Corinthians 14:6-25 (Part 2)
Outline:
I. \\#1:1-4:21\\ In Answer to Chloe’s Report
II. \\#5:1-6:20\\ In Answer to Common Reports
III. \\#7:1-16:4\\ In Answer to the Church’s Requests
A. \\#7:1-40\\ Counsel Concerning Marriage
B. \\#8:1-10:33\\ Meat Offered to Idols
C. \\#11:2-16\\ God’s Authority
1. \\#2-3\\ God’s Authority over Others
2. \\#4-6\\ God’s Authority Displayed
3. \\#7-16\\ God’s Authority Explained
D. \\#11:17-34\\ Abuse with the Lord’s Supper
E. \\#12:1-14:40\\ Spiritual Gifts
1. \\#12:1-3\\ Marks of the Holy Ghost
2. \\#12:4-11\\ Lessons about the Holy Ghost
3. \\#12:12-26\\ Believers, like gifts, Are Many, Different,
and One
4. \\#12:27-31\\ See Among Yourselves
5. \\#13:1-13\\ The Better Way
(a) \\#1-3\\ The Missing Ingredient
(b) \\#4-8\\ Characteristics of Love
(c) \\#8-13\\ All Gifts Will Cease
6. \\#14:1-40\\ Tongues Is Not the Best Gift
(a) \\#1-25\\ Prophecy Is the Better Gift
(1) \\#1-4\\ Three Commands, Two Reasons
(2) \\#5\\ Paul’s Conclusion
(3) \\#6-25\\ The Problems with Tongues (as the
Corinthians were practicing the gift)
i. \\#6\\ Tongues did not profit the church.
ii. \\#7-20\\ Tongues had no meaning.
iii. \\#21-25\\ Tongues was for the lost.
(b) \\#14:26-40\\ Tongues Should Be Practices Properly
\\#7:1-16:4\\ In Answer to the Church’s Requests
I. \\#12:1-14:40\\ Spiritual Gifts
F. \\#14:1-40\\ Tongues Is Not the Best Gift
1. \\#1-4\\ Three Commands, Two Reasons
a. Commands
(1) Follow charity.
(2) Seek gifts.
(3) But of the gifts to seek, seek prophesy.
b. Reasons
(1) Tongues (without an interpreter) can not be
understood.
(2) Tongues (without an interpreter) builds up the
user not the church
2. \\#5\\ Paul’s Conclusion
3. \\#6-25\\ The Problems with Tongues
a. \\#6\\ The gift of tongues, at least how the
Corinthians were using it, would not profit the
church.
1Cor 14:6 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?
(1) Paul used a rhetorical question to point out the
problem being created by Corinth’s use of this
gift.
(a) Rhetorical questions are questions asked,
but not answered because the answer should
be obvious.
(b) Paul has used that method of teaching a LOT
in this book.
(2) This is the Greek word "glossa" being used in a
vague context so that it does not teach us
anything new about the kind of tongue or
language that Paul meant.
(a) The ONLY kind of tongue that the Bible has
or will mention is the organ in our mouths
of a human language.
(b) There is no Bible reason to suppose he meant
anything other than that here.
(c) For example, If a man stands up in church
and speaks Russian; but no one else
understands him, what will it profit the
other believers in the church unless
someone else speaks?
(d) The unspoken but obvious answer is, "It will
not profit anyone at all."
(3) Before the gift of tongues could profit a
congregation, another gift would have to be
used.
(a) Paul mentioned four spiritual gifts in this
verse that could also be used with the gift
of interpretation that he had already
mentioned to help correct the Corinthians’
problem.
(b) All of the gifts are similar yet slightly
different.
i. The gift of revelation - To receive
new words from God, typically Bible-
worthy knowledge.
ii. The gift of knowledge - To
instantaneously know some truth.
iii. The gift of prophesy - To know future
truths.
iv. The gift of doctrine - To know Bible
truths.
