1 Corinthians 14:13

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 for edification, exhortation, and comfort. 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 in tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edification. Now, brethren, 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?

Even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? Or if the trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to battle? 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, many kinds of voices or languages in the world, and none of them is without signification.

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 to me a barbarian as well. Even so you, forasmuch as you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that you may excel to the edifying of the church. 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 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 people say "Amen" at your giving of thanks, seeing they understand not what you say. For you truly give thanks well, but the other is not edified. I thank my God that I speak with tongues more than all of you. Yet in the church, I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.

Brethren, be not children in understanding. Howbeit, in malice or evil, be ye children, but in understanding be men. In the law, it is written, "With men of other tongues and of other lips will I speak unto this people," and yet for all that, will they not hear me, says the Lord. Wherefore, tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not. Prophesying serves not for them that believe not, but for them that believe.

If therefore the whole church comes together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned or unbelievers, will they not think that you are mad? But if all prophesy, and there comes in one that believes not or is unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all. Thus, the secrets of his heart are made manifest, and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is in you of truth.

Father, that certainly is the desire that I have: that as we gather together, there would be a recognition in this place that as we worship you and as we study your word, you are here. Lord Jesus, you promise that wherever two or more are gathered in your midst, there you are. So we trust and we are thankful this morning that we are fellowshipping not only with one another but with you, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

And so, Father, we ask that by your Spirit and through your word, you would instruct us and transform us more and more into the likeness of your Son. Lord, that you would sanctify us by your truth; your word is truth. Help us to yield our lives to the clear teaching of what we find here in your word.

We pray this in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

The church at Corinth, as we have seen for over a year now, was a church with a multiplicity of problems and issues. They were a church that mirrors the churches of our day. When we gather, we don't gather as those who are perfect. We recognize we come here with many things that need to be changed and transformed by the Lord. I don't know about you, but I am grateful that God changes us and transforms us. It is God's desire to do just that even here today, and it was His desire to do the same in Corinth.

However, the church at Corinth had become enamored with spiritual gifts. It's not a bad thing to desire spiritual gifts; Paul exhorts us on a number of occasions in this book to desire those things. But the church at Corinth had specifically exalted the gift of tongues as a mark of spirituality. You can imagine that there were people in the fellowship who genuinely functioned with or manifested the gift of tongues. There were others, because that gift was exalted, who desired it and wanted it. No doubt, some manufactured it.

The gift of tongues is not easy to test. That being the case, I don't think it's our place to judge whether or not it's a false use, if it's made up, or if it's genuine. It's hard to judge that. However, we should at least recognize that some can manufacture it. Sometimes they do so knowingly, and sometimes it is just the product of their emotions being stirred up. We see that glossolalia, or what we might identify as tongues, is used in other faiths and religions that have no bearing on Christianity.

There are counterfeits. There are counterfeits in Islam, in the Hindu religion, in Buddhism, and in the Mormon faith. All these counterfeits should clue us into the fact that there are indeed counterfeits.

Even within the church, tongues should never be exalted as a marker for spirituality. As we considered last week in the first twelve verses of chapter 14, Paul is making the case that tongues should not take a place of priority in the corporate worship setting. The context of 1 Corinthians chapter 14 is the gathering of the church. He is providing us with rules, if you will, by which we ought to govern our corporate worship experience when the body of Christ comes together, which is called the church.

Anytime a gathering of people under the headship of Christ comes together, they are called the church, whether it's a home fellowship of four or ten, or a fellowship like this of two hundred gathered together. When we gather under the name of Jesus Christ, we are what the New Testament calls an ekklesia in Greek, which simply means a gathering. This word, ekklesia, was not only used for the church under the name of Jesus Christ; it was used for anyone who gathered in the ancient world.

Paul emphasizes that when you gather together as a church, the focus, as we considered last week, is to be the mutual edification of the body of Christ. This is ultimately one of the reasons that God has given us the gifts of the Spirit: so that we might glorify God more effectively, edify one another, and evangelize the lost. When the body of Christ gathers, our goal is to glorify God and edify one another, and if possible, to evangelize those who may be here and do not know the Lord. Ultimately, we are building up the body of Christ so that when we go out these doors, we are entering the mission field to evangelize, using the gifts that God has given us.

As we go through this whole chapter, verses 1 through 40, keep in mind that this is dealing with the corporate worship gathering of the church, when the body of Christ comes together. Therefore, in the corporate gathering, Paul says now in verse 13 that let him who speaks in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. This verse links the last section, verses 1 through 12, with this next section, verses 14 through 25. Notice that Paul says, let him who speaks in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.

