{"id":21429,"date":"2026-01-29T12:00:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T10:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/?page_id=21429"},"modified":"2026-02-02T07:56:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T05:56:50","slug":"spreken-in-tongen","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/spreken-in-tongen\/","title":{"rendered":"Speaking in Tongues"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 class=\"multi\" id=\"1\">What Does Paul Say About Speaking in Tongues in 1 Corinthians 14?<\/h1>\n\n<div class=\"iframe-container\"><iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" style=\"background: url('https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/images\/studies\/01-speaking-in-tongues-in-1-corinthians-14-GB.jpg') no-repeat center center \/ cover;\" id=\"lbry-iframe\" src=\"https:\/\/rumble.com\/embed\/v72p4gc\/?pub=2102lq\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"\"><\/p>\n\n<style>\n  .fallback-yt {\n    cursor: pointer;\n  }\n<\/style>\n\n<button class=\"fallback-yt tooltip\" title=\"Select a different stream in case of an error\" onclick=\"document.getElementById('lbry-iframe').src='https:\/\/www.bitchute.com\/embed\/WPmOaPuRI8NM'\">Stream 2<\/button>\n<button class=\"fallback-yt tooltip\" title=\"Select a different stream in case of an error\" onclick=\"document.getElementById('lbry-iframe').src='https:\/\/odysee.com\/$\/embed\/@apologeet:3\/speaking-in-tongues-in-1-corinthians-14:1?r=3TTANsYXZKAPzbHVRo6ymuw5ABY957YH'\">Stream 3<\/button>\n<button class=\"fallback-yt tooltip\" title=\"Select a different stream in case of an error\" onclick=\"document.getElementById('lbry-iframe').src='https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Vgi2BaXr5iw'\">Stream 4<\/button>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nIn some Christian circles, speaking in tongues is not only appreciated, but seen as the high point of the spiritual gifts in the church. Sometimes it is even treated as a sign of spiritual maturity or depth. But when Paul writes about speaking in tongues in 1 Corinthians 14, he seems to be concerned rather than impressed, not only about its effect on believers, but especially about its effect on people who do not yet know God. That raises an uncomfortable question: could something that Christians see as a spiritual high point be treated by Paul as a problem?\n<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nIn this study, we are not entering a debate, but reading the text itself together. We will go through 1 Corinthians 14 verse by verse and listen carefully to what Paul actually says, rather than what we may be used to hearing in it. It is precisely in this tension between conviction and Scripture that this passage becomes surprisingly sharp. Before we go any further, one clarification is needed. In the original Greek, the word translated as \u201ctongues\u201d is <em>gl\u014dssa<\/em>, which simply means \u201ctongue\u201d or \u201clanguage\u201d. We are therefore dealing with the gift of speaking in a language that has not been learned beforehand. Although some movements describe this as a mystical language, the Western church, influenced by theologians such as Thomas Aquinas, has historically understood this as a real language.\n<\/p>\n\n<h3>Verse 20 \u2013 Attitude Before Gifts<\/h3>\n\n<b>1 Corinthians 14:20 (NIV UK)<\/b>\n\n<p class=\"cite\">\n\u201cBrothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nPaul begins not with tongues or prophecy, but with thinking. His concern is maturity. Before addressing spiritual gifts, he calls the Corinthians to think responsibly and clearly about spiritual matters, and that immediately sets the tone for everything that follows.\n<\/p>\n\n<h3>Verse 21 \u2013 A Quotation from the Old Testament<\/h3>\n\n<b>1 Corinthians 14:21 (NIV UK)<\/b>\n\n<p class=\"cite\">\n\u201cIn the Law it is written: \u2018With other tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me,\u2019 says the Lord.\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nThis quotation comes from Isaiah 28. At first glance it may seem like a minor reference, but it will turn out to be the interpretive key to Paul\u2019s entire argument. This verse must be kept in mind as we continue.