"If you haven't spoken in tongues, you haven't received the Holy Ghost." Many Oneness Pentecostals were taught that this sign is part of being born again. Is it?
Short answer: No. Tongues are a real gift of the Holy Spirit, and Scripture says, "do not forbid speaking in tongues." But St. Paul asks, "Do all speak in tongues?" and expects the answer no, while teaching that all the baptized "were given to drink of one Spirit." The Spirit is necessary. Tongues are one gift among many, given "as he wishes."
Key verses on speaking in tongues
- "Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?" (1 Corinthians 12:30)
- "we were all given to drink of one Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:13)
- "distributing them individually to each person as he wishes." (1 Corinthians 12:11)
- "If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal." (1 Corinthians 13:1)
- "do not forbid speaking in tongues" (1 Corinthians 14:39)
Scripture quotations are from the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE), © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
What Catholics Actually Teach
First, the Oneness view in its own words. The United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) teaches: "We obey the gospel... by repentance (death to sin), water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ (burial), and the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the initial sign of speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance (resurrection)" (Our Beliefs). Obeying Acts 2:38 is how a person receives "the new birth promised by Jesus." The UPCI adds: "We do not reject those who have not received the complete New Testament experience, but we encourage them to receive everything God has for them" (Oneness Pentecostalism).
Not all Pentecostals agree. The Assemblies of God teaches tongues as "the initial physical sign" of Spirit baptism, but calls that experience "distinct from and subsequent to the experience of the new birth" (Statement of Fundamental Truths).
The Catholic Church calls tongues a charism: "Whatever their character - sometimes it is extraordinary, such as the gift of miracles or of tongues - charisms are oriented toward sanctifying grace and are intended for the common good of the Church" (CCC 2003). Charity is "the true measure of all charisms" (CCC 800).
The Spirit Himself is given in Baptism, which makes a person "a temple of the Holy Spirit" (CCC 1265), and Confirmation "in a certain way perpetuates the grace of Pentecost in the Church" (CCC 1288). Baptism "is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament," yet "God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments" (CCC 1257).
What Catholics do not teach:
- That tongues are fake or forbidden. St. Paul says "do not forbid speaking in tongues" (1 Corinthians 14:39), and the Catechism names tongues among the charisms.
- That the Holy Spirit is optional. "Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him" (Romans 8:9).
- That any gift is beyond testing. "No charism is exempt from being referred and submitted to the Church's shepherds" (CCC 801).
The Biblical Case
1. St. Paul answers the question directly
"Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?" (1 Corinthians 12:29–30). Every question expects the answer no. Yet in the same chapter: "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body... and we were all given to drink of one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13). All have the Spirit. Not all speak in tongues. So tongues cannot be the required proof of having the Spirit.
2. The Spirit chooses who gets which gift
"To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit." St. Paul lists wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, prophecy, and "to another varieties of tongues." Then: "one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes" (1 Corinthians 12:7–11). A gift given "to another" is not a requirement for everyone.
3. Love is the greater mark
"If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal" (1 Corinthians 13:1). "So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (13:13). The fruit of the Spirit is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22–23). Tongues are not on the list.
4. Acts records conversions without mentioning tongues
At Pentecost, St. Peter promised "the gift of the holy Spirit," and "about three thousand persons" were baptized (Acts 2:38–41). St. Luke mentions no tongues among them. The Ethiopian was baptized and "continued on his way rejoicing" (Acts 8:38–39). St. Paul told the jailer, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved," and he and his household "rejoiced at having come to faith in God" (Acts 16:31–34). In Samaria, "they laid hands on them and they received the holy Spirit" (Acts 8:17), and again St. Luke names no tongues. This is an argument from silence, but a telling one: St. Luke never presents tongues as the universal sign.
5. The new birth is water and Spirit
Jesus said "no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit" (John 3:5). God "saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). Catholics agree with Oneness believers that this new birth is necessary. We locate it where Scripture does: in baptism, with the Spirit given to the baptized (CCC 1287).
Objections Answered
(a) "In Acts, tongues follow every outpouring of the Spirit."
