Section VIII The New Faith
and Spiritual Gifts
The Corinthians had lost their sense of values in regard to the various gifts of the Holy Spirit. They had come to look upon ecstatic utterances as the choicest of spiritual gifts, and tended to minimize other ministries of the Spirit. In c. 12, Paul states two simple truths. First, all gifts come from the same Holy Spirit and cannot be in opposition to each other. Second, the apostle illustrates the importance of all gifts by comparing the members of the Church to the structure of the human body.
A. THE VARIETY OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS, 12:1-7
Paul first presents some general ideas, then shows that all gifts come from the same Spirit, and finally mentions a list of specific gifts.
1. Spiritual Gifts in General (12:1-3)
The words now concerning indicate that Paul is about to introduce another matter which the Corinthians had mentioned in their letter to him. Whether the word gifts should be inserted is a much debated question. Spiritual (pneumatika) is usually accepted as referring to “spiritual things”1 or to spiritual gifts. The common NT term for “gifts” is charisma. The word does not occur in the text, but since the entire context deals with this subject, it is correct to interpret pneumatika as meaning spiritual gifts.
The apostle introduces this discussion by noting the importance of spiritual gifts, yet warning against their misuse.
a. The importance of a true understanding of spiritual gifts (12:1). When Paul writes, I would not have you ignorant, he points out the importance of the whole matter. These Corinthians were recent converts to Christianity. “With their ideas of Christian morality but imperfectly shaped, little acquaintance with the Old Scriptures, and the New not as yet having been fully written, it is no wonder the Corinthians were ignorant.”2
An understanding of the place and nature of spiritual gifts was important because the Corinthians had a background of idolatry. Paul was anxious to “efface from their minds some traces of their old polytheism by impressing them with the truth that all their variety of gifts is from one Spirit, the Infinite Unity.”3
In Corinth the whole idea of the gifts of the Spirit had degenerated. As a natural consequence, “those gifts were most highly honoured, not which were most useful, but which were most astonishing. Amongst these the gift of tongues rose preeminent, as being in itself the most expressive of the new spiritual life.”4 Most of the gifts listed by Paul in c. 12 were ignored. The one stressed above all others was speaking in tongues. Interest seemed to center in acquiring a power to do miraculous things and to create astonishment in non-Christian minds. The Holy Spirit was exploited for sensational results. “His receiving, sanctifying function seems to have been left very much in the background. He was thought of as the author, not of grace … but of Charisms [gifts,] and ‘spiritual’ in the vocabulary of the period was an attribute ascribed to the effects of a spirit of power, not to those of a spirit of holiness.”5
In this manner the gift of the Holy Spirit came to mean, in the common mind, not the power to believe, to hope, to love, to be pure, but the power to speak ecstatically and to perform sensational deeds. Of this type of religion the same author declared:
The whole fraternity of people who can be religious and at the same time false, greedy, sensual, bending like reeds before the swollen stream in a time of enthusiasm without radical change of heart soon began to swarm. They appeared everywhere, tares among the wheat of the Kingdom, they were unusually abundant in the Corinthian Church, where everyone could speak in one way or another, and virtue was at a discount—a church mostly gone to tongues.6
Because of the dissension and friction caused by the loss of perspective regarding spiritual gifts, the Corinthian church faced serious difficulties, even spiritual extinction. As Hayes has remarked, “It is a proof of the surpassing genius of the apostle Paul that he was able to save this church and all his churches from fanaticisms and dissolution and to build out of them a world-conquering Christianity.”7
b. The impotence of idolatry (12:2). To puncture any pride in their present state and to forestall possible argument, Paul reminds them of the helplessness of their former condition. Ye know suggests that “they knew very well the situation they were in when they were still pagans.”8 In their state of heathen ism they had been carried away unto these dumb idols. Lit erally, they were led about like a condemned prisoner. The heathen here are pictured, “not as men freely following the gods their intellects have fully approved, but as under constraint, as helpless, as men who know no better.”9 As heathen, the Corin thians had been “bandied about among a multitude of dead and dumb gods, knowing nothing of the living, speaking One.”10 In stead of hearing the personal voice of a divine Father these people had bowed down before a god who could neither speak nor act. The point the apostle wants to make is that abandonment of oneself to an excessive display of ecstasy under the guise of spirituality might be as fruitless as their former abandonment in idolatry.
c. The immediate supervision of the Holy Spirit (12:3). Apparently the Corinthians were concerned as to whether or not all their utterances came from the Spirit of God. Paul’s answer at this point was specific: No man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed. “It is impossible that one who speaks in the Spirit of God would say Jesits is anathema, for there is in the Christian faith one firm principle, one work of the Spirit which always remains the same … and never turns away from Jesus Christ.”11
Accursed (anathema) means something “devoted to the divinity,”12 or that which is set apart or devoted to a god. Thus the word came to mean something totally lost to the giver, something in reality destroyed. So the meaning passed over to “the object of a curse,” which is the usual meaning in the NT. To say, “Jesus is accursed,” may have been the test of renouncing loyalty to Christ, before a Jewish tribunal or in the Jewish synagogue. On the other hand, to say, “Jesus is Lord,” would indicate loyalty to Christ.
At this point Paul states clearly that even in the excitement of ecstatic utterance no one can claim that the Holy Spirit inspired him to say that Jesus Christ was accursed. On the other hand, no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. This does not mean that it would be impossible to speak the words. But it would be impossible for one to state personally and experientially that Christ is Sovereign without the direct assistance and revelation of the Holy Spirit.
2. God Reveals Himself in Many Ways (12:4-7)
In this paragraph there is an indirect presentation of the Trinity but there is no conflict of interests in the various manifestations of the Triune God. The God of the Christian faith reveals himself in both gifts and services in man.
a. A variety of gifts (12:4). The word diversities conveys the idea of distribution, apportionment, or division. The Holy Spirit does not oppose himself. Thus any gifts which the Spirit bestows on one person would not stand in opposition to a gift given to another. Nor would one gift be superior or inferior to another. All gifts come from God and are used for God’s re demptive work among men.
Gifts (charisma) comes from the same root as the great Christian word grace (charts). The idea is that of something bestowed. In this sense all Christians receive gifts from God, insofar as love and grace and the totality of the Christian life are given to man. But in a special sense, some in the Church receive gifts in addition to those directly related to personal salvation. These special gifts are varied in number, but all come from the same Spirit.
b. A variety of services (12:5). In addition to a wide variety of gifts which are direct expressions of the Holy Spirit, there is a wide distribution of administrations (“services,” RSV). The way the gifts are used is called services or administrations (diakonia). The Greek word denotes “every service to the good of the church.”13 Paul apparently adds the idea of “services” to that of gifts to minimize the importance of gifts and to magnify the unity of the Spirit.
c. A variety of results (12:6). In the Church there are also diversities of operations. The word operations (energematon) suggests a “thing wrought”14 or an effect produced. There are different forces working in and through the Church which pro duce various results. There is evidence everywhere, in creation and in the Church, of the ways in which God works. But He never works against himself. Here again the apostle draws a contrast between the harmony in God’s manifestations and the dissension and divisions of the Corinthians.
d. The Holy Spirit works for a single purpose (12:7). The gifts, services, and results produced all work toward a single purpose—to benefit the entire Church and to glorify God. Thus the gifts should not foster rivalry or generate jealousy. The spiritual gifts are to profit withal, that is, to benefit others. They are for the common good.
B. THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, 12:8-11
The various gifts are all given by the Spirit, which indicates that they are all useful. They are bestowed on man according to God’s sovereign will, not according to man’s desires. Verses 8-10 present a list of nine gifts. All are given through the Spirit. God grants the gifts, but He does this through the Holy Spirit, who was the special Director of the Church after Pentecost. The Holy Spirit also determines the character of the gifts (Rom. 5:5; 8:12;Eph.4:4; I Thess.4:8).
1. The Word of Wisdom (12:8a)
Word signifies an utterance or something spoken. Wisdom (sophia) means “Good judgment in the face of the demands made by human and specifically by the Christian life.”15 It is this practical wisdom that James regards as a gift of God (Jas. 1:5). In this sense “wisdom is the capacity for applying our knowledge in judgments or practice.”16
2. The Word of Knowledge (12:8b)
Knowledge (gnosis) “implies … research and investigation, although knowledge too should not be taken in a purely intellectual sense; it has an existential character.”17 Paul also associates knowledge with a kind of supernatural mystical awareness, and relates it to mysteries, revelations, and prophecy (13:2; 14:6). While wisdom comes through the Spirit, knowledge comes according to the Spirit.
3. Faith (12:9a)
By the term faith the apostle here means a “faith that has special, visible results, a faith that enables one to do miracles.”18 This is the type of faith that Paul pictures in 13:2—the faith that could move mountains. Whedon suggests a different idea when he writes that this kind of faith is “that realization of divine realities by which a powerful and heroic Christian character is formed, shown in maintaining truth resistlessly, and suffering for it unshrinkingly.”19 The gift of faith enabled the Christians to become uninhibited witnesses and fearless martyrs.
4. Healing (12:9b)
The power to perform miracles of dramatic restoration to health was one of the gifts given by the Spirit to the Primitive Church. Adam Clarke states that this gift “simply refers to the power which at particular times the apostles received from the Holy Spirit to cure diseases.”20 He points out that the apostles did not have this power as a permanent gift which was effective on all occasions.21 Paul could not effect a cure in Timothy, nor could he remove his own thorn in the flesh. Healing is plural in the Greek text, which would indicate that there were different “healings” for various kinds of sickness and disease.
5. Working of Miracles (12:10a)
Miracles (dynameon) emphasizes the element of power. It may refer to the ability to perform extraordinary physical exertion (II Cor. 11:23-28). John Calvin relates this type of miraculous power to such events as the smiting of Elymas with blindness (Acts 13:11) and the sudden deaths of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-10).
6. Gift of Prophecy (12:10b)
In the OT, prophecy contained both prediction and proclamation. To many people, the element of prediction overshadows that of proclamation. Others tend to minimize the element of prediction, regarding prophecy as only a declaration of God’s message for one’s own time. Both elements are present, although the major emphasis of prophecy, even in the OT, was the direct presentation of God’s message for the people of the day in which the prophet lived. In the NT prophecy might be occasional (Acts 19:6), or a permanent office (I Cor. 12:28).
Prophecy in the NT “is that special gift that calls and enables certain persons to convey revelations of God to His church.”22 Another scholar interprets it as “delivering inspired exhortations, instructions, or warnings.”23 Whedon gives a comprehensive definition: “Inspired preaching; either predicting the future, unfolding mysterious truth, or searching the secrets of men’s hearts and characters.”24 Paul holds the office of prophecy in high regard, as indicated by the comparison of prophecy and speaking in tongues in c. 14.
7. Discerning of Spirits (12:10c)
Every Christian must have, to a certain degree, the ability to “try the spirits” (I John 4:1). Otherwise he becomes a victim of false impressions from without or of ruinous pressures from within. The original text here speaks of discernings, which means that the Christian must continually be alert to the direction of the Holy Spirit. But apparently some have the gift of special spiritual insight and knowledge, having the ability to distinguish between prophetic utterances, to know whether they proceed from true or false spirits.
Paul believed that there were evil spirits working in the Gentile churches and among the Gentile Christians (I Thess. 2:2). In some instances these spirits manifested themselves not only in false prophecies but also in the performing of miracles (Acts 19:13-16). “In general there was a devilish imitation of the charismata and of the work of Christ.”25 An excellent description of the discerning of spirits is: “The power of detecting the hypocrite, as Peter did Ananias; of distinguishing true and false gifts; of recognizing genuine inspiration.”26 The problem of the Early Church was not that of a secularized society but of paganized religions. With so many claims to divine direction, it was essential that the Church distinguish between true and false claims.
8. Speaking in Tongues (12: lOd)
The excessive concern for the gift of divers kinds of tongues was the core of the whole problem in this section. Tongues (glosson) is given various interpretations: the speaking tongue, or the tongue in action;27 rare, provincial, poetic, or archaic words; a spiritual language, unknown to man, uttered in ecstasy;28 a known language or dialect.29
Among the older commentators it was customary to interpret both the tongues at Pentecost and the tongues at Corinth as known languages. Such writers as Lange,30 Calvin,31 Adam Clarke,32 and Matthew Henry33 held this position. Recent writers tend to make a distinction between the two kinds of tongues. One who accepts the tongues of Pentecost as spoken languages writes of the tongues at Corinth: “Others possessed a strange gift called the gift of tongues. It is not clear what it was; but it seems to have been a kind of tranced utterance, in which the speaker poured out an impassioned rhapsody by which his religious feeling received both expression and exaltation.”34 A contemporary writer states that “the lack of any need for interpretation [at Pentecost] makes it difficult to identify the situation with that which Paul seeks to regulate in the Corinthian Church.”35
It appears from Paul’s discussion of the Corinthian situation that the problem was that of ecstatic utterance. From Paul’s treatment it is certain that the gift was not to be regarded as part of the evangelistic work of the Church. Nor was it to be regarded as highly significant, when compared with other gifts. While the entire matter is a delicate one, it is the author’s opinion that there was a valid gift of languages in the Early Church, and that Paul was aware of the true Pentecostal gift of speaking in known languages. But the tongues known in Corinth were not of this kind. It is quite possible that the genuine gift of languages related to Pentecost could have degenerated into unintelligible utterance in the lives of the unstable Corinthian Christians.
