Women, Tongues, And Church Order Series

Intro

We are in the last half of 1 Cor. 14 for our text today. Last week, we concluded with Paul’s words in verses 18-19, “I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; 19 yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”i In the first half of this chapter, Paul has taught the Corinthians the importance of speaking in a language that people understand when they gather for church services. The objective of those gatherings is to build-up (edify) one another. That is accomplished through the language people understand. It is not accomplished by speaking in tongues unless the tongues are interpreted.

In verses 20-25, Paul backs up those assertions by pointing out the effect prophecy has on the hearers who are unbelievers, in contrast to the effect tongues has on those hearers. Follow with me as we read those verses. “Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature. [The implication of that statement is the Corinthians were immature in their understanding of this subject. They need instruction, so he’s asking them to be open to what he is teaching them. It’s a good thing to be uninformed and innocent concerning evil. But in your worship of God, you need to grow up and develop more effective practices. Specifically, you need to stop speaking in uninterpreted tongues during the church service. That is primarily for your private devotional life. You need to orchestrate the service to maximize edification of the church. This is done through prophecy and other communications in the known language.] In verse 21, Paul offers an Old Testament quote to lend authority to his point. The passage is found in Isa. 28:11-12. In that context, Israel had refused the plain, clear message coming from Isaiah. Since they refused God’s message that was spoken to them in an understandable language, God would now deal with them in the foreign language of the conquering Assyrians, a language they would not understand. This did not bring Israel to repentance. It only served to confirm their unbelief and only served as a sign of God’s judgment on their unbelief. First Corinthians 14:21: “In the law it is written: ‘With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; And yet, for all that, they will not hear Me,’ says the Lord.” Now, in verse 22, Paul makes his point. “Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers…”iii It is a sign that they are in unbelief. Speaking in tongues to unbelievers will not bring them to repentance.iv In fact, their response will only confirm their unbelief. They will simply think you’re all crazy and walk away.v Verse 23: “Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind?” It won’t lead to their conversion. Paul is contrasting the ineffectiveness of uninterpreted tongues in a service to the effectiveness of prophecy (communicating in a language people understand).vi

In contrast to the way unbelievers will respond to uninterpreted tongues, Paul now shows how speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit in a language they understand will result in their conversion. Verse 24: “But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed personvii comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. 25 And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.” The idea here is that the one prophesying would say something that exposes to the unbeliever his sin and guilt before God. As a result of that conviction, the unbeliever would “fall down” in repentance and turn to God. What uninterpreted tongues could not do, prophetic utterance accomplishes. This, again, reinforces Paul's argument for understandable speech in the public meetings.

When I was 14 years old, I attended a youth revival on a Friday night in April. I entered that meeting feeling just fine about myself. I had little thought about eternity. My thoughts were about girlfriends and popularity. But as the gospel was preached and people prophesied, an awareness of sin came over me. By the end of that service, I was in a terrible state of conviction. Then came the altar call. Everybody was standing, and I was just hoping no one noticed me. Somehow, I knew at that moment something I had never realized before. I was a sinner, and if I were to die at that moment, I would go straight to hell. Only the Holy Spirit can awaken a soul to that truth. But He used the messages in words I could understand to convince me of those things. I was in a struggle that would define my eternal destiny. Resist the Holy Spirit or go forward and acknowledge my sinfulness before all. I held to the back of the pew in front of me so tight my knuckles were white. The altar call was being extended even though others had gone forward and no one else was coming. Then a man came to me and offered to go forward with me. I told him to leave me alone, and he went back to his seat. The conviction went up exponentially. It was unbearable. I am a sinner, and hell is my just sentence. I finally turned loose of the pew and stepped into the aisle. When I got to the front, there was a mentally handicapped boy about my age there to greet me. He said, “All you have to do is ask Jesus to forgive you.” That’s what I did, and I have never been the same since. That’s what Paul is talking about in verse 25.