Intro
The gifts of the Spirit are an essential part of God’s plan for His Church. When the Church is operating in the power of the Spirit, lives are transformed, and cultures are turned toward godliness. When the Church tries to do its work through human ingenuity and carnal resources, we lose every time—no matter how large those resources may seem or how successful our efforts initially appear.
God’s plan is (1) get empowered by the Holy Spirit and (2) in that power take the saving message of the gospel to a lost world. That’s why we are studying the gifts of the Spirit. We need God’s means for accomplishing God’s goals.
The most substantial teaching on the supernatural gifts of the Spirit are found in 1 Cor. 12, 13, and 14. In that letter, Paul is giving instruction and correcting some of the practices at the Corinthian Church. In chapter 13, Paul addresses the most significant problem at Corinth, a lack of love toward one another. The Corinthian Church was operating in the supernatural. But their hearts were not right. It’s possible to do that because God honors faith. But it should not be happening. Love should be motivating our ministries. Paul deals with this most fundamental problem before he goes into specifics in chapter 14. In chapter 14 he will teach them how to operate in the gifts of the Spirit.
It is a gross misunderstanding of Scripture to think Paul is speaking against the gifts in chapter 14. His whole purpose is to tell them HOW to use these gifts effectively. He opens the chapter by saying, “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts….” You can’t make it any plainer than that. “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts….” Don’t do one without the other. They go together. How are these gifts to operate? That is Paul’s instruction in chapter 14.
In this chapter, it is easy to get lost in the details. So, let me begin by giving you two major themes in 1 Cor. 14. The theme in the first 25 verses is found in verse 12: “Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.” Our end objective in all ministry, and particularly when operating in the gifts, is to help others: to encourage them, strengthen them, and comfort them in their journey. Seek to excel in edifying the Church. Operate in the gifts with that principle in mind.
Then, in verses 26-40, the theme is stated in the concluding statement, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” Conduct your public services in an orderly fashion so that you maximize edification or ministry effectiveness.
Today, we will try to get through verse 19. There are three key facts we will address.
I. FUNCTIONAL PURPOSE OF TOUNGES IS DIFFERENT FOR THE FUNCTIONAL PURPOSE OF PROPHECY
Follow with me as we read: 1 Cor 14:1-5 “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. 4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.”i
The primary purpose of tongues is for personal edification. In these verses, Paul makes four statements about tongues.
1. (verse 2) Speaking in tongues is for communication with God, not communication with men. In Acts 2, the 120 were communicating with God, praising Him for His wonderful works. God designed that event so that men from various regions would overhear those praises and understand what they were saying because the languages that were being inspired by the Spirit were languages those men understood. They were not languages understood by those speaking in tongues. But the utterances God was giving were in languages the hearers understood. That was an unusual occurrence because that is not the case in the other occasions in Acts when people spoke in tongues.ii But, in general, God gives utterances in tongues so that we can speak to Him in that way. He does not give tongues as a means to speak to men. This was apparently something the Corinthians did not fully understand.
2. (verse 2) He who speaks in tongues is speaking mysteries out of his spirit.iii He does not understand what he is saying, and those who hear him don’t understand what he’s saying. It’s a mystery to the speakeriv and the hearer. We noted that there are occasional exceptions to this rule, as in Acts 2. But, as a general rule, men don’t understand the language being spoken.
3. (verse 4) He who speaks in tongues edifies himself. He is building up his inner strength in preparation for ministry. In verse 18, Paul says he does this more than any of these Corinthians. He knows the value of praying in tongues and of worshipping God in tongues. But this is something Paul did in private, not in the general assembly. Some twist verse 4 and say it's selfish to edify oneself. First of all, Paul did it more than any of the rest. Secondly, does that mean we’re being selfish when we go to our prayer closet and pray in English? Does that mean we’re being selfish when we spend time in the Bible meditating on the word of God? Edifying oneself is not selfish; it is preparation for serving others. Jude tells believers to build themselves up through prayer. Jude 20 “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit….”
Self-edification is something every believer should do a lot of. And praying in tongues is one way you do that. Paul said (verse 15) “I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding.” In that context, Paul clearly means praying in tongues when he says, “I will pray with the spirit….” It is essential that the Corinthians understand the purpose of tongues so they will use the gift properly. It is primarily given so the believer can build himself up in his private devotions.
4. (verse 5) He who speaks in tongues does a good thing. In verse 5, Paul says, “I wish you all spoke with tongues….” I wish every pastor in America could come into agreement with Paul on that point. Some take the opposite stand—not in my church; I hope none of you speak in tongues. It’s the opposite of what Paul says. “I wish you all spoke with tongues….”
The primary purpose of prophecy is to edify others. This is why Paul strongly prefers prophecy to operate in the general assembly. Paul makes that point in these first five verses.