9. The Interpretation of Tongues (12:10e)
Two explanations are given for the special gift of interpretation of tongues. One idea is that “this was the gift whereby God made intelligible what was hidden from all in the ecstatic utterances.”36 Another view is suggested by Adam Clarke: “It was necessary that while one was speaking the deep things of God in a company where several were present who did not understand, though the majority did, there should be a person who could immediately interpret what was said to that part of the congregation that did not understand the language.”37
Verse 11 again emphasizes the main point of the whole discussion, namely, that all the gifts come from one Spirit. The verb worketh is present tense and “implies that the Spirit gives these gifts continually.”38 The unity and consistency of divine purpose are revealed in the expression that one and the selfsame Spirit. Different gifts do not indicate different divine purposes. God does not oppose himself nor does He cause friction in the way He distributes gifts. Every man severally indicates that God deals with man on a personal, individual basis. As he will means that the sovereign God bestows the gifts in harmony with His purpose. It is God, not man, who selects the gift to be given. Therefore man should not dictate which gift he would choose, though Paul admonishes us to “covet earnestly the best gifts” (12:31). Certainly no one gift should be regarded as an evidence of superior spirituality. Nor should any particular gift be selected as the exclusive manifestation of the Holy Spirit. To do so would be to distort the work of the Spirit and to disrupt the divine unity.
C. DIVERSITY IN UNITY (12:12-31)
The Church is a unit. It is the body of Christ, and the same Spirit works in the entire body. But the Church, like the physical body, is a unity which also contains differences.
1. The Unity of the Church Is a Vital Unity (12:12)
The human body is a living organism that has many members. Each member is different, yet each makes a specific contribution to the entire body. But despite its different members the body contains a common life that operates in every member. Thus Paul writes that the body is one, and hath many members. The many and different members form one body. The apostle concludes, So also is Christ. The unity of the Christians, like the unity of the physical body, is vital. “The same spiritual life exists in all Christians, derived from the same source, supplying them with similar energy, and prompting them to the same habits and aims.”39
2. Common Experiences Shared by the Church (12:13)
Because the Church is a unity in diversity, it shares in the same experiences. Paul stresses two which are shared by all.
a. All are baptized (12:13a). The word baptized “relates to the actual act of baptism”40 which is the common experience of all in the Church. Therefore none should be puffed up. This emphasis was stated earlier by Paul (1:13-17). The common baptism may also refer to the Spirit’s coming at Pentecost. As one writer observed, “The descent of the Pentecostal Spirit, like the outpouring of baptismal water, consecrated its subjects into the living church.”41 On either interpretation, Paul attempts to eliminate tensions and rivalries by pointing to the essential unity of believers in Christ. The unity of the Church transcends all distinctions. Thus Jews or Gentiles … bond (slaves) or free, all share in the common experiences of the one body, the Church.
b. All Christians share in the fellowship of Christ (12:13b).
All have been made to drink into one Spirit. These words do not refer to any specific act or activity on the part of the Chris tian Church. Used in a figurative sense, to drink (cf. John 6:53) suggests a close communion, or the idea of an inner presence which works in every part of the Christian’s personality. The phrase made to drink (epotisthemen) was sometimes used of irrigating a field and suggests an abundant supply. Paul’s meaning is that members of the Church are united as closely as possible with the one Spirit of God who dwells in all.
3. Bodily Efficiency Depends on Variety (12:14-26)
The lowest forms of life have no variety of members or, at best, very few. But in higher levels the organism is more complex. The body of Christ represents the highest sphere of living and therefore is certain to have innumerable ways of expressing itself. Now Paul has arrived at the heart of the illustration.
a. The body is the totality of its members (12:14). The essence of the human body is its unity in diversity. It has many parts. If the body had only one part, it would not be the mar velous organism that we know. Since it would be absurd to regard the body as only one member, it is also ridiculous to exalt one member of the Church above another.
In 12:1-14 we find Paul’s teaching regarding “Spiritual Gifts.” (1) All spiritual gifts come from the same Holy Spirit, 1, 4-6; (2) There are different kinds of gifts, 7-10; (3) All gifts are given to contribute to the unity and well-being of the body, 11-14.
b. Each member contributes to our well-being (12:15-17).
Apparently the aggressive few with sensational gifts had made some of the Corinthians feel inferior or unnecessary. Paul sug gests that the foot (15) is necessary to run races and carry burdens, even though it cannot perform the creative work of the hand. The ear (16) may not flash with fire like the eye, nor serve as a camera to record the panorama of life. But the ear is an amazingly efficient servant in recording sound, receiving messages, and listening to the words of man. However, even the ear cannot perform the function of smelling (17).
c. The parts of the body are ordained by God (12:18-20).
The apostle makes the highest possible appeal for unity by the statement that all parts of the body are the result of God’s sov ereign activity. For God set the members … in the body, as it hath pleased him (18). Set (etheto) is in the aorist, referring to the completed act in the creation of man. God created the body as it is and bestowed upon each member a particular function. God did this as it hath pleased him—at His own good pleasure.
Without members there would be no human body; it would be a shapeless lump of flesh (19). The lump would have unity, but no variety of functions. It is the existence and interaction of the various members that give the body meaning. Thus Paul comes back to his theme: But now are they many members, yet but one body (20).
d. Members of the body are interdependent (12:21-26). When members of the church lose their sense of unity, they face a double hazard. Those who feel inferior may leave the church, The ones who feel superior may lose their spiritual values and become hypocrites. In v. 15, Paul had referred to those who might feel inferior. Now he deals with those who have an unchristian, exalted concept of their own importance.
(1) The feeble member (12:21-22). No member of the body is unimportant. Even those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary (22). Feeble (asthenes) means basically “sick,” and so “weak, feeble, miserable.”42 It is difficult to say which bodily members Paul has in mind. Hering states that “only the digestive organs can be intended, here presented as especially despised.”43 Vincent thinks that “the allusion is probably to those which seem to be weaker in their original structure, naturally.”44 Still others interpret these “feeble members” as those which on occasion seem to be weaker, as when a particular member is diseased. At any rate, the idea is that all members of the body, both seen and unseen, are necessary.
(2) The less honorable member (23). Less honourable members are not the same as the “more feeble.” By the words we bestow more abundant honour, Paul probably had in mind the use of clothing. Hence some writers think that here he refers to the organs of excretion and reproduction.45 Certainly there are parts of the body which seem to be less honourable. These members receive more attention and are given a comeliness which they lack by nature because they are necessary for the life of the body.
(3) The comely parts (24-26). Our comely parts (24) are the presentable members, those we accept because they are attractive or good-looking. They have no need of extra attention or adornment.
At this point Paul again presents the thought that the body is structured according to God’s will—God hath tempered the body together. He has blended the bodily organs so that there are harmony and interdependence. As a result there is no division. The body functions as a unit and all the members … have the same care one for another (25). When one member suffer [s], all the members suffer with it (26). On the other hand, all parts of the body share in the good feeling that results from the wholesome operation of all parts of the body.
4. The Church Is Unified, Yet Diversified (12:27-30)
Paul now makes his application: Ye are the body of Christ (27). “The Corinthian church as such is a corpus Christi, an organism made by Christ and maintained by Him, having the complete character of a body as that was described.”46 Since the Church is in reality a spiritual organism, individuals are members in particular. Each of them belongs to the body. Therefore none can rightfully claim to be of greater importance than others, nor should anyone regard others as inferior.
a. The unified Church has many different offices and gifts (12:28). Paul now advances from general ideas to specific issues. He shows that in the body of Christ men do not choose this or that office. Nor do men select their gifts. It is God who hath set some in the church to do particular things.
