The biblical topic of a discussion sponsored on Tony Harvin's YouTube Channel incited spiritual warfare that is raging fast and furiously.
Notably, I have personally been challenged to debate that same topic ~ Is Speaking In Tongues Needed For Salvation?
Additionally, we were challenged to debate the following Christian faith topics:
- Is There A Son Of God With Flesh And Blood In Heaven Now?
- Are There More Than One Way To Be Water Baptized?
- Are There 3 Separate Distinct Persons In The Godhead?
- What Is The Biblical Ensign Banner Name For The Church Started By Lord Jesus Christ Our Saviour?
- What Are The Religious Things, Objects, And Images Of The Christian Faith?
- Can Woman Prophesy, Preach, Teach, And Be A Spiritual Leader Over A Church Congregation Like Men Serving As Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Bishops, Pastors, Deacons, And Elders The Holy Ghost Made To Be Overseers Of The Church?
- Can Christians Divorce After Marriage And Remarry?
That being said, what is the conclusion to the whole matter? ~ SPEAKING IN TONGUES IS NEEDED FOR SALVATION!
When you go to the discussion debate platform on YouTube, read closely the various contributors and notice the clear unambiguous fact that many had no clue how to even approach the question from a doctrinal standard point of view first and foremost.
This was the case with all apologists which answered in the negative to the question with just a 2 letter 1-word answer ~ NO ...Speaking in tongues is not needed for salvation.
Their arguments consistently excluded the only one that counts ~ Lord Jesus Christ!
This is amazing, but not really surprising because mostly all heresies exclude the sayings of Lord Jesus Christ written in the Holy Scriptures. In this case, JOHN Chapter 3...
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God. For no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen, and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so, must the Son of man be lifted up. That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned. But he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
There is no other passage of scripture that can establish the Christian faith's BIBLICAL DOCTRINE STANDARD for speaking in tongues for salvation.
Furthermore, there are several passages of scripture that establish the Christian faith's BIBLICAL DOCTRINE for the EXPERIENTIAL STANDARD for speaking in tongues for salvation. Beginning with the New Testament book of ACTS OF THE HOLY GHOST as it was originally called, chronicles the early Christian church's growth into all the world after the ascension of Jesus into heaven.
Look carefully at bible passages beginning in ACTS Chapter 2 which affirms the absolute for SPEAKING IN TONGUES IS NEEDED FOR SALVATION...
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words. For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel, And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know. Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death. Because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved. Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad, moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope. Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life, thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne. He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens. But he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized. And the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul. And many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
This then is the conclusion for the topic, JOHN 3 and ACTS 2 is sufficient biblical proof, both in doctrine and experience to affirm with absolute that SPEAKING IN TONGUES IS NEEDED FOR SALVATION!
So now, I trust someone reading this enlightening essay may be challenged in their religious beliefs which are founded upon the Christian faith.
It will penetrate to the deepest depths of their religious rite of passage to the afterlife and their earnest expectation of eternal life and salvation.
They will interpret the sayings which follow as a clarion call to examine themselves to see whether they be in the faith of Jesus.
In the moment of honest assessment, they will conclude they are not saved. They do not have any real meaningful salvation that is evidenced by what is written in JOHN 3 and ACTS 2.
Their first fleeting emotion will be to snap out of the notion they are NOT SAVED. They will rehearse the episode they base their convictions on. They will conclude they did everything they were told to do by whoever it was that guided them through the scripted protocol of their religious beliefs and catechisms of being born again.
They will see as they rehearse the episode and once again find many of the things they did were not commanded by Jesus or the apostles.
They were on all accounts deceived! Hoodwinked! Bamboozled!
This, of course, is not a good feeling. Therefore, one that really does want to be right in the sight of God our Saviour will go search the Holy Scriptures to certify their salvation with exculpatory evidence and find there is none to prove otherwise.
They will soon give up, cave in, bow down, and surrender all to the truth written in JOHN 3 and ACTS 2 save themselves from this untoward generation. THEY WILL OBEY REPENTANCE AND REMISSION OF SINS PREACHED AND COMMANDED BY THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Then again there are those that will weaponize their reasoning to fight the truth of the word written for our learning that they might have hope, to be saved by hope!
Embarrassed by the revelation they are NOT SAVED because they NEVER experienced what is written in JOHN 3 and ACTS 2, they dismiss the notion that any new birth is needed at all.
In desperation, they lash out against anyone’s conclusion that confirms they have been deceived.
The frivolous expose and oversimplified rationale brings them on the wrong side of the conclusion entrenched in a demonically inspired heresy that NO signs or evidence is needed for salvation. A PERSON ONLY JUST NEEDS TO BELIEVE!
However, it does not stop the multitudes of unknown millions when it really hits hard and implodes in the dividing asunder of the spirit and soul they are NOT born again!
They recall praying a sinner’s prayer as the preacher told them to do, unaware of the fact that Jesus nor any true apostle ever prayed a sinner’s prayer to afterward profess a person was saved without any evidence according to what is written in JOHN 3 and ACTS 2.
Someone else on the wrong side of the conclusion is now seeing they were misguided as well! They were converted and grafted into a religion of Christianity which teaches contrary to ALL BIBLICAL STANDARDS FOR SALVATION!
I hear the shofar trump and a war cry to engage in spiritual warfare in the heavenly. Therefore I will conclude in a few more words to the wise.
As you seek to know the truth to the absolute as we have declared it unto you according to the Holy Scriptures ~ SPEAKING IN TONGUES IS NEEDED FOR SALVATION ~ Be fully persuaded in your own mind that this is the will of God our Saviour!
You will not change the reality of the truth upholding what is not in the scriptures. You MUST be a doer of the word commanded by Jesus and the apostles to partake of the common salvation.
Godspeed to paradise with unfeigned love magnified and multiplied in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the Word of God!