1Corinthians 14:1-22, “Tongues: Let’s Get Into It!”
*Note: There will not be any video posted for this week.
Read verses 1-22. Paul’s focus in Chapter 14 seems to be to correct the abuse and misuse of spiritual gifts, specifically, the gift of tongues. Paul does not forbid the use of genuine tongues, but he lays out God’s priority, purpose and the acceptable practice of tongues; while making it clear that prophecy is much more important because it edifies the church.
Paul says spiritual gifts should always be used in a way that transforms and trains our minds, so as to conform to the Word and the Will of God (v. 19), “I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”
Read 14:1-4... When Paul uses the word “tongue” (singular), he is speaking of the false gift associated with pagan practices that involved ecstatic speech, where by a person was said to be talking to a god or a spirit, found in verses 4, 13, 14, 19. Read 14:5-6... When Paul uses the word “tongues” (plural), he is talking of the genuine gift given by the Holy Spirit, by which a person is able to speak a language that is unknown to him, found in verses 5, 6, 18, 22.
Even the true gift of “tongues,” in reference to its benefit to the church, the body of Christ, pales in comparison to the gift of prophecy, for prophecy proclaims the wonder, the wisdom, and the will of God in order to edify and build up those in the church.
The gift of “tongues,” was the ability to speak real languages, known languages, not some garbled gibberish or some private prayer language or some god or angel language (See Acts 2:2-8).
In 1Corinthians 14:9-10, Paul writes, “Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. Sounds and utterances without meaning are of no use, whatsoever. There are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning.” Paul is advocating intelligent communication expressed through known languages that can be clearly understood.
The ecstatic gibberish of the modern charismatic movement is not true biblical tongues. Paul goes on to say (v. 11), “If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me,” i.e., all true language has meaning, and if the meaning cannot be understood, if there is no translator, it sounds like useless gibberish.
Paul’s sarcasm is clear (vv. 12-13), “Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church. One who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret what he says,” i.e., when someone genuinely spoke in tongues, it was translated for those who heard it, otherwise it was not from God. Read verses 14-17... Everything done in the public worship service is done to glorify God and to edify God’s people, and so, the people must be able to understand the message if it is going to benefit them.
Notice how many times in these first 22 verses that Paul uses terms like understanding, edification, and the mind. Clearly, true spirituality is not something that bypasses the mind and intellect, and somehow operates mysteriously or mystically in a person’s soul,apart from their knowledge. True spirituality is being transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:1-2).
Read verses 18-20... Paul is saying, “grow up, quit thinking only about yourselves like self-centered children, instead, you should seek to know and to obey the Scriptures,” (vv. 21-22), “In the Law it is written: ‘Through men of strange 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. Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.”
Paul is contrasting the gift of tongues (a sign to unbelievers) with the gift of prophecy (a sign for believers). But, what is his point? I’m so glad you asked (1Corinthians 12:7-11; 14:1, 3-4, 5b).
All the recorded occurrences of “tongues” in the New Testament, were spoken in Gentile languages, never in Hebrew (Acts 2, 10, 19). Think about that for a moment - Hebrew was the language of the Jews, and Aramaic was a first-century variation of Hebrew. Every other language was considered a Gentile language.
The fact that God would reveal His word through a Gentile tongue was shocking to the Jews. At Pentecost, the disciples were not only speaking in languages that were not their own native tongues, they were proclaiming God’s word in Gentile dialects. No true son of Israel would ever do such a thing.
Jews in first-century Israel often spoke Greek, because that was the common language of commerce, some of them also spoke Latin; but when they went to the Temple, to worship, to offer sacrifices, and to pray, they spoke only in Hebrew, because it was considered to be the language of God and His people.
The gift of tongues changed all that, for tongues was used to proclaim that God’s wonderful grace was now available outside of the boundaries and the blood line of Israel, to every nation, people, tribe, and language.
For the first time ever, the works of God were revealed by God in languages other than Hebrew; this was a remarkable sign, to the unbelieving Gentile hearers, but also to the unbelieving Jews, to whom it spoke judgement (Isaiah 28:11), “With foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people.”
In 1Corinthians 13:8 Paul said tongues would be stilled, they would stop. Did that happen? Yes, in fact after chapter 19 in he Book of Acts tongues is no longer mentioned, and by the end of the first century, at the completion of the New Testament, the gift of tongues had come to an end, its purpose fulfilled, it ran out of energy. Tongues were for a time, they ceased by the time the New Testament was competed.
After the New Testament was completed, tongues were not practiced, preached, or promoted in the church; but then, in the 1900s, the Pentecostal movement popularized a showy tongues phenomena, declaring it to be a supernatural sign of “blessing” from God, when in fact it was a sham, a counterfeit, a lie.
The great preachers of the past - Charles Spurgeon, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, D. L. Moody, and many others, understood that signs, wonders and miracles had ceased with the completion of the New Testament; for tongues purpose was to authenticate the Apostles as God’s spokesmen, purveyors and proclaimers of divine truth; (2Corinthians 12:12), “The things that mark an apostle--signs, wonders and miracles.”
Jesus never instructed His Disciples to seek or to speak in tongues; Paul didn't instruct the church to seek or to speak in tongues. Why is that? Because tongues do not edifying the church (1Corinthians 14:22), “Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.”
Tongues were given as a sign of judgment upon the Jews, a rebuke on their unbelief and rejection of God’s Messenger and God’s Message: Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior.
Prophecy was given to proclaim the wonders, wisdom, and will of God to all believers, all God’s children from every tribe, nation, people and language,in order to equip encourage, and exhort us to honor and obey God.
2Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Colossians 1:10-12, “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”
More on Tongues...
Tongues (languages unknown to the speaker but known to the hearers in their own native tongue) were given by God to proclaim the presence, the power, the message and the majesty of God at the birth of the Church:
Acts 2:4, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues (known languages) as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs --we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"
Tongues was a sign to unbelievers:
1Corinthians 14:22, “Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.”
Tongues was not given for individual edification, but for the common good:
1Corinthians 12:4, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” 11 “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he has determines.”
1. The first occurrence of tongues (speaking a language that the speaker did not know) occurred at the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9): God’s judgment on mankind.
2. The next occurrence is Isaiah’s warning to Israel of a coming judgment by a nation that would speak to them in another language (Isaiah 28:11-12; 1Corinthians 14:21).
3. At Pentecost, tongues were a sign, confirming Peter’s indictment of Israel’s rejection and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Messiah (Acts 2:12-36).
4. Tongue-speaking was the means by which the message of God was quickly spread from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and to the ends of the earth: from the Hebrews to the Gentiles.
5. Tongues-speaking was a sign to unbelievers, not believers (1Corinthians 14:22).
6. Tongues-speaking was a sign-gift and therefore, it was not meant to be exhibited by all believers (1Corinthians 12:30).
7. Tongues-speaking was less important than prophecy and far less important than love (1Corinthians 12:31; 13:1).
8. Paul said that tongues-speaking would cease (1Corinthians 13:8).
9. Preoccupation with tongues-speaking was a sign of immaturity (1Corinthians 14:20).
10. Tongues-speaking was not the universal evidence of the baptism of the Spirit, because while every true believer is baptized by the Spirit, not all believers spoke in tongues (1Corinthians 12:13, 30).