Faith-building Bible studies and articles

• 11 Nov

  1 Corinthians: Chapter 14 (verses 26–40)

  In the first section of 1 Corinthians 14, Paul emphasized that the pursuit of spiritual gifts should be for the building up of the church and edification of the believers. He also reminded the believers that worship gatherings should be conducted in a way that these will serve as a witness to non-believers. Paul continues to address these themes in this final section of the chapter.

  What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up (1 Corinthians 14:26).

  For the third time in this chapter, Paul refers to the Corinthians as brothers. In asking “what then,” he is asking them to consider what conclusions should be drawn from the preceding discussion. The answer was that everything should be done in an orderly way for the building up of the believers. As he began to define this, he instructed them to come to worship prepared to exercise their spiritual gifts, whether this was a hymn or a lesson, a revelation, or a message in tongues or an interpretation.

  A lesson (translated as “a word of instruction” in the NIV) probably referred to preaching and teaching. A revelation possibly referred to some specific matter that God had revealed to the believer, perhaps a prophecy. This list appears to be an example of spiritual activities that might take place in a worship service at the time, and Paul made it clear that everyone had the opportunity to participate during worship.

  If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God (1 Corinthians 14:27–28).

  Paul then gave specific instructions for people speaking in tongues (also known as glossolalia), limiting this to only two or at most three people permitted to do so. They were to do so sequentially not simultaneously, and someone was to be present to interpret the message so that the congregation could benefit from it. If no one was available to interpret the message, then no one should speak in tongues out loud during the service. This follows Paul’s earlier point that uninterpreted tongues do not edify others. Of course, those present could use the gift to pray to God in silence.

  Bible commentator Leon Morris noted:

  Edification is the supreme consideration, so ‘tongues’ must not be used unless there is an interpreter. This shows that we are not to think of ‘tongues’ as the result of an irresistible impulse of the Spirit, driving the man willy-nilly into ecstatic speech. He could keep quiet, and that, Paul says, is what he must do unless there is an interpreter. This also implies that he knows beforehand that he intends to speak—otherwise he would not be checking whether there was an interpreter present.¹

  Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said (1 Corinthians 14:29).

  Paul now focused on prophets, referring to believers with the gift of prophecy. Those with this gift received messages or a revelation of some kind to pass on in an intelligible form to those in the church. He likewise limited the number of prophets delivering a message during a service to two or three.

  Paul also stipulated that others were to weigh what was said, which likely involved evaluating the message to judge if the message was truly from God. He wanted to make sure that the church had some checks and balance when it came to people prophesying. The message given by those claiming to be prophets was not to be accepted uncritically but was to be weighed and evaluated.² This instruction regarding prophecy also appears in Paul’s epistle to the Thessalonians (see 1 Thessalonians 5:20–22).

  If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent (1 Corinthians 14:30).

  The first speaker is encouraged to yield to another person who has received a revelation. This promotes a spirit of cooperation and aligns with the biblical principle of considering others above oneself (Philippians 2:3–4). This instruction also helps the church to remain focused on God’s message instead of on an individual’s gifts.

  For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets (1 Corinthians 14:31–32).

  First, Paul instructed speakers to yield to one another, and then in this verse to wait their turn to deliver their message. He was concerned that prophecies would be given in an orderly way so that all could hear and understand them and be encouraged by them.

  In saying that “the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets,” Paul makes the point that the Holy Spirit does not “take over” a person's spirit to where they are unable to control themselves. The opposite is true—one of the nine characteristics of the fruit of the Holy Spirit listed by Paul is self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). Anyone who is legitimately using a spiritual gift can always decide when and how to start or stop expressing that gift.

  For God is not a God of confusion but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33a).

  Many commentators note that the first sentence of this verse likely should have been part of the preceding verse, once again pointing out that those giving messages during worship gatherings should do so in an orderly fashion. Paul describes this orderliness as peace and reflective of God’s nature. As one author comments, “Paul’s larger point is that this order in the nature of God who acts coherently, faithfully, and without self-contradiction should be reflected in the lifestyle and worship of the people of God.”³

  As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church (1 Corinthians 14:33b–35).

  Paul then moved on to address women in the church, saying that women “should remain quiet,” are “not permitted to speak,” and “should be in submission.” This passage has led to much debate and discussion, as elsewhere in this epistle Paul acknowledged their right to pray and prophesy in the church. On this point, theologian Wayne Grudem noted: “In this section Paul cannot be prohibiting all public speech by women in the church, for he clearly allows them to pray and prophesy in church in 1 Corinthians 11:5.” ⁴

  Some authors propose that this comment was in regard to specific situations occurring in Corinth during worship. In this view, certain women or wives were interrupting the service by asking questions during prophetic speech, which while they may have been legitimate, were being asked in a disruptive or inappropriate way.

