First Corinthians 14:1-40
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…
-
edification (figuratively referring to the action or process of building upwards and
establishing) and
-
encouragement (exhortation, a calling-beside as a father and mother invites their
children near them to help them to do that-which is right) and
-
comfort (speaking in a soothing or tender manner)…
…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.
[Interestingly, there is a Greek word, oikos,
from which many other Greek words come. These words, which all come from
the same root-word, may be translated into English as: house, to build a
house, household, householders, to build, building, to dwell, dwelling,
to inhabit, habitation, to edify, edification, plus many other words in
the English language, but we ought to understand that when reading any
one of these words they all relate to each other even though in English
it is difficult to consistently use the same basic word in every
rendering of it to communicate the meaning. Also, it is used
figuratively referring to the action or process of building upwards and
establishing.]
[Reference: I Corinthians chapters 12 and 13.]
Verse 5:
.5But I intend all of you to utter-forth with
tongues, but rather in order that you may prophesy; but the
(person) prophesying (is) greater than the (person)
uttering-forth with tongues outside-of except he may
throughly-interpret in order that the church may receive
edification.
I intend (will) every one of you to utter-forth with tongues, but more-so
for the purpose and result that you would prophesy in the church. Why?
Because, during an assembly of holy-people, the person who is
prophesying is greater than the person who is uttering-forth with
tongues in the walk/behavior category – this is excluding the exception
that the person who speaks with tongues in the church would also
interpret through-and-through (fully explain) what he has just spoken
with tongues for the purpose and result that the church of holy-people
would receive edification (take the object that is given from another,
here what is given is the availability for them to be built upwards in
their minds regarding God and the things of God by hearing to the end of
understanding what is spoken in the interpretation).
We should note that Paul did not write that he did not want people
to speak with tongues – but that during church meetings speaking with
tongues must be accompanied with its interpretation in order that the
holy-people, the church, would receive edification. Paul is teaching
regarding genera of tongues and interpretation of tongues which were
not available during the old covenant times prior to the day of
Pentecost recorded in Acts chapter 2.
You may have seen or heard about people who would stand up in a meeting
and utter-forth with a tongue but would not interpret – they are in
truth speaking with tongues to and with God even though in the midst of
the church and out-loud, but it would be done selfishly as copper
sounding or a cymbal clanging because the people speaking with tongues
would not be doing it in Godly-love with a view to the edification of
the rest of the people present in the meeting (refer to I Corinthians
chapter 13). Also, if a different person would attempt to give the
"interpretation" of someone else's tongue, it would either be prophecy
which God would give to be spoken, or it would be the person speaking
with his own mind, his own intellectual ability and pretending to give
an interpretation!
Sometimes people claim to be speaking with tongues but they would either
speak from their fleshy minds a foreign language that they had
previously learned, or they would make different unusual sounds in
pretence, or an unsaved person may be forced to speak by a
devil-spirit/demon that controlled him/her. The way that a holy-person
can determine whether or not another is truly speaking with tongues is
to rely on the holy spirit within you to contribute to you a judgment
through that specific situation pertaining to the spirit category (refer
to I Corinthians 12:10).
Verses 6-9:
.6But now, brothers, if-ever I may come
towards you uttering-forth with tongues what will I profit you,
except I may utter-forth to you either in revelation or in knowledge
or in prophecy or teaching? .7Even-yet the-things
without-soul giving sound, whether a pipe or a lyre, if-ever it
may not give distinction with the tones, how will the-thing being
played-on-the-pipe or the-thing being played-on-the-lyre be known?
.8For also if-ever a trumpet may give an unclear sound,
who will prepare-himself for war? .9Thus also you by
means of the tongue, except you may give a well-signed word, how
will the-thing being uttered-forth be known, for you will be
uttering-forth into (the) air?
As Paul continues to teach and explain concerning the spiritual-things,
he again addresses the Corinthian holy-people as "brothers" which would
immediately remind them that they were all brothers with the same Father
in the spiritual realm because they all had received the gift of
holy spirit and therefore they all were
children of God.
But at the present time, brothers, if it should ever happen that I would
come to you uttering-forth (speaking) with tongues, but I do not
interpret those tongues, will I profit (benefit, advantage) you
anything? No, I will not profit you anything, except or unless I would
utter-forth to you either…
- in
revelation (within the sphere of action of what has been uncovered or
revealed to me made-known via my holy spirit-life, as though removing a
veil to expose what has previously been hidden) or
-
in knowledge (what is personally known by me regarding God and the things
of God) or
-
in prophecy (God's words for/to people concerning the past, present or
future) or
-
teaching (authoritative instruction, the contents of what is taught, right
doctrine regarding God and the things of God).
