Bible Truth Foundations
Part 1 of 3: New Life in Christ
Please begin by answering this question honestly in your own words.
Have you ever found yourself in prayer without the words to express what you wanted to say, or aware that you needed to pray for something you could not fully articulate? What did you do in that moment?
1 Corinthians 14:2 (NKJV)
For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.
Paul does not dismiss tongues here; he defines what it is for. The direction is upward — to God. The content is mysteries, things beyond the reach of natural understanding. Hold that frame as you read the teaching.
The central idea of this lesson
Speaking in tongues is your spirit communicating directly with God, bypassing the limitations of natural understanding. It builds your faith, enables supernatural intercession and keeps you in contact with the wisdom of God that your mind alone cannot access.
Confidence Declaration
This lesson addresses the practice of speaking in tongues. The theological debate about tongues runs along several lines. Cessationists hold that tongues, along with other sign gifts, ceased with the apostolic age and the completion of the New Testament canon; their primary text is 1 Corinthians 13:8-10. Continuationists hold that tongues continues as a normative gift for all subsequent generations; Acts 2:39 and 1 Corinthians 14:5 are among the key texts. Among continuationists, some hold that tongues is the necessary initial evidence of Spirit baptism; others hold it is one of several possible expressions. This lesson teaches from the continuationist framework, consistent with L14 and L15. What Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14 is addressed to a church where tongues was actively practised; he does not instruct them to stop. He regulates its public use and extols its private value. The content of this lesson is drawn directly from what Paul says in that chapter: it takes him at his word, in context, without requiring a particular position on cessationism to find it instructive.
Paul's description in 1 Corinthians 14:2 is the most precise definition in the New Testament:
1 Corinthians 14:2 (NKJV)
For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.
Three things are stated. First, the direction of tongues: to God, not to the congregation. Second, the mechanism: it is not comprehensible by the natural mind of either the speaker or the listener. Third, the content: mysteries. The Greek word is mysteria, which in the New Testament consistently refers to hidden truths now being disclosed or held in trust. When a person prays in tongues, their spirit is speaking things to God that their natural mind cannot formulate or even comprehend.
Note
Paul distinguishes consistently between two dimensions of the human person in this chapter: the spirit and the understanding (mind). Verse 14 states: "For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful." These two are not in competition; they are complementary facets of the same person. Paul's conclusion in verse 15 is that he will use both: "I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding." The goal is not to abandon the understanding but to have both fully engaged. Tongues is the part of prayer that the understanding cannot produce; it operates at the level of the spirit, which — as Lessons 09 and 10 established — has been made new and is already in union with God.
Jude 20 (NKJV)
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 14:4 (NKJV)
He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
Jude's instruction to build yourself up in your most holy faith is linked directly to praying in the Holy Spirit. Paul's statement that speaking in tongues edifies the person who does it is not a criticism; it is a commendation of a benefit. The word "edifies" is from the Greek oikodomeo, meaning to build up, to strengthen a structure. Praying in tongues strengthens the believer at the level of their faith. It is, as the source material describes it, a way of stepping out of natural thinking and reasoning into a supernatural realm of faith — not because the natural mind is bad, but because it has limits that the spirit does not share.
Going Deeper
Romans 8:26-27 (NKJV) describes the Spirit's intercessory activity in terms that closely parallel what Paul says about tongues: "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." The Spirit prays for us according to the will of God, in dimensions beyond natural articulation. When a believer prays in tongues, the same Spirit who intercedes is using the believer's voice. The person is the instrument; the Spirit provides the content. The result is prayer that is perfectly aligned with the will of God, even when the believer's natural mind has no access to what that will requires in a specific situation.
One of the most striking accounts in the source material for this lesson describes a believer praying in tongues and then finding that the prayer had been directed at a person they had no natural knowledge of and had not seen for years — and that person then appeared at their door in exactly the crisis the prayer had apparently addressed. This is not an isolated anecdote; it reflects the logic of 1 Corinthians 14:2. When you pray in tongues, your spirit is operating beyond the limitations of what you consciously know. The hidden wisdom of God, accessible to your spirit but not to your natural mind, shapes the content of the prayer. The result can be intercession for people and situations that you could not have identified or addressed through natural reasoning alone.
Note
This does not mean every moment of praying in tongues is a specific directed intercession for someone in crisis. The primary and constant benefit is the building up of your own faith and the direct, unfiltered communication between your spirit and God. The intercessory dimension is an extension of that directness. What both have in common is that the natural mind's limitations — its doubts, its ignorance of what is needed, its tendency to second-guess — are bypassed. Your spirit, which has been made new in Christ and is one with the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:17), operates from a different level of knowledge and alignment with God.
1 Corinthians 14:16–17 (NKJV)
Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say "Amen" at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say? For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified.
Paul says: "you indeed give thanks well." This is significant. He is not dismissing tongues as deficient worship; he is distinguishing between worship that builds up the individual (tongues in private or in a corporate setting without interpretation) and worship that builds up the whole gathering (tongues with interpretation, or prophecy). The worship itself is real, genuine and full. The limitation Paul addresses is congregational, not personal. In private prayer, the restriction does not apply; and the quality of the thanksgiving is not diminished by the fact that the understanding is not engaged.
1 Corinthians 14:18–19 (NKJV)
I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
Paul's own testimony is striking: he speaks in tongues more than the Corinthian church, which was clearly enthusiastic about the gift. And yet in the gathered congregation, he prioritises what will build others up. This establishes the proper ordering: tongues is enormously valuable and to be practised freely in private prayer; in corporate gatherings, interpretation or prophecy takes precedence because the congregation needs to be edified, not only the individual. Paul does not create a hierarchy that diminishes tongues; he places it in its proper context.
