1 Corinthians 14

Thursday, 29 January 2015

What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. 1 Corinthians 14:15

The previous verse said, “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.” Anytime someone prays in a foreign language, they have no change in their mental state concerning the prayer. If a person doesn’t understand Latin, but knows prayers in Latin (a very common occurrence), there is no edification in uttering the prayer. They are just meaningless words which come off the tongue but which serve no actual purpose for the one praying. Nor do they serve any purpose for the one hearing if that person doesn’t speak Latin.

This was the case in the Roman Catholic Church for eons. Until 1965, the Catholic Mass was completely in Latin and nobody was edified. It was a useless gesture to go to Mass in order to learn about Christ because there was nothing to learn. There were just incoherent words coming from the priest. This is still true with portions of many services and it actually serves no valid purpose according to Paul. In response to such ostentation, he asks an obvious question. “What is the conclusion then?”

He is asking those at Corinth (and thus us!) to think this issue through. What good at all is such a display other than to have the one making it feel good about speaking in a tongue no one understands? Or even worse, to withhold vital information from the hearer. This was the case in the Roman Catholic Church. The liturgy was intentionally kept in Latin to keep congregants in the dark as to their spiritual needs. Instead of learning about Christ, they were kept dependent on the church. It became a dark and sinister practice of bondage.

In response to such unfruitfulness, Paul proclaims, “I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding.” There needs to be a uniting of the spirit (the breath, meaning the words issued off the tongue) and the mind, or understanding. If not, then there has been only wasted effort on the part of the one praying. But continuing further, and in a point that we should not miss, he says, “I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.”

Paul, speaking in the first person, but using it as a tool to mean all people individually, includes singing along with speaking. It is an important thing he has said here to refute the doctrine of speaking in incoherent tongues, such as are heard in Charismatic churches. His words demonstrate conclusively that the “tongues” Paul is speaking about are known languages. As he combines prayer and singing in one verse which is discussing the same subject, it shows that the sounds that he has been, is, and will continue to be speaking of are known languages, not made up sounds.

Songs are written in known languages. They may not be known to the hearers, but they always have a known message by the one composing them. This was addressed by Paul earlier when speaking of the three aspects of sound – voice, distinction, and sound. Together, these are combined with words which then produce a song. It is more than unreasonable to assume that Paul means anything other than a real song which uses known words. To claim otherwise would be done so based on a presupposition which is not supported at all by his commentary in this chapter.

Life application: 才能薰陶，一個人需要說話連貫和指令的接收者可理解的語言。Paul 要求我們用陶冶和與別人建立良好的詞。讓我們努力永遠這樣做。Oh, I’m sorry. What I said is, “In order to be edified, one needs to speak coherently and in a language that the receiver of the instruction understands. Paul asks us to use words which edify and build others up. Let us endeavor to always do so.”

My precious Lord, the words “Just a closer walk with Thee” can’t even begin to explain how much I want You near. I don’t just want to walk with You, but to be filled with You. And I don’t want this in a given measure, but in an ever-increasing measure. Fill me even to overflowing with Your goodness and Your grace. Cover me in Your perfect righteousness, and surround me in Your infinite glory. May the beauty of Your majesty envelop me so that You are all that the world sees. This is my heart’s desire, O God. Amen.

Wednesday, 28 January 2015

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 1 Corinthians 14:14

Some translations insert the word “unknown” before “tongue” to provide a sense of clarity. Paul just spoke in the previous verse saying, “let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.” This, as noted, refers to someone praying in a known language. Paul, now using the first person, says that if he prays in a known language that he doesn’t understand, then “my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.”

As seen in the analysis of the previous verse, this is not an uncommon thing. People read prayers in other languages often in churches. If they don’t know the meaning of the words, then there is no comprehension of what is being said. His words in the coming verse will continue to explain the need for understanding, both in prayer and in song. Songs, maybe even more than prayers, are often sung in other languages. It is nice to hear them and they may be great melodies, but unless the words are known, there is no comprehension of what is being sung.

If there is no understanding, then there is no fruit for the mind. There is no growth, no development, and no edification. Paul is continuously bringing his words back to development and growth in Christ. His instruction shows a desire for Christian maturity, not immaturity. If the congregation continuously focuses on tongues, there will be no growth. Instead, there will be a weak and ineffective group that is bent on self-centeredness and division, which is exactly what was to be found in Corinth.

Life application: There are several purposes for gathering in a church setting. We are there to praise and worship the Lord, we go to fellowship with others, and we also go in order to receive instruction and grow in our walk with the Lord. By clinging to childish habits in the church, we will continue on in immaturity. Let us endeavor to grow and develop in Christ each time we assemble as a body.