I would profit you something if I were to utter-forth words that you can
understand.
Even during the present time there are things which do not have
soul/breath-life (they are without physical life, the lifeless or
inanimate things) and these things give a sound/voice, whether it may be
an instrument which is blown such as a pipe or a flute, or whether it
may be an instrument which is stringed such as a lyre (harp, guitar, lute) – but
if it should ever happen that it would not give distinction (a
separation, differentiation or a drawing-asunder) with its tones (its
precise sound according to the specific line or notation indicated on
the music sheet), then how will it be personally known by anyone hearing
its sound what the meaning or purpose is of what is being blown on the
pipe or flouted, or what is being played on the strings of a lyre (harp, guitar)? It will not be known.
In truth, also if it should happen that a trumpet would give an unclear
(uncertain, irresolute, without a goal or object, and thus is an
indistinct and vague) sound, then who will prepare himself (make himself
ready by getting his implements, armor) for war, who will know that that
sound was made to alert the people that they need to prepare for a
battle which is about to begin? Nobody would know the intended meaning
if the sound coming from the trumpet was unclear.
It is in this manner also that unless you holy-people would give a
well-signed word (a spoken-account which is well-marked, has a good
standard or signal of designation and authentication) when you use your
tongue to speak, how will that-which is being spoken be personally known
by anyone, because in truth what you would be doing is uttering-forth
directed-to the air, not the people? The answer is contained within the
question and thus Paul is emphasizing that they ought to make sure that
the church would be given the opportunity to understand what is spoken
and receive edification.
[Reference: I Corinthians chapters 12 and 13;
Galatians 1:11 and 12; Ephesians 1:17; Philippians 3:15.]
Verses 10 and
11:
.10There are, if attained, so-many genera of
sounds in (the) world and not-one (is) soundless,
.11therefore if-ever I may not have known2 the
ability of the sound I will be a barbarian to the (person)
uttering-forth and the (person) uttering-forth (will be)
a barbarian to me.
There are so-many genera (kinds, races, classes, sorts) of sounds/voices
within the world, which could potentially occur no matter who or what
attains them, and none of so-many is soundless (without sound, with no
voice to communicate with you so that it can be known which sound
pertains to which object among the ordered-arrangement which God made
recorded in Genesis chapter 1, etc). Logically following on from this:
if it should happen that I did not know and would continue not to know
(perceive, see) the able-power, the capability of (pertaining-to and
proceeding-from) the sound being uttered-forth by another person, then I
would be a barbarian (a person who did not speak the same language and
so does not understand what is spoken) to that person, and vice-versa.
[Reference: Acts 28:2; Romans 1:14.]
Verses 12 and 13:
.12Thus also you, since you are zealots of
spirits you must seek-after in order that you may exceed towards the
edification of the church, .13on-which-account the
(person) uttering-forth with a tongue must pray in order that he
may throughly-interpret.
It is also in this manner with you holy-people: since you are zealots of
spirits (people who are zealous pertaining to spirits, which
figuratively refers to the many ways by-which the holy spirit within us
contributes to each one of us) you must seek-after (look) for the
purpose and result that all of you would exceed (abound, be over and
above the number or measure already attained by you) towards the
edification (building-up) of the church (all of you in the one spiritual
body of Christ).
In I Corinthians 12:31(a), and in 14:1 and 12, Paul uses the same basic
Greek word which can be either translated as "zealous" or "jealous" and
the context determines which usage is to be understood. In 12:31(a) it
was used in the bad sense. However, in 14:1 and 12, Paul uses this word
in the good sense to help the Corinthian holy-people to direct their
zeal towards spiritual things according to God's will.
Paul instructs these Corinthian holy-people that they must seek-after in
order that they may exceed towards the edification of the church (both
the holy-people who utter-forth and those who hear what is uttered), and
it is on this account that the holy-person (any one of them) who is
uttering-forth with a tongue during a gathering of the church must pray
(with a tongue towards God, communicate to and with God) in order that
he may interpret through-and-through (fully explain) what he prays with
a tongue. The purpose and result of this holy-person continuing to
communicate to and with God after he has just spoken in a tongue at a
meeting is to fully-interpret that tongue, so that he himself and others
in that meeting will also hear the words of the interpretation and be
able to understand these words and thus receive edification.
