1st Corinthians 14:26-40

Paul has now devoted almost 4 chapters of this letter to healthy church rhythms. He’s talked about head coverings, and communion, and spiritual gifts, and love. He’s focused in on speaking in tongues and on prophecy. All of this because the church in Corinth had become a place of chaos. If you remember the history of that city, it had become a place known for its rampant immorality. That cultural reality had begun to infiltrate the church. If you remember earlier in the letter, Paul called them out for affirming and even celebrating a man’s affair with his mother-in-law. Not only that, but temple worship was huge in that culture. There were temples everywhere. Those temples were places of chaos, where debauchery abounded. That chaotic idol worship had also entered the walls of this young church. 

Take that experience for many of these young believers, and throw in the Holy Spirit’s power being poured out onto and out of these believers, and they didn’t know what to do! So they prioritized the wrong gifts, had a misunderstanding of those gifts, and all of that led to a really unhealthy and chaotic scene in the church. 

So, he spends 4 chapters talking about how these gifts are meant to be used effectively, and he comes to the end of chapter 14 which is a conclusion to this lengthy section. 

Read 1st Corinthians 14:26-40

Big Idea: God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. 

1. A Worship Gathering is Meant to Build Up Believers (26)

Paul has said this multiple times now. The purpose of spiritual gifts being expressed in a church setting is for the glory of God, and for the edification of the body as a whole. One of the cool parts of this verse is that we get a little glimpse into the 1st century church. It would appear that many people participated in many different ways. Some came with a song to share, a life lesson, a revelation from the Lord, a word from the Lord in a language that some present would understand, and an interpretation of that language for those that didn’t understand the language. There was a lot going on, and Paul just needed to help provide some order to their worship services. 

And so we are reminded yet again that the purpose of every gift that the Holy Spirit has given us is on purpose, for the building up of the church. Now, Paul does not lay out a structure for a worship service. This isn’t a talk on liturgy. The main issue that he’s been addressing is the imbalance of the expression of tongues and prophecy. So when we talk about order, really what we are talking about is the proper use of those gifts in a worship service setting. It’s like Paul looking over the courtroom that has erupted, banging his gavel and shouting “order! Order in the church!”

2. Proper Order in a Worship Gathering (27-35)

Right in the middle of this section, we find the justification for all of it. God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. And even though contextually this has to do with the misapplication of tongues and prophecy, this applies universally to the Lord’s Church. The Greek word behind “confusion” implies a state of chaos or disorder. The Greek word behind “peace” implies tranquility and harmony. More broadly it speaks of “wholeness” and “well-being.” 

What Paul is saying is that God is not the author of confusion and chaos. We see this back at the very beginning in creation. There was a specific order in which things were created so that there would be proper functionality. He had to first separate the waters so that he could then gather them up into oceans and seas. This had to happen before vegetation could sprout up. This had to happen before He created animals so that they would have something to eat. But it wasn’t just a sequence that established order, it was the harmony that was effectively working at the core of all of it. God created and set things into motion. Everything worked together in that state of perfection. We could continue talking about the harmony of the human body, and how everything has to be working together for us to live. God is a God of order and of peace. And when our worship services get out of control and chaotic, it is not an accurate picture of the Lord and how He created things to be, and it is definitely not a good representation to an unbelieving world. 

A. Tongues (27-28)

Paul gives permission for tongues to be utilized in a worship service, but there is a proper way to do it. If anyone has the gift of tongues, and there is someone present who speaks a different language, then by all means allow room for the word to be spoken. But, there are a few requirements attached: 

• 1 or 2 would be ideal, but no more than 3 per service

• Make sure that you take turns

• Make sure there is an interpreter present

Now I want to sidestep for just a moment. I believe all of this talk about speaking in tongues, as well as needing an interpreter, can be confusing in our Western context. Here at Family Church, we all speak and understand English, so there isn’t a need for a tongue speaker. We have to remember that the church at Corinth was made up of many different cultures. The apostles spoke Aramaic and Hebrew, while Greek and Latin were also prominent. During that time, many were traveling so a lot of other languages were present as well. So, an apostle that might be given the ability to speak in Latin would need someone to interpret so that others would understand as well. Back to our text.

What happens if someone is given the ability to speak in tongues, but there is no interpreter present? Then that person must remain silent. Why? Because if they speak in a tongue but there is no interpretation, then it is creating confusion rather than order. 

B. Prophecy (29-32)

If someone has the gift of prophecy, the gift of understanding and proclaiming the truth of the Scriptures, there are requirements attached to this as well:

• Keep the amount of speakers to 2 or 3 per service. 

• When someone is prophesying, the others who had the gift of prophecy would discern what they were saying. 