  In stating that women should remain silent during public worship, Paul notes that this was the practice of “all churches of the saints.” Paul was making the point that the instruction he was about to impart wasn’t a unique teaching; it was standard in all Christian churches. At that time women were not permitted to speak in the church, which was also the case for those who were living under Jewish law. This reflects the norms of the times whereby husbands were expected to guide their family in spiritual matters. In the Greco-Roman world of Paul’s day, speaking in public was reserved for men. For a woman to speak in a public setting could be considered inappropriate and a challenge to the culture of the time. This view is found in 1 Timothy as well. “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet” (1 Timothy 2:11–12).

  While this was the practice in Paul’s time, today the majority (though not all) of Protestant denominations ordain women as pastors. (For more on this topic, see 1 Corinthians: Chapter 11, verses 2–16.)

  Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord (1 Corinthians 14:36–37).

  Paul proceeds to conclude his discussion of spiritual gifts in united worship. He starts by addressing the Corinthians’ spiritual pride by pointing out that the Word of God didn’t come from them. Rather, it came from God and was delivered through the apostles, first to the Jews in Israel and then to the Gentiles. One author notes, “It appears the Corinthians were trying to make up their own rules, and perhaps thinking their own word is sufficient or authoritative or even the word of God for themselves.”⁵

  He goes on to instruct those who considered themselves to be prophets or spiritual to acknowledge that his teachings were from the Lord. In doing so he affirmed his apostolic authority and emphasized that what he wrote in his epistles wasn’t just his opinion but rather was a command from the Lord. This parallels what Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 2:13: “When you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.” Word of God appears numerous times in the New Testament, in almost every case as a reference to the gospel message about Christ.⁶ (See, for example, Acts 4:31; 8:14; 11:1; 13:44–48; 2 Corinthians 2:17.) While prophecies given in united worship were to be weighed and tested, the apostolic word as recorded in the Bible is the Word of God.⁷

  If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized (1 Corinthians 14:38).

  Paul stressed that the Corinthians were not to disregard the teachings and instructions that he had given. The church had been experiencing some disorder during their worship. Paul had pointed out the importance of order and building up the believers through intelligible messages, and the consequences of not adhering to it. Anyone who ignored Paul’s teaching and failed to recognize it as the Lord’s command did so at their own peril.⁸

  So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues (1 Corinthians 14:39).

  Referring to the Corinthians as my brothers once again depicts a close and deep relationship among the believers and the unity within the body of Christ. Paul wants the members of the church to prophesy for the edification and encouragement of the church, as he wrote earlier in this chapter: “The one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation” (1 Corinthians 14:3).

  Paul addresses speaking in tongues less emphatically as he commends the believers to “not forbid” speaking in tongues. This is a continuation of his earlier discussion of these two gifts: “The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up” (1 Corinthians 14:5).

  But all things should be done decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40).

  Paul’s conclusion on his discussion of spiritual gifts calls for the Corinthians to conduct themselves and their worship meetings in an organized, well-planned and orderly manner. Their interactions, especially those which include worship and spiritual gifts, should be conducted with proper behavior and conduct. The gifts of the Spirit are to be exercised for God’s glory, the building up and edification of the believers, as well as to convict non-believers and draw them to worship God and become Christ-followers (1 Corinthians 14:24–25).

  ---

  ¹ Leon Morris, 1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 7, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (InterVarsity Press, 1985), 172.

  ² Morris, 1 Corinthians, 172–173.

  ³ Anthony Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, Vol. 1 (Eerdmans, 2000), 1145.

  ⁴ Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Bible Doctrine (Zondervan, 1994), 824.

  ⁵ Ben Witherington, Women in the Earliest Churches (Cambridge University Press, 1988), 98.

  ⁶ Alan F. Johnson, 1 Corinthians, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (IVP Academic, 2004), 278.

  ⁷ Richard L. Pratt, Holman New Testament Commentary—1 & 2 Corinthians. Vol. 7 (B&H Publishing Group, 2000).

  ⁸ Morris, 1 Corinthians, 175.

   

  
• Oct 28 The Life of Discipleship, Part 5: Seeking First His Kingdom
• Oct 14 1 Corinthians: Chapter 14 (verses 1–25)
• Sep 30 The Life of Discipleship, Part 4: Relationship with God
• Sep 16 The Life of Discipleship, Part 3: Abiding in Christ
• Sep 2 1 Corinthians: Chapter 13 (verses 1–13)
• Aug 12 The Life of Discipleship, Part 2: Loving God with Our Whole Being
• Jul 29 1 Corinthians: Chapter 12 (verses 12–30)
• Jul 15 The Life of Discipleship: An Introduction
• Jul 1 1 Corinthians: Chapter 12 (verses 1–11)