I-5. MUST Christians SPEAK in OTHER TONGUES? The question has been asked, “Must Christians speak in other tongues in order to be saved?” This question came to be based on combining Romans 8:9 with a few other passages of Scripture found in the Book of Acts that seem to be teaching that speaking in other tongues is the ONLY EVIDENCE of receiving the Holy Spirit. Let us read Romans 8:9 which does indeed say that if a person does NOT have the Spirit of Christ then he or she is NONE of his, meaning that they do not belong to Jesus and they are not truly saved if the Holy Spirit does NOT DWELL IN them. Romans 8:9. “But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man has NOT the Spirit of Christ, he is NONE of his.” So then, the question becomes “Does the Holy Spirit DWELL IN Christians who have never spoken in other tongues?” In other words, “Is speaking in other tongues a REQUIREMENT to be saved and having the Holy Spirit DWELL IN you?” To say this yet another way so that I am not misunderstood, “MUST Christians speak in other tongues to prove that the Holy Spirit DWELLS in them?” Is speaking in other tongues the ONLY evidence that the Holy Spirit DWELLS in a believer? To my knowledge that I have been made aware of, only Oneness Pentecostal Christians dogmatically insist that speaking in other tongues is the EVIDENCE that a Christian has been baptized in the Holy Spirit and therefore, the Holy Spirit dwells in ONLY those who have spoken in other tongues. And then SOME Oneness AND SOME Trinitarian Pentecostal Christians go a bit further to teach that speaking in other tongues is the ONLY evidence that a Christian has been filled with the Holy Spirit and that they have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. Thus, they wrongly conclude that if a Christian does NOT speak in other tongues then they do NOT have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. And, therefore, according to their church doctrine of speaking in other tongues being the EVIDENCE of the Holy Spirit dwelling in a believer, any Christian who has NOT spoken in other tongues is NONE of Christ’s and they are not truly saved. But what does the Bible itself teach us as to HOW we are saved and WHEN the Holy Spirit comes and dwells in us? For you see, you can NOT build sound Biblical doctrine on just a few verses of Scripture while trying to explain away every other verse in the Bible that clearly contradicts that man-made doctrine that the Holy Spirit dwells in ONLY those who have spoken in other tongues. The Bible does NOT say that God chose to save those who believe by the foolishness of speaking in other tongues. But rather, God chose to save us by the foolishness of PREACHING to save them that BELIEVE. 1 Corinthians 1:21b. “... it pleased God BY the foolishness of preaching to SAVE them that BELIEVE.” To believe WHAT? To believe that Christians must speak in other tongues in order to be truly saved? Read the context. 1 Corinthians 1:18. “For the preaching of the CROSS is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” All through the New Testament, we are taught that we are saved by FAITH in the gospel of Jesus Christ, the preaching of the CROSS, Jesus being crucified for our sins and risen from the dead. And it is our FAITH in the truth of the gospel of our salvation that we RECEIVE the Holy Spirit. Galatians 3:2. “This only would I learn of you, RECEIVED you the Spirit by the works of the law, or BY the hearing of FAITH?” All Christians RECEIVE the INDWELLING of the Holy Spirit the very moment they first BELIEVE. Paul did NOT say this only I would learn of you, have you spoken in other tongues so I can know if you have received the Holy Spirit. Please continue reading and you will see that speaking in other tongues is NOT the evidence of RECEIVING the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as, in the ONLY evidence that a Christian has the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. Please read 1 John 4:13-16. “Hereby we KNOW that we DWELL in him, and he IN us because he has GIVEN us of his Spirit. 14. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. (HOW do we KNOW that God dwells in us? We simply believe what God's word SAYS and then the Holy Spirit will bear witness with our spirit) 15. WHOSOEVER shall CONFESS that Jesus is the Son of God, God DWELLS IN him, and he in God. (So then, if you BELIEVE in Jesus as your Lord and savior and you CONFESS your FAITH in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then God DWELLS IN YOU!) 16. And we have known and believed the love that God has toward us. God is love, and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God IN him.” There is nothing in these verses teaching us that we must speak in other tongues in order to KNOW that God DWELLS IN us. It says WHOSOEVER shall CONFESS that Jesus is the SON OF God that God DWELLS in them. Now read Romans 10:8,9. “But what says it? The word is nigh you, even in your mouth, and in your heart: that is, the word of