These offices and gifts are listed as follows: (1) apostles, (2) prophets, (3) teachers, (4) miracles, (5) gifts of healings, (6) helps, (7) governments, (8) diversities of tongues. “The order in which the … list of ministries is named is deliberate. The apostles have received the highest and the speakers in tongues the lowest.”47 Another echoes a similar idea: “In Corinth … it required an interpreter to explain the tongue to those who knew it not. Hence Paul placed this gift lowest of all. It created wonder but did little real good.”48 Still another author writes: “Instead of a mere enumeration, Paul prefers an arrangement in order of rank.”49 The offices and gifts and their significance may be stated briefly.
(1) Apostles. These were men called and commissioned directly by Christ to be His witnesses.
(2) Prophets. The prophets were those called to predict the course of redemptive history, to proclaim God’s message, and to exhort.
(3) Teachers. Teachers were regarded as highly essential and necessary to the welfare of the Early Church. When books were scarce, the teacher was a key figure in presenting and interpreting the teachings of the OT and the doctrines of the Church.
(4) Miracles. Paul passes from “endowed persons to abstract gifts.”50 To some, God apparently gave unusual powers to perform feats that would be impossible from the standpoint of human ability (cf. v. 10).
(5) Gifts of healings. The Early Church witnessed dramatic healings and instantaneous restorations (Acts 3:1-11; 9:32-42).
(6) Helps. Some in the Church were given special concern, compassion, and ability to assist the needy. Or the reference may have been to persons who acted as church secretaries, treasurers, or assistant pastors.
(7) Governments. The word governments (kyberneseis) “denotes the activity of the steersman of a ship, the man who pilots his vessel through the dangerous shoals and brings her safe to port.”51 Thus the term probably refers “to administrators of church government, as presbyters.”52
(8) Diversities of tongues. Regarding this gift Clarke writes: “The power to speak, on all necessary occasions, lan guages which they had not learned.”53 Some scholars feel that the charismatic gift here includes the gift of intelligible languages as at Pentecost, as well as that of the pneumatika of 14:2 ff. Others hold that the gifts (charismata) are different from the pneuma tika.
b. The reality of diversity in the Church (12:29-30). Paul now asks a series of rhetorical questions. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? These questions are all introduced with the particle me, which indicates that a negative answer is expected. No gift can be despised and no gift should be unduly exalted above others. The Christian way is to accept diversity in the Church and to honor and respect all members as important and essential.
5. The Best Gifts (12:31)
a. Desire the best gifts (31a). At this point Paul seems almost to contradict himself. In v. 11 the apostle had stated that the Spirit was at work in the Church, “dividing to every man severally as he will.” Again in v. 28 he had declared that it was God who “set some in the church.” Both of these statements indicate that the gifts are sovereignly bestowed at God’s will. Yet now Paul tells the Corinthians to covet earnestly the best gifts. Here are reflected the parallel truths of the sovereignty of God and the free will of man.
To covet (zeloute) means to be “burning with zeal, a zealot.”54 The exhortation to desire the best gifts points to a difference between these bestowments of the Spirit. Paul had earlier shown that all of the spiritual gifts were needed. But this does not deny that some are more important than others. The fault of the Corinthians was that they exalted a lesser gift to a place of prominence. The apostle’s aim is to direct the Corinthians away from a distorted interest in speaking in tongues to other more significant gifts. He reminds them of all of God’s gifts and urges them to seek the greater ones. The Church must always leave it to God to determine which gifts are most necessary, but the Church must also always seek to be guided by God’s priorities.
b. The greatest gift (12:31b). At this point Paul lifts the entire matter into proper perspective by presenting a gift that was available to all and which was the most Christlike of all—the gift of love. This gift is called the more excellent way.
Commentators generally agree that Paul is referring to love as a distinct gift rather than to the other gifts expressed with or without love. This love is a gift of the Spirit, which is available to all; and “that is precisely the reason why love can be called the highest of all the charismata (cf. Gal. 5:22).”55 Paul has arrived at the point where he wants to show that “there is a more excellent way to edify the church than even to exercise apostolic gifts; this is the way of love, which he proceeds to celebrate.”56
The apostle does not digress from the discussion of the gifts of the Spirit by introducing the “hymn of love” in c. 13. He returns in c. 14 to a detailed discussion of the gifts. His purpose here is to encourage the Corinthians to seek love rather than gifts. For it is only when viewed in the light of love that gifts can be seen in proper perspective.
D. THE GREATEST OF SPIRITUAL GRACES (13:1-13)
The NT word for love is agape. The term was not common before the birth of the Christian Church, but it was known. The Septuagint (LXX) uses the word frequently. The Christians of the first century adopted it to designate a love differing from both eros (selfish, desiring love) and philia (natural sympathy, or friendship).
Agape is love which is completely in harmony with the character of the person expressing it. Thus agape, in the NT, expresses concern and compassion for the utterly unworthy. It was love poured out upon others without any thought of personal benefit or reward. Such love seeks only the good of the loved one. It is ultimate, redemptive, and can come only from God. Its highest expression was revealed in the cross of Christ. It was to be the unique trademark of all Christians.
“The Greatest Gift” is love because: (1) It is the most essential gift, 1-3; (2) It is the most Christlike gift, 4-6; (3) It is the most comprehensive gift, 7; (4) It is the most permanent gift, 8-13.
1. Love Is Essential (13:1-3)
Gifts have a place in the Church and are useful. But love is the essence of the Christian life and is absolutely necessary. It will find a way even without charismatic gifts. But gifts without love are like a body without a soul.
a. Love is greater than speaking ability (13:1). Paul begins by presenting a hypothetical possibility: Though I speak with tongues of men and of angels. If a person has the gift of golden-tongued oratory or of angelic utterance, but does not have love, he amounts to nothing. Without love one’s gifts of speaking become hollow and brassy—he becomes as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. The sounding brass (“noisy gong,” RSV) signifies either a piece of unwrought metal or a gong used to attract attention. Tinkling(alalazon) means “clashing” or a loud, harsh sound. The cymbal consisted of two half-globes which were banged together. The idea is that of the unmeaning clash of metal instead of music.
The apostle’s aim here is to show that a man who professes the gift of glossolalia as practiced at Corinth but who has no love is in reality no more than an impersonal, metallic instrument. However, the purpose “of this verse is not to place glossolalia without love over against glossolalia with love but rather to compare glossolalia as such with love.”57 In Christianity, there is no substitute for love.
b. Love is more necessary than prophecy, knowledge, or faith (13:2). Paul has ranked prophecy next to apostleship (12:28) and does not minimize its significance. But as inspiring as prophecy is and as vital as it is to the progress of the Church, it is not as necessary as love. Mysteries are truths which cannot be known by human reason; they are given by divine revelation. These mysteries are spiritual truths which relate to redemptive history, especially the truths of an eschatological nature, i.e., relating to future events in God’s plan for the world. Knowledge is more than intellectual comprehension. Because such knowl edge is a gift it contains a mystical element which is based on personal experience and personal relationship. Faith here refers to the extraordinary power to perform miracles. As such it is a gift. All faith indicates the possibility of having this gift in its fullest sense.
