{"id":794,"date":"2026-06-22T22:39:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T20:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/la-carovana-evangelica.net\/glossolalia-in-the-bible-and-in-christian-life-part-1\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T23:32:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T21:32:19","slug":"glossolalia-in-the-bible-and-in-christian-life-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/la-carovana-evangelica.net\/en\/glossolalia-in-the-bible-and-in-christian-life-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Glossolalia in the Bible and in Christian Life \u2014 Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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 <\/span>Glossolalia in the Bible and in Christian Life \u2014 Part 1<\/span><\/h3>\n
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In these days of confusion, bewilderment, and fear, immense crowds who until yesterday had shown the most cynical indifference toward God are making the great \u201creturn.\u201d Every corner of the world has been reached by the life-giving breath of the Spirit, and in every sphere of society the yearning of the soul finally returning to God is reemerging. <\/p>\n

This immense spiritual phenomenon is not a return to \u201ctraditional religiosity\u201d or a rediscovery of the church, the liturgy, or sacramental practice, but simply a deep desire\u2014indeed, an imperious need\u2014for God. In other words, believers do not feel the need to find a new place within their church, or once again to take part in religious life with all its practices and ceremonies, but only to experience true, tangible communion with God: they want the reality of His presence in their lives; they want the evidence of the supernatural in their experience. <\/p>\n

We cannot be surprised if, as a result of this yearning, these immense crowds of believers have desired and sought a charismatic life\u2014or, as others have called it, a Pentecostal life. All have forgotten the position of severe criticism they held for decades toward those revival movements which, in our century, brought Christian charisms back to life within their own ranks\u2014that is, the gifts and manifestations of the Spirit. All have forgotten, in order to set out in search of those very gifts and to relive exactly the same experience. <\/p>\n

We who have been the object of criticism\u2014and not only of criticism\u2014can rejoice at this change and give praise to God, whose arm is still, and always, outstretched to save, to work, and to manifest all His power. Our particular position, however, also makes us feel the duty to offer those counsels which, founded on Scripture, may draw upon the authority and light that come from experience, and may therefore be of real help in the exercise of the charismatic life. <\/p>\n

Without the slightest trace of presumption, we wish to address all those who recognize the need to deepen their Pentecostal experience, even doctrinally, and to prevent it from degenerating into a mere emotional phenomenon or being reduced to a sterile sensation.<\/p>\n

The subject is vast in scope, but for now we shall limit ourselves to narrowing it down to the study of one particular aspect of the charismatic life: the gift of tongues (glossolalia). This is also because, rightly or wrongly\u2014and we hope to determine this from our study\u2014this phenomenon appears to be a central component of the Pentecostal revival.<\/p>\n

In the hope of doing something pleasing to all believers, and especially of offering a fraternal word of clarification to those who are called \u201ccharismatics,\u201d \u201cneo-Pentecostals,\u201d or \u201cPentecostals,\u201d with the addition of the most varied denominational definitions\u2014which often, when they do not unsettle us, leave us perplexed\u2014we lift up a prayer that the wind of Pentecost may sweep away all those things which, as intrusive elements, seek to hinder the revival in our generation.Perhaps we too need a clarifying word to help us penetrate the essence of the problem, in order to remove those reservations or resolve those perplexities that arise from the multiplication of elements which make it increasingly difficult to place the components of all the movements mentioned in a coherent framework. Have the yearnings, aspirations, and searches been directed toward an authentic spiritual revival? Are the experiences and phenomena all genuine manifestations of the Spirit? <\/p>\n

While offering a word of counsel, we seek to shed light\u2014for others and for ourselves\u2014on this fascinating subject.<\/p>\n

Glossolalia in the Bible<\/h1>\n

\u201cGlossolalia,\u201d or the \u201cgift of tongues,\u201d is presented by the Bible as a component of the charismatic life of the church. In the Pauline catalogue contained in the Epistle to the Corinthians, it finds its place among the gifts that confer supernatural ability to speak. <\/p>\n

All spiritual gifts confer supernatural abilities; that is, they manifest themselves through believers not by disregarding, but by surpassing their personality. Intelligence, action, and speech, when they spring from the Spirit, make the Christian an instrument that carries out the supernatural work of God.Glossolalia may be considered among the gifts that most clearly and directly demonstrate the supernatural nature of their essence, because it enables the believer to express himself in \u201ctongues\u201d unknown to him, without the intervention of intelligence or culture. <\/p>\n

The spiritual phenomenon cannot be studied and understood by means of medical, psychological, or philological science, because it belongs to the sphere of the divine, where the sovereignty of God is expressed \u201coutside and above\u201d the spiritual laws known to man. The attempts made by the various scientific disciplines to interpret the phenomenon have always proved ineffective. <\/p>\n