FAITH, which we PREACH; 9. That if you shall CONFESS with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall BELIEVE in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be SAVED.” And the very moment we first BELIEVED in our heart and CONFESSED Jesus as the Son of God, and as our Lord and Savior, we RECEIVED the earnest of the Holy Spirit who is now dwelling in us from the very moment we first believed. Please read Ephesians 1:13,14. “In whom you also trusted, AFTER that you HEARD the word of TRUTH, the GOSPEL of your salvation: in whom also AFTER that you BELIEVED, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, 14. Which is the EARNEST of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Here are a few other Scriptures that clearly teach us that we receive the indwelling EARNEST of God’s Holy Spirit the very moment we first BELIEVE when we study all the verses of Scripture on the subject of the earnest or the firstfruits of the Holy Spirit and being sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. I am only quoting a few of those verses of Scripture. Please notice that there is NO mention of speaking in other tongues in any of these verses of Scripture teaching us that we have been given the earnest of the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 5:5. “Now he that has wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also has given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 1:22. “Who has also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” Sealed means to be marked by God as being His, and God does NOT give His Spirit to the UNSAVED. So the only way to be sealed and given the earnest of the Holy Spirit is to be saved. Romans 8:23. “And not only they but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” Please read the whole chapter 3 of 1 John. I will only quote a couple verses. 1 John 3:23,24. “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. 24. And he that keeps his commandments dwells in him, and he IN him. And hereby we KNOW that he ABIDES IN us, BY the Spirit which he has GIVEN us.” Now, I do indeed believe that every Christian SHOULD seek to be FILLED with the Holy Spirit that is ALREADY DWELLING IN them. For you see, the Apostle Paul, speaking to the Ephesian church concerning walking after the Spirit or to bear the fruits of the Spirit, instructed them as well as instructed us to not be drunk with wine. But rather, that they as well as we should be FILLED with the Holy Spirit. Not just the initial filling of the Holy Spirit but to keep being filled over and over again and again. The Holy Spirit is given to us to EMPOWER us to overcome sin and do the mighty works of healing that men saw Jesus doing THROUGH the same Holy Spirit DWELLING IN him. Let us read Ephesians 5:17,18 which literally means be you BEING FILLED. Ephesians 5:17,18. “Wherefore, (Or for this very reason of bearing the FRUIT of the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, according to the context) be you not unwise, but understanding what the WILL of the Lord is. 18. And be NOT drunk with wine, wherein is excess; BUT be FILLED (Or be BEING FILLED) with the Spirit;” So Paul is likening being FILLED with the Holy Spirit to having EXCESS of the Holy Spirit that flows out of us like a river of living water. And in 1 Timothy 1:6,7, the Apostle Paul teaches us to STIR UP the gift that is within us that was given by the laying on of hands. 1 Timothy 1:6,7. “Wherefore, I put you in remembrance that YOU STIR UP the gift of God, which is IN you by the putting on of my hands. 7. For (Or because) God has NOT given us the spirit of fear; but (The Spirit) of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Now read Romans 8:13-16 which is the CONTEXT of the very first verse we read at the very beginning of this study in God’s word. Remember that Romans 8:9 is speaking to Christians who are OBEYING the commandments of Jesus to walk in LOVE by walking AFTER the Holy Spirit dwelling in them to overcome the deeds of the flesh. Again, there is nothing in the context of Romans chapter 8 about speaking in other tongues to KNOW that the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us and that we ARE the sons of God. Romans 8:13-16. “For if you live after the flesh, you shall die: but if you THROUGH the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live. 14. For as many as are LED by the Spirit of God, THEY ARE are the sons of God. 15. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you HAVE RECEIVED the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” Again, there is not one word in the entire context in the entire Book of Romans about speaking in other tongues before we can be LED of the Holy Spirit that bears witness that we ARE the sons of God. My point is that the order of the events of being saved is clearly taught throughout the New Testament. FIRST, we HEAR the truth of the gospel of salvation BEFORE we can believe. We then trust and BELIEVE in the truth of the gospel in our hearts that we HEARD. We all agree that faith COMES by HEARING. Then we REPENT and ACT on the truth of the gospel which we heard and BELIEVED in our hearts to CONFESS and OBEY. And one of the things we obey is to be baptized in water. This is an outward act showing that we believe that we have been BAPTIZED BY the Holy Spirit into the body of Jesus Christ which happens the very moment that we first BELIEVE. We know this to be the TRUTH with assurance because SOME Christians were FILLED with the Holy Spirit with the EVIDENCE of speaking in other tongues BEFORE they were baptized in water by submersion in the name of Jesus. Please read Acts 19:1-6. “And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, 2. He said unto them, Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. 3. And he said unto them, Unto what then were you baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. 4. Then said Paul, John verily (Or TRULY) baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 5. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.” Yes, even though the Bible itself does not specifically SAY the word “evidence” of speaking in other tongues we can clearly see that speaking in other tongues is ONE WAY or ONE evidence to know that a Christian has been saved. However, speaking in other tongues is NOT the ONLY WAY or the only evidence to know that a person is truly saved as you have just seen directly from the Scriptures. Jesus also said you shall KNOW them BY their FRUITS and NOT by their speaking in other tongues. I have seen both Spirit-filled, tongue talking, Bible-toting Christians AND Christians who have never spoken in other tongues living in sin. And I have ALSO seen both groups of Christians overcoming sin THROUGH the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. So NEITHER speaking in other tongues NOR never speaking in other tongues is the EVIDENCE of GOOD and FAITHFUL Christians who will be found worthy to enter into the joy of the Lord at the coming of Jesus. So WHY then do some Christians, particularly, some Oneness Pentecostal Christians dogmatically insist that speaking in other tongues is the ONLY evidence of the Holy Spirit DWELLING in a person? Now, I am fully aware that they do not use the words “ONLY evidence” but they do use phrases like “THE evidence” and “INITIAL evidence”. And say the evidence as opposed to saying “AN” evidence is the same as saying the ONLY evidence. And saying “initial” evidence is the same as saying the ONLY evidence. For you see, by saying initial evidence they are saying the FIRST evidence of the Holy Spirit DWELLING in a believer is speaking of other tongues. And I KNOW that I was saved and LED by the Spirit bearing WITNESS to my spirit that I am saved and a child of God some six months BEFORE I ever spoke in other tongues. Perhaps it would be better to say that speaking in other tongues and the Holy Spirit gives the utterance is a piece of ADDITIONAL evidence that a person is saved, but definitely NOT the ONLY evidence that a person is truly saved. So it is wrong to say that a Christian MUST speak in other tongues before they are truly saved. So then, this false teaching of speaking in other tongues as being the so-called INITIAL evidence of knowing that the Holy Spirit dwells in us who BELIEVE never affected me. But that false teaching has deeply HURT more Christians than I can number. I have heard many testimonies over the years by many Christians who have been hurt by other Christians wrongly accusing them that they are not truly saved. And just recently a dear brother in our Lord Jesus who is a former Oneness Christian wrote to me sharing that he had a serious accident. And while he was in the hospital a Oneness brother came to the hospital and told him to his face that this accident happened to him because of his FALSE speaking in other tongues. This came as a surprise to me because “Oneness” Christians pride themselves based upon speaking in other tongues so why would they accuse this brother of speaking in FALSE tongues? Then it occurred to me that my dear brother in our Lord Jesus Christ LEFT the Oneness belief that Jesus IS the Father. And, according to the “oneness” belief, you can not be truly saved if you reject their teaching that Almighty God the Father manifested Himself to become the Son. And thus, my brother’s speaking in other tongues had to be false tongues in THEIR eyes because my brother in the Lord challenged their church doctrine in another area. Let us get back to the question at hand. So WHY then do some Christians, particularly, some Oneness Pentecostal Christians, dogmatically insist that speaking in other tongues is the ONLY evidence of the Holy Spirit DWELLING in a person? The reason that they have errored in their interpretation is that they FOCUS only on a few passages of Scriptures in the Book of Acts which do indeed teach us that some Christians spoke in other tongues at the time they were saved. So they WRONGLY correlate speaking in other tongues with