Because we must seek-after in order that we may exceed towards the
edification of the church of holy-people, every holy-person who
communicates to God with a tongue must do so for the purpose and result
that he would receive the words of the interpretation of that tongue and
speak them forth. Then he himself plus the people present will receive
edification by hearing words that they understand. This does not mean
that he stops after he has uttered-forth with a tongue and then cries
out-loud, "Oh God, please give me the interpretation"! This means that
he immediately receives the words of interpretation from his holy
spirit-life and he utters those words forth so people can hear them, and
his mind will understand these words. There is no doubt but that his
holy spirit can give him the interpretation (I Corinthians 12:7-11). He
must not make something up from his own fleshly thinking or emotions or
feelings, even though what he may say from his own mind may sound
"wonderful" to the people who hear him but those words would not be
words from God!
All of us holy-people must seek-after in order that we may exceed towards
the edification of the church, on-which-account the holy-person
uttering-forth with a tongue must pray in order that he/she may
throughly-interpret what was uttered-forth. All holy-people have holy
spirit-life and Paul has already taught in chapter 12 that the
manifestation of the spirit is given to each one of us, and so there is
no excuse for any limb of the one spiritual body of Christ who is asked
to speak with a tongue and interpret in the church not to interpret that
tongue because we all have been given the ability to do so. It is
against God's will for any Christian, during a meeting of the church, to
utter-forth with a tongue without giving the interpretation of that
tongue immediately following – we will learn more about this as we read
on.
[Reference: Romans 14:19.]
Verses 14-17:
.14If-ever I may pray with a tongue my spirit
prays but my mind is fruitless; .15therefore what is it?
I will pray with the spirit but also I will pray with the mind; I
will psalm with the spirit but also I will psalm with the mind.
.16Since if-ever you may bless with spirit how
will the (person) filling-up the place of the
unlearned-person say the "with-certainty" on your
thankfulness since-indeed he did not know2 what you
say? .17For you indeed beautifully express-thanks
but the different-person is not being edified.
Again Paul continues to teach by using himself as the example: if I
should pray (communicate to and with God) with a tongue then it is
definitely my holy spirit-life praying, but during this kind of prayer
my mind (mind-set, mental perception) is fruitless (without fruit,
unfruitful, lacking produce, without any results being produced because
it does not know/understand the meaning of the words which I am
willingly uttering-forth given to me by my holy spirit).
Logically following on from this, what does all this mean, what is it
that I do? Paul's answer:
- I
will pray with the spirit (words of a tongue which it gives to me that I
do not understand and which I utter)
-
but
also I will pray with the mind (words of my own language that I
understand in my own fleshy mind-set and which I utter - the
interpretation of the tongue I've just prayed).
- I
will psalm with the spirit (words of a tongue which it gives to me that
I do not understand and which I utter)
-
but
also I will psalm with the mind (words of my own language that I
understand in my own fleshy mind-set and which I utter - the
interpretation of the tongue I've just psalmed).
Psalm – the Greek word transliterated into the English "psalm" refers to
a song that is spoken in different tones while accompanied by a stringed
instrument being touched, twanged, plucked, or played in commemoration
of mercies received from God (when God withholds merited or deserved
judgment from you). To sing a psalm is not the kind of singing done in
our modern day where the drums are thumping and the voice goes from one
extreme to the other! It is similar to how King David sang his psalms,
which are recorded in what is known as the Book of Psalms.
Paul next speaks to the Corinthian Christians on an individual basis:
since it would be that if you, any individual among you, should at any
time bless (speak words that are well/good) with your holy spirit
(referring to uttering-forth with tongues), how will the person
filling-up (as filling-up a chasm or container to the brim with
something, and thus here meaning: occupying) the place (location,
position, spot, space) of one who has not yet learned, has not yet been
informed intellectually, say to you "with-certainty" (how will he
mindfully tell you: amen!, truly!, surely!) agreeing with you resting or
based on your thankfulness (the expression of thanks to God emphatically
belonging to you, not anyone else, since your thankfulness is coming
from your fleshy-mind - your gratitude to God), since absolutely he did
not know and he still does not know (perceive with his mind) what you
say (the good words you lay before him)?
In truth, you indeed express thanks beautifully (you give gratitude, are
being thankful to God with manifested decorous, harmonious and
acceptable goodness), but contrary to beauty, the other person
(specifically the unlearned person, generally includes every other
particular limb) in the church is not being built-up (not being edified)
– even though he heard you speak with a tongue he did not know or
understand with his fleshy-mind what you said! You should have spoken
the interpretation of the tongue you just spoke out loud.
