First Corinthians 14:1–25 . . .

Gifts of Prophecy and Tongues

Timely reminder! Reading a letter written 2,000 years ago to a church can be a challenging endeavor. It’s easy to misunderstand an author’s intent and what was taking place in the life of the church. Often, God’s people jump to conclusions before carefully studying a biblical passage. This should give us cause to pause. Have you been guilty of this? Of course you have. Therefore, you must aim to understand Scripture in the way God intended; try not to read your own preferences or experiences into God’s Word. This is very important when it regards the controversial areas of worship and spiritual gifts.

Perhaps you’ve wondered what the Bible teaches about a church worship service. For our next two studies we’ll examine 1 Corinthians 14, learning that a church worship service must be intelligible and orderly. Today we’ll look at vv. 1–25 (shown at the bottom of the page) in which Paul confidently provides two principles to guide us in our corporate worship. In my follow-up commentary, we’ll familiarize ourselves with Paul’s intent in vv. 26–40.

1)  Clear communication in the church is critical (vv. 1–19)  Paul tells us that prophecy and tongues are important spiritual gifts; however, he insists that the gift of prophecy is particularly significant. In 14:1, Paul discloses his thesis: “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.” First and foremost, Paul commands the church to pursue, strive for, and seek love. This command “pursue” (Greek: dioko) means to pursue or persecute. That is, we don’t find love by wishful thinking or halfhearted effort; we’re to pursue it eagerly, every day, if we’re going to find it operating in our lives as it should. As a church, if we make love our top pursuit, we’ll discover that our capacity to minister to those around us grows every year.

After commanding the church to pursue love, Paul commands the church to eagerly desire spiritual gifts, particularly prophecy. (To prophesy is to proclaim divine revelation or to speak on behalf of God. Prophecy isn’t preaching or teaching; it can be both spontaneous and prepared.) Throughout chapter 14, Paul suggests that all God’s people can exercise prophecy. When we gather for worship, we ought to pray that the Lord will give us words we can speak to someone in and outside the church (cf. 14:26). Hence, we all come to church to minister.

In vv. 6–12, Paul explains the problem of uninterpreted tongues: no one benefits from something that he or she can’t understand. He wants to be sure that what occurs in the worship service is profitable for everyone in attendance. He emphasizes gifts of clear communication, wanting everything to be done for edification. In vv. 7–11, he gives three analogies that expound on the necessity of intelligibility in the church, again commanding the church to seek those gifts that will build up the body, particularly prophecy. In vv. 13–19, Paul provides the solution to the problem of uninterpreted tongues: he exhorts those who speak in tongues to pray that they’ll be able to interpret their own tongues and those of others.

2)  Mature thinking in the church is critical (vv. 20–25)  In these final six verses, Paul informs the church that he seeks maturity in public worship. Wanting the Corinthians to stop thinking like selfish, prideful children with regards to the gifts, he states that they should be naive infants with regards to evil. But he urges church body members to think as mature believers do regarding church worship.

In vv. 21–25, Paul explains why spiritual maturity and self-control are so important in a corporate worship service. Citing in v. 21 a prophecy from Isaiah 28:11–12, Paul makes this point with that Old Testament quotation: If Israel wouldn’t hear the Lord through the prophets, they wouldn’t hear even when God spoke in foreign languages to them through foreign people. He clarifies in v. 22 that tongues are a sign for unbelievers while prophecy is for believers. So, the apostle asks Christians: Why put so much stress on tongues?

Paul concludes in vv. 23–25 that if everyone at a worship service spoke in tongues, visiting searchers or not-yet-believers would likely declare that the worshipers were out of their minds. However, if everyone was prophesying instead of speaking in tongues, searchers and not-yet-believers would [thankfully] worship God.

† Summary of 1 Corinthians 14:1–25

Today’s passage deals directly with the gifts of prophecy and tongues in the context of public worship. Here’s my helpful summary:

• Pursuit of Love and Spiritual Gifts

Paul begins by encouraging the Corinthians to pursue love while also desiring spiritual gifts, especially prophecy (v. 1).

• Comparison of Prophecy and Tongues

Next, Paul compares the gifts of prophecy and tongues:

• Tongues: Speaking to God in a language unknown to others while edifying oneself

• Prophecy: Speaking to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort

Paul emphasizes that prophecy is more beneficial for the church as a whole, as it edifies the entire congregation.

• Purpose of Spiritual Gifts

The main purpose of spiritual gifts is to build up the church:

• Prophecy directly edifies the church.

• Tongues require interpretation to benefit the church.

• Order in Worship

Paul provides guidelines for orderly worship:

• Tongues should be interpreted for the benefit of all.

• Prophecy should be given in turn, with others weighing what is said.

• Impact on Unbelievers

Paul discusses the effect of these gifts on unbelievers:

• Uninterpreted tongues may appear as madness to outsiders.

• Prophecy can convict unbelievers and reveal the secrets of their hearts.

This passage emphasizes the importance of using spiritual gifts for the edification of the entire church community, with a particular focus on clear communication and orderly worship (which we’ll cover thoroughly in our next study).

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New International Version (NIV)
[You can view it in a different version by clicking here; you can also listen to this chapter.]

Intelligibility in Worship

14 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. ²For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. ³But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. ⁴Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. ⁵I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.

⁶Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? ⁷Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? ⁸Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? ⁹So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. ¹⁰Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. ¹¹If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. ¹²So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.

¹³For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. ¹⁴For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. ¹⁵So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. ¹⁶Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? ¹⁷You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.

¹⁸I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. ¹⁹But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

²⁰Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. ²¹In the Law it is written:

“With other tongues

and through the lips of foreigners

I will speak to this people,

but even then they will not listen to me,

says the Lord.”

²²Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. ²³So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? ²⁴But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, ²⁵as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”