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? 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? Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 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. Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 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. So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.
- 1 Corinthians 14:6-12
In the previous section, Paul addressed how both prophecy and speaking in tongues should be done in ways that edify and build up the church. Paul builds on that point in this section, giving additional instruction to the first-century Corinthian church.
In verse 6, he therefore concludes that it would do no good for even him to speak to them in tongues if they didn’t understand it. He specifically mentions revelation, knowledge, prophecy, and instruction as types of messages he could bring. Revelation and prophecy are both supernatural, while knowledge and instruction are more natural. All of these would be helpful for the Corinthians if they were understandable, whereas a message in tongues would be pointless if they could not understand him. Note that Paul is not saying that he will speak to them in tongues, but rather he’s giving a hypothetical situation.
To further illustrate this point, Paul gives illustrations with everyday objects in verses 7-8. He first uses musical instruments. If someone is playing them but there is no melody, what good is that? It doesn’t give the hearer the same sense of enjoyment if there are just random unintelligible notes as hearing a beautiful melody played on a pipe or a harp. While it could still be considered music without some kind of system for the notes, it would not be beneficial for the listener.
Paul’s audience would have been familiar with the association of the trumpet sound with going to battle, as that was common for both Greeks and Jews. We see the trumpet used for a battle call in Numbers 10:9 and Joshua 6:4-9. But if the trumpet sound is not clear, no one would recognize it as a battle call, and it would not fulfill its purpose.
Paul further makes the connection with these analogies in verse 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.” It is not simply making sounds or even words that are important, but rather that those words and sounds can be understood by those hearing them. What good are words spoken if no one understands them?
There are many languages in the world, even in Paul’s day, but none of them are valuable if no one understands what the people are saying (verse 10). When I was in 7th grade, I made up my own language. It was based on English, but I changed out sounds for other sounds. While I thought it was pretty cool, I soon realized that it was rather pointless when no one else knew the language! There was no opportunity for conversation when I was the only person who was fluent in this language.
All languages that are actually spoken among multiple people have meaning; that is how we communicate as human beings. Words need to have meaning, and both the speaker and the hearer need to agree on what those particular sounds mean when placed together in a word if they are to have effective communication. If the two people speaking do not understand each other, then they are like foreigners to each other (verse 11). If you have ever tried to have a conversation with someone when you do not have a common language, you understand how difficult that can be.
Paul brings his point home for the Corinthians in verse 12 by saying, “So it is with you.” He recognizes that they are eager to receive and practice the various gifts from the Holy Spirit, but he cautions them to focus on only the gifts that build up the church as a whole. While tongues may be a gift that is helpful, it is only really beneficial if people understand what is being said. Other gifts that truly do build up the church are where they should put their energy.
How does this apply to us today? Just as with the first-century Corinthians, we should strive to build up the church. There are many things that we can focus on that do not actually build up the church and strengthen our faith and the faith of our fellow believers. We easily get caught up in church politics, gossip, the drama that can come with dealing with broken people, the mechanics of a worship service, building concerns, etc. – the list goes on and on.
Instead of those things, we need to focus on how the Holy Spirit has gifted us and how we are to use those gifts to build up the body of Christ rather than focusing on distractions. Sure, some of those things are necessary so that the church functions, but our focus should be on how the Spirit has gifted us and building up the body of Christ.
What gifts has the Holy Spirit given you? How are you using them to build up your fellow believers?
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