People today claim to possess miraculous spiritual gifts. However, aside from the fact that no objective proof exists for people doing miracles today, the New Testament teaches that miraculous gifts ceased with the completion of God's written revelation (1 Cor. 13:8-13 cf. Jas. 1:25). In First Corinthians 14, Paul instructs the Corinthians on the regulation of miraculous spiritual gifts. The Corinthian church was known for its division (1 Cor. 1:10-13), and part of that division was fueled by wrong attitudes about miraculous spiritual gifts, particularly the gift of speaking in tongues. It seems that those who had the gifts looked down on those who did not, and those who did not have the gifts were envious of those who did. The value in studying this, in addition to learning more about the Bible, is to see the sharp contrast between the first century church (when miraculous gifts were real and demonstrable) and people today who claim to possess these gifts. In Part 1 of this study (March 25th bulletin article), we noted that prophecy was preferred over the ability to speak in tongues (1 Cor. 14:1-5). A key idea in this entire section is edification. Speaking in tongues that nobody can understand does not edify.

Language Understood Is Profitable

Understanding what is being taught is essential to being edified. Speaking in tongues by itself does not profit the church, just like uncertain sounds in life do not profit those who hear them. "Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you...?" (1 Cor. 14:6). Paul then gives an illustration from life: uncertain sounds are not only unprofitable, but they can actually be harmful. "And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? 8For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?" (1 Cor. 14:7-8). Playing a "pipe [flute, NKJ]" was common at weddings and funerals (Mt. 9:23; 11:17), and the harp is mentioned several times in the Psalms (33:2; 137:2; 149:3; 150:3). Both instruments must be agreeable to the listener or else he leaves the presence of the music. The "trumpet [bugle, NAS]" was used to warn a city of an approaching enemy and to muster those able to fight for battle (Num. 10:1-10). Disaster would result if the watchman blew sounds that nobody recognized as a call to arms. The point is that unless a language is easily understood, it cannot benefit. "So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air" (1 Cor. 14:9). Languages have meaning only to those who know them.

Language Not Understood Is Powerless

By writing, "if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me" (1 Cor. 14:11), Paul is saying that if one does not know the meaning of the language being spoken, then the one speaking it might as well be babbling. "Voice," in this context, is being used interchangeably with language. The word "barbarian [foreigner, NKJ]" is an onomatopoeic word (i.e., the transliteration of a sound) that denotes a person whose language sounds like "bar, bar."1 In other words, that person's language makes no sense, and is, therefore, powerless to build up the church.

Since language that cannot be understood is powerless, Paul tells the Corinthians that they must desire that which edifies. "Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. 13Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. 14For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful" (1 Cor. 14:12-14). Though the Corinthians were "zealous [eager, ESV]" for spiritual gifts, they must seek to excel in edifying. To edify means to build up, and one reason for miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit was to build up the church (cf. 1 Cor. 12:4-13, 27-31; Eph. 4:11-14). Furthermore, if one spoke in tongues, he was to pray that he also would be able to interpret because praying in an unintelligible language left one's understanding "unfruitful."

Do we see the comparison with so-called tongue speakers of today? In the first place, those today who claim to speak in tongues do not really speak in tongues as per the Bible's usage. What the Bible means by tongues is real foreign languages that those speaking did not study and could not have possibly known except it be by supernatural means (cf. Acts 2:4-11), but the so called tongue speakers of today speak what they claim is "Holy Ghost language," but in reality is nothing more than hyped up gibberish. Second, since the church cannot understand the gibberish of the so-called tongue speakers of today, their verbal babblings are absolutely powerless to Scripturally edify the church! Why then do they continue to claim speaking in tongues? Could it be the same carnality that characterized the Corinthians' division (1 Cor. 3:1-4)?

Let us be content to accept the ability of the written word of God, when properly understood and applied, to edify the church of Christ. Why seek the sensational delusion of speaking in tongues today when the word of God "is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

End Notes

1Leon Morris (quotes Barth), The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985) 189.