To this day I can remember a time of worship I had during a church service as a college student. In my upbringing, singing in church had been a bit of drudgery. It seemed like something I did just to go through the motions. It was almost as if we admitted it wasn’t important because we called that part of the service the “preliminaries,” kind of like something to get out of the way so that we could get on to something else. We sang the first, second, and last verse of songs, sat sometimes and stood at others, and waited for it all to end.
During college, I had a revolution of sorts in regards to worshipping the Lord. Whereas most of the dorm suites had four small rooms and a tiny kitchen, mine had a fifth bedroom where that kitchen should have been, and it was tiny. And that little room became a place of worship. It was just God and me, and I prayed, sang, fasted, studied the Scripture, and cried out to the Lord from that room. I was experiencing personal worship of the Lord in ways I had not known prior. Then, I started attending a church that had many struggles, but one that seemed to stress the importance of the worship service. So, I came, I worshiped, and I felt like I was growing in ways that I had not known before.
I can remember some of those worship services like it was yesterday. I wanted to worship the Lord publicly just like I was worshiping him in my little dorm room. I would gather with the church, sing as loud as I could, raise my hands, close my eyes, have genuine love for the Lord, and try to get to the point that I’d forget there was anyone else in the room with me. It seemed to me the height of worship, and it was utterly unbiblical.
Now, I’m not saying that it was unbiblical because I sang loudly. I want us to lift our voices as we sing. Nor was it unbiblical because I lifted my hands. This is a form of worship found in the Scripture, and I wish that we found more freedom among the members of our congregation to lift our hands, not less. Nor was it unbiblical because I felt genuine love for the Lord. The greatest commandment is that we love the Lord with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. I want to love the Lord more every moment, not less. It was unbiblical because my goal on Sunday morning was to try to forget about anybody else and pretend it was just God and me. It was utterly unbiblical because Sunday morning corporate worship and my time with the Lord alone in my bedroom are not the same thing.
This confusion of what is appropriate in private worship and what is appropriate in public worship was what we find going on with the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 12-14. There problem wasn’t gifts of the Spirit so that Paul was trying to convince all of them to quit desiring spiritual gifts because they were abusing them. Actually, he tells them explicitly in the first verse of chapter 14, “Earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you might prophesy.” Paul began this letter to a church that was abusing spiritual gifts perhaps as much as any church in our present day by telling them that he thanked God that they were not lacking in any gift and that these gifts were a result of the gospel being confirmed in their hearts through faith (1 Cor. 1:4-7). No, their problem wasn’t the presence and exercise of spiritual gifts, fundamentally. Their problem was that they’d forgotten that when the church gathers to worship the Lord corporately, the “corporateness” of that gathering must drive everything they do. They’d forgotten that the distinctive element of corporate worship is that we have an opportunity to love our brothers and sisters and build them up, something the Corinthians couldn’t do in their homes, and something I couldn’t do from my dorm room on Union’s campus.
Now, I know that some of you were looking forward to this day as the time that I’d dive into talking about prophecy and tongues. Some of you may be thinking, “He somehow avoided talking about speaking in tongues in the Sunday school class about spiritual gifts, and now he’s going to do it again!” But I assure you that I’m not. In fact, I want to try to give definitions for prophecy and tongues in a second. But what I want us to see is that Paul deals with the topic of spiritual gifts by getting the Corinthians see a bigger picture.
First, in chapter 12, he showed them the beautiful and glorious design of the church in that the Spirit has gifted each member of the local church so that we are both necessary and needy, all of us having what we need only collectively. Then, in chapter 13 Paul showed them that love must be their driving aim. Their motivation for spiritual gifts must be love, and they must minister in love. Now, in chapter 14, he brings these two things together in the context of corporate worship. That is, how should love shape my desire for and use of spiritual gifts in the context of corporate worship? That is the question Paul answers here. And he shows us by focusing on two gifts, tongues and prophecy.
Therefore, before showing you Paul’s argument from this text concerning how love should shape our desire for and use of spiritual gifts in the context of corporate worship, let me give us some definitions of these two gifts (tongues and prophecy) because there has been much confusion over what is meant by each of these.
I am going to use the definitions for each of these given by Wayne Grudem in his Systematic Theology.1 However, I also want to show you why I think Grudem’s definitions are right by showing you how we could arrive at the same definition by looking at this chapter. First, let’s look at Grudem’s definition of tongues:
Tongues – “Speaking in tongues is prayer or praise spoken in syllables not understood by the speaker.”