The word translated “thankfulness” is a noun. The word translated
“express-thanks” is a verb. The verb "to thank" in the Greek comes from
the same root word as the word "grace" plus the word "well/good" or
"well-off." Therefore to thank somebody is done by the freedom of will
of the recipient expressing well his gratitude to the giver of the grace
(the bestowed unmerited or undeserved favor) given to and received by
him.
Here, this unlearned person who hears someone else in the church
uttering-forth with tongues without the interpretation, cannot honestly
and willingly say "amen – with-certainty – surely – truly" based on the
speaker's thankfulness for having uttered-forth with tongues because
he/she has no understanding of the words spoken, and in truth neither
has the speaker! The speaker cannot be thankful for the information
contained in what he says when blessing with spirit because he
utters-forth in a language he does not understand. The speaker can, of
course, be thankful to God that he blessed (spoke well) with spirit
because he could not do this unless God had already given him the gift
of holy spirit by means of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
[Reference: Ephesians 5:17-20; Colossians 3:16 and
17.]
Verses 18 and
19:
.18I thank God on behalf of all of you, rather
I utter-forth with tongues, .19but in (the)
church I intend to utter-forth five words in my mind in order that I
may also resound-towards other-people than ten-thousand words in a
tongue.
I thank God on behalf of (in the interests of) all of you (yes, I express
gratitude towards God for all He has given to you and which you received
and use in the spirit category too, as you do), rather (more-so, more
and more, constantly-increasing – not "instead" – but very much more) I
utter-forth with tongues….
Paul speaks with tongues also and continues to increase the amount of
time that he speaks to God with his holy spirit, quietly and/or
privately depending on the specific situation or circumstance he is in
at any given time. [Some Greek texts read: I thank God of all of you
rather I utter-forth (or: to utter-forth, uttering-forth) with tongues
(or: a tongue).]
I thank God on behalf of all of you, rather I utter-forth with tongues,
but in contrast, when I am in the church (when I am among holy-people
during our gatherings) I intend to utter-forth five words in my mind (I
will, with active volition, to speak five graciously uttered words
within the sphere of action of my mind knowing and understanding what I
am saying) for the purpose and result that also I would resound towards
other people (orally teach, sound into their ears, inform by word of
mouth others who are in the church listening and understanding what I am
saying) than to utter-forth ten-thousand words in a tongue (than to
speak as many as ten-thousand, perfectly and orderly uttered words in a
tongue that neither I nor others present could understand).
During the time when Paul would be among other holy-people, his intention
was to give people the opportunity to hear and understand the
spoken-account pertaining to God and the things of God. Paul's
concentration was not to see if he could utter-forth with tongues for a
longer period of time without stopping than someone else at the meeting,
nor was it to show-off how many words he could speak either in a tongue
or in his mind, nor any other form of egotism or selfishness! No! During
the time that Paul was attending any meeting of holy-people, he wanted
other-people to hear the sound of God's words and understand them. Paul
manifested Godly-loved towards them.
Verse 20:
.20Brothers, you must not become young-children
with (your) minds, but you must be infants with
badness but you must become complete-people with (your)
minds.
"Brothers" – again Paul addresses the Corinthian holy-people as
"brothers" and thereby he reminds them that they, including
himself, were all brothers spiritually in
Christ. All of them had received the same holy
spirit. All had the same ability when gathered-together to seek
to exceed towards the edification of the church (the speakers and the
hearers).
Brothers…
- you
must not become young-children with your minds (you must not cause
yourselves, or allow others to cause you, to become little boys and
girls with/in your minds; a different word here for “mind” meaning: your
mentality, the seat of all your mental emotions, feelings, faculties,
intellect, etc),
-
but
contrary to that - you must be infants with badness (minors being
under-age, immature, as babies having received life but still without
the power of adult/mature speech, be childish as an infant behavior-wise
with/in all forms of being bad) but
- you
must become complete-people with your minds (become people who are in a
state of perfectness having reached God's
intended fulfilling ending-issue for you with/in your mentality, the
seat of all your mental emotions, feelings, faculties, intellect, etc).
Paul is not saying that we can behave ourselves a little-bit badly, nor
is he saying that children are bad! He is using a figure of speech to
emphasize the contrast in the behavior category between becoming
young-children with our minds and becoming complete-people with our
minds.
Verses 21 and 22:
.21In the law it was written2 that,
"If-ever I may utter-forth to this people with different-tongues and
in different lips, and not-even thus will they hear Me," says
(the) Lord; .22so-that the tongues are with-a-view-to
a sign not to the (people) believing but to the
unbelievers, but prophecy (is with-a-view-to a sign) not to
the unbelievers but to the (people) believing.
