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.
I. SOME GUIDELINES FOR OPERATING IN TONGUES AND PROPHECY (vs 26-33)
So Paul has argued for prophecy over uninterpreted tongues in the public meeting. He has based his argument on the effect each has on both believers and unbelievers who may be present. With that argument complete, Paul now issues some guidelines for operating in tongues and prophecy. In verse 26 he states the overall guideline for managing the service. Your objective is to maximize edification. Keep that goal in mind at all times. “How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.” The variety of expressions is great, but it’s not a variety show. It’s building up one another in the faith.
So here are guidelines directed at that objective. Verse 27: “If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret.” Three regulations for the operation of tongues in the public meeting.
(a) No more than two or three messages in tongues per service
(b) speak one at a time (c) someone should interpret the message in tongues. Thus, the instruction in verse 28, “But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.” This may mean that he should wait and pray in tongues at home. However, I take it to mean that he could speak in tongues under his breath as long as no one could hear and no one is distracted by it.viii
Verse 29-32 gives regulations for operating in the gift of prophecy.
(a) No more than two or three prophecies in a service. Verse 29: “Let two or three prophets speak…,” This guideline is similar to the one for tongues and interpretation. So, you can have as many as three tongues with interpretation and three prophecies.ix
(b) At the end of verse 29, another guideline is added, “…and let the others judge.” Prophecy must be judged by the other prophets and by the congregation as a whole. Is this a word from the Lord, or is the person just speaking out of his or her own thoughts? At some point, I intend to give a teaching on how to judge prophecy. But for our purposes right now, just know that all ministry should be subject to an evaluation as to its validity. This is not necessarily a formal process, but believers are responsible for judging the message by the Word and by the Spirit. Hopefully, we can deal with that more fully at a later time.
(c) Defer to one another. Verse 30: “But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent.” If I start to give a prophecy and notice someone else also has a word, then yield to the other person and let him give his message. The cardinal rule here is courtesy. If I’m giving a long prophecy and notice someone else has a word, I may need to conclude so the other person can prophesy. Since we don’t know the exact setting of the way this was working at Corinth, we cannot be totally sure of the details. But if we will honor and prefer one another, we will fulfill the intent of the regulation.
(d) Speak one at a time. Verse 31: “For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged.” I take this to mean you can all prophesy in this service or later in another service.x In other words, be courteous, and you’ll get your chance to give the revelation God has given you. There is an underlying assumption here: that the person has a word from the Lord. It’s not that everybody just takes turns speaking. But if a person has a word from the Lord, then opportunity should be given for him to share it.
In verses 32-33, Paul makes two observations that support the guidelines he has just given.
(a) Verse 32: “And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.” Don’t tell me the Spirit made you do it; He never makes anyone do anything in that way. He gently leads us, and we are responsible to follow. This is an excuse I’ve heard among traditional Pentecostals at times: that the Spirit just took over, and the person had to speak the tongues or the prophecy. But Paul is saying that is never the case. It is not the way the Holy Spirit works. He always honors freewill. In the cults, people may go into a frenzy or a trance and be driven by a spirit. But that is contrary to the operations of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will prompt you to do something, but He leaves you with the choice as to whether you will obey it or not. Many people don’t enter into the baptism in the Holy Spirit because they don’t understand what Paul is saying here. Some people ask to be filled with the Spirit, but they expect the Holy Spirit to just take them over, overwhelm them, and force them to speak in tongues. It may be because they just want to make sure it’s God. The problem is there is no faith in that, and it's contrary to the way God works. You have to cooperate with the Spirit. You have to speak in tongues when He gives the utterance.xi He doesn’t speak in tongues for you. When you got born again, you had to ask for forgiveness and confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus.xii God did not do that part for you. God does His part, but we must do our part. Paul is saying, “You can obey these rules that I’m giving for the operation of the gifts because “…the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.”