In verse 1, he states the preference. “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” Now, he will make his case for that preference.
1. (verse 3) “But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.” He who prophesies is speaking to men. It is for their benefit. And if we are operating in love, we want to benefit others. Paul even lists three benefits that come to them through prophecy. The Amplified translates this “speaks to men for their upbuilding and constructive spiritual progress and encouragement and consolation.”
2. (verse 4) He who prophesies edifies the church. And this is what should be happening when you come together for a meeting. At the public meeting, it is not about edifying yourself. You should have already done that in your private prayer closet. We come together for mutual edification. Paul contrasts the effectiveness of prophecy for accomplishing that against the ineffectiveness of uninterpreted tongues in the public meeting.
3. (verse 5) Prophecy has greater value in the public meeting than tongues unless the tongues are interpreted. When the gift of tongues is accompanied by the gift of interpretation, then it is equivalent to prophecy. Why, because the interpretation enables them to understand what is being said; and that understanding benefits them. The objective for public gatherings is once again stated at the end of verse 5, “that the church may receive edification.” That is the criteria to be applied. So, tongues is an effective, useful activity in the private devotions of a believer. In fact, Paul wishes every believer would exercise himself in that privilege. However, when you come together in a public meeting, prophecy is preferred because that gift can build up the church as a whole.
II. OTHERS HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS BEING SAID IN ORDER TO BENEFIT FROM THE MESSAGE.
Paul makes that point in verse 6: “But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching?”
Then, he gives three analogies to illustrate the principle.
1. (verse 7) He uses a musical instrument. “Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played?” People cannot participate with the song unless the instrument gives a meaningful melody and rhythm. If the piano player got up here and just hit random notes, we wouldn’t have much of a worship service. The notes that are played must have order to them and meaning for the hearers. Otherwise, it’s just useless noise. And that is what uninterpreted tongues are like in a service. People just sit there and wait for the person to finish doing his thing.
2. (verse 8) He gives a similar example. But this time it is in the setting of the military. “For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?” In the days before modern means of communication, commands were communicated using a trumpet. It was loud and everyone could hear the sound. The trumpet played a specific melody for reveille and another for taps. The call to retreat was a different melody. And the command to attack was a specific set of notes. In the old western moves, we saw this in action. As long as the trumpeter plays a sound that everyone understands, it is effective. But if he is playing something that has no meaning to the listeners, it is worthless and even confusing. In verse 9, Paul applies this logic to the Corinthians. “So likewise you, unless you utter by thev tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air.”
3.(verses 10-11) give one more analogy. It is the problem we face when trying to communicate with a foreigner who doesn’t know our language; and we don’t know his language. We are unable to benefit each other. It is just sounds in the air. Verse 10 “There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance.” Verse 11 “Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me.” It does not benefit me to hear the guy speak. His words are meaningful, if I understood the meaning. But I don’t. Therefore, his speaking those words to mean is not helpful at all. So Paul gives the point of these illustrations in verse 12. “Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.” And that is not accomplished by uninterpreted tongues in the public meetings.
We are not explicitly told what behaviors were occurring at Corinth that Paul is correcting. But we can get a pretty good idea by reading his corrections. In verse 12 he says that they were zealous for spiritual gifts. Paul never condemns that. He, in fact, commends it. But they apparently were doing some things that were not edifying in the meetings. And our best guess (from all that Paul says here) is that they were spending a lot of time in their meeting with everyone speaking in tongues. They seemed to be particularly impressed with that one gift, perhaps viewing it as a sign of spirituality. When we read the corrections given in chapter 13 and chapter 14, it appears that they were not always motivated to build up others, maybe operating in the gifts to parade their own spirituality before the congregation. The one thing Paul wants these people to do is use tongues for their personal edification in private and use prophecy in the public meetings to build up others. So, he wants the uninterpreted tongues in the public meetings to stop, not because tongues have no value, but because that is the wrong way to use the gift. Now, Paul makes some specific applications of what he has taught. One thing they need to understand, and apparently don’t understand, is this:
III. OPERATING IN TONGUES IN THE PUBLIC MEETING IS DIFFERENT FROM EXERCISION TONGUES IN PRIVATE PRAYER (His primary concern is still the public meetings).
So, in verse 13, he gives a simple instruction: “Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.” Otherwise, you’re not helping anyone at the meeting. His explanation behind that command is in the next verse. Verse 14: “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.” I don’t understand what I’ve said. Neither does anyone else. The church is only built up if I or someone in the congregation gives an interpretation of the tongue. So, if I am going to give a tongue, I should ask the Lord to give me the interpretation so the church can be edified. He may give it to someone else. But I should ask.