(c) The charismatics often make the claim that
they are also using these gifts WHEN they
are speaking in their tongues.
i. I do not know that they ALWAYS would
always hold to that claim but they
would at least some.
ii. Indirectly, Paul was again stating
(see \\#5\\) that the gift of tongues
was NOT a stand-alone gift.
aa. It needed other spiritual gifts
to make it profitable.
bb. In a church where everyone is
speaking the same earthly
language, why would any other
language—earthly or heavenly—
be profitable except to exalt
the ones using it?
b. \\#7-20\\ The gift of tongues, as the Corinthians were
using it, gave a sound that had no meaning.
1Cor 14:7 And 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?
8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound,
who shall prepare himself to the battle?
9 So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue
words easy to be understood, how shall it be
known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the
air.
(1) \\#7-9\\ Everything Paul said in these verses can
be summed up in one phrase, "If you don’t know
what the sound means, it does not PROFIT you."
(a) \\#7\\ Whether it is musical sound…
(b) \\#8\\ whether it is military sound…
(c) \\#9\\ or whether it is vocal sound, if no
one understands it, you are just "speaking
into the air."
(2) The Greek word translated "sound" and "voice" in
this chapter are the same.
(a) The Greek word "voice" is the word from
which we get the English word "phone."
(b) It is used 129 times in the New Testament.
(c) It is used to refer to God’s voice, but can
be used of man’s as well.
(3) Please note that Paul was NOT RECOMMENDING that
the Corinthians "talk to the air."
(a) He was DISCOURAGING it.
(b) So if everyone speaks the same language, why
use the gift of tongues at all?
(4) Again, Paul’s statement does not imply a new kind
of language.
(a) I restate this often because charismatics
have ceased upon virtually every line of
Scripture that states the gift of tongues
by itself produces an "unknown" sound to
prove their view that Paul was describing a
new, angelic or heavenly language.
(b) There is no indication of that at all.
(c) If someone stands in our church and speaks
in Russian, without an interpreter, no one
will know what the sound he makes means;
and he will be speaking "into the air."
(d) In addition, nothing Paul said about the
actual gift of tongues as it was practiced
in the Bible was for the purpose of
encouraging it’s use within the church!
i. While Paul did not forbid the use of
the gift of tongues within the
church, neither was he encouraging
it.
ii. To take ANYTHING Paul wrote in this
book as an encouragement to practice
the gift of tongues within the
church—no matter what you think the
gift may be—is both a stretch and a
marvel.
(5) \\#10-11\\ Voices must have meaning to have
significance.
1Cor 14:10 There are, it may be, so many kinds
of voices in the world, and none of them is
without signification.
(a) "none… without significance" - If there is
a voice, it has a purpose.
11 Therefore if I know not the meaning of the
voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a
barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a
barbarian unto me.
(b) If I do not understand the voice, it will
sound like "a barbarian" to me and vice-
versa.
i. The word "barbarian" has several
connotations in Scriptures, but here
we can just read it "as a foreigner."
ii. Paul was saying that a voice we do not
understand is like a foreign language
to us.
(aa) Paul still had no intention of
defining the gift here.
(bb) He did not say that the gift was
or was not a foreign language.
iii. Paul did say that if we don’t know
what the voice SAYS, we won’t
understand what the voice MEANS.
iv. This would be true whether tongues was
an earthly or heavenly language.
(c) Again, we must point out that Paul was NOT
RECOMMENDING the Corinthians speak in this
fashion. He was DISCOURAGING it.
(6) \\#12\\ Paul’s Conclusion
1Cor 14:12 Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are
zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may
excel to the edifying of the church.
(a) "Even so ye" - Paul did not directly tell
the Corinthians that they were "speaking to
the air" or "sounding like a Barbarian;"
but he was telling them that even in their
zeal, they needed to concentrate on
"edifying the church."
(b) Zeal is a wonderful motivation, but Paul
described the Jewish nation as having a
zeal without proper knowledge.
Ro 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a
zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
i. I am not trying to be harsh on the
charismatics and their version of
tongues, but it seems to me that this
is their case today.
ii. They have zeal, but they do not have
Biblical backing for much of what
they are practicing today.