The church at Corinth placed much importance on the people who had a knowledge of both human and divine affairs and who could fascinate others with their feats of faith. Yet Paul issues a sweeping declaration that one may have all these gifts—and be nothing. Love makes the difference. Even without gifts, love is still of supreme value. Without love, all gifts are meaningless.
c. Love is more important than self-sacrifice (13:3). Paul has compared love to dramatic acts of speaking and to dynamic activities of the mind and spirit. Now he turns to deeds of mercy and sacrifice. He writes: And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. The word bestow (psomiso) means to “break off, and to distribute in small portions; to feed by morsels; and may be applicable even to distributing one’s property in small portions.”58 The verb is in the aorist tense, indicating that the action is over and the distribution made.
Even beyond selling possessions and giving the proceeds away in a single sweeping gesture, one may offer his body to be burned. This expression may refer to the act of punishing a Christian like a criminal by branding his body with a hot iron. Or it may have referred to martyrdom, in which the person experienced an agonizing death by being fastened to a stake, having wood piled high around him and ignited. Others think the meaning may have been the voluntary selling of oneself into slavery in order to secure money to help the cause of Christ. At any rate, no matter how much of a sacrifice a person has made, if he doesn’t have love, he is not benefited.
2. Love Is Christlike (13:4-6)
a. Christlike in its affirmation (13:4a). Love is the parent of patience and kindness. Paul declares, Charity suffereth long(makrothymia). This item means patience to bear injustice without anger or despair. “Love has an infinite capacity for en durance.”59 This patience involves people more than circum stances. To be kind (chrestotes) is a type of “goodness and courtesy coming from the heart and represents the active coun terpart of forbearance.”60
b. Christlike in its negations (13:4b-6). Love manifests itself positively in patience and kindness. It also reveals itself negatively by the restrictions it places on itself. Thus love can be depended upon for both what it does and what it does not do.
(1) Love does not envy (13:4). Envieth is a verb which is used sometimes in a favorable sense, as in 12:31: “Covet earnestly the best gifts.” The word basically means “to be zealous for or against any person or thing.”61 When used in an unfavorable setting, it means to be zealous against a person; hence to be jealous, or to feel displeasure at the success of another.
(2) Love does not exalt itself (13:4). Vaunteth not itself introduces a vivid word which means “braggart or windbag.”62 It is “used of one who sounds his own praises.”63 This warning was especially needful to the Corinthians, who were inclined to be proud of their gifts.
(3) Love is not puffed up (13:4). Puffed up (physioutai) means to blow, to puff, to pant. Hence the meaning is “inflated with pride, vanity, and self-esteem.” It differs from vaunteth in that it denotes the active expression of the feelings of pride and egotism. A man may feel a sense of self-exaltation and be clever enough to mask it under the guise of piety. Thus he would not expose himself to the criticism of being puffed up. Love eliminates both the inner feeling of self-exaltation and the outer expression of it.
(4) Love does not behave improperly (13:5). Paul here speaks of perfect love and of its operation in the Christian life. The “more excellent way” is the way of holiness. The apostle does not refer merely to an ideal to be sought. He points to an experience in love which is in the present tense. The time is now. Such love does not behave in unseemly fashion. It does not do anything which is “disgraceful, dishonourable, indecent.”64 Love has proper respect for those in authority and proper regard for those over whom authority is exerted. Love “prompts to all that is fit and becoming in life; and would save from all that is unfit and unbecoming.”65
(5) Love is not self-seeking (13:5). Jesus had described the basic approach to Christian living when He spoke of the grain of wheat falling to the earth and dying that it might live (John 12:24). This is Christian love. It is the direct opposite of self-seeking. Selfishness and love cannot reside in the same human spirit. Love cannot find its own happiness at the expense of others. This does not mean that a man should have no concern for his own welfare. Nor does it mean that he should disregard his personal health, property, happiness, or salvation. It means that a man does not make his personal happiness and welfare the chief motivation of his life. Love prompts the Christian to seek the well-being of others even at the cost of toil, self-denial, and personal sacrifice.
(6) Love is not irritable (13:5). Love is not provoked. “Easily is superfluous, and gives a wrong coloring to the statement, which is absolute: is not provoked or exasperated.”66 When used in an unfavorable sense the word means to “provoke to wrath, to irritate.”67 Hence love is not touchy, nor hypersensitive, and does not take offense. Love alone can overcome the real or fancied aggravations that a person experiences in life.
(7) Love does not record evil (13:5). The word translated thinketh (logizetai) means to take into account, to charge, to calculate, or to record. Love does not add up, or assign evil intentions and wrong designs to a man. Love does not credit other people with evil motives. As Godet puts it, “Love, instead of entering evil as a debit in its account book, voluntarily passes the sponge over what it endures.”68
(8) Love finds no joy in evil of any kind (13:6). Love does not participate in any personal sins or acts of unrighteousness. Nor does love rejoice over the vices of other men. It finds no pleasure when others are proved guilty of crime. Love never deriyes satisfaction when another falls into sin. Rather, love rejoices with the truth and finds joy in the virtues of others. Love and truth are twins in the household of faith. Such love cannot be indifferent or neutral. It must take sides. Love shrinks from injustice but it embraces truth.
3. Love Is the Most Comprehensive of All Graces (13:7)
The apostle here shifts his theme from resounding negatives to thrilling positives. The charismatic gifts, especially glossolalia, were confined to a few and accomplished little of practical value. Love, on the other hand, is as wide and as inclusive as God’s grace can make a man’s spirit.
a. Love covers and endures (13:7a). In classical literature beareth (stego) meant “to cover, pass over in silence, keep confidential.”69 An excellent rendering of Paul’s idea here is “love that throws a cloak of silence over what is displeasing in another person.”70 The word also contains the idea of enduring. So love may conceal what is displeasing or it may endure what is unpleasant in another. Whedon comments: “So does a mother seek to cover the faults of her child; so would Paul rather cover than expose the errors of his Corinthians.”71 Love keeps out resentment and expects the best of people, even when appearances are against them.
b. Love generates confidence in others (13:7b). The Corin thians were a suspicious crowd. They had difficulty in placing confidence in each other. Their rivalry over the various gifts had produced a gap in their trust. Paul reminds these spiritual problem-children that love believeth all things. The verb believeth (pisteuei) means to have confidence in others, to put the best construction on their actions and motives. Certainly Paul did not suggest that a Christian filled with love would be a person of naive credulity who would believe everything pre sented to his mind. He means that love is eager to believe the best about others, and to make allowance for circumstances.
c. Love produces perpetual hope (13:7c). Love never gives up—it follows a man to the edge of the grave, always expecting the best. Love does not produce a kind of sentimental optimism which blindly refuses to face reality, but it refuses to take failure as final. Rather than accept the failure of another, “love will hold on to this hope until all possibility of such a result has vanished, and it is compelled to believe that the conduct is not susceptible of a fair explanation.”72
d. Love remains steadfast (13:7d). Love bears up under dis appointment, is courageous under persecution, and does not murmur. Endureth (hypomeno) means to “stand one’s ground, hold out, endure.”73 Thus when the Christian can no longer believe or hope, he can love. This enduring is not a mere passive acquiescence. It is rather a quiet, stable reaction to people and events which do not merit patience. Love is steadfast.