Lord, today I need Your hand of peace upon me. The world I live in is filled with an ever-increasing hatred of what is right and moral. Your word is ignored, it is twisted by those with evil intent in order to say what You never meant, and our leaders honor You with their lips, but their hearts are far from You. I mourn in my spirit, looking for a life that is in close fellowship with You, but these things steal my joy. Return me to a contented place in You. Help me to fix my eyes on You once again. Amen.

Tuesday, 27 January 2015

 Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. 1 Corinthians 14:13

It needs to be remembered the context of who Paul is writing to and under what circumstances. He is writing to the church of the Corinthians at a very early date in church history. In that congregation, there were Jews and Gentiles alike who had come to know Christ. It is certain that the majority of the Jews felt the prayers to God should be in their language.

Learning to speak Hebrew is not an overly difficult task. Even today, many Jewish people can read and speak the language, but they have no comprehension of the words. They often participate in the reading of Scripture at certain special times during the year, but they are only spoken words without meaning to their minds; the sounds are unintelligible.

Today, we have the same thing come up in churches from time to time. Lutheran churches may have a prayer written by Martin Luther read aloud. It will be in the original German and almost any competent English speaker can read the words in German because they are the same letters. Maybe the person even took a year of German in High School. If so, their pronunciation will be even better. But there is no understanding at all of what the words mean. This is what Paul is speaking about – real languages being spoken during the church service. The only problem is that they are unknown tongues to the people’s ears.

Understanding this context helps us to grasp what Paul is saying. “Therefore” rests upon his words concerning the understanding of the “voice” of a thing, or even a language which is heard. For the benefit of the person who is listening to a Hebrew prayer, passage, or other communication, the speaker should pray for the ability to interpret the words he is speaking. If not, then the people who are listening will never come to understand the meaning of what has been said. They will remain un-edified in their thinking and the words will have been wasted breath.

The gift of interpreting what is spoken will come as the speaker learns the language. This should be his prayer. In essence, “Lord, give me the understanding of these words so that I can properly interpret them for the benefit of the others who hear them.” In this, all will be edified through those spoken words.

Life application: Let it be the goal of all Christians to speak edifying words to those in the congregation. If we are given something to speak which is written in Spanish, German, or Japanese, we should pray that we can not only read it, but interpret it as well. Otherwise, the words have no substance behind them for those who hear.

How I cherish my moments with You, O God. I love to feel Your presence as I work, as I drive, and as I walk along the path to wherever I am going. What a difference when I do these things when You aren’t on my mind! The time is dull and meaningless. But when I have You in my thoughts, the sky is bluer, the leaves are greener, and the time passes with a simple ease that fills me with joy. Give me the mind and the presence to remember that You are always with me and that I can always have this state of peace. Amen.

Monday, 26 January 2015

Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel. 1 Corinthians 14:12

“Even so” relies on what he just said and leads into the rest of this verse. Taken as a whole, it thus reads:

“Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me. Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.”

Again and again in Chapter 14, Paul has attempted to wake up the believers in Corinth (and thus us!) to pursue that which is useful and edifying rather than that which is self-centered and merely for show. The abuse of speaking in tongues was such that it had become a complete distraction to what would otherwise be a normally functioning church.

If speaking in a tongue which no one understands means that we remain a foreigner to those around us, then we should pursue a gift other than speaking in tongues. Paul is trying to be diplomatic about the issue without directly bringing insult upon those who continued to speak in tongues. The purpose of tongues was to demonstrate to the Jewish believers that God was working through the name of Jesus (Acts 2), and to convince them that He is the fulfillment of their Scriptures, their worship, and their hopes.

A further demonstration of tongues was again given to show them (through Peter’s visitation to the house of Cornelius in Acts 10) that the Gentiles had been accepted by the Lord as they were. It was to show that they were brought into the same New Covenant as the Jews without converting to being Jews or observing the Law of Moses.

The only other time that tongues were mentioned in Acts (the account of the establishment of the church) is in Acts 19. Certain believers had been baptized into John’s baptism, but not into Jesus’ baptism. When they were baptized into Jesus, they received the gift of tongues. This was done to show them the difference between the two baptisms. This was in Ephesus that it occurred and the congregation in Corinth would probably have heard this exciting news.

Because of the grand nature of what transpired, the now-established church continued to force the use of tongues where it was no longer needed. Thus Paul is spending an inordinate amount of time on the issue in order to get them to grow up and stop acting like children (verse 20). Nowhere else in the New Testament are tongues mentioned in this type of context, and the word “tongues” is only used again in Revelation under a completely different context.

And so, without trying to humiliate these immature believers, he is attempting to get them to stop with unneeded tongues and to pursue greater gifts. Tongues were a gift given as a sign at the establishment of the church. They were never intended to be used in the church age in the manner that they are being used by the Pentecostal movement of today. If believers would simply read the Bible, study the words of Paul, and apply these studies to their lives, they would see that the use of tongues was a specific gift with limited purpose. Other than for times when translation between languages is needed, tongues are something Paul actually argues against in the now-established church.