Now Paul reminds them of what was already written in
the law, referring to what is recorded as part of the old covenant
writings (sometimes misnamed "testament"). This is a reference to the
Book of Isaiah chapter 28 where the Lord, God, had said that if He would
utter-forth (speak) to this people (the children of Israel) with
different tongues and in different lips (the Assyrians, not Israel), not
even in this manner will they hear Him (will they listen favorably to
the source from Whom the sound of the voice comes - God; not even in
this manner will they grant God's request by doing what He told them to
do). Paul does not quote the middle-part because it is not applicable to
what he is teaching the Corinthian church.
Isaiah 28:11 and 12:
For with stammering lips and another tongue will he
[God] speak to this
people.
...yet they would not hear.
Paul shows that what had been previously written by Isaiah (who received
the information from God regarding a different situation and
time-period) is also applicable today in the context of uttering-forth
with tongues. God continues to give people the opportunity to believe
Him and do what He says so that they would allow Him to save them.
People have freedom of will regarding their own salvation. However,
there are people who continue to refuse to believe and do what God says
even though God demonstrates to them that what He says and does is the
truth and He brings His Word to pass. God has made available salvation
to mankind by means of the Lord Jesus Christ - tongues are the sign
to/for those who do not believe that this is the truth. As long as
holy-people can speak with tongues it signifies that there are still
rejecters of the Lord Jesus Christ, but when Christ comes this will end
(refer to I Corinthians 13:8-10).
Continuing in I Corinthians 14:22, he writes: with the consequence and
result that:
- the
tongues are for a sign (the words in tongues given by the spirit within
every holy-person which are uttered-forth by the speaker are for a sign,
they are with a view to and resulting-in being a designated signal, a
standard of authenticity)
-
not to/for the people who are believing all
that God has accomplished by means of the Lord Jesus Christ including
the manifestation of the spirit,
-
but
on the contrary, the tongues are for a sign to/for the people who do not believe all that God has accomplished by means of the Lord Jesus
Christ including manifestation of the spirit (as Isaiah wrote);
-
on the other hand, prophecy is for a sign
-
not to the unbelievers,
-
but on the contrary, prophecy (which is also given by the spirit within
every holy-person, the words of-which can be understood by the speaker
and those listening) is for a sign to the people who are believing all
that God has accomplished by means of the Lord Jesus Christ including
the manifestation of the spirit.
[Reference: Matthew 6:7; Luke 1:13; John
16:7-11; Acts chapter 2, 10:31; Hebrews 5:7.]
I Corinthians 14:23-25:
.23Therefore if-ever the whole church may come
on the same-place and all may utter-forth with tongues, but
unlearned-people or unbelievers may come-in, they will say that you
are mad, won't they? – (yes) –
.24but if-ever all-people may prophesy, but some
unbeliever or unlearned-person may come-in, he is refuted by
all-people, he is judged-up by all-people, .25the
hidden-things of his mind-process are caused-to-become manifest, and
thus having fallen on (his) face, he will worship God
announcing that "God is really-being in you."
Logically following on, if it should ever happen that every holy-person
in Corinth, the entire church, would go to the same meeting and all of
them would speak with tongues without any of them interpreting what they
speak, and unlearned-people or unbelievers also come into the
meeting-place and hear what is going-on, won't they say (won’t they
mindfully tell you) that all of you are mad (raging, caused to be
furious in your mind, driven insane)? Paul does not write the answer
because the Greek word construction demands the answer of "yes" by the
reader. Yes, of course people who have not yet learned very much about
being a Christian, or people who do not believe what God says at all,
will say that you are mad – they cannot understand a word you are saying
and can see the disorderly behavior! Can you imagine it – everyone
uttering-forth with tongues out-loud at the same time, one trying to be
louder than the next person, etc, and nobody interpreting their own
tongue? What a racket, what a commotion, what a disgrace to God and His
wonderful gift of holy spirit which He has so graciously given to all
holy-people by means of His son, the Lord Jesus Christ!
But if it should happen that all the holy-people in the church meeting
would prophesy in-turn so that people can hear, and understand the
language it is spoken in, to the end of edification, encouragement and
comfort, and some unbeliever or an unlearned-person would also come into
the meeting-place, then he is refuted (proved wrong, convicted and
convinced of his error) by (the power of, from under the hand of, the
instrumental agent being) all the holy-people who prophesy; and he is
judged-up (carefully-examined, investigated) by all of them.
