Kinds of Tongues

Function and Impact

In verse 2, Paul explains that speaking in tongues is the verbal expression of one’s spirit, and that it is “mysteries to God.” (vs.2). This gift is languages not learned or understood by the speaker is given to a believer by the Holy Spirit for communicating the Gospel, prophecy and praise. They are described as the tongues of men and of angels. Some are actual languages of other nations, such as we find in Acts 2, and some are angelic tongues. Often, the person who has the gift of tongues for ministry also has the gift of interpretation of tongues. Paul says that the one who speaks in tongues should pray for the gift of interpretation. (1 Cor. 14:3)

The Spirit gives us the use of tongues for our personal edification (1Cor.14) and for others if they are interpreted or made meaningful (this is the focus of 1 Cor. 12 – body ministry). In both cases, the scripture tells us that the conscious mind of the speaker plays no part. In ecstasy the soul feels itself so infused with the divine that the man is drawn above all natural modes of perception where the understanding becomes "unfruitful" (1 Cor. 14:14), and the spiritual nature alone is felt to be active.

This is a wonderful prayer language for your encouragement to build your spirit up. However, the primary use of the gift in this context is body ministry – it is to be shared as a message for the body of Christ, and it is to be interpreted.

Paul encouraged praying in tongues and said he did more than anyone, but he also said praying with your mind was more beneficial for others listening to you. Often prophetic intercession will come when you are praying in tongues and should be spoken so others can say ‘Amen’ to your thanksgiving and be built up with you. (1 Cor. 14:15-16) Sometimes we don’t know how to pray so tongues can be a bridge to the Spirit with groans that are too deep for words. (Rom. 8:26-27).

Here is a short discussion of how this gift and interpretation should work in real life:

In 1 Cor. 14, Paul outlines the need for interpretation of tongues when the tongue is shared publically. First, in verse 2, Paul explains that speaking in tongues is the verbal expression of one’s spirit, and that it is “mysteries to God.” (vs.2). Then he goes on to spend the rest of the chapter talking about the superiority of prophecy to tongues. This is because when the body is gathered, a message in tongues will not edify people because they won’t understand it unless the gift of interpretation is operating whereas a prophetic message will edify people because it’s in their language.

We believe when the body is gathered and ministering to each other, messages in tongues should be interpreted. But if a group of believers are all praying or worshipping aloud together, it’s not an issue, as the point is not for the group to receive a word from an individual – they are all speaking or singing aloud. Paul’s point in 1 Cor. 14 is about making the message intelligible to the hearers in order to edify them. If everyone is singing in Spanish and I’m singing in English, as long as I’m not distracting others, it’s not a problem. But if it’s quiet and an individual shares a song or a spoken message, it needs to be in a language the audience can understand because it’s meant for the group. If it’s in a tongue, and it’s from the Holy Spirit, someone (often the same person) will operate in this gift and get the interpretation and share it.