Let him speak. This is significant in that you might assume that after what Paul has said in the first twelve verses, he may in some way forbid the use of tongues in the corporate assembly of the church, but he doesn't. In those first twelve verses, he says, "Listen, it is greater to have intelligible speech and prophecy, a prophetic word given to the corporate body, than tongues."

You might immediately assume that coming to verse thirteen, he would say, "Therefore, don't speak in tongues in the corporate assembly." But he doesn't. He says, "Wherefore, because of this, let that person who speaks in tongues pray that he might interpret." As I said last week, Paul is not discouraging the practice of the gift of tongues. He is, however, diminishing the place of priority that the Corinthian church had given to that gift.

It's also interesting that he says the tongues speaker ought to pray that he might give an interpretation. After reading verses one through twelve and knowing that the church in Corinth was desiring spiritual gifts, you might expect that he would say, "Let him who speaks in tongues pray that he might prophesy." But he doesn't. He says, "Let him who speaks in tongues pray that he may give an interpretation."

The Corinthians were apparently seeking after and praying for the gift of tongues, hoping that it would be manifested in their lives because they had given it a priority position in their church, believing it to be a mark of spirituality. A lot of people were focused on that. That's what they wanted to grab hold of.

Paul is saying that, yes, the gift of tongues is good and important; however, it takes a lesser position in the corporate gathering of the body of Christ compared to other gifts that bring edification to the whole body. As self-edifying as tongues is, it's just that: self-edifying. Therefore, when we gather together in the context of the body of Christ, we are seeking not to be self-seeking, self-serving, or selfish, but we are coming together for the edification of the whole.

This becomes the primary focus of the Christian, of the individual believer, when they gather together with other believers. We should be seeking rather that we might interpret if there is a tongue that is given.

So that the whole of the body might be edified, look again at 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verse 5, which we studied last week. Paul says, "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." We noted last week that when Paul says greater is the one who speaks with prophecy than he that speaks with tongues, he is not saying that the person who prophesies is more spiritual. He is saying that in the context of the gathering of the body of Christ, that individual is more helpful.

Greater is he who prophesies than he that speaks with tongues, except he interpret, why? That the church may receive edification. The goal of individuals when we function as a body in the body of Christ is the edifying of one another. Since love is others-centered, as we saw in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, love seeks not its own. Since love is others-centered and is to be the dominating characteristic of disciples of Christ, they shall know that we are His disciples by the love that we have one for another.

When we gather together as the body of Christ, we should be seeking another person's edification over our own. As Paul clues us into again in Philippians chapter 2, let me read to you from Philippians 2. You might want to note this down in your notes. Philippians 2:3 and 4 says, "Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness or humility of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."

So again, Paul does not negate the importance or the power of the gift of tongues in this passage. He does not discourage the desire for spiritual gifts that is in the hearts of many believers within the church. He only exhorts that our desire become mature in that we desire those things that mutually benefit one another within the body. We should be seeking to grow up in Christ, to become mature in Christ. This is in recognition of the fact that when every single one of us becomes a Christian, we are childlike in our faith. We are babes in Christ, as Peter says in 1 Peter chapter 2. So we all recognize that when we come to Christ and put our confidence in Him for salvation, we...

We are not immediately complete, mature, or perfect. In fact, none of us have attained maturity in Christ. Even so, for as much as you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek to excel and grow up. This should be the dominating characteristic of your giftedness: to edify the church.

Now, look at verse 20, which we'll get to shortly, in 1 Corinthians 14. Brethren, be not children in your understanding. Paul is seeking to encourage maturity. It is characteristic of children to be self-focused, enamored with things that are sensational and exciting. Children primarily think of themselves and can be selfish.

I see this from a very young age. My son is two and a half, my daughter is one and a half, and we have a third on the way. You can see very quickly that they are selfish. You expect selfishness from a child. You pray for and hope that when your wife is pregnant, the child will come out perfect, but you know they don't. If you think kids are born perfect, then you probably haven't had any, or you need to serve in the children's ministry, where they could use your help.

We recognize that kids are not perfect. We acknowledge that, in their immaturity, they are selfish. Paul spoke about this in chapter 13, verse 11: "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But when I became an adult, I put away childish thinking, childish understanding, and childish things." Those who are mature are to put away childish things and think as adults.