being saved. And thus, they wrongly conclude that if a person does not speak in other tongues then they are not truly saved. They try to explain away the verses that to most every other Christian proves that speaking in other tongues is not the ONLY evidence of the Holy Spirit DWELLING IN a BELIEVER. What Oneness Pentecostal Christians have failed to see is that the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2 is the initial filling or the FIRST time filling of the Holy Spirit. Those 120 followers of Jesus were ALREADY believers in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that Jesus died for their sins. They already believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and glorified him with a new immortal body of flesh and bones. They already believed that Jesus ascended into heaven. And they already believed the instruction of Jesus to wait in Jerusalem to be ENDUED with POWER from on high BEFORE they were to start preaching the gospel of salvation beginning at Jerusalem. In other words, they were ALREADY SAVED before they were endued with power from on high. However, it is true that JUST to those first 120 believers the Holy Spirit was WITH them but NOT yet DWELLING IN them. So the passage of Scripture is Acts chapter 2 should never be used as a proof text to try and prove that speaking in other tongues is the ONLY evidence that the Holy Spirit DWELLS IN a believer. Please read John 14:17. “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot RECEIVE, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but you know him; for he dwells WITH you, and shall be IN you.” The entire subject of the context of John chapters 14 -16 is about being in the place of power and authority where Jesus was during his ministry having the ANOINTING of the Holy Spirit and POWER of God’s Holy Spirit DWELLING IN him. For an in-depth study on John chapters 14-16 please read the study “THE POWER AND THE AUTHORITY OF THE BELIEVER!” But for now, let us read Luke 24:49. Luke 24:49. “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry you in the city of Jerusalem, UNTIL you be ENDUED with power from on high.” It does not say until you are saved. It does not say until you speak in other tongues. It says until you are ENDUED with POWER from on high. Now the reason Jesus said this is found in John chapter 13 where Peter says that he would follow Jesus to the death. But Jesus knew that he was not able to lay down his life for Jesus because he was not yet where Jesus was having the Holy Spirit DWELLING IN him. Please read John 13:36-38 first, and then we will continue reading some more context in John 14:1-4 so that you can see the bigger picture for the Day of Pentecost which was the BEGINNING of the first Christians being filled with the Holy Spirit to come and DWELL IN them. John 13:36-38. “Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, where are you going? Jesus answered him, Where I go, you can NOT follow me NOW; but you SHALL follow me AFTERWARD. (Or you will be empowered to be able to follow me after I go where I am going that you are not able to follow me YET because you do not yet have the Holy Spirit dwelling IN you. The Holy Spirit is WITH you but he is not yet DWELLING IN you) 37. Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow you now? I will lay down my life for your sake. 38. Jesus answered him, Will you lay down your life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto you, The cock shall not crow, till you have denied me three times” Jesus said that he could do nothing of himself and that it was the Father DWELLING IN him who did the works. It is that Holy Spirit ABIDING IN us who empowers us to do the same works that Jesus did THROUGH the eternal Spirit who DWELT IN him. That is the “mansion” that Jesus went to the CROSS to prepare for us. Again, please read the more in-depth study on this subject called “THE POWER AND THE AUTHORITY OF THE BELIEVER!” In that study, I explain why the Greek word translated as “mansion” has nothing whatsoever to do with a place up in heaven but rather means a place of AUTHORITY and POWER. Jesus needed to go to the cross in order to CLEANSE us from all unrighteousness by his shed blood to become a new creature so that the “wine” a presentation of the Holy Spirit could be put in NEW bottles which is a representation of the NEW creation of God created IN Jesus Christ. Now let us read John 14:1-4. “Let not your heart be troubled: (Speaking about you NOT being able to follow me YET and that even though you sincerely believe that you would lay down your life for me you will deny me three times before the cock crows to save your life. Do not let that trouble you because I am going to the cross to make it possible for the Holy Spirit to dwell in you as the Holy Spirit dwells in me NOW) you believe in God, believe also in me. 2. In my Father's house are many mansions: (Again, to understand the true meaning of the word “mansion”, according to the entire context of John chapters 