In verse 15, Paul turns toward his point in verses 18-19. Verses 15: “What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.” I’m not going to stop praying in tongues. “I will pray with the spirit.” By that, Paul means I will pray in tongues. He also says, “I will sing with the spirit” or sing in tongues. Those are valid activities. Don’t think this correction is aimed at stopping that. I speak in tongues more than you all” (vs 18). However, the emphasis Paul is making in verse 15 is this, “and I will also pray with the understanding.”vi Do that when you collectively pray. “…and I will also sing with the understanding.” Do that in your public song services.
In verse 16, his intention for verse 15 becomes clear. “Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformedvii say "Amen" at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say?” So, his objective is still intelligible speech in the assembly. Paul is not throwing out the baby with the bathwater. But he wants tongues used the way God intends for tongues to be used.
The abuse of tongues is easier to understand by those of us who saw some of it in traditional Pentecostal circles. When the Pentecostal Movement broke out, tongues were a new experience for these Christians. They had heard people teach and preach the Bible. But it was absolutely amazing for them that someone could enter into the supernatural phenomenon called tongues. Because their understanding of it was limited, they often spent years seeking to be filled with the Spirit and speak in tongues. Those who did speak in tongues were highly esteemed as particularly spiritual. I remember that attitude even in the early ‘60’s. It became the distinctive of the Pentecostal Movement, and services often revolved around speaking in tongues and people seeking God to be filled with the Spirit and speak in tongues. Some of the violations that Paul is addressing in our text were going on in that movement.
When the Charismatic Movement came in the late ’60s and early ’70s, God did an interesting thing. He used the Pentecostals to introduce people in mainline denominations to the supernatural operation of the gifts. But He also used those mainline people to challenge some of the practices of the Pentecostals. Both groups benefited. Many across denominational lines were filled with the Spirit and initiated into supernatural ministry. But Pentecostals were confronted with passages like 1 Corinthians 14 and began to submit to some of the guidelines Paul gives in our text. Today, there is significant variation in style among the Pentecostal/Charismatics. But overall there is a higher respect for the instructions given in Corinthians for the exercise of the gifts.
Does Paul condemn speaking in tongues in verse 17? No, praising God in unknown tongues is a good thing. But it doesn’t accomplish the purpose of the gathering. 1 Cor. 14:17: “For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified.” That’s the balance of Paul’s correction. Praising God in tongues is a wonderful thing to do. But it is not designed as a means to build up others.
Notice, in verses 18 and 19, how Paul distinguishes between private and public exercise of tongues. If you don’t grasp the distinction he makes here, it is hard to understand a lot of what he is saying. Praying in tongues in private to build oneself up in preparation for ministry is something Paul did more than any of these Corinthians. And they were enamored with tongue speaking. But “in the church” (in the general assembly), tongues must be interpreted to be of any value for the congregation. Verse 18: “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.” This distinction between private and public (in the church) glossolaliaviii is key to understanding this chapter.
Conclusion:
So, when we apply this teaching to our own lives, we may have a slightly different problem than the Corinthians had. They were speaking in tongues in the public meetings without an interpretation. I don’t know whether they were speaking in tongues a lot in their private prayer closet or not. It would have been a double error, if they weren’t. I know that in our congregation, there is very little tongue speaking in the service, and when it happens, it is interpreted. The pressing question for us is this: How much do we pray in tongues in our private devotions? Paul did it a lot. Do you pray at home in tongues a lot? The value is only realized in the doing. Having it as a doctrinal statement does us no practical good. How much time do you spend praying in tongues in your private devotions? Maybe God would use this message to stir your heart to do that more. Do not neglect the gift that is in you.
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii In the absence of any statement to the contrary, we must conclude that believers’ experiences in Acts 10:46 and Acts 19:6 were consistent with Paul’s teaching here in 1 Cor. 14:2.
iii Paul is referring to the human spirit, in contrast to the mind. However, this is by the Holy Spirit because the believer’s spirit is joined to the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:17), and the Holy Spirit is the one who inspires the utterance (Acts 2:4; 1 Cor. 12:11).
iv 1 Cor. 14: 14, “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.”
v “To avoid confusing the organ of speech with speaking in tongues, Paul includes the definite article (tes glosses) and the preposition (dia).” David Garland, Baker Exegetical commentary in the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003) p. 636.
vi Gordon D. Fee, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The First Epistle to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1987) p. 670. The error at Corinth Paul is correcting is uninterpreted tongues in the public assembly. Today's more prominent error is the lack of speaking in tongues in personal devotions. If that error were being corrected the emphasis would shift to, “I will pray with the understanding, but I will also pray with the spirit.”
vii Commentaries wrestle with who the “uninformed” are, but the simple point Paul is making is those who don’t know the language being spoken can’t say “Amen” to what is being said and can’t benefit from the message.
viii Speaking in tongues