(b) Verse 33: “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” These regulations issue from the very nature of God. Where there is chaos, He brings order. Just look at Genesis 1 and you can see that. Just look at the stars or a tiny cell in the human body. Our God is a God of order, not chaos. And that order produces peace, not turmoil.
First, acknowledge these rules because they flow from the very nature of God. Second, recognize them because they are accepted by all the churches. I’m not just putting this on you. All the churches follow these guidelines.xiii These guidelines must be followed, but they should be ministered in the spirit of love. Administering them in a harsh, rigid, Pharisaical manner is not in keeping with the teaching in 1 Corinthians 13. Let everything you do be seasoned with grace.xiv Therefore, if someone oversteps a limit, we gently instruct the person in a better understanding of how it’s done. We celebrate their efforts, just as we would a toddler taking his first few steps. Then we take him by the hand and teach him how to walk and eventually run. First Corinthians 13 is the heartbeat of this teaching on the gifts. Application of chapter 14 must be done in that spirit.
II. A CORRECTION TO THE WOMEN OF THE CHURCH (vs 34-35)
Paul issues a correction to the women of the church in verses 34-35: “Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says.xv 35 And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church.”
This is a very difficult and controversial passage,xvi largely because we have such little information here. Paul talks a lot about their abuse of tongues; because of that, we can get a pretty good idea of what he was correcting. But here, we have very little to go on. We can be sure that he is correcting some behavior that was distracting and out of order. But we don’t know exactly what that was.
Our best clue is what he says in verse 35: “And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home….” Some have suggested that at Corinth, the women sat on one side of the room, and the men sat on the other side. When a woman had a question about what was said, she would go over to her husband and ask him to explain it. This would obviously be a big distraction and create confusion. However, we don’t know whether the women sat on one side, separate from the men, or not in the early church. We know the Jewish synagogues operated that way.xvii But we don’t know whether the early church did or not.xviii We do know that women were not privileged to the same educational opportunities as men.xix Even if they were sitting together, it would be natural for a wife to turn and ask her husband a question. Regardless of exactly what was going on, it was probably a distraction. The instruction Paul gives in 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 provides some insight on the situation at Corinth, but we do not have time in this message to fully explore that passage.xx
We can certainly know that Paul is not making a universal statement that women are to be silent in the church.
(1) If that were the case, he is contradicting what he has already said in chapter 11. In the first part of 1 Corinthians 11, Paul teaches the women how to operate in prophecy. The underlying assumption of that whole pericope is that the women will be prophesying in the church.
(2) Additionally, Paul has said a few verses earlier in I Corinthians 14:31 “…you may all prophesy….” Paul’s instruction in verses 34-35 is to correct a specific behavior that was going on at Corinth.
(3) The prophesy Peter related to the church in Acts 2 from Joel clearly says both men and women will prophesy. Acts 2:16: “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.” In fact, on that day, Mary, the mother of Jesus, was speaking prophetically, as were the other women among the 120.
(4) Even in the Old Testament, Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah in the days of Josiah (2 Kings 22:14) were prophetesses.
(5) Phillip had four daughters who prophesied (Acts 21:9).
(6) And Paul commends a number of women for their ministries. In chapter 16 of this epistle, he writes, “The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla [a husband/wife team] greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.” He names Euodia and Syntyche (two women) as his co-laborers in the gospel (Phil. 4:2-3).
The whole weight of Scripture asserts the right of women to prophesy. First Corinthians 14:34-35 is sometimes used as a “proof text” to make a universal statement that women should be silent in the church. This is often done by sincere Christians who are admirably committed to the authority of the scriptures. But when you compare scripture with scripture and look at it in the context of what Paul is saying in this letter, you have to realize Paul is addressing a specific behavior that needs to stop. We should not let this obscure passage in verses 34-35 negate clearer passages on the subject.
The subject of women’s participation in ministry is vast and complex. It is somewhat incidental to the purpose of this series. Therefore, I will give a few biblical principles that will help us understand what Paul is saying, and then move on.