4. Love Is the Most Complete Grace (13:8-13)
Paul now reaches his climax. Three of the most highly regarded gifts are spoken of as temporary. Over against this temporary character of all other virtues stands the permanence of love. Charismatic gifts are partial, while love is perfect.
a. Love is eternal (13:8). When the redeemed stand before God, there will be no further need of prophecies. The tongues, so highly regarded by the Corinthians, will cease, since man will be delivered from all that separates him from God and from others. Knowledge, both the learning acquired by man and the mysteries revealed by God, will vanish away in the perfect light of the knowledge of God.
b. Love is perfect and complete (13:9-12). Knowledge and prophecy were highly esteemed by the Corinthians, but the apostle states that all such earthly knowledge is partial. Man can never fully understand God. Both sin and finitude make this impossible. Paul adds that we prophesy in part. While man can grasp some truths, he never receives the full measure of God’s revelation.
In the final consummation of redemptive history all imperfections will be replaced by the perfect—When that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away (10). In that day all imperfections will vanish. All that appears obscure and dim here will be made plain.
(1) The imperfection of partial understanding (13:11). Man’s present knowledge compared with that which he will have in heaven is like the knowledge of the infant compared with the mature man. Child (nepios) denotes a baby, an infant, though without any specific age limit. It refers to the first period of existence before boyhood or youth.
The verb understood (ephronoun) refers here “to the earlier undeveloped exercise of the childish mind; a thinking which is not yet connected reasoning.”74 Thought (logizomai) denotes a progression over understood; from logizomai comes the meaning of reasoning things out or relating concepts. The idea here is that when Paul matured in Christian love he put away childish things with deliberate decision and finality.
(2) The imperfection of partial vision (13:12). Paul writes, For now we see through a glass, darkly. The word glass (esoptron) means a mirror. Because of the nature of the mirrors of Paul’s day, the reflection would be vague or obscure. The mirror of the Greeks and Romans was a thin disk of metal polished on one side, the other side being left plain or containing some design. Glass mirrors were also made at this time, but were not widely used.
The word darkly (ainigmati) actually means a “riddle,” and thus suggests an enigma or an obscure intimation. Hence the word as the apostle uses it means obscurely, darkly, or imperfectly. The expression but then face to face indicates a bright prospect. When man stands before God, his vision will be perfect, with nothing between to obscure the presence of God.
As it will be with seeing, it will also be with knowing. Paul has already stated that our earthly knowledge is partial (9) even when it is a special gift. Over against this partial knowledge the apostle sets the perfect knowledge of the redeemed in God’s presence. The TEV renders the meaning, “What I know now is only partial; then it will be complete, as complete as God’s knowledge of me.”
(3) The perfection of love (13:13). In contrast to the temporary gifts that so occupied the attention of the Corinthians, the permanence of the three cardinal Christian graces is asserted: And now abideth faith, hope, charity. According to Paul faith is essential to salvation (Rom. 3:28; Gal. 2:20). It is impossible to live without hope. When hope dies the spirit dies. But of these three basic Christian graces—the greatest is love.
Faris D. Whitesell titles his exposition of c. 13 “The Excellency of Love Demonstrates Its Excellency.” (1) Love makes life’s gifts profitable, 1-3; (2) Love makes life’s relationships beautiful, 4-7; (3) Love makes life’s contributions eternal, 8-13 (Sermon Outlines on Favorite Bible Chapters).
E. PROPHECY SUPERIOR TO SPEAKING IN TONGUES, 14:1-40
In c. 12, Paul had presented a general discussion of spiritual gifts. There he did not pinpoint the problem that speaking in tongues presented to the church at Corinth. He followed the general discussion of spiritual gifts with the hymn of love found in c. 13. Love, as Paul presents it, is the greatest of all spiritual values. Now, lest someone might still miss the direction of his thinking, Paul comes to grips with the problem introduced in 12:1. He selects prophecy, which is also a gift of speaking, to show that speaking in tongues, no matter how it is understood, occupies an inferior position. As such it can never be regarded as the necessary or indisputable evidence of either the baptism in or with the Holy Spirit.
1. Limitations of Speaking in Tongues (14:1-25)
a. Prophecy is the most important gift (14:1). In his open ing words Paul uses two verbs that are significant: Follow after charity … and desire spiritual gifts. The verb follow after (lit., pursue) “indicates a never terminating action while ‘to desire earnestly’ stresses the intensity rather than the continuity of the action.”75 Love is to be followed with persistence, but it is also right to desire gifts. Of these Paul gives first place to prophecy, which is closely related to preaching. The essential element is the utterance of a message directly inspired by God. Several com parisons between speaking in tongues and prophesying follow, each one pointing out the weaknesses and limitations of the glossolalia as practiced at Corinth.
b. Prophecy Is Understood (14:2-3). Paul intends to mag nify prophecy but he does so by first pointing out the limita tions of “strange sounds” (TEV).
(1) No one understands the man speaking in tongues (14:2). One reason that speaking in tongues is inferior to prophecy is that it is not understood by others. For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God. The word unknown is in italics, indicating that it is not in the original text. However, the KJV translators caught the meaning of Paul’s words correctly, so its use does not distort the meaning of the sentence. No man understandeth him suggests that the gift discussed here is not the same as the speaking in other languages at Pentecost (Acts 2:4). The man exercising this gift is not speaking unto men but is involved in a personal expression of praise to God.
In the spirit probably means the spirit of the person himself, carried away in excitement and emotion.76 In this condition he speaks mysteries which neither he nor anyone else understands, except someone interprets. Since such speaking in tongues is unknowable to men, it is vastly inferior to prophecy.
(2) Prophecy is understood by men (14:3). In contrast to the unknown nature of ecstatic utterances, prophecy serves the purpose of edification, and exhortation, and comfort. The word edification (oikodomen) means “building as a process, construction.”77 Paul uses it in the sense of building up Christian character. Exhortation means “admonition, encouragement.”78 Comfort is the translation of paramythia, which in classical Greek meant “any address, whether made for the purpose of persuading, or of arousing and stimulating, or of calming and consolation.”79 Prophecy is thus an inspired utterance which all men understand; it serves to build up Christian character, to encourage, to strengthen, and to comfort or console.
c. Prophecy builds up the church (14:4-6). Because prophecy is understood by men it edifieth the church (4). Speaking in unknown tongues serves only to strengthen the individual. However, Paul does not completely forbid this practice: I would that ye all spake with tongues (5). The verb would, or wish (thelo) “does not express an order, but a concession in the form of a wish unlikely to be fulfilled (cf. 7:7).”80 Regarding the statement Bruce writes: “Possibly Paul fears that he has gone too far in rejecting tongues. Hence, he makes it clear that he is not forbidding tongues, but is insisting on the superiority of prophecy.”81 Because it was difficult to distinguish the valid gift of languages or the legitimate expression of ecstatic spiritual desire from an invalid expression of personal exultation, Paul would not forbid speaking in tongues. However, he quickly and distinctly points out that the gift of prophecy is superior: but rather that ye prophesied.