Caution
Two errors appear around tongues in church life. The first is elevating it to the single test of spiritual maturity: treating those who do not speak in tongues as spiritually inferior or less genuine in their faith. Paul's letter addresses a church where tongues was overvalued publicly at the expense of the congregation. First Corinthians 12:29-30 makes clear that not all speak in tongues; it is one gift among many. The second error is dismissing it entirely: treating tongues as embarrassing, unnecessary or as evidence of spiritual immaturity rather than a genuine gift of God with specific and valuable benefits. Paul says "I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all." That is not embarrassment. Hold the gift at Paul's assessment: valuable, to be practised, rightly ordered in community, and not made the test of anyone's standing before God.
Practical Tip
If you speak in tongues, build the practice into your daily prayer rather than reserving it for special occasions. Begin your prayer time with worship in your own language, then move into praying in tongues. Pray in tongues for a period of time, then pray with your understanding over whatever comes to mind. Notice over weeks whether your prayer life feels different and whether your awareness of God's activity around you sharpens. Jude 20 connects praying in the Spirit directly with building yourself up in your most holy faith; expect that to happen, and notice when it does.
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| Question | My Answer | Group Discussion Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read 1 Corinthians 14:2. Paul says speaking in tongues is directed to God and speaks mysteries. How does that description change the way you understand what is happening when a person prays in tongues? | ||
| Read 1 Corinthians 14:4 and Jude 20. Two separate passages describe tongues as building up the one who prays. What does it mean to be built up in your faith, and why do you think this particular kind of prayer produces that result? | ||
| Read 1 Corinthians 14:14-15. Paul says his spirit prays but his understanding is unfruitful when he prays in tongues. His conclusion is to use both. What is the difference between praying with the spirit and praying with the understanding? Why would both be valuable? | ||
| Read Romans 8:26-27. The Spirit intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered, according to the will of God. How does that description connect to what Paul says about tongues in 1 Corinthians 14? What is the significance of prayer that goes beyond natural understanding? | ||
| Read 1 Corinthians 14:18-19. Paul speaks in tongues more than the entire Corinthian church, yet in the gathered congregation he prioritises speaking with understanding so others can be built up. What principle is he establishing about the difference between private prayer and public worship? |
These questions are designed for open conversation at any level of experience. There are no trick questions and no single correct answer.
The benefits of speaking in tongues are not theoretical; they are experienced in the practice itself. These applications focus on integrating tongues into the fabric of daily life rather than reserving it for exceptional moments.
| Context | How I Apply This |
|---|---|
| In daily prayer | Build praying in tongues into your regular prayer rhythm rather than treating it as an occasional supplement. Begin with worship and thanksgiving in your own language; then move into praying in tongues for a sustained period; then pray with your understanding over what comes to mind. The Practical Tip above describes this sequence. The edification of Jude 20 and 1 Corinthians 14:4 accumulates over time; it is not primarily experienced in individual sessions but in the sustained practice across weeks and months. |
| In intercession | When you become aware of a need — in someone's life, in a situation, in your church community — and you do not know how to pray, begin by praying in tongues. Let the Spirit direct the prayer at the level that bypasses your natural knowledge. Then pray with your understanding over what comes to mind as you do. Romans 8:26-27 establishes the principle: the Spirit prays according to the will of God when your natural mind does not know what to ask. Tongues is the practice that gives that principle a voice. |
| In community | First Corinthians 14 establishes a clear boundary: tongues in public worship requires interpretation so the congregation is edified. If your church has gatherings where tongues and interpretation operate, participate in that order respectfully. If someone brings a public message in tongues, expect and pray for interpretation. In all settings, hold the practice at Paul's assessment: a genuine gift of God, to be valued, practised generously in private and ordered wisely in public. |
Tap each card to reveal the answer.
According to 1 Corinthians 14:2, who is tongues directed to, and what is its content?
1 Corinthians 14:2
"He who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God…in the spirit he speaks mysteries."
1 Corinthians 14:2 (NKJV). Direction: to God. Content: mysteries — things beyond the natural mind's access.
What does Jude 20 say is built up by praying in the Holy Spirit?
Jude 20
"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit."
Jude 20 (NKJV). Most holy faith is strengthened. Tongues is a means of self-edification in faith.
What does 1 Corinthians 14:14 say about praying in tongues?
1 Corinthians 14:14
"For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful."
1 Corinthians 14:14 (NKJV). The spirit prays; the understanding is not engaged. Paul's answer: use both (v.15).
What does Romans 8:26-27 say the Spirit does when we do not know how to pray?
Romans 8:26–27
The Spirit intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered, according to the will of God. Prayer aligned perfectly with God's will, operating beyond the limits of the natural mind.
What does Paul say about his own practice of tongues, and the limit he places on it?
1 Corinthians 14:18–19
"I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all" — but in the church he would rather speak five understood words than ten thousand in tongues. Practise freely in private; order wisely in public for the congregation's benefit.
Who is edified when someone speaks in tongues, according to 1 Corinthians 14:4?
1 Corinthians 14:4
"He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself."
1 Corinthians 14:4 (NKJV). The speaker is strengthened. Paul does not criticise this; he states it as a genuine benefit of the practice.
Part 1 Complete
You have completed all 16 lessons of Bible Truth Foundations · Part 1 of 3: New Life in Christ. The foundations have been laid: the Gospel, God's character, your new identity, how to walk with God through failure, how to engage with His Word and Spirit. Return to the lesson guide to revisit any lesson or share it with someone else.