(1) In the church, men and women are of equal value as children of God.xxi After talking about our justification, Paul says in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” That does not mean we don’t have different roles in this life. I am currently functioning in the role of a pastor. Not every Christian does that. Not every Christian functions as an evangelist the way Billy Graham did. I function as a husband, and Jeanie functions as a wife, but we are of equal value in the eyes of God. Jesus said in the resurrection we would not have marriage roles but would be like the angels which are in heaven (Mark 12:25). Roles don’t define value. And, any thinking that sees women as inferior to men is absolutely contrary to Scripture.
(2) The Bible clearly assigns the leadership role in a marriage to the husband. Ephesians 5:22-24: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.” However, this submission has to be interpreted in the light of the husband’s responsibility to love his wife and the exhortation in Ephesians 5:21 that we all be “submitting to one another in the fear of God.” There are several other passages that reinforce the wife’s role in submission to her husband.xxii The Greek word (gune) translated women in 1 Corinthians 14:34 and 35, could just as well be translated wives. In fact, the language in verse 35 makes this a better translation. The Message and the World English Bible translate it that way. I think it helps our understanding of the passage to see that. One other biblical principle is important to apply.
(3) Avoid unnecessary offenses. This goes back to chapter 13, but it is prevalent in this epistle. In chapter 8, Paul talks about not eating meats offered to idols to avoid being a stumbling block to another believer. In chapter 9, he talks about sacrificing his right to financial support rather than hinder the gospel. First Corinthians 9:12: “If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ.”
In verse 20 he drives the principle home: “and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” Notice the cultural sensitivity in that passage. Paul won’t compromise absolutes to accommodate culture, but he will adapt non-essentials in order to not needlessly offend the people he is trying to reach.
In Chapter 11, Paul addresses the manner in which women are to prophesy. There, he expresses concern that the women at Corinth not dishonor their husbands. Now, in our text in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, this seems to be a factor as well. Notice in verse 34 that Paul does not say this is a distraction, although it probably was since he is dealing with order in the services. Instead, his correction is given because what they are doing is “shameful” or “disgraceful.” In this context, the Greek word, aischros, is talking about what society views as inappropriate behavior. Therefore, it is relative to the culture. The same word is used in chapter 11:6 where Paul is talking about a wife bringing dishonor to her husband.xxiii So whatever the wives were doing, it was probably considered disgraceful in the culture and dishonoring to the husband. Therefore, I will give you my take on 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 with the reservation that there is a lot about this we do not know. Thus, we need to be somewhat tentative, rather than dogmatic, about our interpretation. Paul is correcting a specific behavior rather than making a universal statement. We know that by the genre of the text and by the whole counsel of God from Scripture as a whole. Paul is most likely addressing wives rather than women in general. The Bible clearly establishes the wife’s role as being in submission to her husband. Whatever behavior that was going on (and we could speculate all day long about that) it sent the wrong message in that culture and was probably dishonoring to the husband’s family leadership.xxiv So these wives need to have a submissive attitude toward the husband, and behave in a way that is honoring to him. If they have questions, they should wait and get an explanation from their husband at home rather than disrupt the church service with the question.
III. CONCLUSION OF THE INSTRUCTION ABOUT SPIRITUAL GIFTS (vs 36-40)
Paul concludes his instruction on spiritual gifts in verses 36-40. He confronts their pride and independence with some sarcasm in verse 36. He asks two questions that ought to put them in their place: “Or did the word of God come originally from you? Or was it you only that it reached?” Paul is giving instruction that the other churches are complying with. Verse 37: “If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.” I’m not just giving you my opinion on these things; I’m giving the commandments of the Lord on the matter. Verse 38: “But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant.” I have given you instruction from the Lord. I have given you the commandments of the Lord that you are to follow. But you can rebel against it and remain ignorant. Paul sincerely hopes they won’t, but submission is a choice. The NIV gives an alternative translation which recognizes a possible play on words in the Greek. Verse 37: “If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command.” Verse 38: “If he ignores this, he himself will be ignored.” He will not be acknowledged or recognized.