The criterion of any gift is its value to the Church. Even where Paul makes a concession to speaking in tongues, he immediately insists that its value is less than prophecy unless it be interpreted, so that the church may receive edifying (5). The words except he interpret do “not refer to a particular interpretation of a message spoken in tongues, but to a permanent gift of interpretation. … Paul has in view a person who has received two gifts, that of speaking in tongues and that of interpretation.”82 Thus the apostle indicates that any glossolalia should be interpreted to strengthen the congregation.
When Paul alludes to a coming visit to Corinth, he again makes edification of the Church the criterion of value for the gifts of the Spirit: What shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? (6)
d. Speaking in tongues leads to confusion (14:7-12). In this section Paul continues to drive home the superiority of prophecy over speaking in tongues.
(1) The realm of music (14:7). The apostle first selects an illustration to show that indistinct sounds lead to confusion. Even things without life, such as a pipe or harp, must make a distinction in the sounds. Otherwise an aimless jangle is the result. The pipe (aulos) was a flute, and represents wind instruments, while the harp (kithara) stands for the stringed instruments. None of these produces meaningful music unless it is played according to some form or order.
(2) The realm of the soldier (14:8). The trumpet, in ancient days, called the people to arms and conveyed the directions in fighting. But if the war-trumpet gives merely a blare of noise rather than a recognized military command to men at a distance, who shall prepare himself to the battle? Random blasting on the trumpet would neither rally the people to fight nor give adequate directions in battle. If the signals are uncertain, confusion and disorder are the result.
(3) The realm of religion (14:9-12). Paul now makes the application to the problem at hand—the wrong emphasis placed on speaking in tongues. Except ye utter … words easy to be understood … ye shall speak into the air (9), i.e., speak entirely in vain.
In v. 10, Paul continues, There are … many kinds of voices in the world. “By voices are meant languages.”83 All the different languages have signification, for the entire purpose of language is to communicate. It is therefore necessary to know the meaning of the voice (11). The word meaning (dynamis) indicates power, resources, or capability. Speech that is hot understood has no power to communicate.
According to Paul, if one does not understand what is spoken, he becomes a barbarian. The term was probably used originally of those who uttered harsh or guttural noises. Later it was “applied to all who did not speak Greek.”84 Thus the word came to mean one whose language did not make sense. So the “ecstatic speech which seemed to the Corinthians a matter for such pride turns out to be the means of making them nothing more than barbarians.”85
In v. 12, Paul relentlessly comes back to his point of chief emphasis: Forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. The primary aim of the Christian is to build up the Church and to strengthen its members. If a person desires to promote the well-being of the Church, he will test his gifts by that criterion.
e. Speaking in tongues has little practical value (14:13-25). Since the gift of speaking in tongues, as practiced at Corinth, had little practical value, Paul urges a course of action that will be more beneficial to the Church.
(1) The gift of interpretation needed (14:13). Paul here urges: Let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. The one who pours out his words in impassioned utterance should also pray that he be given the ability to interpret his utterance to the church.
(2) Understanding important (14:14-15). A man who prays in an unknown tongue is not using his understanding (14; nous). The word signifies the mind. Christian living does not depend entirely upon the intellect, but the Christian needs the intellect for full enjoyment of the Christian experience. To omit the intellect is to be unfruitful. Speaking or praying in tongues furnishes nothing for others. In v. 15, Paul asserts that he will both pray and sing with the spirit, and … with the understanding also. He will praise God in prayer and song with both mind and spirit. Man reaches the acme of spiritual life when emotions and intellect are both stretched to the limit in an act of worship. Praying and singing in tongues may be an emotional release and make one feel inspired, but it adds nothing to an understanding of the gospel.
(3) Unknown tongues do not help the congregation (14:16-17). In the Christian congregation there would be the unlearned (16; idiotes). The term indicates either inquirers who were not yet committed to Christ or Christians in the church who as yet had received no gifts. In either case these people would not be able to understand the words and thus could not confirm or say Amen to the prayers. It is well to give thanks (17), but even in such praise meetings one should seek to strengthen the church.
(4) Plain words better than numberless noises (14:18-20). Paul’s admonitions here are gentle. He identifies himself with those who spoke in tongues: I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all (18). Jerome, in his Notes, says that Paul is exulting in his ability as a linguist.86 It appears logical to accept Jerome’s idea of Paul’s ability to speak many languages, for his training and background would have made him an excel lent linguist, a master of languages. However it is also certain that Paul was rich in emotional experiences. Whether or not he would use tongues in one sense as applied to the Corinthians and in another sense as applied to himself is an open question.
But even if it is granted that Paul may have spoken in unknown tongues, this admission means little, for Paul immediately makes two statements that empty speaking in tongues of all significance. First, he devalues the practice in public worship: In the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding … than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue (19). Five words clearly stated are worth more than an infinite number which no one knows. Then, secondly, the apostle points out that all the commotion about tongues was so much childishness, and chides the Corinthians accordingly: Brethren, be not children in understanding (20). Godet interprets the meaning thus: “It is indeed the characteristic of the child to prefer the amusing to the useful, the brilliant to the solid. And this is what the Corinthians did by their marked taste for glossolalia.”87 Yet in malice they were to be as children (nepiazete, childlike). Moffatt renders v. 20, “Brothers,… in evil be mere infants, but be mature in your intelligence.”
(5) Strange tongues were once a punishment (14:21-22). Paul now introduces an extremely sober note. Whereas the Co rinthians regarded speaking in tongues as something to be desired, Paul points out that it might be a sign of God’s displeas ure and punishment. The apostle paraphrases a warning found in Isa. 28:11 when he writes to the Corinthians: 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 (21). Vincent writes: “The point of the quotation is that speech in strange tongues was a chastisement for the unbelief of God’s ancient people, by which they were made to hear His voice ‘speaking in the harsh commands of the foreign invader.’“88
When Paul quoted this verse from Isaiah, he was reminding the Corinthians of their childishness and rebellion, not encouraging them to speak in tongues. He wanted to remind them that the simple, intelligible good news of God’s revelation in Christ had not been received properly. With this warning in mind he asserts that tongues are for a sign … to them that believe not (22). He means that the unbeliever can understand and thus be benefitted by the judgment of God. Prophesying, on the other hand, is not for the unbeliever, but for them which believe. Prophecy brings the true message of God to the church.