At its strongest: At Pentecost "they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues" (Acts 2:4). At Cornelius' house, "they could hear them speaking in tongues" (Acts 10:46). At Ephesus, "they spoke in tongues and prophesied" (Acts 19:6). In Samaria, Simon "saw" something when the Spirit was given (Acts 8:18). That is a pattern.
Answer: These are milestone moments: the first outpouring, the first Gentiles, disciples who knew only the baptism of St. John the Baptist. At Cornelius' house, tongues served as proof. The Jewish believers "were astounded that the gift of the holy Spirit should have been poured out on the Gentiles also, for they could hear them speaking in tongues" (10:45–46). St. Peter later argued, "God gave them the same gift he gave to us" (Acts 11:17). In Samaria, St. Luke does not say what Simon saw. A pattern in a story is not a command for every believer. When St. Paul teaches the doctrine, he answers plainly: "Do all speak in tongues?" He even says whom the sign is for: "tongues are a sign not for those who believe but for unbelievers" (1 Corinthians 14:22), just as at Pentecost the sign was for the gathered crowd, who were confused "because each one heard them speaking in his own language" (Acts 2:6). Making tongues the test of a believer reverses what Scripture says the sign is for.
(b) "Acts 2:38 promises the Holy Ghost, and tongues are the sign that you have Him."
At its strongest: St. Peter promised, "you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit," and added, "the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off" (Acts 2:38–39). The UPCI cites Acts 2:4 for the sign. If the promise is the same, the sign is the same.
Answer: Catholics affirm the promise: the baptized receive the Holy Spirit. But "the gift of the holy Spirit" is the Spirit Himself, not one particular charism, and He distributes His gifts "as he wishes" (1 Corinthians 12:11). The promise is for all; tongues are not given to all.
(c) "Jesus said believers 'will speak new languages.'"
At its strongest: "These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages" (Mark 16:17).
Answer: The next verse adds, "if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover" (Mark 16:18). No one makes those a test of salvation. The signs accompany the believing Church, not every believer one by one, as St. Paul confirms (1 Corinthians 12:29–30).
(d) "1 Corinthians 12 is about the gift of tongues, not the initial sign."
At its strongest: The UPCI's Articles of Faith hold that it is "scriptural to expect all who receive the gift, filling, or baptism of the Holy Spirit to receive the same physical, initial sign of speaking with other tongues." Tongues in Acts and "the gift of tongues, as explained in I Corinthians, chapters 12 and 14, are the same in essence, but different in use and purpose" (UPCI Articles of Faith). So when St. Paul asks, "Do all speak in tongues?" he means the ongoing gift used in worship, not the sign every Spirit-filled believer receives.
Answer: Scripture never draws that line. St. Luke and St. Paul use the same Greek verb and noun (lalein, glōssa): believers "speak in tongues" in Acts (10:46; 19:6), and St. Paul asks whether all "speak in tongues" (1 Corinthians 12:30). In the same chapter he says "we were all given to drink of one Spirit" (12:13). The "all" who have the Spirit are not the "all" who speak in tongues. He adds, "Now I should like all of you to speak in tongues" (1 Corinthians 14:5), a wish that only makes sense if not all of those Spirit-filled Corinthians did. And "each has a particular gift from God, one of one kind and one of another" (1 Corinthians 7:7). St. Paul never separates a once-for-all sign from an ongoing gift. That distinction is brought to the text to protect a doctrine; it is not found in it.
The early Church read St. Paul the same way. St. Augustine asked: "For who expects in these days that those on whom hands are laid that they may receive the Holy Spirit should immediately begin to speak with tongues?" (On Baptism, Against the Donatists III.16.21, about AD 400). Whatever he held about tongues passing away, the Church of his day plainly did not make tongues the proof of the Spirit.
The Early Church Agrees
The earliest Christian instructions on baptism spell out what was done, step by step. None makes tongues the proof that a person has received the Spirit. That is an argument from silence, but it is silence exactly where the practice is described.
- The Didache (late first or early second century) gives the rite in detail: "baptize into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," with fasting beforehand (7). It then speaks simply of "they who have been baptized into the name of the Lord" (9). It sets no test of tongues (newadvent.org).
