Yes, speaking in tongues is a gift of the Holy Spirit. The Bible, in the book of 1st Corinthians 12, lists the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Speaking in tongues is included in the list.
The Bible is clear that though the gifts are different, they are given by the same Spirit. Though believers operate in different gifts, it is the same God working in them all.
Speaking in tongues is considered a gift of the Holy Spirit because it enables us to achieve results that are beyond our abilities.
Why Speaking in Tongues is considered a Gift of the Holy Spirit
1. Speaking in Tongues helps us Utter Mysteries
The Bible tells us in 1st Corinthians 14:2 that whoever speaks in tongues speaks to God and that no man understands him. In the Spirit, the Bible tells us that the person utters mysteries.
In our relationship with God, we exchange information. We tell God our pain and desires and He responds by comforting us and granting our desires.
However, there are issues that we go through that cannot be expressed in words. Sometimes we encounter grief that cannot be expressed in human terms.
In such cases, all we can do is cry to God and let our tears do the talking. However, such extreme emotions can be expressed to God by the Spirit of God through speaking in tongues.
The Spirit of God knows how to express the exact level of grief we feel to God. This ability to express deep issues to God that we would otherwise not be able to express is what makes speaking in tongues a gift.
As we know, a gift is something that greatly benefits you yet you didn’t pay for it.
Through the gift of speaking in tongues, we can express exactly what we feel to God. Be it overwhelming love, overwhelming grief, knowledge that is impossible to describe with human terms etc.
For believers who don’t have the gift of speaking in tongues, they are limited in terms of what they can express to God.
Most of the workings of God are mysterious. We may understand them partly but largely they are a mystery to us.
Speaking in tongues helps us commune with God without the limitation of expressing some issues.
2. Speaking in Tongues is a Gift that helps us Speak Languages Unknown to Us
Speaking in tongues is not limited to our conversation with God; it also enables us to communicate with one another in human languages unknown to us.
Since God divided the languages of men after the incident of the tower of Babel, communicating with one another became a challenge.
God divided our languages so that we do not unite in sinning against Him. With one language, it was easy to mobilize people to sin against God. Without the division of language to prevent the building of the tower of Babel, God would have been forced to destroy all men.
But then God re-introduced the ability for us to understand one another regardless of where on earth we stay. This ability came in the form of the gift of speaking in tongues.
The difference is that this ability is only given to people who have proven to be faithful to God. This way, God is sure that if we unite, we are uniting in His name and not against Him as we did before.
Those who want to unite in sinning against God face language barrier but those who want to unite in the name of the Lord are given the ability to understand one another through speaking in tongues.
On the day of Pentecost, the disciples of Jesus were heard praising God in different languages. God, through the gift of speaking in tongues, unites all believers. Speaking in tongues is such a great gift of the Holy Spirit!
3. Speaking in Tongues makes Prayer Efficient and Accurate
Praying is not easy. We have to battle with many hindrances to get a breakthrough. The devil has schemes specifically designed to counter the prayers we make.
Many are the times the devil discourages us from praying. God saw what the devil was doing and decided to give us a gift that would overcome all his schemes.
The gift of speaking in tongues not only helps us in communicating efficiently with God but it also helps us defeat the enemy.
When we speak in tongues, we give instructions to angels. Apostle Paul mentioned tongues of angels in 1st Corinthians 13.
The tongues of angels cannot be understood by devils. Since devils cannot understand the instructions that we give to angels when we speak in tongues, angels can launch surprise attacks on the devils.
It is the same thing that happens during a physical war; soldiers use coded language to keep the enemy guessing.
Speaking in tongues is both coded and loaded with meaning. While a normal language may use many words to describe a phenomenon, speaking in tongues can describe it in one syllable.
This means that a few words spoken in tongues can accomplish more than many words spoken in understanding.
Praying in tongues enables the person praying express many issues at a speed that no human language can match.
Remember the incident of the writing on the wall in the book of Daniel. The finger wrote a few words but their interpretation was several sentences long.
Speaking in Tongues is a Gift of the Holy Spirit Conclusion
Speaking in tongues is a powerful gift of the Holy Spirit. Like other gifts from God, speaking in tongues is mysterious.
You can only understand speaking in tongues when you accept the Holy Spirit and receive the gift from Him.
A carnal mind cannot understand spiritual matters. I wrote in a previous article what you need to do in order to believe that speaking in tongues is real.
If you humble yourself and go through the steps, God will not only help you understand the gift of speaking in tongues but He will allow you to enjoy its great benefits.
Seek this gift of the Holy Spirit. God gave it to us out of the great love He has for us.
Peace!