14-16, please read the study “THE POWER AND THE AUTHORITY OF THE BELIEVER!”) if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4. And whither I go you know, and the way you know.” One of the most fundamental rules for interpreting Scripture is to keep the verse that is in question in the context from where it is found. Verse 3 has more than one meaning of where I am. It could be interpreted as to where Jesus is now up in heaven but it can also be interpreted to where Jesus was present at the time of his ministry having the Holy Spirit dwelling IN him. Both interpretations are true so we cannot throw either of them away claiming that one or the other is not a correct interpretation. Let me paraphrase again in my own words what took place in John 13:36-38 and John 14:1. “Simon Peter said unto Jesus, where are you going? And Jesus answered, what I am about to DO you are NOT able to do NOW but later or AFTERWARDS you shall be empowered and enabled to follow in my footsteps to lay down your life for the will of God.” Now, the next two verses, John 13:37 and 38 make sense. “Peter said unto him, Lord, what makes you say that I am not able to follow you NOW? I will SURELY lay down my life for your sake! Jesus answered him, are you sure about that Peter? Are you absolutely sure you are able to follow me now and lay down your life for my sake before I go and prepare a place for you? Truly, truly, I say to you that you are NOT able to follow me YET and lay down your life for me in your OWN strength even though you sincerely believe that you would die for me. In fact, before the sun comes up and the cock crows you will have denied me three times.” Thanks be to God that Jesus did not stop at this last verse in John chapter 13 but went on to say in the verses the following in John 14:1-4. And again, I paraphrase in my own words John 14:1-4. “Don’t let your heart be troubled about this that I have just spoken to you, that you are NOT able to follow me NOW; you believe in God, believe also in me, that is, believe in my NAME and the WORDS I speak to you, and in what I am telling you right now. In my Father’s household or family are many positions of authority and power. I am not just saying this to cheer you up. But the very reason I have come into this world was to give my life as a ransom for many to redeem you to the Father. That is to say, to place you back into the right relationship with God so that you will be endued with power, and authority as I now have. If I go and lay down my life, I shall surely rise again, and come to you to receive you unto myself. You know that I must go to the cross, and you also know that you must die to yourself, your flesh, and follow me.”
Now I know that this paraphrasing may seem a bit drastic to you at first, as in, it may appear that I am adding to these verses more words than are in them, but it will all fall into place as you keep reading. Skip down to verse 12 of John chapter 14 for a moment, which is part of the CONTEXT of the verses in question.
John 14:12.
“Verily, verily, (Or truly, truly) I say unto you. He that believes on me, the WORKS that I do (Speaking of the works Jesus did THROUGH the Holy Spirit DWELLING IN him) he shall do ALSO; and greater works than these, (Why, or more importantly how? How will we be able to do the SAME works and even greater works than Jesus?) BECAUSE I go to my Father.”
Some Christians do not realize that Jesus ascended to the Father right after he spoke to Mary Magdalene telling her to NOT TOUCH him because he had NOT YET ASCENDED to his God and Father. And then that SAME evening Jesus appeared to his disciples and told them to HANDLE him or TOUCH him. You see, Jesus was given all authority and power AFTER the cross. It was after the cross that Jesus was made a life-giving Spirit and the authority to RECEIVE to himself whomsoever he chooses. Jesus could NOT baptize anyone until the FULNESS of time to fulfill the Scriptures. And that fulness of time was the Day of Pentecost. So again, we should never use passages of the fulfillment of Scripture to build sound Biblical doctrine upon to teach that it MUST be that way EVERY time. In other words, one uses Acts chapter 2 to try and prove that ALL Christians MUST speak in other tongues as EVIDENCE to prove that they have the Holy Spirit DWELLING IN them then they must use ALL of the signs or pieces of evidence that happened on the Day of Pentecost.
#1. First, you must tarry in the city of Jerusalem, according to Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:4. #2. Secondly, it must be on the EXACT day of Pentecost to be filled with the Holy Spirit, according to Acts 1:5. #3. Thirdly, there must be the sound of a mighty rushing wind, according to Acts 2:2. #4. Fourthly, there must be cloven tongues of fire seen upon their heads, according to Acts 2:3. #5. Fifthly, every single believer must be filled with the evidence of speaking in other tongues, according to Acts 2:4 which says ALL were filled and spoke in other tongues.