\n<\/p>\n\n<h3>Verse 22 \u2013 The Striking Statement<\/h3>\n\n<b>1 Corinthians 14:22 (NIV UK)<\/b>\n\n<p class=\"cite\">\n\u201cTongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nThis is one of those verses where many readers hesitate, because it sounds almost contradictory. Speaking in tongues as a sign for unbelievers raises an obvious question: what kind of sign does Paul have in mind? That tension is deliberate, and we will return to it shortly.\n<\/p>\n\n<h3>Verse 23 \u2013 Practice in the Gathering<\/h3>\n\n<b>1 Corinthians 14:23 (NIV UK)<\/b>\n\n<p class=\"cite\">\n\u201cSo 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?\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nHere Paul becomes concrete and pastoral. He explicitly imagines unbelievers walking into the gathering, and his conclusion is clear: uninterpreted tongues will not draw them in, but push them away.\n<\/p>\n\n<h3>Verses 24\u201325 \u2013 The Contrast with Prophecy<\/h3>\n\n<b>1 Corinthians 14:24\u201325 (NIV UK)<\/b>\n\n<p class=\"cite\">\n\u201cBut if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, \u2018God is really among you!\u2019\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nThe contrast could hardly be stronger. Instead of confusion and distance, there is conviction, worship, and the recognition that God is truly present.\n<\/p>\n\n<h3>Isaiah 28 and the Meaning of the Sign<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nHaving read the passage carefully, we can now return to Paul\u2019s use of Isaiah. In Isaiah 28, God addresses Israel after repeated warnings were ignored. The people refused to listen when God spoke clearly through His prophets. As a result, God declared that He would speak to them through foreign tongues \u2014 the language of the Assyrian invaders. That speech was a sign, but not a sign of blessing. It was a sign of judgment on a people who would not listen.\n<\/p>\n\n<h3>Returning to 1 Corinthians 14:22<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nThis background explains Paul\u2019s statement that tongues are a sign for unbelievers. He does not mean that tongues attract or persuade them. Rather, uninterpreted tongues function as a sign that communication has broken down. God is speaking, but not in a way the hearer can understand. That is why Paul can say in verse 23 that unbelievers will conclude the church is out of its mind. This is not a misunderstanding, but the natural outcome of a wrongly used sign.\n<\/p>\n\n<h3>How the Argument Fits Together<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nWhen we place verses 22, 23, and 25 side by side, the logic becomes clear. Speaking in tongues without interpretation produces distance, confusion, and rejection. Prophecy, by contrast, communicates clearly, leading to conviction, worship, and recognition of God\u2019s presence. Paul is not condemning tongues, but warning that, when misused, they can have the same effect as God\u2019s judgment language in Isaiah.\n<\/p>\n\n<h3>Are Tongues Forbidden?<\/h3>\n\n<b>1 Corinthians 14:26\u201328 (NIV UK)<\/b>\n\n<p class=\"cite\">\n\u201cWhat then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. <b>Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.<\/b> If anyone speaks in a tongue, two\u2014or at the most three\u2014should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nTongues clearly have a place in the gathering, but never without wisdom, interpretation, and concern for edification.\n<\/p>\n\n<h3>Conclusion<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nSo, is speaking in tongues a good sign? According to Paul, only when it is used rightly. God seeks to make Himself known clearly, not to obscure or confuse. Everything in the gathering must serve that purpose.\n<\/p>\n\n<h1 class=\"multi\" id=\"2\">Speaking in Tongues in Acts vs Corinth<\/h1>\n\n<div class=\"iframe-container\"><iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" style=\"background: url('https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/images\/studies\/02-speaking-in-tongues-in-acts-GB.jpg') no-repeat center center \/ cover;\" id=\"lbry-iframe-2\" src=\"https:\/\/rumble.com\/embed\/v72ymv0\/?pub=2102lq\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"\"><\/p>\n\n<style>\n  .fallback-yt {\n    cursor: pointer;\n  }\n<\/style>\n\n<button class=\"fallback-yt tooltip\" title=\"Select a different stream in case of an error\" onclick=\"document.getElementById('lbry-iframe-2').src='https:\/\/odysee.com\/$\/embed\/@apologeet:3\/speaking-in-tongues-in-acts:5'\">Stream 2<\/button>\n<button class=\"fallback-yt tooltip\" title=\"Select a different stream in case of an error\" onclick=\"document.getElementById('lbry-iframe-2').src='https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/INZQXZ8gDqU'\">Stream 3<\/button>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nWhy does speaking in tongues appear to be a blessing in Acts, while Paul warns against its misuse in Corinth? In the first study, we examined 1 Corinthians 14, where Paul explains that speaking in tongues without interpretation can function as a sign of distance for unbelievers. Yet in Acts 2 and throughout the early church, tongues appear to mark moments of divine power and blessing. This raises an important question: how can the same phenomenon be viewed so differently?