Let’s look at where each part of this definition would seem to hold in light of this chapter. First, Paul does tell us that speaking in tongues involves prayer or praise to God. We see, for example, in verse 2 that “one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God.” This is one reason why we can acknowledge that speaking in tongues must consist of prayer or praise. But this is confirmed later in the chapter. In verses 14-16, Paul imagines speaking and singing in tongues, and then being given the ability to interpret what he says. So, he speaks of praying in a tongue (which he will call at times praying with his spirit) and then praying the interpretation of what he just prayed in tongues (which he will call at times praying with his mind. Then, he does the same with singing. But notice how Paul speaks of his speaking in tongues being prayer and praise (I’ve shown it in italics).
He writes, “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit …” So, we see that we should think of speaking in tongues as prayer or praise directed to God.
We can also confirm from the text that the speaker does not naturally understand what he is saying. We see this in a few places in the chapter as well. First, in verse 2 Paul says, “… for no one understands him.” Paul assumes when one speaks in a tongue no one naturally understands him, and I think that includes the speaker himself. I say that because Paul says that the speaker should pray that he may interpret in verse 13: “Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret.”
Finally, Grudem says “syllables” probably so as to leave open the door for tongues to be real languages unknown to the speaker or something other than known languages. The way the text reads to me seems to point in the direction of something other than known languages because Paul assumes that no one will understand the tongue speaker throughout the chapter unless there is an interpreter, and the interpretation itself is a gift and the object of prayer in verse 13. But I am in no way firm in that position. But there’s a working definition of tongues for us. What about prophecy? Grudem defines prophecy as follows:
Prophecy – “Telling something that God has spontaneously brought to mind.”
Now, I spoke of the gift of prophecy at length in Sunday school, so I won’t repeat all of that here.2 However, I will add that I don’t think (nor does Grudem think) that the prophecy spoken of in 1 Corinthians 12-14 is scripture-level, authoritative, infallible speech like we see with the writings of Jeremiah or Isaiah. I won’t go into the full argument as to why I think that this morning, but one reason is because Paul starts this chapter wanting everyone to prophesy, and I just can’t imagine he wants everyone speaking Scipture-level, authoritative, infallible speech like one of the Old Testament prophets.
Rather, the gift of prophecy Paul speaks of here is simply sharing something the Spirit has brought to mind with another person so that they might be encouraged, comforted, and/or consoled. We see this in verse 3 as Paul writes, “The one who prophesies speaks to people [as opposed to prayer or praise to God, as is the case with tongues] for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation."
Now, with those definitions in mind, what is Paul’s main concern? What is his main point in this text we’re looking at this morning? It is this:
The first part of this statement is the point I started out the sermon with, namely, that the distinctive nature of corporate worship is edification. What I mean is that all of life is worship. Whatever we do, we seek to worship the Lord. We might set aside times of private devotion to the Lord where we read Scripture, pray, and praise the Lord privately, but all of life is worship. What makes our corporate worship on Sunday morning distinct from all the rest of our lives of worship, however, is that when we gather with other believers (that is, corporately) we have a chance to worship by edifying and building up others.
Let me show you how consistently Paul hammers this point in the text. He’s going to show throughout the chapter that prophecy is fitting for corporate worship whereas uninterpreted tongues are not because prophecy builds up (or edifies) others while uninterpreted tongues doesn’t. He writes in verses 3-5, “the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.” Again, in verse 12, Paul says, “So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.”
So the reason Paul wants the Corinthians to seek to prophesy and not to speak in uninterpreted tongues in the gathered assembly of believers is because prophecy allows others to be edified while speaking in tongues doesn’t edify because people don’t understand what you’re saying. Paul shows this in three illustrations in verses 6-11.
He first asks in verse 6 how he would benefit anyone in the church if he came speaking in tongues that no one understood. Then, he dives into the illustrations. First, he uses the illustration of an instrument in verse 7. He writes, “If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played?” If I, who don’t know how to play guitar, took a guitar this morning and started plucking on the strings, none of you would know what is being played, and none of you would be helped in any way.
Second, in verse 8, he uses the illustration of the bugle that was used to call people to battle. He writes, “And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?” If someone picks up a bugle and plays some sound that isn’t the sound fitting to call others to get ready for war, the soldiers won’t know what is being signaled and what they’re supposed to do.
Finally, the same is true with foreign languages themselves. He writes in verses 10-11, “There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me.” If you’ve been in a foreign country where you don’t know the language and they don’t know yours, you know this feeling. You both can speak clearly a true language, but neither of you profits the other for neither of you understand.
So, Paul pulls this together in verses 9 and 12, writing, “So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air,” and “So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.”
