Does a person have control over speaking in tongues?
Does the Holy Spirit take over a persons tongue until speaking in tongues is over, or does the person speaking in tongues actually have some control over it?
Acts 2:1 - 47
NRSV - 1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
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Asked July 15 2018
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Kingdom Bound
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For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Darren Wilkens
I've only spoken in tongues twice. Both times were a week apart in the early 80's. I can assure you it's uncontrollable. When the Holy Spirit is finished with His message that He sent through you, then it will stop.
From my experiences, a person starts out talking to to God in a normal voice. Depending on how open they are to letting the Holy Spirit take control of their mind and body, that person will start crying (happy tears) and eventually start talking in another language.
There are people who fake it! As far as I'm concerned (I hope I'm wrong), if a person isn't looking up, crying or have their hands in the air, odds are they're faking it. So many people want to "fit in" and will do whatever it takes to be accepted.
Jennifer Rothnie
I think there are a lot of nuances to the question.
There certainly is an element of control as to time/place as scripture gives rules for how the gift of tongues is to be used. They are to go in order one at a time, and three at most. They are to stay silent if no one can interpret that language. If the people involved had no control over whether they could speak or not, or when, these rules would be impossible.
"What is the outcome then, brothers and sisters? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. All things are to be done for edification. If anyone speaks in a tongue, it must be by two or at the most three, and each one in turn, and one is to interpret; but if there is no interpreter, he is to keep silent in church; and have him speak to himself and to God."
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/1_corinthians/14.htm
(Then there is also glossolia, the linguistic trick of being able to string together language 'sounding' syllables that have no actual meaning or syntax. It can be subconsciously developed or deliberately developed and can even be triggered at will with enough practice.)
But for the content of an actual message in tongues, assuming there is an interpreter present and that it's done in order, that would be guided by the Holy Spirit, vs. something that the person comes up with and the Spirit just translates on the way to the vocal cords or something.