This is seen with perfect clarity by his words that, “since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.” Rather than making a self-centered show which edifies no one, he asks them to seek gifts which actually edify the members of the church. The word “gifts” is inserted by the translators. Literally it reads “since zealous you are (for) spirits…” As Vincent’s Word Studies notes –

“Paul treats the different spiritual manifestations as if they represented a variety of spirits. To an observer of the unseemly rivalries it would appear as if not one spirit, but different spirits, were the object of their zeal.”

In other words, instead of looking at the gifts of the Spirit as having one intent and purpose, which is the edifying of the church, they were looking at the “gift” of tongues as a case of “I have the Spirit because I can speak in a foreign language.” Add in a “ne ni ne ni boo boo” and you can see the attitude of these immature believers. It is an attitude which continues to permeate immature believers and churches in an ever-increasing manner since the establishment of the Pentecostal movement. It demonstrates a departing from sound doctrine intended for edification and a return to the immature behavior of the dysfunctional church of Corinth.

Life application: Conduct in the church should be “Edify!” not “Look! How spiritual am I!”

Lord God, I pray that one person today who is praying with me will make a commitment to read their Bible everyday for the rest of the year. I pray that as they fulfill this commitment, that You will bless them both in their walk with You and in their personal lives as well. I pray that You demonstrate to them that pursuing You through Your word is worthy of abundant blessing. And Lord, may this desire  then spread like wildfire among all people. Even to much-needed revival. Amen.

Sunday, 25 January 2015

 Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me. 1 Corinthians 14:11

“Therefore” is given for us to look back and consider what was said in order to understand what will now be conveyed. Paul has written about different instruments, each which conveys its own distinct sound. He then discussed the individual tunes which an instrument can make. He also noted that there are many languages in the world. Each has its own voice which is unique and which can be comprehended by anyone who understands that voice. Chinese is not Russian; Navaho is not Spanish; English is not Vietnamese; etc. Unless one understands the voice of the language, it is simply unintelligible noise without meaning or cohesion.

However, to a person who understands the language, each word identifies something which can be described by the word – nouns, verbs, conjunctions, etc all begin to form a cohesive thought which conveys a reasonable, understandable message to those who know that language. Based on this, Paul gives his “therefore” by saying, “If I do not know the meaning of the language…” The word “voice” is used here. It literally says, “the power of the voice.” The “power” is its meaning, and the “voice” is what is being relayed. If one doesn’t know the meaning behind what is being relayed (think of the battle trumpet that sounds out a tune you have never heard), then “I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks.”

This term “foreigner” is the Greek word barbaros (barbarian, hence a foreigner). Here it is not intended as a deprecatory phrase as it often is, but rather it is indicating unintelligible words. The Greeks viewed any foreign language as harsh or rude in comparison to their language. Thus they applied the term “bar bar” to them. It indicated any language that wasn’t Greek; known languages which to them seemed like unintelligible sounds. This is what Paul is conveying here. He is saying that even though the language is a real language with an actual “voice,” it is simply a confused sound if it isn’t understood by the hearer.

Paul is not speaking of made up, incoherent sounds without meaning behind them. He is speaking about the perception of those sounds by the hearer who doesn’t understand them. Thus, he is not speaking of a personal “prayer language” or a supposedly “Spirit-inspired” language that only God knows. He is speaking of a real language spoken by another group which is not understood by the hearer. To confirm this, he completes his sentence with “and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me.” Just as the sounds of the speaker are unintelligible to the hearer, even though the speaker obviously understands them (because they are the “voice” of the speaker; meaning an understandable concept put into real words), the hearer will interpret the speaker  as a barbaros (foreigner) for failing to understand the words.

This occurs around the world about 10 jillion times a day. People get frustrated at others who don’t speak their own language, and hearers get frustrated at those they don’t understand. For particular emphasis, go to France and test this concept there. They have a special knack for treating foreign speakers, particularly English speakers, in a most frustrating way.

Again as has been noted, Paul has consistently spoken of real languages that are spoken by real people groups and which have real meaning. Nobody in their right mind would speak unintelligible garble at the office among their coworkers. Nor would they do it while at a city council meeting. They would be both humiliating and humiliated. As this is so, why would you act in such a manner in the holy congregation of the saints?

Life application: When you are in church, speak words which have meaning and which edify the congregation or don’t speak at all.

Lord, it isn’t easy to see the trials my friends face. I often wish I could help more than I do, or that I could take their place in those difficult times. But You have given each of us our own course and direction. At the same time, You have given us one another to at least share in the burdens. We can say a kind word, help with the bills, or gather in prayer to show our unity with them. Help me to be such a person Lord. Give me a heart to know when to step forward and offer myself to them. I pray for such wisdom. Amen.