I Corinthians 14:1-4:
14:1You must pursue the love1. But you must be zealous-towards the spiritual-things, but rather in order that you may prophesy – .2for the (person) uttering-forth with a tongue does not utter-forth to men but to God, for not-one-person hears (with understanding) but he utters-forth mysteries with spirit, .3but the (person) prophesying utters-forth to men edification and encouragement and comfort; .4the (person) uttering-forth with a tongue edifies himself, but the (person) prophesying edifies (the) church.
Paul continues from the last sentence of chapter 13 teaching the Corinthian holy-people (sanctified-people, Christians, saints, children of the only true God) concerning the spiritual-things which he does not intend them to not-know (refer to I Corinthians 12:1).
You must pursue (presently and actively follow earnestly after) love1 (explained in detail throughout chapter 13).
You must be zealous towards the spiritual-things – in the good sense: have a boiling or vehement passion for those matters belonging-to, determined-by, influenced-by and proceeding-from spirit, which includes God Who is Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus Christ who has his spiritual body, and the gift of holy spirit which every holy-person has graciously received from God by means of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the last verse of chapter 12, Paul had made it clear that he knew that these Corinthian Christians were jealous (zealous in the bad sense) towards the gracious-gifts (things that God and/or the Lord Jesus Christ reveal and/or give at certain times to various holy-people to enable him/her to carry out a specific function, without merit on the recipient's part) which they considered to be greater, but he continued by pointing-out to them according to a super-throwing way – Godly-love. All holy-people should pursue the Godly-love during the everyday living of our lives and we should be zealous (in the good sense) towards the spiritual-things.
Paul continues teaching in this same context regarding those times when holy-people assemble together: but rather (more-so, more and more, constantly-increasing – not ‘instead-of’ but very much more) you must do this for the purpose and result that you would prophesy in the church. Why? In truth, the holy-person who is speaking with a tongue (a language given to the speaker by his/her spirit) does not speak to/with/for men (any of mankind), but on the contrary, the speaker utters-forth to/with/for the only true God!
Why does the holy-person who is uttering-forth with a tongue not utter-forth to/with/for men, but on the contrary, he/she utters-forth to/with/for God? In truth, no-one (none) hears with understanding (nobody who speaks with a tongue learns by hearing what is spoken; he/she hears the words spoken but does not hear to the end of being informed of something because he/she cannot understand those words), but the speaker is uttering-forth mysteries (secrets) with his/her holy spirit. These are not known or understood by the speaker, but they are known and understood by God Himself and the spirit within the speaker!
There were two occasions, recorded in the scriptures, when people listening to those uttering-forth with tongues without any interpretation heard to the end of understanding what was spoken because the languages were known to the listeners – see Acts 2:1-11 when Israelites/Judeans first received the gift of holy spirit, and Acts 10:44-46 when Gentiles/other-nations first received the gift of holy spirit – but those speaking did not understand what they were saying, as Paul explains in these verses.
But the holy-person who is prophesying (speaking God's words given to the speaker by his/her holy spirit-life) utters-forth…
…to men (mankind). The person prophesying speaks words in a language that the speaker and most, if not all, of the people attending the meeting can understand.
The holy-person who is uttering-forth with a tongue is edifying himself. He builds himself up because he can physically hear himself speaking with a tongue which is given to him by his holy spirit when he willingly decides to do so. Even though he does not understand in his fleshy-mind the actual words he utters, he proves to himself that he definitely is a child of God because he could not utter-forth with tongues unless he had already received the gift of holy spirit. He knows that he is speaking to and with God by means of his holy spirit, and also he becomes more sensitive and receptive to the in-working of the spirit within him.
But the holy-person who is prophesying is edifying the church, the assembly of called-out people gathered-together who hear the prophecy in a language the speaker and most, if not all, of the people present can understand. In the church, when holy-people are gathered-together in their meetings, God wants the people to understand what is spoken.
[Reference: I Corinthians chapters 12 and 13.]
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9 contributions of holy spirit
