seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
1 Corinthians 14:1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. 2 For anyone who speaks in a tongue[a] does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. 4 Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I would like every one of you to speak in tongues,[b] but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues,[c] unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.
6 Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 7 Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8 Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 9 So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. 10 Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 11 If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. 12 So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.
13 For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. 16 Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer,[d] say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? 17 You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
20 Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. 21 In the Law it is written:
“With other 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.”[e]
22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24 But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, 25 as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.
29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.
34 Women[f] should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35 If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.[g]
36 Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? 37 If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. 38 But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored.[h]
39 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.
a. 1 Corinthians 14:2 Or in another language; also in verses 4, 13, 14, 19, 26 and 27
b. 1 Corinthians 14:5 Or in other languages; also in verses 6, 18, 22, 23 and 39
c. 1 Corinthians 14:5 Or in other languages; also in verses 6, 18, 22, 23 and 39
d. 1 Corinthians 14:16 The Greek word for inquirer is a technical term for someone not fully initiated into a religion; also in verses 23 and 24.
e. 1 Corinthians 14:21 Isaiah 28:11,12
f. 1 Corinthians 14:34 Or peace. As in all the congregations of the Lord’s people, 34 women
g. 1 Corinthians 14:35 In a few manuscripts these verses come after verse 40.
h. 1 Corinthians 14:38 Some manuscripts But anyone who is ignorant of this will be ignorant
Oh boy.... I'm glad I'm at home... and not saying any of this in the church.... cause Paul says I should keep my mouth shut..... oh brother.....
This is from the easy English site.
The Christians in Corinth were emphasising the gift of ‘tongues’. Paul possessed the gift himself. But he was thinking about how all the members of the church could grow in their faith.
He urges the Christians at Corinth to desire spiritual gifts. But especially they should want the gift of prophecy. A Christian who praised God in a tongue was helping himself. He was using sounds in no known human language when he could not find words to use. But other people could not understand him.
To give a message from God benefited the church. People could understand, so their faith would grow. Prophecy encouraged and comforted members of the church.
Paul makes the contrast clear. To speak in a tongue will help one person. To give a message from God for a particular situation helps the whole church.
So Paul would prefer the Christians to prophesy. It was more important for the church to understand what God wanted. Unless someone explained the tongues, the church would not become stronger.
Preaching helps those who are already in the church. But it is also a powerful witness to visitors. A person’s conscience will tell him that he is sinful. His spiritual state will become clear. He will declare that God is really present in the church. Paul believed that this was coming true. At a future time, people from every nation would want to learn from the Jews. Paul uses these words from Zechariah 8:23: ‘Let us go with you. We have heard that God is with you.’ When visitors would listen to Christian preaching, they would want to know more about Jesus.
Paul had made it plain that women could pray and prophesy. So it seems that he is saying the opposite. Here he is telling them to remain silent. Some writers are worried about this. So, they suggest that Paul did not write these verses (34-36). Perhaps someone else added them at a later date. But there may be several good reasons for the difference.
1. Some women were becoming too proud about their new freedom as Christians (Galatians 3:28). ‘In Christ there is neither male nor female’. Some of them would have had little freedom before they became Christians. So, they were speaking at the wrong time and they were interrupting the meeting.
2. At that time, some religions with wrong beliefs gave women a very important role. The woman called ‘Jezebel’ in Revelation 2:20 had caused Christians to have wrong sexual behaviour. So, Paul may have been warning against women teachers with bad morals.
3. The women may not have understood what someone was saying. They might have had little teaching before they became Christians. So they interrupted. They asked the men what the speaker meant. But men and women sat apart in public meetings then. So the women had to shout or walk about. Paul said that they should ask their own husbands to explain at home.
4. They may just have been gossiping to each other. They were not trying to take part in the meeting. This is possible even in some church services today!
The Christians at Corinth allowed confusion in their meetings. But they were proud of themselves. So Paul made fun of them in an angry way. He said that the Christian message did not come only from them. They were not the only Christians in the world. They should pay attention to what happened in other churches.
Well... with all due respect to those who have the gift of speaking in tongues.... I congratulate you..... But...
I went to a Bible Study once with my mom. Now the woman who was holding the Bible Study was a well known author.... she even had a weekly TV show.... and she spoke in tongues. To me it was jibber jabber...... I remember my mom looking at me kind of weird but I don't think anything was coming out of my mouth.... but there were jibber jabbers around us. The problem is... I don't know if the jibber jabber was really tongues or if it was made up to make people feel good?
As I have discussed.... I'm old and bored and there's not a lot to do during this quarantine..... so I watch a lot of news. Sometimes CNN goes into a feature story while I'm crocheting... and I don't notice the program change.... and then I realize.... they're talking in a language I don't understand..... there are subtitles.... in English.... but what ever they are saying is like [pardon the pun] Greek to me. I generally mutter when I turn the channel......
That's what I think Paul is saying. The people in Greece did business with people from all around the world. They could talk to people from Persia, Rome, Carthage, Jerusalem, and anywhere else...... they spoke in the tongue [language] required to complete the task. I know a boy who can speak, read, and interpret four languages. When he's around me.... he speaks English so I can understand him.
All the fancy language in the world won't let a human know about Salvation if the language isn't clear and concise. You can tell me fifty different ways to leave my lover.... but if one of those ways isn't English... I'm not going to have a clue what you are talking about.... and that my friends is my version of speaking in tongues.... clear as mud?
Oh and I do think the men should have been running the church in the days of Paul..... Women were second class... if that... back in the days of Paul. To let a woman speak would turn people off.... they might as well have an orgy..... women were to have children, cook, clean.... very few had a position of importance.... so letting them run the church would send a confusing signal to those curious souls looking in from the outside.
Of course... I would be quite offended if Paul were to stand up in my church and say "All you women need to shut up".....
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