First Corinthians 14:1
First Corinthians 14:1-3 says, "Follow after love,
and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that you may prophesy. For he that speaks
in an unknown tongue speaks not unto men, but unto God: for no man understands
him; howbeit in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he that prophesies speaks
unto men to edification, and exhortation, and to comfort." Paul already told us in chapter 13 that love
is the most important thing of all in Christianity. Love is greater than faith,
greater than hope, and should be desired and sought after even more than all of
the other spiritual gifts. Once you understand and accept the importance of
love, then you should understand that even so there is also a ranking and a
relative importance to be given to some of the spiritual gifts. In other words
some of the spiritual gifts are more important than others.
It is good to have spiritual gifts and all
Christians have at least one, and it is good to desire spiritual gifts; but if
you are going to desire to have spiritual gifts, then spend your efforts
desiring and seeking after the most important gifts, not the least important
ones. Maybe the Christians in Corinth had been abusing the gift of tongues, and
under-utilizing the gift of prophesy because First Corinthians chapter 14
compares prophesy to tongues and emphasizes the benefits and the advantages of
prophesy.
Remember that prophesy is not necessarily
the foretelling of events, but is rather the forth telling or the public
pronouncement of the Word of God. Unknown tongues refers
to foreign languages. The word "unknown" is
not in the Greek, but is a good word to use to describe tongues, because the
language that is spoken is unknown to the speaker and he is only able to speak
it because of divine intervention. It is not a language that the speaker ever
studied or spoke or knew. It is therefore an unknown tongue or unknown language
to the speaker. There is no great value to speaking in an unknown language in a
church congregation because what benefit can the people have who are present?
It will be as verse 2 says that "no man understands him."
But there are benefits to speaking forth
the Word of God in a church congregation, and the benefits are listed in verse
3 that says that "he that prophesies speaks unto men to edification, and exhortation,
and comfort." Edification means to build up. One of the
purposes of speaking the Word of God is to build up the soul and build up the
faith of the hearers. When Jesus spent time with the disciples, He recognized
that they did not have the faith that they should have, and so Jesus taught
them things for the purpose of building up their faith. Be very suspicious of
someone who speaks and the result of their speaking is to tear you down or
someone else down. God knows that we all need to be built up, and anyone who
wishes to speak forth the Word of God should do so with the intention of
building up the hearers.
If you speak forth the Word of God in the
right way you will build up and edify the hearers, and you will also exhort
them. To exhort means to inspire to action. God calls us to believe on Him, and
then the result of our belief should be action. "Faith without works is dead." Jesus told His disciples to "go" into all
the world. There is a group of people in the world who want to hear things that
make them feel comfortable with the way that they already are. But the Bible
always calls us to continued improvement. The Bible will always call you forward
to a more noble commitment and to a higher goal. Believers need to be reminded
of the opportunities that God gives them each day to serve Him. Believers need
to be spurred on to their part in the fulfilling of the great commission. Do not
ever become comfortable with where you are or with what you have already done.
There is more to do, and if you are a believer in Jesus, there are things that
God wants you to do for Him. Speak forth the Word of God and remind your
hearers that there are prayers to pray, there are songs to sing, there are cups
of cold water to give in His name, and there are sermons yet to preach.
If you speak forth the Word of God you will
edify, that is, build up the hearers: you will exhort, that is, inspire the
hearers to action; and you will also comfort the hearers. Human beings often
need to be comforted because of the sorrows and disappointments that so easily
afflict us in this life. Jesus knew that we would need to be comforted. He told
His disciples that once He left this world, He would send another comforter.
There are so many good, positive teachings
in the Bible; and if these things are taught and emphasized, they will result
in being a great comfort and blessing to the hearers. It is very comforting to
believe and to remember the teachings of Jesus in regards to life after death.
He said to His disciples, "In my Father’s house are many mansions... I go to prepare
a place for you that where I am you may be also."
When we get to First Corinthians chapter 15, we will have the privilege of
looking at the doctrine of the resurrection in much detail. How comforting it
is to know that the grave is not the end. If you believe in Jesus, you have
much to look forward to in the next life. If there is someone that you love who
has died in the Lord, you do not have to be overwhelmed by grief. You can
remember the teachings of Jesus on the subject. Jesus said in John 11:25-26, "I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in
me, though he were dead, yet shall he life. And whosoever lives and believes in
me shall never die."