\u201cGlossolalia,\u201d then, is that spiritual gift which \u201ctakes the place\u201d of the believer\u2019s tongue and enables him to express himself in a \u201clanguage\u201d unknown to him. Obviously, this \u201csubstitution\u201d also directly involves the mind, because the \u201cspoken word\u201d is simply, and for everyone, the manifestation of thought.The glossolalist, however, speaks but does not understand his own discourse, his own words, because they are \u201chis own\u201d only within the limits of the use of the vocal cords and the emission of breath\u2014that is, within the limits of \u201cphysical participation.\u201d Naturally, what is truly his own is his spiritual willingness.To be used by the Spirit implies the realization of an experience which, even though it is not rational, is nevertheless edifying and upbuilding. \u201cSpeaking in tongues\u201d by the Spirit therefore constitutes, as we shall see more clearly later, always a blessing. <\/p>\n

That man may suddenly speak in a language unknown to him is generally admitted by many, but the phenomenon is interpreted in the most diverse ways, also because\u2014we must acknowledge it\u2014it occurs in the most varied spheres of spiritual life and in the most varied forms. But in this brief and modest writing, I intend to address \u201cexclusively\u201d the problem of glossolalia in relation to the charismatic life, in the light of Scripture, and therefore disregarding the studies that have been carried out to approach the subject from secular points of view.<\/p>\n

Already in the first book of the Bible, God\u2019s intervention among men is briefly described, when they had planned the construction of a city and a tower that was to reach up to heaven. The ambitious project could not be approved by God, who declared: <\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026let us go down and confound their language, that they may not understand one another\u2019s speech\u2026\u201d (Gen. 11:7). There the Lord confounded the language of all the earth (Genesis 11:9).<\/p>\n

The exegesis of the passage may lead us to conclude that in Babylon each person understood himself, but no one understood the other. In any case, a people who until that day had been united by a single language suddenly became the source of the most diverse tongues.We certainly cannot identify the \u201cgift of tongues\u201d with the miracle of Babylon, or vice versa; yet we can observe that when the \u201cdivine\u201d enters into the human, those phenomena may occur which many stubbornly insist on wanting to understand and explain on the level of reason. <\/p>\n

After the passage just mentioned, the Bible no longer speaks explicitly of the miracle of tongues. Personally, I reject the interpretation of some who wish to see in Deuteronomy 28:49 a reference to glossolalia. This passage may be placed in parallel with Isaiah 33:19, Psalm 81:5, and Jeremiah 5:15: these are clearly references to foreign peoples whose language cannot be understood in Israel precisely because it is \u201cforeign,\u201d yet it is a language well understood by the peoples who speak it. <\/p>\n

In the First Epistle to the Corinthians, Paul quotes a passage from the \u201claw\u201d which represents a prophecy concerning glossolalia. It seems that by \u201claw\u201d the Apostle means the \u201cOld Testament,\u201d because the only passage that can be considered as corresponding to the one quoted in the Epistle is the one found in the prophet Isaiah: \u201cWith stammering lips and with foreign tongues He will speak to this people\u201d (28:11). <\/p>\n

But even this prophecy remains wrapped in that obscurity which characterizes announcements of realities that can receive their precise explanation only when they are fulfilled.We cannot exclude the possibility that glossolalia may also have had a place and a manifestation within prophetic circles, especially when collective ecstatic phenomena occurred (1 Sam. 19:20\u201324). But this remains in the realm of hypothesis, and we must honestly acknowledge that a historical reconstruction cannot be made on the basis of personal conjectures. <\/p>\n

Indeed, we wish to note that not even Joel, defined as the prophet of the Holy Spirit, who nevertheless dwells on spiritual experiences and gifts, makes mention of glossolalia.These observations explain why the subject, being scarcely documented biblically, raises so many perplexities among those students of Scripture who, lacking direct charismatic experience, seek at least the aid of an abundant clarifying literature in order to understand, and therefore explain, the subject itself. <\/p>\n

The Old Testament is sparing in quotations useful for exploring the problem in depth, and the New Testament is concise; nevertheless, it provides us with all the indications needed for an understanding\u2014even a theological one\u2014of a spiritual experience that becomes completely clear when the believer realizes it and is able to compare it with Scripture.<\/p>\n

The four Gospels set forth the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, complementing one another; they make known to us that He guides, reveals, and speaks on behalf of the believer. The Spirit convicts the world of sin, comforts the faithful, defends them, can be received in ever more abundant \u201cmeasure,\u201d and is given to all those who desire Him and ask for Him (Luke 11:13; John 7:37\u201339).<\/p>\n

The evangelist John recalls the Master\u2019s most solemn declarations concerning the Spirit: \u201cIf anyone thirsts\u2026\u201d; \u201cHe who believes in Me, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers\u2026\u201d; \u201cIt is expedient for you that I go away\u2026 the Comforter will come to you\u201d; \u201cHe will guide you\u2026\u201d (John 7:37\u201339).<\/p>\n

