Do All Speak With Tongues? - F. F. Bosworth

It is interesting to note that FF Bosworth was one of the founders of the
Assemblies of God denomination but he left this denomination over the
Teaching that the AOG embraced that tongues was the initial evidence
of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. There are many Spirit filled believers
that speak in tongues that agree with Bosworth, and I am one of them.
Below is an excerpt from Bosworth's book "Do All Speak With Tongues?"

After eleven years in the work on Pentecostal lines, during which time it has been my pleasure to see thousands receive the precious Baptism in the Holy Spirit, I am absolutely certain that many do not receive the manifestation of speaking in tongues. And I am just as certain, on the other hand, that many who seemingly speak in tongues, are not, nor ever have been, baptized in the Spirit.

The day of Pentecost witnessed the grandest and most effective display of the gift of tongues that the world has ever seen. God’s purpose was that it should be "a sign,”* not to believers, but to the unbelieving Jews dwelling at Jerusalem "out of every nation under heaven.”* And God’s purpose was most wonderfully realized, for three thousand unbelieving Jews were, by the fact that these Galileans spoke in their own language, forced to believe that Jesus was actually the Messiah. Perhaps there was no other sign that God could have manifested so effectively under these circumstances as the speaking in tongues.

Eight years later Peter and the six Jewish brethren who accompanied him to the household of Cornelius were, with all other Jews, unbelievers as to the Gentiles being included in the privileges of the Gospel. So God made the gift of tongues a sign to them, thus convincing them to their astonishment, that "God also to the Gentiles [hath] granted repentance unto life.”* Later when Peter returned to Jerusalem, he rehearsed the matter from the beginning and closed his argument by saying, "As I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.”* If all the multiplied thousands saved and baptized with the Spirit during that wonderful revival period of eight years between the second chapter and the tenth chapter of Acts; if they all spoke in tongues, why did Peter say "As on us at the beginning”? He could just as well have said, "As He has been baptizing all since the beginning.” If it was well-known that all received the gift of tongues with the baptism during those eight years, why should he point back to the time they spoke in tongues on the day of Pentecost?

The facts are that it is unscriptural to teach that they all received that one manifestation, and this is the force of all of Paul’s argument to the Corinthians. He uses the illustration of the human body and its members and asks, "If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing?”* etc. And then to make it still more emphatic, he asks, "Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?”* Of course the answer to each of these questions is "No!” In other words, Paul is distinctly saying that all are not teachers, and all do not speak in tongues.
Teaching that tongues is the evidence of the baptism in the Spirit makes it a sign to believers, whereas Paul distinctly says that it is not a sign to the believer, but to the unbeliever (1 Corinthians 14:22). If made a sign to the seeker for the baptism it not only leaves no place for faith, but on the other hand destroys faith already divinely given. After God has most powerfully baptized the seeker, someone will tell him that he has not yet received the Holy Ghost because he did not speak in tongues. This destroys his faith and sends him home discouraged, to continue his seeking, as some have for several years.

It is a notable fact that many of the deepest and best teachers and preachers in the Pentecostal movement have the poorest success in getting seekers through to speaking in tongues. The reason is they are too conscientious to use the "Glory-glory-say-it-a-little-faster” and other similar methods which have made some of the shallowest and most fanatical workers, apparently most successful. Proper instruction will in every instance bring the baptism in the Holy Spirit, but it will not always bring the manifestation of tongues.

[Fred F. Bosworth; Do All Speak With Tongues””An Open Letter to the Ministers and Saints of the Pentecostal Movement]

Great post. I'm going to have to pick up this book. I am a credentialed Assembly of God minister and I do not hold to the teaching of "the intial physical evidence". I think the gift of tongues can be a little over emphasized.

Good post, Mike. I agree.

Totally agreed! I think Bosworth got it right. I do believe that there is a difference in the gift of tongues that should be accompanied by an interpretation, and the ability to pray in tongues in one's own devotional life. That being said, I totally agree with Bosworth. I have seen men who did not pray in tongues, but I saw every other evidence of a Holy Spirit Baptized life. I have likewise also known men who claimed to be Spirit filled, spoke in tongues, but whose life showed no other real evidence.

I have personally only been used once in 27 years in the gift of tongues or interpretation. However, I pray in tongues pretty much daily. I believe that anyone who has received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit can pray in tongues, and my do so at their own will. Paul says that when a man prays in tongues, it is his own spirit that does the praying. I do not believe that anyone who has received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit can operate in tongues or interpretation, or any of the other nine gifts of the Spirit unless the Holy Spirit prompts them to do so. He distributes those severally as HE wills.

This is one of those interesting messages that causes me to consider just which doctrines a local church, fellowship of churches or denomination is supposed to adhere to or require in their ministers, members or greater flock.

I am not currently a "member" (as in "voting member") of any particular church or denomination. I do attend one and feel comfortable there. However, I came to Christ while my mom and sisters were attending an Assembly of God church. Since then, I have attended many churches from various denominational, non-denominational and ideological backgrounds.