- St. Justin Martyr (First Apology 61, 65, about AD 155): "in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water." The newly baptized are then brought to "the place where those who are called brethren are assembled" for common prayer and the Eucharist (ch. 61; ch. 65). He describes no sign of tongues.
- St. Irenaeus (Against Heresies V.6.1, about AD 180) wrote of "many brethren in the Church, who possess prophetic gifts, and who through the Spirit speak all kinds of languages" (newadvent.org). Many, not all.
- St. Augustine (Homilies on the First Epistle of John 6.10, early fifth century) asked: "In the laying on of hands now, that persons may receive the Holy Ghost, do we look that they should speak with tongues?" His test: "Let him question his own heart. If he love his brother the Spirit of God dwells in him" (newadvent.org). St. Augustine thought tongues had passed away; the Church does not teach that (CCC 2003). But his point stands, and it is St. Paul's: love is the surer sign.
Conclusion
If you have spoken in tongues, thank God for a real gift and use it, as St. Paul says, "properly and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40). If you have not, you are not a second-class Christian. The Spirit is given to the baptized, and He "bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Romans 8:16). But the Spirit is given in the baptism Christ commanded, "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19), and His gifts are found in their fullness in the Church He founded. "It is through Christ's Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained" (CCC 816).
Oneness believers are right that the Spirit is essential and that the Christian life should be full of His power. Seek the Giver above His gifts, and "the greatest of these," which is love. On the baptism question, see Must You Be Baptized "in Jesus' Name Only"?
Come home. The Spirit Oneness believers rightly long for is given in baptism and confirmation, and His gifts, tongues included, are received and discerned in the Catholic Church. Christ promised, "upon this rock I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18), and His Church never fell away or disappeared. It is the Catholic Church, governed by the successor of St. Peter and the bishops in communion with him. "It is through Christ's Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained" (CCC 816). We invite you to come and see the Church Christ founded, and to enter her.
Your next step: Come to Mass this Sunday at your local Catholic church. You can find one near you at MassTimes.org. Everyone is welcome; if you're not yet Catholic, pray with us but don't receive Communion yet. When you're ready to become Catholic, call the parish office and ask about OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. They will walk you through every step. Read our guide: How Do I Become Catholic? Not ready yet? Get our free pocket guide below and keep learning.
FAQ
Can Catholics speak in tongues? Yes. The Church counts tongues among the charisms (CCC 2003), subject to discernment by her shepherds (CCC 801).
Is "the gift of the holy Spirit" in Acts 2:38 the same as tongues? No. It is the Spirit Himself. "Those who believed in the apostolic preaching and were baptized received the gift of the Holy Spirit in their turn" (CCC 1287).
Did St. Paul speak in tongues? Yes, "more than any of you," but in the Church's assembly he preferred words that "instruct others" (1 Corinthians 14:18–19).
Sources
Scripture (NABRE, bible.usccb.org): Matthew 16:18; Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:17–18; John 3:5; Acts 2:4, 6; Acts 2:38–41; Acts 8:17–18, 38–39; Acts 10:45–46; Acts 11:17; Acts 16:31–34; Acts 19:6; Romans 8:9, 16; 1 Corinthians 7:7; 1 Corinthians 12:7–13, 29–30; 1 Corinthians 13:1, 13; 1 Corinthians 14:5, 18–19, 22, 39–40; Galatians 5:22–23; Titus 3:5.
Catechism of the Catholic Church (vatican.va): 800, 801; 816; 1257; 1265; 1287, 1288; 2003.
Church Fathers (newadvent.org; ccel.org): Didache 7, 9 (ANF vol. 7); Justin Martyr, First Apology 61 and 65 (ANF vol. 1, ccel.org); Irenaeus, Against Heresies V.6.1 (ANF vol. 1); Augustine, Homilies on the First Epistle of John 6.10 (NPNF1 vol. 7); Augustine, On Baptism, Against the Donatists III.16.21 (NPNF1 vol. 4).
Pentecostal sources: United Pentecostal Church International, "Our Beliefs" and "Oneness Pentecostalism" and 2023 Articles of Faith (upci.org); Assemblies of God, "Statement of Fundamental Truths" (ag.org).