Despite this abundance of study material, the only reference to \u201cglossolalia\u201d is found in the final chapter of the Gospel of Mark and, what may seem surprising, not in reference to the subject of the Holy Spirit, but to that of faith: \u201cThese signs shall follow those who believe\u2026 they shall speak with new tongues\u201d (Mark 16:17).<\/p>\n

I wish to point out at once that glossolalia is indicated as a \u201csign\u201d identifying the believer, and not as a \u201csign of recognition of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.\u201dBelievers present to the world, together with their regenerated life and their luminous works, the evidence of an active faith: exorcism, healing, and glossolalia, joined to a miraculous invulnerability that will preserve them from the poison of serpents or from deadly drinks.I cannot close this parenthesis without adding that this verse of the Gospel of Mark illustrates a collective, not a personal, condition; the supernatural operations therefore represent the heritage of the church, constituted by the blending of the gifts and experiences of individual believers (1 Cor. 12:11\u201330). <\/p>\n

This clarification is not yet intended to address the problem of the relationship between baptism in the Spirit and glossolalia, but rather to emphasize the first New Testament passage concerning our subject.<\/p>\n

We must come to Acts 2:4 to find the next passage, and this brings us fully into the subject, because it describes the experience of the Christians gathered in the Upper Room in Jerusalem.I believe that this passage is the most exhaustive, not only in its description of the phenomenon in the apostolic age, but also in illustrating both its formal aspect and its substantial contents.I wish to recall that the title of this writing is \u201cGlossolalia,\u201d and therefore I cannot yield to the invitation to expand it beyond its natural boundaries in order to enter into the enticing articulations of the theology of the Holy Spirit. Yet I cannot avoid a brief exegetical analysis of the words of the passage cited and of those of its context. <\/p>\n

The Christians in Jerusalem \u201cbegan to speak in foreign tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance,\u201d after they \u201cwere filled.\u201d It is also useful, however, to recall the very rapid sequence of events that followed one another on the day of Pentecost: \u201cfrom heaven,\u201d \u201ca sound,\u201d \u201cas of a rushing mighty wind,\u201d which \u201cfilled the whole house\u201d; \u201cdivided tongues appeared,\u201d \u201cas of fire,\u201d \u201cupon each one of them\u201d; \u201cthey were all filled with the Holy Spirit\u201d (Acts 2:2\u20133). <\/p>\n

If Pentecost is accepted as the model, as the prototype of baptism in the Spirit, it must also be accepted as a point of reference for the study of glossolalia.Baptism is not merely knowing the Spirit, experiencing an action of the Spirit, or receiving an outpouring of the Spirit, but rather \u201cbeing filled with the Spirit\u201d (Acts 2:4). <\/p>\n

Baptism is the experience of the rushing force of the wind, the radiant light and warmth of the fire, and the saturation of the personality brought about by the power of the Spirit.Baptism is light, power, and life in a measure that qualifies one for service and makes one ready for the struggle (Acts 1:8). <\/p>\n

Only in Acts 2 do we have the precise description of the elements that characterized Pentecost; yet it is not bold to affirm that this page of Scripture was given to us in order to provide the model, the touchstone, by which we may always identify an authentic baptism in the Spirit.Individual or collective Pentecost must reach glossolalia through baptism, and must manifest baptism in the succession of those precise realities which we may exemplify or symbolize in the wind, in the fire\u2026 and in fullness. <\/p>\n

Tozer rightly observed that the promise expressed by Jesus in Acts 1:8\u2014\u201cYou shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you\u201d\u2014does not refer to two separate realities, \u201cSpirit\u201d and \u201cpower,\u201d but to one single reality: the \u201cSpirit, who has power in Himself and therefore imparts power.\u201dIt is therefore not possible to experience baptism in the Spirit without also experiencing power, or, as we may express it typologically, without the presence of the wind, the fire, and fullness. <\/p>\n

That the experience of baptism is always characterized by perceptible evidence is unequivocally confirmed by the Book of Acts, from Peter\u2019s words: \u201c\u2026He has poured out this which you now SEE and HEAR\u2026\u201d (Acts 2:33), to the other verses:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026SEEING that through the laying on of the apostles\u2019 hands the Holy Spirit was given\u2026\u201d (Acts 8:18); \u201c\u2026they HEARD them speak with tongues and magnify God\u201d (Acts 10:46);<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with strange tongues and prophesied\u2026\u201d (Acts 19:6).<\/p>\n

That this \u201cevidence\u201d presents us with the theme of glossolalia seems to me beyond doubt, just as it seems beyond doubt that the theme of \u201cglossolalia\u201d can never be dissociated from that of baptism in the Spirit.Only the fullness of baptism produces the immediate and almost irrepressible charismatic manifestation of tongues. <\/p>\n

