It Starts Small

Love should be pursued as the greatest mark of all believers. But that in no way means that spiritual gifts are not important. They are also to be desired, but used with love. We need to understand that the Corinthians were greatly abusing the gift of tongues. What they were practicing was often actually very different than the actual gift. Satan loves to counterfeit all things of the Lord and these people had a counterfeit gift.

In many cases they were speaking gibberish, a fake language in order to show their spirituality. This practice was greatly influenced by the pagan religions. They also practiced speaking an ecstatic speech to their gods. They claimed these speeches contained supposed mysteries that only a few elite could understand. It seems that the Corinthian church’s use of tongues was influenced by this gibberish or babble. As a result, the real gift of tongues was replaced by the counterfeit.

Regardless, prophecy was superior to this and even to the correct use of tongues. Notice that prophesy is not only predicting the future like most people think. The Old Testament prophets spoke a lot of messages and only a small percentage was actually predicting the future. Prophecy was simply speaking God’s message to the people, making the will of God known. It was acting as a messenger/spokesman for God in order to exhort, console, and edify.

⁴ The person who speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.

1 Corinthians 14:4

No real gift is for exalting oneself. They are all for edifying the body. It is clear that the Corinthians mentioned in this verse were not using the real gift. They were deceived by a counterfeit. The real gift of tongues still edifies others. It builds up the church by acting as a sign. It is also used as a teaching tool.

 ⁵ I wish all of you spoke in tongues, but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.

1 Corinthians 14:5

Tongues, used properly, is good. But it is not as good as prophecy.

⁶ So now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? ⁷ Even lifeless instruments that produce sounds—whether flute or harp—if they don’t make a distinction in the notes, how will what is played on the flute or harp be recognized? ⁸ In fact, if the bugle makes an unclear sound, who will prepare for battle? ⁹ In the same way, unless you use your tongue for intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air. ¹⁰ There are doubtless many different kinds of languages in the world, none is without meaning. ¹¹ Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me. ¹² So also you—since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek to excel in building up the church.

1 Corinthians 14:6-12

In these verses there are a lot of cues about the counterfeit that the Corinthians were using. Apparently they were babbling and speaking gibberish with no real meaning. They weren’t speaking a real language at all. Paul uses a number of analogies to show the uselessness of this kind of practice. If there is no meaning to the words, it is pointless.

On the other hand, this section shows clearly what real tongues are. Real tongues are real languages speaking real words with real meaning to teach people. It is not just random words in another language, but it is using another language to teach/exhort/prophecy etc. Every language has meaning and tongues also have meaning. They are not to confuse or impress or for show. They are to communicate. Verse 12 makes this clear. It also shows us that a purpose of tongues is to allow people to communicate. Without it, they would be like barbarians to each other. Therefore, I believe the gift of tongues temporarily rolls back the curse at the Tower of Babel. This allows communication as a sign. It helps more people hear and believe the words of God. And just like with English or Chinese, when you speak a language, you don’t speak random words. Instead, you speak sentences to convey a thought to others.

¹³ Therefore the person who speaks in a tongue should pray that he can interpret. ¹⁴ For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. ¹⁵ What then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing praise with the spirit, and I will also sing praise with my understanding. ¹⁶ Otherwise, if you praise with the spirit, how will the outsider say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? ¹⁷ For you may very well be giving thanks, but the other person is not being built up. ¹⁸ I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you;

1 Corinthians 14:13-18

Tongues must be interpreted. Another way the Corinthians were abusing them was speaking them in the midst of church services without any interpretation. This caused confusion. No one understood what the speaker was saying. It is not profitable to the speaker or to the church if no one can understand it. The mind and spirit need to worship in conjunction. If there is no understanding, true worship is not taking place.

Also, gifts are for the building up of the church and not for oneself. So tongues is not helpful if an individual uses it in their own communion with the Lord. It is to be demonstrated in a public place with interpretation so everyone can understand and worship the Lord together.

Paul emphasizes a side note. He makes it clear that it is ridiculous to say “Amen” if you don’t know what is going on. Our “amen” is like giving support and agreement. Therefore we should understand and agree with what is being said if we are to say “amen”.

Paul addressed the idea that he was harsh on tongues out of jealousy. In verse 18, he tells them that he did speak in tongues more than all of them. There is no specific record of Paul doing this, but he must have. And he must have practiced it in accordance with the rules he laid down. This is to say that proper use of tongues was still good and proper, but not as desirable as prophecy. The Corinthians who thought they had it should be humble. They thought they were so great. They need to realize it is not the supreme spiritual gift.