Why and how? The hidden-things (things that are hidden from view,
concealed, cryptic) belonging-to his mind-process (a conscious
thinking-through reflecting on perceptions in the heart of his mind, his
meditation) are caused to become manifest (evident, brought to light,
shown-forth) to himself – he can hear and understand what is being
prophesied – and in this manner having fallen down on his face
(demonstrating his acceptance, belief and submission to what God is
saying via the prophecy uttered-forth) he will worship (pay homage to,
be obeisant towards) God, announcing (messaging, reporting, relating)
that God is actually, truly being present within/among all of you. He
recognizes that the only way you could prophesy these words would be by
the power of God being within each one of you, and definitely not from
the intelligence of your own fleshy-mind.
[Isaiah 45:11-25; John 16:7-16.]
Verse 26:
.26Therefore what is it, brothers? Whenever you
may come-together each-person has a
psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an
interpretation – all-things must come-to-pass towards edification:
Paul asks: logically following on from what I have written, what is it,
what is the meaning of this in relation to the way holy-people are to
behave themselves in church meetings? And again, he address them as
"brothers" – reminding them that they, including Paul, all had the same
holy spirit-life within them, and that God was their Father and they
were His children.
Whenever it happens that all of you would come-together in your meetings
and each of you has a psalm (verse 15), a teaching (verse 6), a
revelation (verse 6), a tongue (given by your holy spirit-life), an
interpretation (also given by your holy spirit-life) – each one of you
has the ability to do all of these things within the church, however –
all-things must be caused to become (come into being, happen) for the
purpose of edification, building-up all the limbs of the one spiritual
body of Christ.
By using the word “each” instead of “all” Paul emphasizes each
holy-person/Christian individually, particularly, singly, distinctly.
Each person who has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, an
interpretation, etc, is to hear, believe and obey what is communicated
to him/her via the spirit, whether any other holy-person receives the
same or similar information or not, and whether or not they carry it
out. Each one must behave him/herself according to God's
will, not showing-off and attempting to be "better" or "greater" than
another limb in the body of Christ!
In the church: all-things must come-to-pass towards edification….
[Reference: I Corinthians chapters 12-14.]
Verses 27 and 28:
.27whether someone utters-forth with a tongue
according to two or the most three, and (each) by-(his)-part,
and (each) one must throughly-interpret, .28but
if-ever he may not be a through-interpreter he must be silent in
(the) church, but he must utter-forth to himself and to God;
If/since it is that during these gatherings some holy-person speaks with
a tongue out-loud by the freedom of his/her own will towards the
edification of all of the people who can hear what is spoken,
then it must be done:
- according to (in accordance with – action being done along a connecting
motion, not on top of one another) two people or the most three people
(the minimum number of people to speak with a tongue at one particular
meeting is two, and the maximum number of people is three),
-
and this is to be done
distributively by each person speaking his portion of the whole
(in-turn, one by one, one after another, in succession),
-
and each one of the two or three people who
speak with a tongue must throughly-interpret (fully-explain) the tongue
he/she has just uttered-forth (refer to verses 5 and 13 above). Now we
have the sign to/for unbelievers (the tongues) and the interpretation of
those tongues whereby those listening can understand what was spoken in
tongues and the church will receive edification.
But if it should happen at that meeting that a particular holy-person
would want to utter-forth with a tongue out-loud but decides that he
will not be a through-interpreter (he refuses to fully-explain any
tongue he would utter-forth) towards the edification of the church, then
that person must be silent (hush! – stop speaking with a tongue
out-loud). He must not utter-forth with a tongue out-loud without the
interpretation for the whole church to hear him – this would be
selfishness on his part, distracting the other people from the truth of
God's Word and may be very misleading if some of those present did not
understand that what he is doing is against God's will in the church;
plus, the church would not receive Godly edification.
Paul now makes it clear that he is not telling these Corinthian
holy-people that they should not utter-forth with tongues at all – he is
telling them that when a Christian wants to speak with a tongue but does
not want to give the interpretation of what he would speak, making his
own free-will decision to do so even though he is in company with other
people at that time-period, then he must utter-forth with a tongue to
himself and to God (verses 2 and 4a) – quietly!
Verses 29-33:
.29but two or three prophets must utter-forth
and the others must throughly-judge, .30but if-ever
(something) may be revealed to another sitting-down the
first-person must be silent, .31for you are all able
one-by-one to prophesy in order that all-people may learn and
all-people may be encouraged, .32and (the) spirits
of (the) prophets are subject to (the) prophets,
.33for God is not of instability but of peace, as in
all the churches of the holy-people.