• If one of the others was sitting there, and was given a word from the Lord, they would stand up to speak, and the one presently speaking would step out of the way and be silent. 

• In the same way as tongues, prophetic words are given one-by-one, and here’s the key, “so that all may learn and all may be encouraged.” 

• Finally, Paul says that prophets are held accountable by other prophets. From one commentator on this arrangement: 

• Each true "prophet" was in full control of his faculties, so the prophets could speak one at a time, each in proper order, and all were fully capable of stopping and deferring to each other if it was clear that he also had a message from God.

Why? Because God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. 

The next few verses can be quite confusing, and again, taken out of context can be very damaging. Re-read vs. 34-35.

This cannot possibly be a blanket statement by Paul. This cannot possibly mean that women should remain silent at all times in church. In chapter 11:5, Paul permits women to pray and to prophesy in a public gathering. This would be a direct contradiction. So what is Paul saying then? 

Remember that with all of Scripture, context is key. The concern for Paul here, specifically in chapter 14, is that their worship gatherings had become disorderly and chaotic. Based on what Paul has already addressed, it seems like everyone was doing and saying whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. Those gifted with tongues were speaking at the same time, those given a revelation were shouting, and there was no discernment over what was being prophesied. Women were voicing their disagreement, and questioning what was being proclaimed.

As a result, Paul tells various people to “keep silent.” In vs. 27-28, a person with a tongue must be silent if someone else is speaking, or if there is no one to interpret. The same was true of a prophet in vs. 29-31. Here, we see that women should keep silent and show proper submission. But again, context is key, and in context Paul is addressing the evaluation of tongues and prophecy. 

In 1st Timothy 2, Paul prohibits women from exercising authority over men in a worship gathering. In 1st Corinthians 14, Paul prohibits women from vocally evaluating truth proclaimed through tongues or prophecy. If a woman spoke up and questioned what a man was saying, she would be disorderly, and would be in essence questioning his authority. 

This is why, in verse 35, when Paul mentions them desiring to learn, he was talking about the desire to know more about what was being preached, and rather than interrupting the service, waiting until they got home to talk to their husbands about it. 

The shame brought upon a woman in church was not every time that she spoke, but was when she interrupted the service to challenge what was being preached. 

We must not apply this as an absolute rule. By no means does Paul say that women are to remain silent at all times. Taking the context of 1st Corinthians, and the added section in 1st Timothy, we would say that we believe women have a voice in every area of ministry, except in a position where she would hold authority over men. For example holding the office of Elder, or preaching to the congregation as a whole.

3. The Lord is the Author of Order (36-40)

Here is Paul’s final statement on the matter, and it comes in the form of rhetorical sarcasm. “You Corinthians think you really are something. Are you the ones who brought the gospel to Corinth? Are you the only ones who the Lord has shown favor to? Listen, if you want to disagree on these matters, I’m not the one saying it. This is all coming from the Lord!” And then Paul challenges them. “If you won’t recognize that this is the way things are meant to operate, then the church will not recognize you or your gifts. You will become but a spectator. So yes, desire prophecy, leave room for tongues, but you better get your house in order, because God is a God of order.”

Application

As we continue to march through 1st Corinthians together, we want to ensure that we are a healthy church, shaped by the gospel. And so our big idea for this morning, God is not a God of confusion, but of peace, is an important truth that we must pursue. 

And while certain gifts may not be exercised in our context, we can take heed at what Paul is saying here. As a church that wants to glorify God, love one another, and take the gospel to a desperately hopeless world, we want to operate in such a way that is clear, that is biblical, and that creates harmony and peace. We don’t want to do anything that would distract from the Lord. We don’t want to do anything that draws people’s gaze away from Jesus. 

We’ve talked about this the last few weeks, but there are churches that have practices during their worship services that are chaotic and distracting. Now listen, we don’t want church to be boring, but there is a certain reverence and respect that the gathering should produce. We come together to meet with the Creator of the Universe, to empty ourselves in worship. 

In everything we do, we want Jesus to shine through. Unfortunately, for many church leaders, the affirmation of their gifts by others can cause them to become puffed up. It can cause them to have a false view of themselves. It can cause selfish desires and selfish pursuits. It can cause them to flaunt the gift rather than the Giver.

A practical way that we can avoid confusion is by preaching the Word! If we stay true to what the Scriptures say, and we don’t waver one way or the other, and we don’t let culture dictate our Truth, then we maintain order. 

Another practical way we can avoid confusion is by singing songs that are upward focused, songs to and about the Lord. We want to sing correct theology. 

Listen, we want to be a church that honors the Lord in this gathering. We want to be a people and place that reflect harmony and peace, and the motivation goes back to Paul said, “so that they may be saved.”