(6) Speaking in tongues does not help unbelievers (14:23-25). Now Paul presents a hypothetical case for the Corinthians. What would happen if the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues? (23) If the gift is as desirable as the Corinthians indicate, the entire church has a right, even an obligation, to seek it. But what would happen if the unbelievers came into such a church? Will they not say that ye are mad? Paul was not concerned about ecclesiastical popularity polls. Nor was he trimming the gospel message to fit the mold of public opinion. His idea was that the task of the Church is to attract unbelievers and win them to Christ. He was alarmed that, instead of helping to convert sinners, speaking in tongues would arouse only derision and scorn from unbelievers.
The result of prophecy is different. If all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not … he is convinced … he is judged of all (24). The word convinced (elenchetai) means convicted or reproved of his sins. It is used in John 16:8 in reference to the Holy Spirit’s work in convicting “the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” Judged (anakrine-tai) implies inquiry, or heart-searching utterances which reveal the unbeliever’s condition to himself. Even the things long hidden or remote from public scrutiny are paraded before his conscience, for now are the secrets of his heart made manifest (25). Prophecy thus produces the redemptive results that the Church of God seeks, for the unbeliever falls down on his face and will worship God. To the unbeliever, then, tongues are a token of madness. But prophecy leads men to God.
2. Restrictions in the Church (14:26-40).
In dealing with the excessive interest of the Corinthians in the gift of speaking in tongues, Paul did not openly challenge nor disallow the practice, but he did place severe restrictions on it.
a. The rule of edification (14:26). Paul’s first guideline was, Let all things be done unto edifying. When the Corinthians assembled for worship, every part of the service should contribute to the building up of the church. The psalm (song), the doctrine(Christian teaching), the tongue (some utterance not in the commonly understood language), a revelation, an interpretation of the tongue—all were for the purpose of strengthening the church.
b. Only two or three permitted to speak (14:27a). Paul places a limitation on the number of people permitted to speak in an unknown tongue in any public gathering. Let it be by two, or at the most by three. Such a restriction would eliminate the con fusion and bafflement that would occur if much of the service was given to such activities.
c. Must speak in turn (14:27b). Not only was there a limit placed on the number of people who could speak in tongues in one service, but also they were to speak by course, that is, in turn. This restriction would eliminate confusion arising from several speaking at the same time in a public service.
d. Must have an interpreter (14:27c-28a). Paul’s third rule was, And let one interpret; but if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church. All speaking in tongues must be accompanied by an interpretation. According to Morris, this restriction “shows us that we must not think of ‘tongues’as being the result of an irresistible impulse of the Spirit, driving the man willy-nilly into ecstatic speech. If he chose he could keep silence, and this Paul instructs him to do on occasion.”89
e. Prophesying subject to regulation (14:29-33a). Just as speaking in tongues was subject to regulation, so was prophecy: Let the prophets speak two or three (29). Here again the apostle is concerned that no one group and no single gift become dominant. Even though he had deliberately rated prophecy superior to tongues, he would not permit an excessive display of even a superior gift. Further, the one who prophesied might be subject to error. Thus Paul says: And let the other judge (29b). The word judge (diakrinetosan) means to discern, to discriminate. “It was the duty of all to examine whether that which was uttered was in accordance with truth.”90
A further regulation eliminated rivalry for a favored position in the prophetic sequence. It appears that certain members of the church, the prophets, could be appointed as speakers for the worship services. But if someone else, another that sitteth by (30), desired to speak, the appointed speaker should yield the floor to him. In this way there would be time enough for all to prophesy one by one (31). In this way all would contribute, there would be no confusion, no one would dominate the meeting, and all would be edified.
In v. 32, Paul states again that the working of the Holy Spirit does not produce uncontrollable bursts of speech. Man is never more his true self than when under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Thus Paul writes: And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets (32). The TEV interprets v. 32, “The gift of speaking God’s message should be under the speaker’s control.
Paul “lays down the principle that, in true prophecy, self-consciousness, and self-command are never lost.”91 Prophecy is a means of spiritual illumination, but a prophet can remain silent if he chooses. While the Holy Spirit will be directly operative in the Church, He is not the author of confusion, but of peace(33).
f. Women should not disturb the worship service (14:33b-36). The last part of v. 33 belongs rather with 34 as in the Greek text (cf. Berk., RSV). Paul wanted the Corinthians to observe the customs which prevailed in all churches of the saints (33). The particular custom he referred to was that of women remaining quiet in the church. Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak (34).
There are two possible ways to interpret this statement. It may be applied generally to exclude women from all vocal participation in a church service. But in a previous statement (11:5) Paul had written of women praying and prophesying with their heads uncovered. In this instance Paul’s concern was for the preservation of modesty, which at that time was associated with coverings on the head. The apostle apparently sanctioned public prayer and public speaking by women if the head was covered.
A second explanation is that women should not speak in tongues nor ask controversial questions in church. This is the more probable explanation, for the prohibition appears in the center of a discussion on the value of tongues and prophecy. Rather than speak in tongues or question the utterance of the prophets, the women should seek information from their husbands at home (35). Barnes writes: “The sense evidently is, that in all those things which he had specified, the women were to keep silence; they were to take no part…. These pertained solely to the male portion of the congregation.”92 The last part of 34 has been interpreted, “They are not allowed to speak; as the Jewish law says, they must not be in charge” (TEV).
The Corinthians were next reminded that they were part of an organism called the Church. As such they were not permitted to make their own rules. What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? (36) Here Paul states very pointedly, by means of questions, that the gospel did not originate with the Corinthians. Nor was it given to them alone. Thus they could not regard themselves as an exclusive group which traveled its own way and set up its own spiritual principles.
g. Conclusion (14:37-40). In summarizing the whole matter Paul emphatically states that he has written divine truth. In doing this he puts the Corinthians squarely on the spot. They have professed to be super-spiritual and have been proud of their gifts. The apostle therefore writes, If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord (37). If the Corinthians possess such gifts, let them demonstrate this by recognizing inspiration when they come face-to-face with it. More drastically, Paul states, “If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized” (38, NASB).
In vv. 39-40, Paul makes a final reference to spiritual gifts. In regard to prophecy he is positive and affirmative. Covet to prophesy (39). If a man wishes to speak in the church, let him speak under the direction of the Holy Spirit in such a manner as to strengthen the church. On the other matter Paul is cautious: Forbid not to speak with tongues. This gift was not to be forbidden or despised. For in its own place and in its proper time it may be a valuable endowment.
The discussion of the place of prophecy and speaking in tongues ends with a notable principle. Worship is essential to the building up of the body of Christ. But sometimes worship which seeks or stresses the presence and power of the Holy Spirit tends to be confused or chaotic. Here the Pauline principle is important: Let all things be done decently and in order (40).
Decently (euschemonos) means “everything is to be done properly and in good order.”93 Order (taxin) carried a similar meaning—“in an orderly manner.”94 Adam Clarke writes: “Where decency and order are not observed in every part of the worship of God, no spiritual worship can be performed.”95 Paul wanted the presence and power of the Holy Spirit; and he knew that the Holy Spirit worked in a way to produce harmony, peace, order, and edification.