Prophecy And Tongues
PROPHECY AND TONGUES
1 CORINTHIANS 14:1-5
In this chapter Paul sorts out the chaos that often occurred when the Corinthians met for worship.
“Put love first” epitomizes Paul’s words of advice at the conclusion of his discussions on love’s preeminence and permanence. Once this is understood and done, believers should not be lazy or lacking in spiritual ambition, but seek to be the very best for God by using to the full whatever gift the Spirit has granted. Which gift does Paul place at the head of the list (14:1)?
In fact, there must have been some controversy within the church over the relative value of two types of public utterance: prophecy, and speaking in tongues. These are clearly distinguished in 14:2-3 and pride of place is given to prophetic speech on the ground that “the prophet, although inspired, speaks a comprehensible language and, without interpretation, can have a beneficial effect on the meeting” (Héring). The exact nature of this type of public speaking is spelled out in 14:3: it is a ministry which builds up (a favorite Pauline idea), and exhorts (see Romans 12 as a good example of this kind of utterance) and comforts, and an example of this ministry is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 and Revelation 3:7-13). Would it be fair to say that this nuance of New Testament ministry may be represented by the modern term “preaching” or the “ministry of the word”?
Glossolalia—speaking in a tongue—on the other hand, is a language phenomenon in which the speaker utters words which are not immediately intelligible, and so exercises a ministry which needs a complementary gift of interpretation (13:4).
Some modern interpreters of this passage make the helpful distinction also between the use of a “tongue” as an exercise of private devotion (13:2,4) in which the communion of the soul with God is so intimate and profound that no earthly language can be the vehicle of its expressions (see Romans 8:26-27; 2 Corinthians 12:2-4), and Paul had known this experience (14:18); and the use of tongues as a part of public congregational worship. In the latter instance, the key phrase is “in church” (14:19,28), with its variants, “if the whole church assembles” (14:23), “when you come together” (14:26).
If we accept this distinction based on the place where the gift of tongues is exercised, the opening verses deal with their value in private fellowship with God. In the secret place of fellowship, such a practice has value and the believer is “built up” (14:4) as they fathom the depths of spiritual experience (1 Corinthians 2:10-12). But the corporate value is only made possible if the one who practices the gift of tongues can give an intelligible sense (14:13), whereas prophecy, which requires no translation, is more highly commended (14:5).