The answer to these questions is clearly "No." And note it well that the apostle is speaking to those who have been baptized by the Holy Spirit (See verse 13).

Take speaking with tongues just mentioned: some insist that unless this takes place the Spirit of God is not received. How does Scripture bear on this?

Quite effectively. What we have just pointed out bears on it. So also does the fact that in the six cases of the Spirit's reception recorded in Acts, three make no mention at all of speaking with tongues. So also does the fact that speaking with tongues is much alluded to in 1 Corinthians 12, where the whole argument of the Apostle turns upon the point that though the Spirit of God is one, yet the gifts or manifestations which proceed from Him are many and various; and that to one member of the body was given one gift such as prophecy, to another member another gift such as speaking with tongues.

At the end of the chapter (vv. 29 and 30) a number of questions are raised. No answer is given because it is so obvious. "Are all apostles?" he asks. Clearly, No. "Are all prophets?" No. "Do all speak with tongues?" Just as clearly, No. Are all Christians members of Christ's body by baptism of the Spirit? Yes. Do all the members speak with tongues? No. A clear scriptural refutation of this erroneous idea.

No — the gift of tongues was given by the Spirit but only in the beginning and even then not to all (1 Cor. 12:29–30). So how then do we know we have received the Spirit? The plain answer is: because God said so (Eph. 1:13). It is true that we will also experience this (the assurance the Spirit gives us that we are children of God (Q.19; Q.21), the joy He gives, the way He opens up the Scriptures and so on) but the knowledge of His indwelling is based on the word of God, not on our experience (Rom. 8:11; 2 Tim. 1:14).

The gift of tongues especially became the manifest token of this divine work. Scriptures show that the gospel was told out by the gift of tongues; for the strangers heard the wonderful works of God, each in his own dialect (Acts 2:4, 8, 11; 10:46; 19:6); but it is wrong to conclude that one had not the Spirit of God if he had not this special gift. Tongues were for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not (1 Cor. 14:21-22). This is a fulfilment of Isaiah 28:11-12. We see from this prophecy that it was a sign especially intended to demonstrate to the unbelieving Jews their guilt in rejecting Christ.

We do not find in the scripture any corroboration of the idea that those indwelt by the Spirit are also full of the Spirit, nor of the correlated notion that those full of the Spirit speak with tongues as evidence of that fact. It is the teaching of the New Testament that the possession of the Spirit is a credential of Christianity proper, for “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His” (Rom. 8:9). All those who have heard and believed the word of truth, the gospel of salvation, have been sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise (Eph. 1:13). But it is nowhere stated that all such are consequently full of the Holy Spirit, though all are exhorted to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18).

Some, however, seeking to set aside this statement, quote from the Acts the passage recording the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples at Pentecost, and refer especially to the words, “they were all filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:4). But this case at the inauguration of the church was evidently exceptional, and there is no record that a similar case occurred again where the whole company of the followers of Christ were equally filled with the Spirit. The propriety of bestowing the gift in its fulness at the outpouring of the Spirit according to promise can be readily recognised. Then it was indeed true that all were filled with the newly-come Paraclete, and all spoke with tongues.

not giving to every man, but “DIVIDING” to every man as He will. The claim of Pentecostalists that the gift of tongues in the unfailing mark of the indwelling of the Spirit is without the support of Scripture, and only proves the ignorance of those who assert it.

Take the much discussed question of tongues and healing. It is taught that every believer who receives the baptism of the Spirit shows it by speaking with tongues. But that is not the teaching of Scripture. 1 Corinthians 12:9-10, says “To another [not to ALL] the gifts of healing by the same Spirit. … to another [not to ALL] diverse kinds of tongues.” People, who claim as teachers to be filled with the Spirit, would, we should judge, prove it by the correct exposition of Scripture under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that infallible Teacher.

It is significant that in all three cases it is that of companies and not individuals. Further, the Spirit is given without the believer seeking for His indwelling. The Holy Spirit is God’s seal, following and consequent on the reception of what the Apostle Paul described to the Ephesian believers (among them doubtless this third class) as “the gospel of your salvation.” Evidently there is no thought whatever in Scripture of Christians beseeching God for days and weeks for a baptism of the Spirit, and the gift of tongues. The Spirit continues to be given to believers, for He is an absolute necessity to their spiritual life, but the gift of tongues seems to have been confined to the inauguration of Christianity.

In the second place, the Lord asserts that these signs will follow, apart from any previous conditions on the part of the preacher. There is no stipulation that he must experience a special "baptism of the Spirit," such as is often urged. If men believe, these signs shall follow; so says the Lord. All that could be deduced from their absence would be that no one has really believed.

In the third place, certain words do not appear in the statement, which some seem mentally to read into it. It does not say, that these signs will follow all that believe, in all places, and for ad time. If it did we should be shut up to the conclusion that hardly anybody today has believed the Gospel: we have not even believed it ourselves!

These words of our Lord have of course been fulfilled. We can point to four things out of the five occurring, as recorded in the Book of Acts. The fifth thing, the drinking without harm of some deadly thing, we have no record of, yet we have not a shadow of doubt that it happened. He said it would, and we believe Him. His word is enough for us. He gives the signs according to His own pleasure, and as He sees they are needed.

Paul, in Acts 19:4, connects what they had previously learnt with what he was telling them, implying that John's preaching was a necessary preliminary, but leading them up to Jesus that they might believe upon Him. It was enough. They had been hoping to be saved before; now they learned that they were saved, and saved by Jesus. The forgiveness of sins formerly lodged for was now possessed; and the happy believers at once took sides openly and out and out for the Lord Jesus (ver. 5). Further, seeing that they had committed themselves definitely and forever to the Lord Jesus, Paul had no hesitation about committing himself to and identifying himself with them. It is at this point, where they definitely committed themselves to the Lord Jesus, the risen Saviour, that the Holy Ghost took possession of them. The taking possession by the Holy Ghost is common to all who thus believe the gospel of their salvation; the speaking with tongues and prophesying is particular to their case and is not referred to in the epistle (Eph. 1:13-14).