Seeking to receive is characteristic of childlike immaturity. However, Paul, in the book of Acts, quoting Jesus, says, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." This is adult thinking; this is mature thinking. As a child, why do you look forward to Christmas? Because of what you are going to get. This is why, when I was 6, 7, or 18 years old, I...

You would look at the Christmas tree, and I don't know if it was like this in your house, but in our house, there were presents under there long before Christmas Day. There were little tags on them, and you would go there. You didn't go there looking for your sister's gifts. What do you do when Mom and Dad are gone? You count them: one, two, three. She has more than me! What in the world? You're looking for your gifts, right? Because as a child, you want to receive. You come to that holiday seeking to receive.

My mom, seeking to trick us, would sometimes change the name tags around. She had some sort of code, so she'd put my sister's name on my packages, my name on her packages, and my little brother's name on his packages, mixing them all up. The problem was, sometimes she'd forget her code, so it didn't work quite as well. But you know how it is; you're looking for your gifts because you want to receive.

As you mature, you really do come to a point where you approach a holiday not seeking what you're going to get. If you're maturing, you come to realize it is more blessed to give than to receive. In our lives as Christians, when we first come to the knowledge of the truth and confess Christ as Lord, we often come to church seeking to be fed, to be encouraged, to be prayed for, and to be built up.

However, as time goes by, if the church is maturing, there should be more and more people within the fellowship who come to a Sunday morning gathering, a women's ministry, a men's ministry meeting, or a home fellowship seeking to use the gifts that God has given them to glorify God, to build up others, and to evangelize the lost. That is a sign of maturity.

Yet, the church at Corinth was very immature, as evidenced by their desire for the sensational and that which edified themselves purely. It is also an element of childlikeness to consider ourselves much further along in our understanding than we really are. I mean, we all know that probably most of the teenagers next door in the youth group...

We all know far more than we think we know. At least, that's what many believe. It is characteristic of immaturity to think you know more than everyone else. The Corinthians thought they excelled in wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and giftedness. Why? Because they were immature. Paul tells them they need to grow up and recognize that when they gather together in the corporate setting of the body of Christ, they are gathering for the glorification of God, the building up of the body, and ultimately the evangelizing of the lost. It is not just about what they can get or receive; that should not be the focal point.

Paul continues in verse 14, stating, "For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful." When Paul mentions praying in an unknown tongue, he is identifying with his readers by implying that he does pray in tongues. He has spent the last several verses discounting the gift of tongues in the corporate gathering, and some in Corinth may have thought he was saying this out of sour grapes, suggesting he didn't have the gift of tongues. Paul clarifies that this is not the case. In fact, he will later say that he speaks more in tongues than all of them.

He identifies with his readers by saying, "If I pray in an unknown tongue." However, he also recognizes the obvious: when an individual prays with this spiritual language that God gifts to someone, their understanding is unfruitful. They do not know what they are saying unless God also provides a divine interpretation. We saw this in 1 Corinthians 14:2, where Paul states, "He that speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not unto men but unto God, and no man understands him."

So, if someone speaks forth in the gift of tongues during a corporate gathering of believers, no one in that room understands them because that individual is speaking spiritual mysteries in the spirit. Additionally, the person speaking in tongues does not know what they are saying unless God grants an interpretation.

They are speaking mysteries. Their understanding is unfruitful. When Paul says that the tongues speaker's understanding is unfruitful, this proves that the gift of tongues is not just the unique ability to speak foreign languages that one does not know or to learn them really well. It is not merely the unique ability to learn foreign languages, as some cessationists believe. A cessationist is generally someone who says that the gift of tongues is not necessarily useful today or that the gift of tongues is not what we think it is. They often claim that the gift of tongues is actually just the unique ability for someone to learn another language.

However, this is not the case, because Paul states that the understanding of that individual is unfruitful; they do not know what they are saying. Keep in mind that verse 14 is Paul's reason for why we ought to pray for an interpretation in verse 13. He says in verse 13 that the tongues speaker should pray that he may interpret. Why? Because he does not know what he is saying.

In verse 15, Paul addresses the obvious question. If he has just stated that tongues do not take a priority position in the church and that prophecy is greater than the gift of tongues, it raises the question of why we even have the gift of tongues. The people hearing someone speak in tongues do not know what the person is saying, and the person speaking in tongues does not know what he is saying. One might wonder, then, why we should not just get rid of the gift of tongues altogether.

