26 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. 27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
As in all the churches of the saints, 34 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. 35 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.
36 Or was it from you that the word of God came? – 1 Corinthians 14:26-33a ESV
The fact that Paul goes into such detail about the gifts reveals that this was a real problem for the church in Corinth. This was not a case of the gifts being in short supply; they seemed to have them in abundance. But they were confused about their purpose and neglected to practice them in a spirit of love. So now, Paul gives more specific comments regarding their use in corporate worship.
“When you come together,” Paul says, “each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation” (1 Corinthians 14:26 ESV). The gifts were designed primarily for use within the community, and Paul makes their intended purpose clear: “Let all things be done for building up” (1 Corinthians 14:26 ESV). The gifts were not designed to draw attention or to make the one with the gift look good. And they were certainly not to be used competitively or chaotically. But it seems the Corinthians were in the habit of practicing their gifts almost as if it were a competition. There was no order to their services; everyone was prophesying, singing, teaching, and speaking in tongues at the same time. Which is what led Paul to say, “God is not a God of confusion, but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33 ESV).
The gift of tongues was not to dominate the corporate gathering. As Paul made clear earlier, tongues were intended for the lost, not believers. But if someone was going to practice the gift of tongues within the worship service, there must be someone there to interpret what was said. Otherwise, they were to remain silent, and Paul restricted the use of tongues to no more than three individuals per worship service. He did the same thing with the gift of prophecy. “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said” (1 Corinthians 14:29 ESV).
The worship service was not to be a circus or free-for-all, with everyone speaking at the same time or saying whatever they felt led to say. Even those with a prophetic word were to be evaluated by others with the same gift, so there was a confirmation of what was being said. Just because someone prophesied did not mean that what they said was prophetic or true. There was a need for others with the gift of prophecy to ascertain whether what was being said was of God.
This is an important distinction. Not all tongues are of God. Not all prophecies are from God. Not all revelation is given by God. The gifts can be easily replicated and done apart from the power of the Holy Spirit. Anyone can claim to prophesy in the name of God, but they may not be speaking for Him. There are those who claim to have the gift of tongues, but fail to practice them according to Scripture. They provide no interpretation, and so there is no message for the congregation to receive. So, no one, except the one speaking in tongues, is built up. This was all unacceptable to Paul. It reflected the former pagan background of the Corinthians more than it did God’s intended form of worship for the church.
The next apparent abuse Paul had to address was that of women speaking in the church services. This is a not-button topic that has caused more than its fair share of controversy over the centuries. But what is Paul’s point? Is he simply being misogynistic or patriarchal? When he flatly states, “Women should keep silent in the churches” (1 Corinthians 14:34 ESV), it comes across as harsh to our modern sensibilities. Was Paul denying women the right to speak in church? That question is easily answered by looking at his statement in Chapter 11.
…every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. – 1 Corinthians 11:5 ESV
Obviously, women were allowed to pray and prophesy in the church services, so why does Paul state that they must remain silent? As with most controversial or seemingly contradictory matters in Scripture, the answer lies in the context. In chapter 14, Paul discusses the use of the gift of prophecy and the need for order in the church service. He places boundaries or guardrails on the use of all the gifts, including prophecy. If someone exercises the gift of prophecy, their words must be validated by someone else with the same gift. That scenario means the second individual would either corroborate or contradict the first speaker's words. With that potential scene in mind, Paul instructed women (those with the gift of prophecy) to remain silent. This restriction is directly tied to Paul’s earlier discussion on headship.
In his first letter to Timothy, Paul wrote, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet” (1 Timothy 2:12 ESV). This provides additional insight into Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians. For Paul, this was about the God-ordained order of the home and the church. But it was also about proper decorum in the worship services. In Corinth, the corporate gatherings had become chaotic and disordered. It was a free-for-all, with everyone speaking at the same time.
Tongues were being practiced without interpretation. Prophecies were being uttered with no validation or verification. That is why he instructs those who speak in tongues to remain silent when someone else is speaking. In verses 29-31, he commands a prophet to be silent if someone else is prophesying. And then, in verses34-35, he adds that women with the gift of prophecy should refrain from speaking up when a man has prophesied. For Paul, it was all about order and decorum. But it was also about protecting and preserving God's character.
“The theological point is crucial: the character of one’s deity is reflected in the character of one’s worship. The Corinthians must therefore cease worship that reflects the pagan deities more than the God whom they have come to know through the Lord Jesus Christ. God is neither characterized by disorder nor the cause of it in the assembly.” – Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians.
Order. Edification. Peace. Godliness. Love. All of these things are to characterize the corporate worship of the body of Christ. God has given gifts to help build up the saints. When the Spirit of God is at work within the congregation, it should be evident. There will be a spirit of love present. Orderliness, not confusion, will characterize the assembly. The gifts will be complimentary, not competitive. The use of the gifts will be dictated by the Spirit of God, not the selfish desires of men. And the result will be the edification of all, not the elevation of one.
Father, this is a tough passage that has caused a lot of debate and disension over the years. But we tend to misread and misapply it, leaving out the central message Paul was trying to make. Even in debating the content, we lose sight of the context and the central point Paul was trying to make. It is all about order and unity, sanctification and mutual edification. We are a people who sometimes lose sight of Your will and make it all about us. We even have the capacity to treat the spiritual gifts as if they are the proofs of our personal piety and use them to puff up ourselves up rather than build up the body of Christ. Help us to read and apply Paul’s words as intended because they come from You. Give us the ability to read Your Word carefully and apply it diligently, for the good of the flock and for Your glory. Amen
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