I do not wish to affirm\u2014let this be clear\u2014that the believer cannot experience and therefore exercise certain spiritual gifts even before and without baptism in the Spirit (Luke 10:17). I wish only to specify that \u201cbaptism\u201d is made evident \u201cimmediately,\u201d because it cannot but be accompanied by an exuberant charismatic manifestation.Indeed, I wish to point out, because it seems that many have forgotten it, that \u201cthose disciples who seemed to be drunk\u2026\u201d (Acts 2:13) were \u201cspeaking of the mighty works of God\u2026\u201d (Acts 2:11). <\/p>\n

\u201cThey magnified God\u2026\u201d (Acts 10:46). I wish to point out\u2014let me repeat\u2014that the evidence of baptism is not given by glossolalia alone, but by glossolalia joined to, and empowered by, a river of glory flowing from a believer truly intoxicated with the Spirit. <\/p>\n

\u201cBaptism\u201d is not the experience of a single hour, still less a cold manifestation devoid of emotion; and glossolalia is not, and cannot be, a dry phenomenon that leaves the believer almost indifferent.This gift of the Spirit, precisely because it is expressed outside reason and therefore outside the believer\u2019s intellectual participation, is the most suited to arouse deep emotions both in the one who experiences and exercises it, and in those who share in it from the outside. <\/p>\n

But perhaps for now it is not so important to outline the formal and substantial characteristics of the \u201cgift of tongues\u201d as it is to insist upon the perfect biblical nature of the phenomenon.Announced in veiled form in the Old Testament, it appears in the Gospel and is promised as a charismatic manifestation and as a distinguishing sign of the church. The Church of Acts, from Pentecost onward, experiences the divine gift and exercises it as a normal manifestation of Christian life. <\/p>\n

The Apostle Paul, in the First Epistle to the Corinthians\u2014which is also the only one to deal exhaustively with the subject of \u201ccommunal worship\u201d\u2014not only lets us know that the \u201cgift of tongues\u201d is present and active in the church, but also provides us with all the explanations necessary to clarify the \u201cdoctrine\u201d of glossolalia, as one particular aspect of the broader doctrine of the charismatic life of the church.<\/p>\n

That the phenomenon did not disappear together with the apostolic church is amply proven by history, and especially by the \u201chistory of the other church,\u201d as one writer has liked to define the uninterrupted chain of those revival movements which have regularly brought back to life within their own ranks, together with the most evident manifestations of \u201cgrace,\u201d the spiritual gifts connected with or deriving from it.<\/p>\n

In our generation, moreover, the problem is one of burning relevance, because it has been reintroduced first by the movement known as \u201cPentecostal,\u201d and then reaffirmed with vigor\u2014but perhaps also with some imprecision\u2014by the many movements generally classified under the name \u201cneo-Pentecostal,\u201d or the more ambitious term \u201ccharismatic.\u201dAnd precisely because it is so relevant today, I wish to express my thoughts on this compelling problem. I am certain that, especially for those who are now looking out upon the vast horizon of Pentecostal experiences, it will be welcome to hear an opinion that may help them overcome perplexities or uncertainties. <\/p>\n

I do not believe there is any presumption in this statement, which seeks only to emphasize the value of an experience lived within a movement that has sought, and still seeks, to exalt the value of the charismatic life.<\/p>\n

Conclusion of Part One.<\/h3>\n

In this first part, we have followed the biblical path of glossolalia, observing how the gift of tongues cannot be reduced to an isolated episode of Pentecost, but must be understood within the broader framework of the charismatic life of the Church.The testimony of Scripture leads us to recognize that the supernatural is not a marginal element of Christian experience, but a manifestation of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit. <\/p>\n

In the next installment, we will enter into the heart of the matter: the spiritual value of glossolalia for the believer and for the community, distinguishing the personal use of the gift from its public exercise in the church.<\/p>\n

At the end of the series, it will be possible to download the complete essay in a single document, to read it in full, keep it, and share it.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Glossolalia in the Bible and in Christian Life \u2014 Part 1 In these days of confusion, bewilderment, and fear, immense crowds who until yesterday had shown the most cynical indifference toward God are making the great \u201creturn.\u201d Every corner of the world has been reached by the life-giving breath of ...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":795,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-studies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/la-carovana-evangelica.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/la-carovana-evangelica.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/la-carovana-evangelica.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/la-carovana-evangelica.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/la-carovana-evangelica.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=794"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/la-carovana-evangelica.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":797,"href":"https:\/\/la-carovana-evangelica.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794\/revisions\/797"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/la-carovana-evangelica.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/la-carovana-evangelica.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/la-carovana-evangelica.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/la-carovana-evangelica.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}