Now Paul continues regarding those people who prophesy in the church (and
we should realize that he is not limiting this portion of this
teaching to those holy-people who are currently on a specific mission or
assignment to speak-forth God's words as directed concerning the past,
present and/or future to a person or people) – during the meeting:
-
two or three prophets must speak
- and the other holy-people willing to prophesy must judge
through-and-through (make a separating or differentiating decision,
wholly distinguish or discern) what has just been prophesied.
But if it should happen that some information would be revealed to
another holy-person (information uncovered and made-known to him via the
spirit within him, as though removing a veil to expose what has
previously been hidden) who is sitting nearby, then the first (former)
person who prophesied must be silent having finished his prophecy, and
then that prophet to whom God has revealed specific information that He
wants the church to know must speak it forth to the people. Why? In
truth, all holy-people have the able-power (capability, ability) to
prophesy one after another if God reveals specific prophecy to you to
prophesy, in order that all the people at the meeting may learn and all
the people at the meeting may be encouraged (exhorted, called-beside as
a father and mother invites their children near them to help them to do
that-which is right). No-one is to be deprived of hearing the words
which God asks you to prophesy!
Also, prophets' spirits (the holy spirit-life within each one of them)
are subject to the prophets. Even prophets must behave themselves within
the church! There is no excuse because each one of them can begin or
stop prophesying when they make their own free-will decision to begin or
stop prophesying. They are not forced by their holy spirit to
utter-forth the words that it gives to them [possession, control,
domination is the work of the devil and his devil-spirits when devils
take control of the unsaved individual they are living in and force that
individual to do as they please].
Each one of the prophets must make his/her own decision to prophesy or
not. It seems that in Corinth
the prophets may have had a different idea about themselves and their
evidencing within the one spiritual body of Christ – perhaps they were
claiming that they "couldn't help it" or that "it's not under my
control" or that "the spirit made me say it"! And, if what is said by
those who are claiming to be prophesying in the church does not emanate
from their holy spirit-life, then what they are saying is not prophecy –
it is only emanating from their own intellectual minds.
The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets, for God is not
of instability. In truth, God is not consisting-of and characterized-by
being without standing-down firm or fixed on what He says (not having
the quality or state of being stable, unsteadiness) whereby the prophets
strive with one-another, and other people present do not know what's
going to happen next and they may become afraid. But on the contrary,
God is of (consisting-of and characterized-by) peace (a tranquil-harmony
without strife), as He is in all the churches of the holy-people (not
only in the church located in Corinth).
[Reference: Romans 12:6, and 15:33; I Thessalonians 5:19-21; Revelation
22:6.]
Verses 34 and 35:
.34The women in the churches must be silent for
it is not permitted to them to utter-forth but they must
subject-themselves according as also the law says, .35but
if they intend to learn something they must ask (their) own
adult-males in (the) house, for (it is) shameful for a
woman to utter-forth in (the) church.
Continuing concerning spiritual-things, Paul now writes a few words
regarding a corresponding issue which had arisen in the Corinthian
church involving the women who would also attend these meetings –
whether they are the wives of those who prophesy or who utter-forth with
a tongue and interpret that tongue during the church meetings, or their
daughters, or their mothers, or under their guardianship for whatever
reason.
The women in the churches (not only in Corinth)
must be silent (hush! – stop speaking out-loud). Why? In truth, it is
not permitted (allowed) to them, it is not
their turn, to utter-forth while their adult-males are speaking for the
edification of the church. But contrary to speaking, the women must
subject themselves (make themselves to be in subjection, submissive to,
cause to arrange themselves under the legal authority of their own
husband or father or grown-up son or guardian) according as even the law
says. The women of the men who manifest holy spirit-life in that meeting
must not usurp the authority of their adult-male.
But if the women intend (will) to learn something regarding what is
spoken during the meeting which they do not comprehend, they must ask
their own adult-males for information about this matter or topic when
they go home (where they can be familiar with each other as the verb
"ask" indicates) – not to interrupt them while they are speaking God's
words during the meeting, nor asking everybody else's opinion on the
subject! Why? In truth, it is shameful (in the sense of being indecent,
ugly and deformed) for the woman to speak during that assembly
interrupting him while he is speaking. Of course, if the woman receives
revelation from God to utter-forth, then she must prophesy in-turn as
instructed by God!