\n<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nIf you have not yet watched or read the first part, it is worth doing so, as it lays the foundation for this comparison. Here, we will read the relevant passages and examine how context and purpose determine the function of speaking in tongues.\n<\/p>\n\n<h3>Acts 2 \u2013 The First Occurrence of Tongues<\/h3>\n\n<b>Acts 2:4 (NIV UK)<\/b>\n\n<p class=\"cite\">\n\u201cAll of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nThis moment occurs at Pentecost, not in a regular church gathering, but at a decisive moment in salvation history. The purpose is outward-facing: the gospel must be proclaimed to the nations.\n<\/p>\n\n<b>Acts 2:5\u20136 (NIV UK)<\/b>\n\n<p class=\"cite\">\n\u201cNow there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nThe miracle here is not confusion, but understanding. The languages spoken are real and recognisable, and the message is received clearly. The effect is amazement, openness, and faith.\n<\/p>\n\n<h3>Acts 10 \u2013 Tongues in the House of Cornelius<\/h3>\n\n<b>Acts 10:44\u201346 (NIV UK)<\/b>\n\n<p class=\"cite\">\n\u201cWhile Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nHere again, speaking in tongues functions as a sign, but this time as confirmation that Gentiles have received the same Spirit. The effect is recognition and inclusion, not confusion or distance.\n<\/p>\n\n<h3>Comparison with Corinth<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nIn Acts, tongues appear during moments of expansion and mission. In Corinth, they occur in ordinary gatherings. In Acts, the effect on outsiders is understanding, worship, and faith. In Corinth, without interpretation, the effect is confusion or rejection. The difference lies not in the gift itself, but in its use.\n<\/p>\n\n<h3>Returning to Paul\u2019s Teaching<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nAs Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 14:22\u201323, tongues can function either positively or negatively. In Acts, tongues clearly communicate God\u2019s saving work. In Corinth, they obscure it. The same gift produces different outcomes depending on context, purpose, and clarity.\n<\/p>\n\n<h3>Practical Implications Today<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nThe lesson for today is straightforward. Spiritual gifts must build up the church and make God\u2019s presence recognisable. Speaking in tongues is valuable when it is interpreted and used wisely, but clarity remains essential for effective witness.\n<\/p>\n\n<h3>Conclusion<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"\">\nActs shows what speaking in tongues can be when God\u2019s purpose is clear: barriers fall, hearts are opened, and God is glorified. Corinth shows the danger of misuse. The conclusion is simple but serious: context, interpretation, and edification are everything.\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In many Christian circles, speaking in tongues is seen as a spiritual high point or a sign of maturity. But if we read 1 Corinthians 14 carefully, Paul seems to be concerned about its effect on outsiders. Let&#8217;s dive into this text and find out what Paul really means.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21432,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[225,307],"tags":[354,320,268,272,356],"folder":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21429"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21429"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21429\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21446,"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21429\/revisions\/21446"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21429"},{"taxonomy":"folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/folder?post=21429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}