The teachings of the 23rd Psalm have been a
great comfort to many people over the years. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes to
lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside the still waters. He restores my
soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me..." There is
great comfort in being reminded that God is always with us, that He is loving
and forgiving because of Jesus, and that He is all-powerful and that all things
are possible with God.
Anyone who claims to be a speaker of the
Word of God should always ask themselves if their message contains these three
elements as they are listed in First Corinthians 14:3: edification,
exhortation, and comfort. We must remember the reason that this is emphasized
in First Corinthians chapter 14 is because Paul is trying to make the point that
if someone speaks in an unknown language they have no hope of edifying,
exhorting, or comforting the hearers, because the hearers will not know what
they are saying. Paul goes into much detail to emphasize this point and he says
in First Corinthians 14:4-6, "He that speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself; but
he that prophesies edifies the church. I would that you all spoke with tongues,
but rather that you prophesied: for greater is he that prophesies than he that
speaks with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
Now, brothers, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit
you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by
prophesying, or by doctrine?"
Again Paul is emphasizing the fact that if
you are going to speak, the best thing to speak is something that is going to
be understood. The purpose of speaking should be to deliver information that
the hearer will understand. To prove his point further, Paul uses a couple of examples
from life. Paul uses the example of musical instruments. The Bible says in
First Corinthians 14:7-8, "And even things without life that give sound, whether
pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be
known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give
an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?" Many sounds can be made by musical
instruments, but those who play the instruments must make only the appropriate
sounds in order to communicate with their hearers. One of the instruments that
was used by armies in ancient days and is still used somewhat is the trumpet.
In order to direct the soldiers to charge in battle, certain notes had to be
played on the trumpet. Not just any notes could be played, but only the ones
that communicated the message to charge. That is why speaking forth the Word of
God is much more valuable than speaking in an unknown tongue or an unknown
language. If the message that is spoken is not understood by the hearers, then it
is of no value to them.
The same is true concerning people from
different countries who speak different languages. The Bible says in First
Corinthians 14:9-11, "So likewise you, except you utter by the tongue words
easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for you shall
speak into the air. There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world,
and none of them is without significance. Therefore if I know not the meaning
of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaks a barbarian, and he that speaks
shall be a barbarian to me." If a
Frenchman, who speaks only French, speaks in the French language to someone
from
If someone is going to desire to exercise
the gifts that God has given them, then they need to remember the principle
that is given in First Corinthians 14:12 that says,
"Even
so you, forasmuch as you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that you may
excel to the edifying of the church."
Are you seeking to do things that will build up the
When comparing speaking in an unknown
language to speaking forth the Word of God, the lesson has been very clear that
speaking forth the Word of God should be much more sought after and desired.
The same principle is true concerning prayer. The Bible says in First
Corinthians 14:13-17, "Wherefore let him
that speaks in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in
an unknown tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is
it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding
also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
Else when you shall bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupies the room
of the unlearned say Amen at your giving of thanks, seeing he does not
understand what you are saying? For you truly give thanks well, but the other
is not edified." What was true
about speaking is also true about praying or singing. From God’s standpoint,
the purpose of words is to communicate ideas. If anyone speak, let them speak
words in a language that can be understood by the hearers.
What was the purpose of the gift of
tongues, what we should call the gift of unknown languages? Paul seems to
almost discourage the use of the gift of unknown languages. Why then was the
gift even given by God? In First Corinthians 14:18-22 Paul wrote, "I thank my God, I
speak with tongues more than you all: Yet in the church I had rather speak five
words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than
ten thousand words in an unknown tongue. Brothers, be not children in
understanding: howbeit in malice be you children, but in understanding be men.
In the law it is written, With men of other tongues
and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they
not hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that
believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serves not for them that
believe not, but for them which believe."
According to Paul the gift of speaking in tongues
was not meant to be done inside of a church congregation. The purpose of
speaking to a congregation of believers is to speak forth the Word of God in
order to teach the Word of God for edification and exhortation and comfort.
This cannot be done with tongues because the hearers do not understand what is
being said. That is why Paul said that he would rather speak five words with
his understanding that he might teach others by it, than to speak 10,000 words
in an unknown tongue or an unknown language by which others would not be
taught.
If the gift of tongues was not given to be
spoken inside of a church congregation, then why was it given? It was given for
a sign to the unbelieving Jews. It already had been prophesied in the Old
Testament that God would one day speak to the children of
That is exactly what happened on the day of
Pentecost. If you look at Acts chapter 2 you will see that Jewish people were
gathered in
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Copyright; 2000 by Rick
Creech
All Rights Reserved