What is the purpose of the church, and how should that purpose affect how and what we do? Those are some of the questions that I Corinthians 14 seeks to answer, even as it deals with some concepts that perhaps make us a little uncomfortable.
The end of I Corinthians is so rich, and reading through the final few chapters this week was hopefully encouraging and challenging! Whether it’s the richness of chapter 13 as Paul explores the depths of love, or the fierce defense of Christ’s resurrection in chapter 15, or even the first chapter of 2 Corinthians 1, where Paul reminds the church that the comfort God gives them in the midst of grief and sorrow is both for their benefit, but also for the benefit of others (2 Cor 1:3-5), these chapters are rich and profound.
Where does Chapter 14 sit?
Chapter 14, which we read on Tuesday, gets lost in the shuffle sometimes. It deals with some topics that might be a little confusing for us in the modern evangelical protestant church – prophecy and speaking in tongues. But in many ways, chapter 14 brings into focus some of the church-life issues Paul has been addressing for the Corinthians church for many chapters, and it’s worth considering!
Since chapter 11, Paul has been dealing with some issues in the local church in Corinth centered around their weekly gathering – their church services. They weren’t treating one another with love during communion (I Cor 11:17-34), and they didn’t seem to fully understand their united nature as the body of Christ in the exercise of spiritual gifts (I Cor 12:21-26).
All this comes to a head as Paul explains that only gifts exercised in love for one another have value (I Cor 13:1-3). And this leads to chapter 14, where Paul seeks to wade into what appears to be a division in the Corinthian church: is it better to speak truth – to prophecy – or to speak ‘angelical language’ – in tongues?
What are the spiritual gifts Paul is talking about?
First, what is Paul talking about? From the context, when Paul says ‘tongues,’ he seems to be referring to unintelligible language swelling up from a heart of praise (verses 9, 13, and 16). On the other hand, prophecy seems to be pointed Spirit-led declarations of truth addressed in plain language (verse 24-25). Paul is clear that for the Corinthians church, both have a place in the life of a believer. But only one has a place in church gatherings.
In today’s church, there’s often a disagreement over whether people can, or should, still expect to speak in tongues or prophecy. But Paul isn’t concerned with that question in this passage – and we shouldn’t be as we read this text either. Remember, Paul is writing to a particular church, addressing particular issues. Of course, the Holy Spirit is using Paul to write to all Christians everywhere, too, but the passage simply doesn’t focus on whether churches today should continue to speak in tongues.
Instead, pay careful attention to the reasoning Paul uses in deciding between these two gifts.
The central argument in verses 1-5 is that prophecy is greater because it builds up the body of Christ – the church. Prophecy encourages believers to live more faithfully (verse 3) and encourages non-believers to turn their lives over to Christ (verses 22-25). And in this passage, the building up of the body is the primary factor that determines whether something is worthwhile.
Consider this parallel passage in Ephesians: “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16). Is it a stretch to say that “speaking the truth in love” is akin to prophecy? We speak truth so that the body may grow together.
So what does this mean for us?
It’s good to remember, as we read our Bibles, to sort through the context of the text, and to expect passages to answer the questions they’re trying to answer – not anything more! This leads to faithful Bible reading and allows God to speak to us through His Word.
It would be easy when reading 1 Corinthians 14 to get wrapped up in thinking about whether you should speak in tongues or something else – but that’s not what the passage is about. It’s about how we approach the church – the body of Christ – and how we use our gifts, abilities, and passions for the good of the body.
It’s clear that the use of our gifts should be for the building up of the body of Christ. This should be the focus of everything we do as individuals and as church leadership. We can ask this question about so many different topics:
- “Should I post this on Facebook?” Does it build up the body of Christ?
- “Should we include this element in the service?” Does it build up the body of Christ?
- “What should I wear to church?” What will build up the body of Christ?
- “Should I serve in this way, or use this gift?” What will build up the body the most?
This becomes such a helpful and profound way to look at our day-to-day lives as followers of Christ. Let’s faithfully follow Him in His mission in Central Wisconsin!
Read along with us in Woodlands in the Word! Text BIBLE to 888-225-7675 for a link to each weekday’s Bible reading and prayer prompts!