Prophesying, that is, explaining Scripture, is compared with speaking with tongues. (1-5) The unprofitableness of speaking in unknown languages. One can only be amazed at the near-universal acceptance of the idea that what those Corinthians were doing was actually CAUSED by the Holy Spirit! The office of the evangelist is one of authority in the name of God; and as DeHoff expressed it: What is said of women being elders, deacons or evangelists is also true of their being "preachers" in any sense whatever; because it is the duty of all preachers to be evangelists, even if their preaching sometimes gives little evidence of respecting their commission. Uninterpreted tongues were as disastrous as the efforts of a military bugler whose unintelligible blasts could not be distinguished either as a call to charge, a call to retreat, or a call to go to bed! Anyone in possession of God's Spirit would have exactly the same attitude; but no, the tongue-speakers would rather speak ten thousand words in tongues than five words that anybody could understand! The frequency in this chapter of that condition coming into view, always with the uncertainty of "may" or "if" connected with it, strongly suggests that there might not have been very many interpreters at Corinth. 9. Not so much their voices being heard in a Christian assembly, but the rejection of lawful authority, is the thing suggested by Paul's statement that the Law of Moses forbade it. This requirement alone demanded the omission of tongues from all church services. Upon the occasion of the creation and fall, God said to Eve, "Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee" (Genesis 3:16). Now I would have you all speak with tongues, but rather that ye should prophesy: and greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edification. The first of these reasons, of course, is the greater, the other having been removed by the customs of subsequent ages. That cannot answer the end of speaking, which has no meaning; in this case, speaker and hearers are barbarians to each other. By way of revelation ... refers to what was revealed in Scripture. Scripture truth, plainly and duly taught, has a wonderful power to awaken the conscience and touch the heart. God never teaches men to neglect their duties, or to act in any way unbecoming their age or station. When ye come together, each one hath a psalm, hath a teaching, hath a revelation, hath a tongue, hath an interpretation. We have already noted that Paul never used the gift in the presence of others, or in church assemblies. 1 Corinthians 14:34-38 Women are forbidden to speak there. He simply did not wish to say anything that would discourage those souls who had indeed received of God the private gift of tongues for their encouragement. I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Verse 14. James Rosscup writes that "This was the great work in the life of the versatile Dean of Canterbury. Since we today are dealing with a far different situation, it is proper to speak much more plainly of those bastard tongues at Corinth. 1 Corinthians 14 - Speaking in unknown Tongues by Albert Barnes Commentary. Incidentally, it is quite obvious that the assemblies of the early Christians were open meetings, free to be attended by any who might wish to do so. It has been produced by people who earnestly desire to do it, and who have been led to believe it is Scriptural because of the inaccurate and misleading words in many of the "translations" of the New Testament in vogue today. Read 1 Corinthians 14 commentary using Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete). This stresses the private nature of the true gift; and the apostolic order for it not to be used in church (without an interpreter) removed the only possible reason why the counterfeiters were faking it, making it impossible for them to accumulate any flattery or "glory" from the display of their "abilities" publicly. speaking in an unknown tongue to you of another foreign country. Barclay also observed this and suggested how it comes about: The phenomenon called tongue-speaking can be faked; this writer has seen it faked; and the simple truth is that anybody can fake it. Yes, but only to the extent that it had been perverted by dragging it into the public worship. The essential thing to see is the close likeness in appearance of the two kinds of tongues; and this is paramount as an indication that the true tongues of Corinth were unlike those of Pentecost. A truly Christian minister will seek much more to do spiritual good to men's souls, than to get the greatest applause to himself. This is a mandatory conclusion based on Paul's order that the speakers should speak "one at a time," or "in turn" (1 Corinthians 14:27). Thus Pat gets it from Shirley, Tom gets it from Mabel, etc., just like Adam took the forbidden fruit from the hands of Eve. I thank God, I speak with tongues more than ye all. The word from which the Pauline expression "edifieth" is translated is related to the building up of an edifice; and Paul demanded that EVERYTHING ("all things, 1 Corinthians 14:26) be done unto edification of the church. Only the possibility that they might have it is indicated. Tongues in a church? Follow after love; yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. Neither the KJV nor the English Revised Version (1885) is correct here. This was Paul's refusal to speak in tongues in the Christian assembly at Corinth; and it is safe to assume that he never did so anywhere else. Any other, besides the possessor, was never to hear it done. This indeed posed a delicate problem. Paul encountered some of these "barbarians" on his mission tours, namely, at Malta and at Lycaonia (Acts 14:11); and significantly Paul did not understand the dialect of the Lycaonians, this being another reason to suppose that Paul's gift of tongues did not include the gift of speaking in languages he had never learned, but was rather for private encouragement. To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient. There can be no assent to prayers that are not understood. The unprofitableness of speaking in unknown languages. Until it is affirmed that she should, it is a sin to make this rule universal. In a word, all the post-apostolic tongue-speakings for nineteen centuries have not contributed one authentic sentence to the revealed will of God, like that in the New Testament. An analysis of the above apostolic rules on tongue-speaking will emphasize the importance of the inspired interpreter, the gift of interpretation itself being one of the miraculous gifts; and Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 14:28 that, "If