On Speaking in Tongues, the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ

8/09/2019 Christianity 15 Comments

Nowadays many people have different notions about the Holy Spirit. Most of the time, their notion is either vague or wrong. In this particular article, I intend to offer you a clearer understanding about the significance or relevance of the Holy Spirit and the observable indicators that a person, a preacher most especially, is filled with the Holy Spirit.

First of all, it must be understood that the Holy Spirit is part of what the Bible calls as “Godhead”.

In Greek, theiotēs, or the being of God, has been translated in English as “Godhead,” and “divine” in some other translations. In theiotēs, or in the Godhead, is embodied the three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

We know for a fact that the Father is an eternal being; He is immortal just like the Son. If the Father and the Son are both eternal, we also have to also accept that the Holy Spirit is eternal, it being a part of the Godhead, being a part of what the Bible calls in Hebrew as Elohim.

The word Elohim, according to the Hebrew dictionary of words in the Bible, means “God”. It is the plural form of the word Eloha in Hebrew.

We know that there are more than one persons in the Godhead because during the creation of man the Elohim or God, said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:” (Genesis 1:26, KJV) The pronouns “us” and “our” imply that there were more than one beings who worked together in the creation of man.

Aside from that, there is also a particular admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ to the apostles that further proves that the Godhead, or the theiotēs, is more than one person. Specifically, this was when He instructed them to make disciples in all nations.

MATTHEW 28:19 (ESV) says,


We have the certainty that the Holy Spirit is very relevant not only in our times but even until the end of the world. As stated in MATTHEW 28:20 (KJV), “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

Now, what are the manifestations that the Holy Spirit dwells in a man? When can we say that a person is filled with the Holy Spirit?

Today, people have different bases in determining if a person is filled with the Holy Spirit. The Pentecostal churches, for instance, believe that the Holy Spirit is present in a person if he is able to speak in tongue. This is a gross misconception! It is not true that if you are filled with the Holy Spirit you are going to speak in tongue!

If we are going to consider what happened to the apostles and the first century Christians, although they were filled with the Holy Spirit, not all of them spoke in tongues.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:13 (KJV) says,


The Apostle Paul told the first century Christians in Corinth, “by one spirit are we all baptized.” In other words, all of them were immersed; all of them were baptized in one spirit and that is the Holy Spirit of God.

After baptism, they all became members of the Church regardless of whether they were Jews, or Gentiles, or Barbarous, or Sicians, or free, or slaves. After they were baptized, what happened next?

1 CORINTHIANS 12:28-30 (KJV) says,


After their baptism, they received different gifts like being apostles, teachers, miracle workers, etc.


The answers to the questions enumerated in verses 29 and 30 are all NO. Not all are apostles; not all have the gift of healing; not all speak in tongues. This is despite the fact that they were all baptized in the Holy Spirit.

This only shows how wrong the teaching is of the Pentecostals that the proof that the person (who had been baptized) is filled with the Holy Spirit is his ability to speak in tongue.

In case you are not aware of it, speaking in tongues is one of the main doctrines of the Pentecostal church.


It is an erroneous teaching; it is a lie and it has no biblical basis. This teaching did not come from God, and neither did it come from the Lord Jesus Christ nor from the apostles.

Actually, the Apostle Paul gave the first century Christians a specific instruction concerning speaking in tongues.

1 CORINTHIANS 14:27-28 (KJV) says,


Verse 27 implies that even if there are several who could speak in tongues, the Bible has set a limit to the number of people that could speak in tongues. There should be a maximum of three only, but NOT ALL. And there has to be an interpreter. Without an interpreter, they were advised to remain silent.

Now, what are the manifestations that the Holy Spirit is present in a man or in a preacher, specifically?

A preacher with the Holy Spirit speaks spontaneously of the wisdom of God.

2 PETER 1:20-21 (KJV) says,


The way a holy man of God speaks manifests the presence of the Holy Spirit in him. When he speaks, he speaks the wisdom of God; he speaks of the fulfillment of the prophecy; he speaks the exact words of God in the Bible.

2 PETER 1:19 (KJV) says,


This declaration of the apostles was prompted by their faith. Although the prophecy is not of private interpretation, the apostles had that certainty that they had a surer word of prophecy because they were guided by the Holy Spirit. They had this trust in their hearts.

So, one manifestation that the Holy Spirit is in a preacher is that he speaks and teaches something that is sure, something that is certain, something that is not objectionable, something that nobody can object or gainsay. As said by the Lord Jesus Christ in LUKE 21:13-15 (KJV),


MARK 13:11 (KJV) says,


That is a testimony coming from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And this is very possible because of the Holy Spirit. He promised that He would send the Holy Spirit to the first century Christians to teach them everything that they need to know as well as the sure word of prophecy.

So if you encounter a preacher who speaks spontaneously about the wisdom of God, you can be sure that that preacher is guided by the Holy Spirit.

Any man who is filled with the Holy Spirit is knowledgeable about the word of God.

PROVERBS 1:23 (KJV) says,


Knowledge about the word of God is a proof that the Holy Spirit is present in a person, or a preacher.

Aside from that, the presence of the Holy Spirit in a person is also manifested in the virtues he possesses.

GALATIANS 5:22-23 (KJV) says,


The Lord, through the Apostle Paul, said that the number one fruit of the Holy Spirit is love. The Holy Spirit is with the person who dwells in love.

Actually, even if a person speaks in tongues, even if he performs miracles, the Holy Spirit would not be in him if he is without love.

1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-2 (ASV) says,


Therefore, the first and most important virtue that we will have, if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, is love. We have to learn to love the biblical way. We have to love God most of all, and also our fellowmen, and even our enemies.

According to the Apostle Paul, even if one is capable of speaking the tongues of men and of angels, if he is without love the Holy Spirit will not dwell in him. Therefore, the presence of the Holy Spirit in a person is not determined by his ability to speak in tongues.

Aside from love, a person filled with the Holy Spirit also manifests joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, and faith.

Moreover, the presence of the Holy Spirit is also evident in the wisdom of the preacher that speaks the word of God. He speaks of things that nobody can gainsay or resist just like what happened to the apostles and to the first century evangelists, like Stephen. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Stephen spoke the truth, which prompted the unbelieving Jews to stone him to death.

ACTS 6:8-10 (KJV) says,


Meekness, like the meekness of the Lord Jesus Christ, is also another manifestation of the presence of the Holy Spirit in a person. Christ said, I am meek and lowly in heart.

All we have to do is look at the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in Him we will see the evidences of the Holy Spirit.

But one thing that the Pentecostal movements did not realize is that, the Lord Jesus Christ did not even attempt to speak in tongues. He spoke the tongue that He grew up with, and that was Hebrew. Indeed, Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit but He did not speak in tongues.