Paul responds, saying, "I will pray in the Spirit," or in other words, "I will pray with the gift of tongues." He continues, "I will pray with understanding also. I will sing with the Spirit, and I will sing with understanding also." He poses a critical question: if you bless in the Spirit, how shall the one who occupies the room of the unlearned say amen at the giving of thanks, seeing he understands not what you say?

Thus, verse 15 presents the expected question: Why do we even need the gift of tongues if it is not as useful as the gift of prophecy or if my understanding has darkened? If our understanding is totally unfruitful where tongues are concerned, why use it?

We use the gift of tongues because it is helpful. In what areas is it helpful? As we considered last week, the gift of tongues is personally edifying. The person who uses the gift of tongues, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 14, is edified.

Secondly, the gift of tongues is an effective way to praise God. Thirdly, it is a useful form of prayer. Romans chapter 8, verse 26, speaks about this, mentioning people groaning with groanings that cannot be uttered, which are given to them by the Spirit in their prayers when they don't know how they ought to pray. Many people interpret those groanings to be the gift of tongues. Therefore, the gift of tongues is personally edifying, a useful form of praise, and a useful form of prayer.

Paul states, "Yes, I will pray in the Spirit. Yes, I will sing in the Spirit, but I will also pray with understanding. I'm going to pray in my own language. I'm going to sing with understanding." Why? Because if you pray and praise only in an unknown tongue in a corporate gathering of other believers, it is unfruitful to their understanding and unfruitful to your own understanding. How will others in the fellowship be able to agree in prayer by saying "Amen"? When we say "Amen," we are making the prayer or praise of that other person our prayer as well. Corporate united prayer and praise is important.

Jesus Himself tells us in Matthew chapter 18, verses 19 and 20, that corporate agreed-upon prayer is important. Let me read this to you. Note it down in your notes: "Again, I say unto you, if two of you shall agree on earth concerning anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by my Father in heaven." What confidence is that! "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them."

Clearly, united corporate prayer is important. Paul also emphasizes that he would speak, pray, and praise in the known languages of those gathered together. Why? Because those who are gathered can say "Amen" at the giving of thanks, seeing that they understand, not if he is speaking in tongues. Verse 17 states, "For you truly give thanks well, but the other is not edified."

The person praying in tongues or praising God in tongues is often very impassioned, zealous, intense, and joy-filled. They pray and sing in tongues with great exuberance and excitement. However, the others gathered with them may have a totally different reaction and receive no edification whatsoever if there is no interpretation given. In that context, the gift of tongues can be completely self-serving and, therefore, focusing on that is immature.

In verse 18, Paul is not speaking out of sour grapes because everyone else is speaking in tongues and he is not. He states, "I thank my God that I speak with tongues more than you all." That's a bold statement, isn't it? He expresses gratitude for speaking more in tongues than every single one of them. It could come across as very pompous, but notice what he says in verse 19, which is equally powerful: "Yet in the church, I would rather speak five words with my understanding that by my voice I might teach others also than 10,000 words in an unknown tongue."

When gathered in the church, the whole context here is the gathering of the body of Christ, the Greek word "ekklesia." Paul emphasizes that when he is with other believers, he would rather speak five words with understanding to teach than 10,000 words in a tongue, even though he speaks more in tongues than all of them.

Here is the interesting consideration: If Paul spoke in tongues more than every other believer in Corinth and preferred not to speak in tongues during the gathered assembly, where and when do you suppose he was speaking in tongues? It was likely in his prayer time. Paul clearly recognized that the primary use of the gift of tongues was as a personal and private prayer language.

I would rather speak five words with my understanding than 10,000 words in an unknown tongue in the corporate gathering. Certainly, this is hyperbole. I recognize there's a huge contrast here: five words versus 10,000 words. In an average one-hour teaching that I give, there are about 2,500 to 3,000 words, and I speak fast.

What Paul is essentially saying here is that I would rather speak five words in understanding—such as "Good morning, how are you?" or "You must this day repent"—than three to four hours of speaking in tongues corporately. That's significant. Clearly, Paul recognized that intelligible language was greater in the gathered assembly than unintelligible tongues.

In verse 20, he says, "Brethren, be not children in your understanding. Don't be immature in your understanding of this. However, be children in malice and evil, but in understanding be full grown." J.B. Phillips expresses it this way: "My brothers, do not be like excitable children, but use your intelligence. By all means, be innocent as babes as far as evil is concerned, but where your minds are concerned, be full grown men."