So, what would Paul advise them on if they think the Lord has given them a gift of tongues and a message of praise or thanks to give to God but they are in the corporate assembly? First, he says in verse 13 that the individual should “pray that he may interpret.” Then, he can pray in a tongue, and then give the interpretation. Sing in a tongue, and then give the interpretation (vv. 14-15). If you give the interpretation, then others will be able to understand your offering of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving to God, and say, “Amen,” just as we do when we pray corporately in our service. However, if you don’t give the interpretation of what you’re saying, then Paul says, “You will be “giving thanks well enough” (v. 17) but the others in the congregation won’t be in a position to say, “Amen,” affirming your word of thanksgiving because they won’t know what you said.
Therefore, Paul makes it his goal to pursue those kinds of gifts that are going to edify the congregation when he gathers for worship. He isn’t down on tongues. He makes that clear. He has said he wants all of them to speak in tongues (in private) (v. 5). And when he says that one who speaks in a tongue “builds up himself” (v. 4), he doesn’t mean that in a derogatory way. It’s good to build ourselves up in the Lord. In fact, Paul says in verse 18 that he thanks God that he speaks in tongues more than all of the Corinthians, meaning that he does this often in his private worship of the Lord. “Nevertheless,” Paul adds, “in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”
Why? The answer is because our goal in corporate worship is to build up and edify others. Paul can build himself up all day long, and he does, speaking in tongues more than any of them as he offers private prayer and praise to the Lord. But when he gathers with the church, he’s got a mission. He wants to edify others, and understandable language, especially in the gift of prophecy, does just that.
Paul notes that prophecy and interpreted tongues will also have these positive or negative effects on unbelievers who may come into our services. He first calls them in verse 20 not to be immature in thinking about this. Then, he references a text in the “law,” which is from Isaiah, since sometimes the New Testament writers will use “law” to reference all the Old Testament. He quotes in verse 21, Isaiah 28:11-12, saying, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” Thus, Paul concludes in verse 22, “Tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers.”
Now, what does Paul mean here? Well, in Isaiah what had happened is that God had spoken to them through the prophet clearly and understandably. He was revealing truth to them so that they might repent. However, they refused. Therefore, the Lord was bringing the Assyrians to judge them, and when these men came to conquer them, they’d be hearing language they didn’t understand, and they should see that as a sign of judgment.
Paul seems to be saying that uninterpreted tongues and prophecy will have those same effects even on unbelievers. He says in verses 23-25, “If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.”
That is, if prophecy as understandable speech is spoken to reveal God’s truth and tongues that another cannot understand was used to signify God’s judgment, then if an unbeliever enters, he’ll think the church is crazy, since he can’t understand what is being said, and he’ll remain under judgment (just like the Israelites in Isaiah 28). But if he hears understandable speaking that speaks encouraging and maybe convicting truth to one another, it provides an opportunity for he himself to be convicted, recognize this is God at work, and repent. Therefore, we should strive in our corporate worship to do only what is edifying for others, realizing that this can have even a positive impact on unbelievers who might come in on a Sunday morning.
So, the point is, obviously, that we need to make sure that everything we do when we gather for corporate worship, whether on Sunday morning, Sunday evenings, or in our small group is edifying for others. But let me flesh this out a bit in the form of an exhortation from this chapter:
This is where Paul starts the chapter: “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy” (v. 1). I hope you understand by this point in the sermon why he stresses “especially” prophecy. It’s because this gift has the effect of edifying others whereas uninterpreted tongues doesn’t. But let me apply this a bit to all of us.
We have a responsibility when we gather with the church in worship (again, whether Sunday morning, Sunday evening, or in our small groups) to edify others, building them up. Therefore, it’s good and right that on Sunday mornings you pray for the one who will preach, or lead our music, or teach Sunday school classes. But you and I also need to be praying for ourselves, even if we don’t do these things. We need to love our brothers and sisters in the church so much that we’re taking time before these gatherings and praying and pleading with the Lord to equip us with a gift or gifts from his Spirit so that we can edify and build up others when we gather. When you gather on a Sunday evening for corporate prayer, for example, don’t find yourself on Sunday afternoons giving no thought to it and coming just to sit. Take time to pray and ask the Lord to equip you to build up others in that time. Do the same thing prior to your small group meeting. And do the same thing throughout the week as you have chance to gather with others.
Just last Sunday night, it was because Aaron O’Kelley loved enough and earnestly desired spiritual gifts, especially that he might prophesy, that we were able to end our time together with his sharing a specific, encouraging, comforting word to a sister who vulnerably shared her struggles, and I think we were all edified. Let’s long for that. And let’s long for that because we want to love. Let’s see ourselves as responsible to edify everything we gather with other believers.
And I’ll note as we close that one way we always have to edify others is to point them to the gospel. The gospel message continues and will also continue to be our greatest need. We need to hear it. So, seek to edify others as we long for spiritual gifts and lavish the message that Christ lived, died, and was raised for us on others. Let us even share that message with each other publicly now as we come to the table. Amen.