there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church," still leaves the possibility that there were not any in Corinth who had that gift. The tongue-speaking fraternity cannot claim Paul as an advocate of their practices, there being no record whatever that he ever did it in the presence of another human being; and, besides, his gift was the real thing! If it is a fact that God is speaking in such a manner to people today, and that there are interpreters who might tell what is spoken, why has it not been published, in order for all people to be able to share in it? From these passages from both testaments, it is clear that the total exclusion of women from any public speaking did not occur, nor was the action of such women construed as "usurping authority" over a man. Thus, from the very beginning the authority of the family was vested in the man. What then was the apostle's purpose in bringing up the fact that he himself spoke in tongues? As Glenn Wallace once paraphrased this: "As for tongue-speaking, don't let the gals do it at all!" The teacher did more good and was therefore greater than the tongue-speaker. How the prophets or teachers should act in the Church, 1 Corinthians 14:29-33. "[2] It is clearly evident that the genuine gift of tongues, whether like those at Pentecost or at Corinth, perished with the age of miracles, and that all of the tongue-speaking of this generation is spurious. This adds another dimension to Paul's picture of the Corinthian assembles: they were scandalous examples of utter and complete confusion. Study the bible online using commentary on 1 Corinthians 14 and more! Paul shows that for worship to be helpful, and for a sane and sound church life, the mind must work together with the energies of the (human) spirit. 1 Corinthians 14, William Barclay's Daily Study Bible, One of over 110 Bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, as set of 17 volumes on the New Testament, the result of Barclay's dedicated work The blunt, dogmatic apostolic answer to tongue-speakings is just this: "but if there be no interpreter!" If any man thinketh himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him take knowledge of the things which I write unto you, that they are the commandment of the Lord. Follow after love; yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. The women under consideration in this order were married, nothing whatever being said of widows, spinsters or the unmarried; and they were also ignorant, as indicated by "if they would learn anything." He simply issued apostolic orders that would inevitably, if followed, diminish and destroy the bastard gift, while at the same time cautioning "not to forbid to speak in tongues" (1 Corinthians 14:39). 1 Corinthians 4:14-17 New King James Version (NKJV) Paul’s Paternal Care. As in all the churches of the saints, let the women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted them to speak; but let them be in subjection, as also saith the law. See under 1 Corinthians 14:34, above. Prophesying, that is, explaining Scripture, is compared with speaking with tongues... View the entire commentary. Tongues in a church are not a sign of God's blessing at all, any more than the foreign tongue of the invader was a blessing of God in Jerusalem, but just the opposite! Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. Would it not make Christianity ridiculous to a heathen, to hear the ministers pray or preach in a language which neither he nor the assembly understood? There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and no kind is without signification. 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. The only kind that has ever existed since the age of the apostles has been the kind Billy Graham called "counterfeit.". The Corinthian women had violated that intention and Paul immediately assigned two reasons for forbidding the action (speaking in tongues publicly) which frustrated God's purpose. The force of 1 Corinthians 14:7-9 is that the false tongues of Corinth were unintelligible nonsense, having no meaning whatever, being nothing more than jabberings of orgiastic demonstrators; and here was the delicate part of the whole situation, the UNINTERPRETED manifestations of the genuine gift itself resembled the false tongues so perfectly that no one on earth could have told any difference! This might very well have been Paul's way of putting the terminator on tongues without discouraging any who might really have had the genuine gift. In praying and giving thanks, 1 Corinthians 14:14-17. The only way that even an apostle could benefit his hearers was by preaching to them. Many exceptions to the rule were allowed and approved by God. All Rights Reserved. "Or of knowledge" refers to the spiritual gift of knowledge which Paul assuredly had. Let all things be done unto edifying. What, was it from you that the word of God sent forth? Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak … Churches presuming to appoint deaconesses do so without Scriptural authority, and without any guidelines as to the needful qualifications. [3] William Barclay, The Letters to the Corinthians (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1954), p. 142. Every preacher or evangelist is commanded to "Reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching" (1 Timothy 4:2). Some would do away with these rules altogether on the grounds that there is "neither male nor female" in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28); but, as McGarvey declared, "This is unwarranted; for while the gospel emancipated woman, it did not change her natural relation"[15] in the hierarchy of the family. (b) And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time ... and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment (Judges 4:4,5). The Blessed Spirit never operated against the will of God. The impossibility of reconciling the radically opposed views of scholars and commentators on this passage has the effect of sending us back to the Old Testament, to which Paul appealed in this verse. Under no circumstances let the women do it (1 Corinthians 14:34), interpreter or no interpreter. Certainly, the lack of authentic interpretation in the present times raises the most serious questions and goes far to prove the invalid nature of that which passes for tongue-speaking today. Passage we should know the ignorance, garrulity and degradation of Oriental women these carry strong! Whole Bible ( New York: Carlton and Porter, 1831 ) there... By God to 1 Corinthians 2:5 stop chasing after tongues and to grow up spiritually to... 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