1st Corinthians 14:1-25
As I was preparing for the message this week, I discovered a trend amongst commentators as it relates to 1st Corinthians. One commentator claimed that chapter 14 is the most difficult and controversial passage in 1st Corinthians. I think this is probably the 3rd passage that we’ve come to where that claim has been made. The reason why it is so controversial is because much of what is said in chapter 14 determines how certain spiritual gifts function in a local church setting. Specifically, what Paul addresses is the spiritual gift of tongues, and it must be important because he devotes a whole chapter of his letter to explaining it.
We are going to work carefully and deliberately through the text, as we have always done, and hopefully by the end of this morning we will all have a better grasp on what the Scriptures actually say about the spiritual gift of tongues.
Big Idea: All spiritual gifts are given for the purpose of building up the church.
1. The Primacy of Prophecy Over Tongues (1-5) (Read)
Let’s remember the reason why Paul is addressing all of this. The church in Corinth had misunderstood and begun to abuse these gifts. They had prioritized the gift of tongues, but their use of it had become confusing and irresponsible. And so what Paul does in our passage this morning is draw a comparison between the true gift of tongues and prophecy. Remember as well that the gift of prophecy is not telling the future, but is proclaiming the truth that has already been revealed in the Scriptures.
So yes, we should earnestly desire the gifts of the Spirit, and when we do, prioritize the gift of prophecy over tongues. Now, we need to also make sure we have the right understanding of tongues as well. The Greek word for “tongue” here in verse 2 is “glossa(y),” and is used 50 times in the New Testament. Oftentimes it refers to the physical body part, our tongue. One time, in Acts 2, it is used figuratively to describe tongues like fire. The other 33 times that we find it used in the New Testament, it speaks of an actual human language. Speaking in tongues as a spiritual gift, therefore, is the ability to speak in an earthly human language.
So why does Paul prioritize the gift of prophecy over the gift of tongues? Look again at verse 2. If I were to start speaking in Swahili, you would not understand me. God would, for He is the one giving me the words to say, but to everyone else it would be a mystery. However, verse 3, for the one who prophesies, who proclaims the Scriptures, it profits the listeners by upbuilding, encouraging and consoling. In other words, prophecy builds up the church, whereas speaking in tongues does not.
There is one exception, however. If there is one present who has been given the gift to interpret, then the church can be built up in that case. But where the gift of tongues requires 2 people for full effectiveness, the gift of prophecy only requires 1. Therefore, earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, but especially that of prophecy. So what happens when there is a misunderstanding of the gift of tongues? And this is where things can get a bit dicey for some denominations.
2. The Danger in a Misunderstanding of Tongues (6-11) (Read)
I believe this section is very telling on the proper expression of tongues. Nowhere in Scripture do we see the Spirit giving someone the ability to speak in a heavenly language, or even in nonsensical sounds and utterances. There is always a purpose, and that purpose is to build up the church. So Paul uses these 2 examples to illustrate.
I could have an instrument, take a flute or harp for example. My sister played the flute growing up, and got rather good at it. But when you first pick up that instrument, and you try to blow the air just right over the hole, and then try to push the keys at the same time, it can get very squeaky and a bit annoying. If I were to sit down to play a harp, but had no knowledge of how the strings worked together to make melody, it would sound awful. I have a question. Why do we start kids playing the recorder? Hot Cross Buns, holy smokes. But when played properly we recognize the song being played. You get the point.
It’s the same with a bugle. A bugle is an instrument that was and is still sometimes used to make different calls for the military. The length of the note, as well as the melody that is played tells the soldiers what to do. But if I were to just pick up a bugle and start blowing in it, it would sound horrible. Unless I knew how to use the instrument, it would be confusing to everyone listening.
It’s the same with a misuse of the gift of tongues. If someone just starts uttering random sounds and noises, it will not benefit anyone. In fact, it will be confusing and, according to Paul, fruitless. You would be speaking into thin air. That’s one part of it. But Paul also addresses the actual gift. Even if I am granted the ability to speak an actual human language, if I don’t know what I am saying, I still won’t be able to communicate with the listener.
The obvious problem in the Corinthian church is that their use of the gift of tongues had been doing more damage than good, and so Paul’s counsel was to make sure that whatever gift was being exercised, that it would be for the benefit of the church as a whole.