Now, some Oneness Christians will argue that the Gentiles also spoke in other tongues and that is HOW the Jewish Christians KNEW that they were saved. But again, that is a FIRST. That is to say, this is another fulfillment of prophecy. God prophesied that He would turn to a people who were not His people. In other words, this passage of Scripture is teaching us about a specific fulfillment of the FIRST Gentiles to be saved. So again, we should never use this verse to try and prove that it MUST happen this way every time. Let us go ahead and read Acts 10:33-48.
Acts 10:33-48.
“Immediately, therefore, I (Speaking of Cornelius, a Gentile) sent to you; and you have done well that you have come. Now, therefore, are we all here present before God, to hear all things that you are commanded of God. 34. Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35. But in every nation, he that fears him, and works righteousness, is accepted with him. 36. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) 37. That word, I say, you know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. 39. And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: 40. Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly; 41. Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. 42. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ORDAINED of God to be the Judge of living and dead. 43. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name WHOSOEVER BELIEVES in him shall receive remission of sins. 44. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. (Now, according to other verses in the Bible, FAITH comes by HEARING. So when they HEARD the word WHOSOEVER BELIEVES shall receive remission of sin was when they first believed the WORD and that was when the Holy Spirit fell on them. In other words, they heard the gospel of salvation first and then they BELIEVED the gospel and were saved. And then, at the very moment they were saved they RECEIVED the Holy Spirit. Now it just so happens that they ALSO spoke in other tongues and MAGNIFIED God. But I assure that that not EVERY believer speaks in other tongues at the time they first believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. However, at the STARTING of the church salvation was only to the Jews. In other words, as a SIGN the FIRST Jews that were saved spoke in other tongues. Then, when God turned to the Gentiles that was ANOTHER FIRST TIME event that needed a SIGN of the Gentiles being saved, so the indwelling of the Holy Spirit moved them to speak in other tongues AND MAGNIFY God. In other words. SOME Gentiles may have spoken in other tongues while OTHER Gentiles simply magnified God in their own language) 45. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 46. For (Or BECAUSE) they HEARD them speak with tongues, AND magnify God. Then answered Peter, (It does not say that they ALL spoke with tongues so it could be argued that only SOME spoke with other tongues while the others MAGNIFIED God in their own understanding. And in Acts 19:6 it could also be argued that only SOME spoke in other tongues while the others PROPHESIED in their own native language. So in truth, there is only one verse of Scripture where they ALL spoke in other tongues as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance and that is Acts 2:4. And even in the context of Acts 2:4, Peter explains this event on the Day of Pentecost as the fulfillment of a prophecy in Joel where the sons and daughters of God would PROPHESY when the Holy Spirit was poured out. And thus, Act 2:4 could also be argued that they all were given utterance of the Holy Spirit to speak. And while only some spoke in other tongues, others magnified God, according to Acts 2:11, while yet others prophesied, according to Acts 2:18. So the only thing that we can conclude without any doubt is that the Jewish Christians knew that they and the Gentiles RECEIVED the Holy Spirit proving that they received the REMISSION of their sins to be saved. It is the Spirit who bears witness that we are the children of God and NOT that we speak in other tongues. There are many other verses of Scriptures as sound Biblical evidence that the Holy Spirit DWELLS IN us the very moment we first believe without any mention of speaking in other tongues) 47. Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? 48. And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.”