Most churches have a set of "we believe" or core beliefs. While I think that many of them are fantastic (and show the unity of the brethren), there are others that serve to divide the body of Christ rather than unite us in the Lord.

I wonder: Is there a unified set of beliefs that all true believers?

When I was in college, my wife (my girlfriend at the time) and I attended a wonderful small congregation. It belonged to a relatively small Spanish fellowship of churches. However, the pastor didn't seem to make certain beliefs of the fellowship a binding requirement for fellowship. In fact, he rarely touched on some of those issues -- except to share the different views held by believers.

I first realized this when some people had become voting members. That pastor read through some of the things adhered to by the fellowship. Now, many Spanish churches in the U.S. and Mexico believe in tithing -- and that the tithe is paid to the pastor (who, in turn, pays the bills of the church). Our pastor NEVER spoke about any sort of obligation to tithe. He did teach about tithing as we studied various passages in the word and mentioned the different beliefs held by Christians today. However, when it came to the membership, he mentioned that the local church didn't hold any requirement (although the fellowship itself had it listed as one of the fellowship's beliefs).

I thought that this "break" in including tithing as a prerequisite for membership or ministry was interesting. Over time, I noticed that there were other topics and doctrinal issues that are oft-debated by believers (like many here in the SermonIndex forums over the years) that the pastor and the local church covered in teachings and Sunday school, but not as a requirement for fellowship or ministry (let alone a mandate for entrance into eternity). I actually found it quite refreshing.

For instance, the pastor would teach on subjects like Bible prophecy, the gifts of the spirit, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, salvation (can you lose it or not), the role of women in churches, modesty, rules or adornment obligations, etc. Now, the pastor wasn't afraid to touch or teach about these things. However, he covered them in a very literal (Scriptural) manner. He would mention the various beliefs that others have. Sometimes, the pastor would share his own views -- but he did so gently and always with a disclaimer that something was a personal opinion or belief rather than mandated by the church (or God).

I once spoke to the pastor about this. He said that it was the job of the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us into all truth. He argued that if people followed his lead and instructions, then they are following the rules of a man rather than the Lord (as clear in the Word).

So, again, I wonder just which doctrines in the Scripture should be essential for believers? I think that there are many that all true believers agree upon. However, when it comes to things about the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, tithing, eschatology, etc. -- do we really need a binding set of mandated beliefs to extend fellowship in the local church?

If so, which things should be required for a person to be a member of a local gathering of believers?

*EDIT - I suppose that this question might be worth discussing beyond the message included in this particular thread. I hope that I am not hijacking this thread or getting it off-track.

Christopher,

The pastor that you shared about preached the way I plan to if the Lord sees fit to place my in that position. It bothers me when preachers take debatable non fundamental doctrines and get up to the pulpit and say "I have a word from the Lord!" And proceed to preach THEIR view of the subject and maybe even call other views wrong or maybe even "from the pits of hell". That most certainly can bring about division. I love what the pastor said " It's the Holy Spirits job to lead people into truth..." Wow! That's awesome! And to answer your question I think there are some fundamental truths that believers should be united in. The truths being anything related to the gospel. The virgin birth, the sinless life, or the deity of Christ. If you start to mess with those teachings then you are no longer talking about Christianity. I have heard different people given the credit for saying it so I'm not sure who this quote comes from but I love it! In the essentials unity; non essentials Liberty, and in all things charity.

Much love

I do agree with the article that tongues is not the only evidence of the baptism in the Spirit and that there are Christians who have the baptism who do not speak in tongues.

Have you ever wondered if sometimes Christians use 1 Cor 12.29-30 as an excuse to NOT desire the gifts of of tongues? Or how about any of the other eight?

I write to encourage those who have sought the Giver of the gifts and yet, would still like to pray in tongues or any other gift.

Don’t let the enemy of your soul keep you from something that is good and God-given. Psalm 84:11 says, "For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: NO GOOD THING DOES HE WITHHOLD FROM THEM THAT WALK UPRIGHTLY.”

We "have" to reconcile 1 Cor 12:30 with what Paul ALSO wrote:
- "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than you all.”
- "I would that you ALL speak with tongues...”
- "pursue love, yet DESIRE EARNESTLY SPIRITUAL GIFTS...”
- "for one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men BUT (SPEAKS) TO GOD...
- "...covet to prophesy, and FORBID NOT to speak with tongues.”

We have clear permission to seek the Giver and still desire spiritual gifts!
Lisa

I agree with you Lysa. Not only do many
denominations not see the imprtance or
value of speaking in tongues, but some even
go so far as saying that it is of the devil.

I can understand why most Pentecostal
denominations believe that tongues is the
initial evidence of The Baptism of HS
because many people that do receive the
Baptism of the Holy Spirit speak in tongues
immediately after they are filled. Others speak in tongues at a
later time, which was my experience,
and it appears that many others have
received a true Baptism of the Spirit never
do speak in tongues. Of course, if they have
had faulty teaching on tongues, it is easy
to see why they have never had the desire
to speak in tongues.