Then he gives the bottom-line take-away of everything he has said in this discussion of spiritual gifts: three things to sum it all up.
(1) Verse 39: “Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy,”
(2) “and do not forbid to speak with tongues.” How many in the Body of Christ are violating that command?
(3) Verse 40 “Let all things be done decently and in order.”
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii Paul is actually paraphrasing the Isaiah text. David Garland deals with this extensively on pp. 645-648 of Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1 Corinthians.
iii The rest of verse 22 says, “…but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe.” Prophecy is primarily for the benefit of believers, not unbelievers. However, Paul is about to show the benefit it can be for unbelievers. Prophecy is primarily for the edifying of the church, as Paul has already taught in 1 Cor. 14:3-5. Although Paul does not specifically say prophecy is a “sign” for believers, Fee understands prophecy as a sign to believers of God’s favor and presence (pp. 682-683).
iv In order to believer, people have to hear truth in a language they understand (Rom. 10:14).
v It is inappropriate to go beyond Paul’s intended purpose with this quote. Paul’s purpose is to simply show the ineffectiveness of uninterpreted tongues in its effect on unbelievers and contrast this to the effectiveness of communicating in a language they understand. See p. 680 Gordon Fee (TNICNT: The First Epistle to the Corinthians).
vi Amazingly, the Catholic Church violated this principle, conducting mass in Latin, from the fourth century to the 1960’s (See http://www.reuters.com/article/us-pope-latin-facts-idUSTRE74C2C220110513). The priests were not operating in the gift of tongues, as discussed in our text, but they were violating the principle expressed in 1 Cor. 14.
vii Paul could be using the Greek, idiotes, in a technical sense to refer to an “inquirer.” Most likely he simply means someone unlearned in the Christian faith. Fee pp. 684-685.
viii 1 Cor 14:17 “For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified.”
ix Paul could mean that no more than two or three people can prophecy during the service or he could mean that no more than two or three speak before the prophecies are judged. However, the overall subject beginning in 1 Cor. 12:1 is the regulation of spiritual gifts. That this instruction for prophecy parallels the instruction given in verse 27 for tongues and interpretation seems more likely.
x However, the interpretation here depends on how we interpreted verse 29.
xi Acts 2:4 “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” They did the speaking; the Holy Spirit gave the utterance.
xii Rom 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
xiii Paul confronts their pride and independence with two rhetorical questions in verse 36.
xiv Col. 4:6; 1 Thess. 2:7-8.
xv There is no Old Testament verse that says this, but Paul may be referring to Gen. 3:16 and the general tenor of the Law on this subject. Peter reflects a similar understanding in 1 Pet. 3:6.
xvi Gordon Fee (pp. 699-708) contends these two verses were not in the original text and the New Revised Standard Version puts verses 33b-36 in parenthesis to indicate the uncertainty of its origin. However, David Garland (p. 666) points out “the fact that no ancient manuscript lacks it.”
xvii Talmud, Succah 51a-52b, as quoted in “Women in Judaism,” retrieved at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Judaism. “Separation from the men was created by the Rabbis in the Mishnah and the Talmud. Some orthodox Jewish congregations today are arranged that way.
xviii Fee says this is pure speculation (p. 703).
xix Judy L. Brown, Women Ministers According to Scripture (Kearney, NE: Morris Publishing, 1996) p. 271.
xx For a full discussion of this passage see Judy Brown, Women Ministers According to Scripture, pp. 243-264.
xxi Judy Brown explores this extensively on pp. 233-242 in Women Ministers According to Scripture.
xxii Col. 3:18; 1 Tim. 2:11-15; Titus 2:5; 1 Peter 3:1-6
xxiii David E. Garland, p.668.
xxiv The abiding principle both here and in the first half of chapter 11 is that wives should not conduct themselves in a way that is dishonoring to their husbands. What that is will vary from culture to culture, but the principle always applies. Husbands should not dishonor the wife either, but that is not the problem that Paul is confronting here.
