My friend’s church says that the evidence of being born again is if one receives the gift of speaking in tongues and his church will only baptize those who can speak in tongues! Is this true?
No, it is NOT TRUE. There is one passage that clearly refutes this teaching. Listen to Paul’s words to the saints at Corinth: “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body….Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have the gifts of healings? DO ALL SPEAK WITH TONGUES” (1st Corinthians 12:13, 27-30…NKJV). Paul was writing to “the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling” (1:2…NASB); in other words, those who were born again through faith in Jesus Christ. In the passage I cited he teaches them that they had also been baptized into the body of Christ. Then he closes out the chapter with a series of questions dealing with various gifts given to members of the body of Christ. I believe everyone would agree that each question demands the answer “NO,” for every believer does not have all the gifts. One of those gifts was the ability to “speak with tongues.” The obvious conclusion is that not all speak with tongues and yet all were true believers who had been born again and baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ. I would encourage you to share this with your friend and if he is willing to bow to the plain teaching of Scripture he/she will see that speaking with tongues is not required as evidence that one has been born again.
Before we close, we do well to ask, “What is the evidence that one has been born again?” 1st John 3:14 declares, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because WE LOVE THE BRETHREN.” LOVE for other believers in Jesus Christ is one of the greatest proofs that one has “passed from death to life.” John gives us more evidence in 2:29 and 3:9, “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who PRACTICES RIGHTEOUSNESS IS BORN OF HIM…No one who is born of God practices sin.” One who has been born again will seek to live a holy life; they will PRACTICE RIGHTEOUSNESS, which simply means they will try to DO WHAT IS RIGHT. A born again believer will not be sinless (for he/she still has the old nature that can fall into sin), but they will have the desire to live holy lives for the glory of God and thus they will no longer be known for “practicing sin” but for “practicing righteousness.”
Perhaps the first evidence that one has been born again is their willingness to “confess Jesus as the Son of God.” John states this in 4:15, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” This blessed confession is a sure sign that one has an abiding relationship with God, which means they have been born into God’s family. One of the clearest and greatest confessions was that of Peter in Matthew 16:16, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This confession is absolutely vital, for to believe anything less about the Lord Jesus is to leave one in a state of condemnation. We see this in John 3:18 & 36, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but HE WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE IS CONDEMNED ALREADY, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God….He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and HE WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE THE SON SHALL NOT SEE LIFE, BUT THE WRATH OF GOD ABIDES ON HIM.” Has my reader believed in Jesus Christ as the Son of God? If so, you are “not condemned” and you “have everlasting life.” You have truly “passed from death to life” and this will be evidenced in your life by “loving other believers” and by “practicing righteousness.” (323.5) (DO)