'1Cor 14:1-25

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The gift of tongues (1Co 14:1-25)

In the light of his teaching on the variety of spiritual gifts and the importance of love, Paul now considers the problem that had arisen in the Corinthian church concerning tongues. The gift is allowable, but prophecy is preferable. This is because those who speak in tongues speak to God, not to their fellow worshippers, and therefore are of spiritual help only to themselves (unless someone interprets for them). Prophets, however, speak to all and so build up the whole church (1Co 14:1-5).

(GNB calls prophets ‘those who proclaim God’s message’, since they passed on to the people the revelation that God gave specifically to them.)

It would be pointless if Paul came to the Christians in Corinth and spoke in tongues that no one understood. It would be much better to give them some revelation or teaching in their own language, so that they could learn from it and be built up spiritually (1Co 14:6).

Paul follows with two illustrations to emphasize the importance of speaking in a way that means something to the hearers. The purpose of playing a musical instrument is to get a tune out of it, not to make a meaningless noise. The purpose of blowing a bugle on the battlefield is to alert the soldiers to prepare for battle (1Co 14:7-8).

Likewise with speech the purpose is to be understood. Tongues that no one understands are as useless to the hearers as a foreign language that they have never heard before (1Co 14:9-11).

Christians should desire those gifts that are going to be of help to others in teaching them and building them up in the faith (1Co 14:12).

If people have the gift of tongues, they should pray also for the gift to interpret them. Their mind as well as their spirit will then benefit, because they pray and sing with understanding (1Co 14:13-15).

They should think also of others in the church. If the hearers do not understand what the speaker is saying, they can neither benefit from it nor express their support for it (16-17). Paul is thankful to have the gift of tongues, but in the church he would rather speak in ordinary language that will instruct and strengthen the hearers (1Co 14:18-19).

The Corinthians’ love for the spectacular shows that they are childish in their thinking. It is good to have the innocence of childhood concerning evil, but in their minds they must be mature adults (1Co 14:20).

In one famous Old Testament event, the strange speech of the Assyrian invaders was a sign to God’s unfaithful people of coming judgment.

In a similar way tongues may be a warning of God’s judgment to those who stubbornly refuse to trust in him (1Co 14:21-22a; cf. Deut 28:49; Isa 28:11-12). Prophecy, by contrast, strengthens the hearts of believers with a message from God (1Co 14:22b).

If those who know nothing about Christianity come into a Christian meeting where various people are speaking in different tongues, they may think that the speakers are mad. But if the speakers are prophesying, God’s word may speak to the hearers and bring them to know God (1Co 14:23-25).