We must remember at this point that Paul has already told us that women
utter-forth with tongues and give the interpretation, and that they also
prophesy in these meetings, so therefore Paul could not be telling every
woman in the entire body of Christ not to ever speak a word during any
church gathering, for that would not be accurate since women receive the
same gift of holy spirit from God by means of the Lord Jesus Christ as
men do; there is not a male and female within any holy-person for it is
holy spirit. All Christians have the same holy spirit-life within us and
all of us should behave ourselves according to God's will.
[Reference: Acts 21:9; Romans 12:6; I
Corinthians 11:3-12, and 12:4-14; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 5:21-33; I
Timothy 2:11-15; Titus 2:1-5; I Peter 3:1-7.]
Verse 36:
.36Or did the word of God come-out from you, or
did it come-down into you only?
Paul asks all of the Corinthian holy-people a
two-part rhetorical question as though anticipating their questioning of
what he has written concerning the spiritual-things in the church:
- or did the word of God (the uttering-forth with tongues with its
interpretation and/or the prophecy and/or the revelation) come-out
away-from you – are you all the source of God's Word and you give it
away to other people (are you the ones to decide to whom you speak it,
and how you speak it, and when you speak it, etc)?,
-
or did the word of God come-down into (arrive
to) you Corinthian Christians only – was it directed-to you alone but
not issued to anybody else and so only you know it and evidence it?
The unwritten answer is: no – all the holy-people in the one spiritual
body of Christ, wherever the particular churches are located, are the
recipients of God's Word which is graciously given to us from the only
true God Who is the source of His words, and all holy-people can say and
do what God says we can say and do!
Verses 37 and 38:
.37If someone considers to be a prophet or a
spiritual-person he must fully-know the-things-which I write to you
because they are (the) commandment of (the) Lord –
.38but if someone does not-know he causes-himself
not-to-know.
Paul now writes a sobering statement which ought to help the reader to
think about what is written in this letter concerning spiritual-things
more deeply and to realize its importance.
If someone considers (supposes) about himself that he is a prophet or
that he is a spiritual-person (one who evidences spiritual things in the
church) he must fully-know (have clear and exact personal knowledge thus
acknowledging) the things which I write to you because/that they are the
commandment of the Lord (they are altogether, as one unit, the Lord’s
commandment, what is directed with authority).
But if someone does not-know (is unknowing, ignorant, unaware), and
therefore does not agree that what I have written is the commandment of
the Lord, then he causes himself not to know
this. It is his own free-will decision to be unknowing, to be ignorant
of the truth, to be unaware of all that God has accomplished by means of
the Lord Jesus Christ; nobody, not God nor the Lord Jesus Christ nor the
gift of holy spirit, is forcing him to be ignorant!
Verses 39 and 40:
.39So-that, brothers, you must be zealous to
prophesy and you must not hinder to utter-forth with tongues;
.40but all-things must come-to-pass decorously and according
to arrangement.
Having written all of this detailed information concerning the
spiritual-things, Paul again addresses the Corinthian holy-people as
"brothers" – reminding them that they all, including Paul, have received
the same spirit from God by means of the Lord Jesus Christ. They were
all brothers and God was their Father in the spirit category.
He continues: with the consequence and result, brothers…
- you
must be zealous to prophesy (be zealous in the good sense towards
prophesying, have a boiling or vehement passion to prophesy – all
holy-people have the God-given ability, which is the spirit within each,
to prophesy in the church uttering-forth to men edification and
encouragement and comfort), and
- you
must not hinder to utter-forth with tongues (you must not block or
prevent other limbs/members of the one spiritual body of Christ, the
church, to speak with tongues – all holy-people have the God-given
ability, which is the spirit within each, to utter-forth with tongues,
either in-private uttering-forth mysteries to God building the speaker
up, or in the church when the tongues should be interpreted in order
that the speaker and everyone else in the church can understand the
interpretation of what was just spoken in a tongue and therefore all may
receive edification).
All-things must come-to-pass decorously and according to arrangement. You
holy-people must cause everything that you say and do to become (come
into being, happen):
-
decorously (with goodly-elegance in outward-figure, with propriety of conduct or
deportment) and
-
in accordance with arrangement (according to what is arranged in ordered
sequence, rank, as in the military sense, the class or group).
We are in control of our own behavior in the church, and God's will is
that we walk, behave, conduct ourselves in accordance with His Word
which He has graciously, lovingly and benevolently revealed and
made-known as written in this letter, and which He continues to reveal
and make-known via the spirit within us.
[Reference: Luke 1:8; Romans 13:13; I Corinthians chapters 12-14;
Colossians 2:5; Hebrews 5:6. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (2)
immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are
provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]