Now, the Jewish Christians who were NOT present to witness with their own eyes these FIRST Gentiles being saved, at first began to contend with Peter for even going to the Gentiles let alone preach the gospel to them. But after Peter explain why he went to the Gentiles and shared with them what he saw and heard then they ACCEPTED the testimony of Peter and TRUSTED that God saved those Gentiles because they RECEIVED the Holy Spirit through their FAITH in Jesus Christ and the gospel preached to them. Please read Acts 11:1-4,17,18. “And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2. And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision (Speaking of the saved Jews, some being apostles but all being their brethren) contended with him, 3. Saying, you went into men uncircumcised and did eat with them. 4. But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying,... ...17. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like GIFT (Speaking of the gift of the Holy Spirit to DWELL IN them and EMPOWER them and NOT the gift of speaking in other tongues. The gift of eternal life abiding in us IS the earnest of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us who BELIEVE) as he did unto us, who BELIEVED on the Lord Jesus Christ; (And WHOSOEVER BELIEVES shall receive the GIFT of the Holy Spirit) what was I, that I could withstand God? 18. When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.” Notice that they did not jump up and down praising God that those Gentiles spoke in other tongues. But rather, they glorified God that God SAVED them, granting them repentance unto eternal life because those Gentiles BELIEVED on the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the only other place in the Book of Acts that there is specifically stated as a fact with no interpretation needed that a Christian spoke in other tongues AT the time they were first saved is found in Acts 19:1-7. The Oneness Christians also use the account in Acts chapter 9 of Paul being saved as well but AT the time Paul was actually saved there is NOT mention of Paul speaking in other tongues. So it can be argued that Paul spoke in tongues days, weeks, or even months later and NOT when he was first saved. After all, in Acts 9:26 we read that the other disciples did not trust that Paul was truly saved. And Paul did not speak in other tongues to prove he was saved. Rather, Barnabas rehearsed what happened with NO mention of Paul speaking in other tongues and they received Paul as a true born-again Christian. So IF the disciples used speaking in other tongues as their EVIDENCE to know if a person was saved or not then why did they not simply ask Paul if he spoke in other tongues when he first received the Holy Spirit? Let us go ahead and read Acts 19:1-7 where we see some disciples of John the Baptist being saved but at first, it was NOT known whose disciples they were until AFTER Paul asked them a few questions. Acts 19:1-7. “And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, (Now, at first, Paul did not know whose disciples these were so he asked them some questions to find out) 2. He said unto them, Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? (Obviously, Paul knew that if they said NO then they were NOT the disciples of Jesus because every believer of Jesus RECEIVES the Holy Spirit to dwell in them the very moment they first BELIEVE) And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. (Now, they may not have known that they had received the Holy Spirit at the very moment that they first believed even if they were disciples of Jesus so Paul asked then another question) 3. And he said unto them, Unto what then were you baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. (Now, Paul understands and knows that they are not yet saved and disciples of Jesus but that they were the disciples of John the Baptist) 4. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 5. When they HEARD this, (The word “this” is NOT in the ordinal text. So it could be argued that they heard the gospel because Paul never mentions being baptized in the name of Jesus in verse 4 but yet they obeyed what the HEARD and) they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (The same is true when Philip preached Jesus to the eunuch in Acts chapter 8. Philip never mentioned a word about water baptism in the recorded TEXT written for us to read but yet it was the eunuch who asked Philip if he could be baptized. How did the eunuch know about water baptism unless Philip told him? Yet it is not RECORDED in the Book of Acts that Philip told him about water baptism) 6. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, AND PROPHESIED. (Again, it can be argued that only some spoke in other tongues while the others PROPHESIED. Also, notice that Paul laid his hands on them for them BEFORE the Holy Spirit came ON them. In other words, they first HEARD the gospel, then they BELIEVED the gospel to be saved. And after they were saved they were baptized in the name of Jesus. And then AFTER they were already saved and baptized in water in the name of Jesus the Apostle Paul laid hands on them to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And AFTER Paul laid hands on them to receive the GIFT of the Holy Spirit and NOT the INDWELLING of the Holy Spirit which they already received when they first BELIEVED, then the Holy Spirit came upon them. In other words, the Holy Spirit who was already dwelling in them came OUT of them and over them, and then they spake in other tongues AND prophesied. So one could wrongly interpret this verse that Christians do not have the “real” Holy Spirit unless a Christian with the “real” Holy Spirit laid hands on them to receive the “real” Holy Spirit. I pray that you can see that the evil spirit of PRIDE is behind these false teachings concerning false tongues and speaking in other tongues is the ONLY evidence that a Christian is truly saved. And I pray they you can see how this false teaching that a Christian must speak in other tongues in order to be saved has hurt untold numbers of Christians. And to ME, any teaching that HURTS another Christian is NOT of Almighty God the Father and His Son, Jesus) 7. And all the men were about twelve.” These false teachings arise because those who teach these false teaching only focus on certain verses of Scripture. And they either ignore those verses or they try to explain away all the verses of Scripture that clearly contradict their doctrine. We have already covered 1 John chapter 4, as well as many other verses of Scripture that clearly teach us that NO speaking in other tongues is ever mentioned. In other words, there are many verses of Scripture concerning being saved and the Holy Spirit DWELLING in a believer the very moment they first BELIEVE and are saved that do NOT speak of speaking in other tongues as a REQUIREMENT of being saved. And even though we already covered 1 John chapter 4, I would like to read 1 John 4:13-16 again. Please read 1 John 4:13-16. “Hereby we KNOW that we dwell in him, and he IN us because he has GIVEN us of his Spirit. 14. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. 15. WHOSOEVER shall CONFESS that Jesus is the Son of God, God DWELLS IN him, and he in God. 16. And we have known and believed the love that God has toward us. God is love, and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God IN him.” There is nothing in these verses teaching us that we must speak in other tongues in order to KNOW that God DWELLS IN us. It says WHOSOEVER shall CONFESS that Jesus is the SON OF God that God DWELLS in them. So the very moment a person is saved they have all of the Holy Spirit that God gives to us to dwell in us to empower us to do the same works that Jesus did THROUGH the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. And just for the record, I do not recall any verses that state as a fact with no interpretation that Jesus spoke in other tongues. But yet the Bible itself clearly teaches us that the Holy Spirit DWELT IN Jesus. Please understand that I encourage my readers to STIR UP the gift of the Holy Spirit that is already dwelling in them the very moment they first believed to speak in other tongues. There are many BENEFITS that come from speaking in other tongues. So I am in no way against Christians speaking in other tongues. But rather, I am against the false teaching that the only EVIDENCE that the Holy Spirit DWELLS in Christians is if they have spoken in other tongues. There is a vast difference between having RECEIVED the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and being FILLED or being baptized with the Holy Spirit that SOMETIMES produces the evidence of speaking in other tongues. Many Christians have experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit coming all over them but yet they have never spoken in other tongues. They MAGNIFY God with every fiber of their being but they have never spoken in other tongues. They have wept and groaned in the Holy Spirit but yet they have never spoken in other tongues. They KNOW beyond any shadow of a doubt that they are truly saved but yet they have never spoken in other tongues. They would love to speak in other tongues and they have sought God many times to be filled with the Holy Spirit to speak in other tongues but yet they have never spoken in other tongues. Now, I do not need any of their testimonies to KNOW that they have received the Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit is dwelling in them even though they have never spoken in other tongues to KNOW that EVERY Christian RECEIVES the INDWELLING of the Holy Spirit the very moment they first believe. For you see, the vast majority of the Scriptures teach us this truth. Their testimonies only support what the Scriptures teach. Here are some more verses that prove that we have already RECEIVED the INDWELLING of the Holy Spirit the very moment we first believed. 1 Corinthians 12:13. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” We were ALL baptized into one body BY one the Spirit the very moment we are saved and we can DRINK of the one Spirit to be FILLED to overflowing where the Holy Spirit flows out of us any time we desire. 2 Corinthians 1:20-22. “For ALL the promises of God in him are yea, and IN him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. (So if you are a BELIEVER in Jesus then you are IN him and you already have the Holy Spirit DWELLING IN you from the very first moment you first believed) 21. Now he which established us with you IN Christ, and has anointed us, is God; 22. Who has also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” God marks us that we are His the very moment we first believe. So the very moment we first believe we are IN Jesus Christ and SEALED with the earnest of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. And any one of us can STIR UP and DRINK from the Holy Spirit who ALREADY DWELLS in us from the very moment we first believed. 1 Corinthians 3:16.
“Know you not (Or do you not KNOW) that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Notice that Paul did NOT say, know you not or do you not KNOW that ONLY those of you who have spoken in other tongues is the temple and God, and thus, only in you who have spoken in other tongues does the Spirit of God dwell in. Paul is speaking to EVERY Christian and not just to a select few who have spoken in other tongues. Someone has calculated that only around one-third of all Christians are Pentecostal Christians. So that means, according to the false doctrine of SOME Pentecostal Christians a person is not truly saved unless they speak in other tongues, that over two-thirds of Christians and perhaps and many as three-fourths of all Christians are not truly born-again Christians simply because they have never stirred up the Holy Spirit dwelling in them to speak in other tongues. So I implore you to NOT believe their FALSE teaching that only Christians who speak in other tongues have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. It is WRONG to teach that a person MUST speak in other tongues in order to be saved! Thanks for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the truth of the whole word of Almighty God. Your Brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark. RETURN TO HOMEPAGE AT |
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