Now, I don't mean this in an offensive way, but I do not think it is incorrect to say that those often from the more Pentecostal or charismatic streams of the church are many times very adolescent in their understanding. They are adolescent in their understanding because of a misplaced focus on ecstatic tongue speaking while at the same time neglecting the clear, systematic, and intelligible teaching and preaching of God's Word.

This is why, oftentimes, when you meet someone or begin to talk with someone who has spent their entire Christian experience in a more charismatic or Pentecostal church, they don't have a very good grasp of the Scriptures and are many times seduced into weird aberrant teachings. I dealt with a group of students at the Bible College this last semester, and they were seeking to minister to a very close friend of theirs who was a part of a very charismatic church.

This church had taught him that Christians do not sin. Now, I don't know about you, but if Christians do not sin, I am not a Christian. Can I get an amen on that one? Thank you very much. I feel much better. I mean, I am just as wicked as the next guy, and I am so thankful for the grace and mercy of God and His continued forgiveness.

To say that Christians do not sin is to disregard the clear teaching of 1 John chapter 1. If you say that you have no sin, you deceive yourself. It disregards the clear grace of God presented in the same chapter. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

Now, the interesting thing is that such Pentecostals who hold that view use the exact same book. They go to 1 John chapter 3 and say there, "He who is born of God does not sin." Therefore, they conclude that Christians do not sin. However, they fail to recognize that if you actually study the passage, what it really is saying is that those who are born of God do not habitually practice sin. There is a maturing that is taking place, a sanctifying process occurring in their lives.

When there is a disregard for the clear, systematic, intelligible instruction of God's Word in favor of ecstatic speech, which is encouraging and edifying, you can recognize that many times they are adolescent in their understanding. What then do they need? Are they not Christians? No, they are Christians, but they need discipleship. There needs to be growth.

Some, and I have actually received this before from those with a Pentecostal background, will say, "Well, you just don't understand the importance of the gift of tongues in the corporate gathering as a sign to unbelievers." They will argue that the use of tongues is a sign to non-Christians and will use the exact same text that we are using to support their view in 1 Corinthians chapter 14. Look at verses 21 through 25.

Before we get into this, I just have to say that several commentators, including J.B. Phillips, consider this one of the most difficult passages of the entire New Testament. In 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verse 21, it is written, "With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this..."

People, and yet for all that, they will not hear me, says the Lord. Therefore, tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not. Do you see where they get this from? Prophesying serves not for them that believe not, but for them that believe. If, therefore, the whole church comes together into one place and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned or unbelievers, will they not say that you’re mad?

But if all prophesy and there comes in one that believes not or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all, and thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest. So, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is of truth among you.

What in the world is Paul saying here? For the last five or six years, I've had the privilege of teaching the book of Isaiah at the Bible College in Marietta. This passage that Paul quotes from the Old Testament comes from Isaiah chapter 28, which happens to be one of my favorite chapters. I have like 6,000 favorite chapters, but that’s one of my favorites.

The reason our radio program and our TV program are called Line Upon Line is from Isaiah chapter 28, verse 10, where, speaking about the message and the word of Isaiah, it says it was line upon line, line upon line, precept upon precept, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little. Now, that sounds really great for a Calvary Chapel. We teach the word of God line upon line.

However, we need to recognize that in Isaiah chapter 28, that was an insult to the prophet Isaiah from the people of his day. Basically, what they said, if they were to speak in modern terms—which are not so modern anymore because we don’t have record players anymore—they would have said Isaiah is like a broken record. If you look at the verse in the Hebrew, it shows they are insulting Isaiah, saying his message is line, line, line, line, precept, precept, precept, precept, here a little, there a little.

Then they go on to say he’s only useful for the children, those just weaned, those just pulled from the breast. He’s so repetitive that just give him to the kids because they need to hear it over and over and over. Don’t hit your sister, you know, until it gets drilled in there. This was an insult. And so God says through the prophet Isaiah to the people in his day who were mocking.

Isaiah had a repetitive message. God says to them in Isaiah 28, verse 11, "All right, you won't listen to the message I'm bringing by Isaiah. Well then, with stammering lips and another tongue, I will speak to this people." To whom He said, "This is the rest wherewith you may cause the weary to rest. And this is the refreshing," and they would not hear.

So, what was God saying through the prophet Isaiah to His people 2,700 years ago in the city of Jerusalem? God was calling to them in their own language, in the Hebrew tongue. He was saying, "You need to turn from your sin. You need to repent, you unbelievers." However, they hardened their hearts, stiffened their necks, and refused to turn, repent, and heed the word of God.