3. The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts (12) (Read)
It’s ok to be eager for the gifts, to desire the gifts, but just make sure that the glory of God is primary, and that when the gifts are realized, the church is edified, built up and encouraged through the gift. So, let’s talk about the proper use of the gift of tongues.
4. The Proper Function of Tongues (13-17) (Read)
This can be a little confusing if we just breeze through it. So let’s take our time here.
13 - Therefore. In light of the purpose of building up the church, if you are given the gift of speaking in tongues, ask the Spirit to give you the ability to interpret as well.
14 - Here’s why. If I simply pray in a different language, but I don’t know the language, then it doesn’t do anything to help my mind.
15 - So, the desire should be to pray in the Spirit, have the Spirit interpret that prayer, allowing my mind to benefit from the truth that is being prayed. It’s the same with singing. If I were to offer praises to the Lord in another language, but didn’t understand the language, it would be of no benefit to me. However, if I were able to interpret that language, then my mind would benefit because I would understand the truth being proclaimed.
16-17 - I mean think about it. What if I were offering up a praise of thanksgiving, but no one could understand what I was saying?! There would be no benefit in that. Even though it might be a genuine spirit of thankfulness that is coming from the Spirit, the listener is not being built up as a result of your gifting.
5. The Primacy of Prophecy Over Tongues Continued (18-25) (Read)
We see again how Paul prioritizes prophesying. As one who was empowered to speak in tongues, seemingly more-so than anyone else in the church, he would rather proclaim 5 powerful Spirit-infused understandable words than 10,000 words that no one would understand.
And we see his desire for this young church to be mature in their thinking. Don’t get swept up in cultural norms and traditions. Stay true to the faith. “Be infants in evil.” In other words, be childlike or innocent when it comes to evil, but have maturity in your thinking about spiritual things. And here’s how to think about speaking in tongues.
Paul takes their minds back to Isaiah 28:11-12, where God warns Israel that they will face judgement for rejecting Him, and the judgement would include “another tongue” overtaking them, specifically the Assyrians. So the idea is that speaking in tongues can be a way to get the attention of an unbeliever, to warn them of judgment apart from Christ. This is why Paul says in verse 22 that tongues are a sign for the unbeliever, and in contrast, prophesying is a sign for the believer.
He continues by painting this picture of a worship service, one in which the whole congregation were speaking in tongues. I mean how confusing would that be? Paul goes so far as to say that this wouldn’t just be confusing, but the unbeliever would think that the church had lost it’s mind! However, if everyone were proclaiming the gospel, it would bring about conviction, he would be held accountable for his rejection of the gospel, his sin would be handed over and he would fall on his face in worship.
Application
Now, this can be a difficult text for us to apply in our context. We have to remember that Paul was addressing a specific church about specific issues that had gotten out of control. We believe that Scripture is clear as to the gift of speaking in tongues, that it is always an intelligible human language, and it is coupled with the gift of interpretation. We do not believe in confused babble that makes sense to no one.
We do believe that the gift of tongues does still exist today, but that it is always a real human language that the speaker has not previously learned.
With that said, I do believe that application is possible, as with all of Scripture.
Big Idea: All spiritual gifts are given for the purpose of building up the church.
In any manifestation of a spiritual gift, it must be for the edification of the church. And this is the litmus test for us. Does the expression of the gift build up the church?
The gift of prophesy builds up the church because it is a proclamation of the truth of Scripture.
The gift of faith builds up the church because it gives our brothers and sisters an example to follow, and motivates them to more fully trust the Lord.
The gift of discernment builds up the church because it filters out cultural opposition to the gospel, and establishes doctrine founded in the Scriptures.
The gift of administration builds up the church because it keeps everything organized and clear, allowing for the mission and vision to move forward.
The gift of leadership builds up the church because it places people in positions to empower, manage and drive the ministry forward.
The gift of hospitality builds up the church because it operates with open arms from a spirit of welcome and love.
We must understand that the reason that the Holy Spirit has gifted us is first and foremost to glorify God, and the way that we best glorify God in terms of our gifts is by using them to build up His church. So, we have a lens to look through. We can observe and discern whether or not self-proclaimed gifts are really of the Spirit. Are they confusing? Are they chaotic? Are they for selfish gain? Or are the selfless and being used to build the Lord’s Church?