¹⁹ yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

²⁰ Brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your thinking, but be infants in regard to evil and adult in your thinking. ²¹ It is written in the law,

I will speak to this people
by people of other tongues
and by the lips of foreigners,
and even then, they will not listen to me,

says the Lord. ²² Speaking in tongues, then, is intended as a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers. ²³ If, therefore, the whole church assembles together and all are speaking in tongues and people who are outsiders or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds? ²⁴ But if all are prophesying and some unbeliever or outsider comes in, he is convicted by all and is called to account by all. ²⁵ The secrets of his heart will be revealed, and as a result he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is really among you.”

1 Corinthians 19-25

A sign to unbelievers. At first glance it seems to be saying that tongues is a sign to unbelievers so that they will believe. But when looking at Isaiah 28 and then verses 23 through 25 here, it doesn’t seem to be saying that. In fact, verse 23 mentions that when unbelievers enter, they will hear people speaking tongues. This will make them think that the church is mad. This indeed is what happened in Acts when many Jews thought that the disciples were drunk.

In the Bible there are some signs to belief and there are some signs confirming unbelief. Tongues seems to be the latter. When the Jews saw or heard this gift it confirmed them in their unbelief. It was something like God’s condemnation or judgment upon them. Because they rejected Christ, the gospel was taken to the Gentiles. These “tongues” were actual non-Jewish languages. They served as a judgment on the Jews’ unbelief. Furthermore, they were evidence of God turning to the Gentiles. This is generally true. Most Jews who witnessed tongues were confirmed in their unbelief. However, a few chosen saw it as a sign and believed. The nation as a whole was rejected, but a few were chosen.

What are your thoughts?

Prophecy, on the other hand, was very beneficial and tended to help people believe and repent of their sin. Whatever the exact meaning of these verses, the main point is clear. Prophecy is superior to tongues. The Corinthians should not exalt the gift of tongues above all others. They should not become prideful in their use of it.

Verses 26 through 40, Paul speaks about order in the church. The chief principle is that all things are done for edification. Additionally, everything should be done in an orderly fashion. There should be no confusion or chaos in the church. God is an orderly God. The universe that He made is orderly and the church should be too. So should our homes, our schools, etc. We can use His creation to understand this. Imagine a hurricane in the middle of services. The noise of the wind howling. The down pouring of water. Debris flying all over the place. It would be chaos. Church services were not to be like a hurricane.

Paul gives the rules for speaking in tongues. Only one can speak at a time. The most in one service that can speak is three. There must always be an interpreter or they need to be quiet. Basically, it should be orderly and tongues-speaking should not take over a service.

He also gives the rules for prophecy very similar to the ones for tongues. Only two or three can speak. They should take turns. The other prophets should judge what they say to see if it is correct. If one who is seated has a sudden revelation from God, the one who was talking should stop. They must give the floor to the person with the revelation. Prophecy must take place one by one.

Then Paul gives rules for the women in the church that were not acting appropriately. They are not to teach men or exercise authority over men in the church. They should be respectful and calm, contributing to orderly church services and not causing any chaos. Note that the Jews did not allow the women to learn along with the men. The New Testament church was culturally radical in its time. It elevated the status of women much higher than in the secular world.

³⁶ Or did the word of God originate from you, or did it come to you only? ³⁷ If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, he should recognize that what I write to you is the Lord’s command. ³⁸ If anyone ignores this, he will be ignored.

I Corinthians 14:36-38

Paul knew the Corinthians wouldn’t want to listen to his commands and sarcastically asks if they are the final authority. The answer is no. The word of God didn’t go through them. It went through the apostles. This is His will. It needs to be followed. Everyone had to listen to it and obey it because it was God’s command. If they didn’t recognize the command, they were not to be recognized either. It is very serious to toss out God’s commands. We can’t just pick and choose. We have to follow all of them. The spiritual would not reject it. The spiritual would accept it.

³⁹ So then, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. ⁴⁰ But everything is to be done decently and in order.

1 Corinthians 14:39-40

Paul’s conclusion is that the gift of tongues is good, but prophecy is better. Paul repeats that everything should be done in a proper and orderly manner. God is a God of order, not chaos.

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