As a result, God said to them, "Okay, if you're not going to listen to my call in your own language, then I'm going to judge you by sending you to another nation, namely the Assyrians. They will speak to you with stammering lips and another tongue." This would be a sign of His commitment to judgment. The unbelieving nation of Israel, being chastened by those who spoke another tongue, with stammering lips that they didn't understand, was a sign of God's judgment.

Now, Paul says, "Don't you see? Tongues, unintelligible languages, are to unbelievers a sign of what? God's judgment." What is meant by what Paul is saying here when he states, "Wherefore, don't you see that tongues are assigned to those that believe not?" I think this is the absolute best interpretation of this passage. I quote my good friend David Guzik here because he expresses it very well.

Perhaps Paul is saying something like this: If you insist upon speaking in tongues in your church meetings instead of in your own personal devotional life, the only good that comes from that use of tongues is that it is a sign of judgment to unbelievers. They think you're crazy when they hear you speaking so. It simply shows them that they do not understand the things of God and are headed towards judgment.

How are tongues assigned to unbelievers? Paul says, "Okay, if you gather together as a corporate gathering," and certainly there are very likely people here today who are not believers and are just investigating the claims of Christ and the things of Christianity. Non-believers come in, and if they come in...

When the whole church begins to speak out in tongues, what is the non-believer going to think? They might conclude that everyone is nuts. Martin Bashir of MSNBC, who was with ABC News several years ago, did a 2020 internet article or video back in 2008 about speaking in tongues. He went on and on about how crazy it is. The non-believing world looks on and says that it's nuts—unintelligible languages.

The Christian who has spiritual understanding can discern spiritual things and is edified by it, while the non-believer thinks it's crazy. Paul addresses this directly. He states that if the whole church comes together in one place and speaks with tongues, and there come in those who are unlearned or unbelievers, will they not say that you are mad? The answer is yes; they will think you are crazy.

However, Paul also says in verse 22 that prophecy is assigned to believers. In verse 13, he adds that if you all prophesy and an unbeliever or someone unlearned comes in, he is convinced and judged by all. It seems like Paul is saying exactly the opposite. In verse 24, it appears he is saying that prophecy is assigned to unbelievers, while in verse 22, he states it is assigned to believers.

What is meant by this? Paul is trying to encourage the church at Corinth that prophecy is better in the church than speaking in tongues. He asserts that this will be proven when unbelievers come into the fellowship, hear the word of God given, and are convinced and judged by it. No one is saved by hearing someone speak in tongues; they come to a knowledge of the truth as they hear the intelligible word of God presented prophetically.

As a result, the secrets of the unbeliever's heart are made manifest. What is the outcome? Falling down on his face, he worships God and reports that God is truly among you. The Pentecostal perspective is that tongues are assigned to unbelievers, thus they are important evangelistically in the church service. However, this only leads the unbeliever in your midst to think you are nuts.

Paul then returns to his main point. Prophecy, as an intelligible and clear presentation of God's word for the use of exhortation, edification, and comfort, holds a priority position in the church over the gift of tongues. This is because prophecy is edifying not just to the believer but also convincing and convicting to the unbeliever.

The question comes down to this: When the church gathers together and there are unbelievers in our midst, would we rather that they go forth from here confessing they are nuts, or would we prefer they leave saying, "God was in this place, and I knew it not"? Personally, I think the answer is clear. Our desire is not to cast aside the gift of tongues and say we don't use it or want it. No, it is powerful and purposeful; it helps us in our prayer, aids us in our worship, and is an effective way to come before the Lord with praise. However, its primary focus is within the prayer closet.

Within the gathering of the body of Christ, the emphasis is on the edification of the whole, the glorification of God, and the evangelization of the lost. Amen?

Let's stand and pray. Father, we ask, I ask humbly that if there is anything that has been said today that is purely of me and not of your word, you would remove it from our thinking. Lord, I believe that as we look at your word, this is what is being said. I ask that you would, Lord, I know that you've gathered us as sensible people. You've given us understanding and intelligence to work these things out.

Lord, help us to be diligent about our study of the word, to consider these things this week to see if they be so, to be Bereans who search the Scriptures. Lord, we want your word to be that which gives us the outline for our lives, which informs our experience, and not our experience informing our understanding of your word.

So, Father, would You this week cause us to be thoughtful about these things? Help us to consider them as we follow You, that we would be more glorified, more edified, and a greater light to a dark world. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.