(7) \\#13\\ Paul’s Command
1Cor 14:13 Wherefore let him that speaketh in an
unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
(a) Paul gives this command to correct the
problem that has been occurring within the
Corinthian church, i.e. people were
speaking in languages and no one knew what
they were saying.
(b) The solution - Everyone who speaks in an
"unknown tongue" should also seek the gift
of interpretation.
i. Paul’s solution did not prove there
was an angelic language, and it did
not prove there was not an angelic
language.
ii. There is nothing in the Bible about
there being an angelic language so
this chapter could not prove or
disprove its existence.
iii. This solution was to deal with one of
the problems the use of the Biblical
gift of tongues had caused within the
church at Corinth.
(c) Paul will actually list as a rule for
speaking in tongues that someone must be
present to interpret \\#1Cor 14;28\\.
(d) And the fact that Paul used the term
"unknown term" still does not argue for or
Against tongues being an angelic language.
(8) \\#14-17\\ Paul’s Reason
1Cor 14:14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue,
my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is
unfruitful.
15 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.
(a) Paul’s reason for this command was that even
if we pray and sing, we should do so with
understanding that both our spirit and our
minds may be blessed.
(b) The Corinthians had not been using the gift
in that way.
i. Paul point was not that it WAS
acceptable to pray and sing in
tongues.
ii. His point was that it WAS NOT
acceptable to pray or sing, let alone
to preach and speak in a public
worship service, unless there was
understanding too.
(c) This still does not prove that the gift of
tongues is an angelic or heavenly language.
i. The word "glossa" is used, but it is
still undefined.
ii. The only defined uses for the word
"glossa" illustrate it to either be
the organ within our mouths or a
human language.
iii. If you are praying or singing in
Russian and you do not understand
what you are praying or singing, you
are doing it wrong.
1Cor 14:16 Else when thou shalt bless with the
spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of
the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks,
seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
17 For thou verily givest thanks well, but the
other is not edified.
c. \\#21-25\\ Tongues was for the lost not the saved.
(1) The quote is from \\#Is 28:11-12\\.
1Cor 14:21 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.
(2) Paul used the text to demonstrate that God gave
the gift of tongues to convince the lost.
1Cor 14:22 Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not
to them that believe, but to them that believe
not: but prophesying serveth not for them that
believe not, but for them which believe.
(a) The gift of tongues was given to help the
unbelievers to believe (even though God knew
that most of them would not).
(b) The gift was not for the believers.
(c) Paul continued to prove his main point that
the gift of prophesy was a better gift for
the church than the gift of tongues.
(3) However, Paul was also telling the church that
tongues was not a gift for Christians to use
among themselves.
(4) He then pointed out, with a rhetorical question,
what it would look like if everyone in a church
had the gift of tongues and used it at the same
time.
1Cor 14:23 If therefore the whole church be come
together into one place, and all speak with
tongues, and there come in those that are
unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that
ye are mad?
(a) Rhetorical questions do not require an
answer because the answer is obvious.
(b) The unanswered question is that the
unbeliever would think the people were
mad or crazy.
(c) The gift would not have to be an "angelic
language" for a lost person to think that
either.
(d) It would be a justified conclusion even if
everyone was speaking different earthly
languages at the same time.
(5) While Paul was not advocating that everyone
prophesy all at one time either; but IF that
were to happen, prophesy would be better the
better gift for then the lost person could hear
and understand what was being said and, thus,
might be convicted and saved.
1Cor 14:24 But if all prophesy, and there come
in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he
is convinced of all, he is judged of all:
25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made
manifest; and so falling down on his face he
will worship God, and report that God is in you
of a truth.
(a) Paul was not encouraging everyone to speak
at one time in the church, but he was still
making his point.
(b) Namely, if everyone had a vocal gift from
the Lord and if everyone was going to
practice their vocal gifts at the same
time, prophesy would be a better gift to
have than tongues.
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