20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. 21 In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” 22 Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. – 1 Corinthians 14:20-25 ESV
By elevating the gift of tongues to a primary position, the Corinthians had revealed their spiritual immaturity to Paul. They viewed speaking in tongues as a sign of spirituality and pursued and practiced that gift to the detriment of the body of Christ. So Paul called them out and encouraged them to “grow up” in their thinking. It is one thing to be innocent about evil, but they acted like children when it came to the gifts God had given to the church. They were enamored by the more showy, flamboyant gifts and allowed jealousy, pride, and envy to characterize their use of the gifts, rather than for the mutual edification of one another.
One of the most important distinctions Paul makes about the gift of tongues concerns its purpose. He quotes a passage from Isaiah 28 to show that tongues “are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers” (1 Corinthians 14:22 ESV). The context of the Isaiah passage is that God sent Isaiah to warn the people of Israel of the Assyrian invasion. He had been calling them to repent and return to Him as their God, but they had stubbornly refused the prophet's messages. Isaiah had been speaking to them in their own language, but they had refused to listen. So Isaiah warns them that God would send the Assyrians and “by people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue the Lord will speak to this people” (Isaiah 28:11 ESV). Their unbelief and stubbornness were going to force God to punish them by sending them into captivity, but even then, they would not repent.
Paul is trying to get the Corinthian believers to think logically and maturely about their view of tongues. He even uses a real-life scenario to make his point. “If unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your church meeting and hear everyone speaking in an unknown language, they will think you are crazy.” (1 Corinthians 14:23 NLT). In other words, if tongues is the superior gift they seem to think it is and everyone in the church practiced it at the same time, what would unbelievers think when they walked in the door and experienced the chaos and confusion firsthand? They would most likely conclude that these followers of Christ had lost their minds.
Rather than witnessing Christians living and worshiping together in unity, they would walk into a scene of confusion and chaos driven by a spirit of competition. Instead of hearing a clearly articulated and understandable delivery of the gospel message, they would walk away convinced that Christianity was no different than the pagan religions with which they were already familiar. It is important to note that Paul is describing a time of corporate worship, when the body of Christ gathered for worship and mutual edification.
Acts 2 records the scene in which the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, and the disciples received the gift of tongues. After Jesus’ ascension, they returned to Jerusalem and gathered in a room just as Jesus had instructed them.
Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile. When they arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying…They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus. – Acts 1:12-13, 14 NLT
Luke records that “120 believers were together in one place” (Acts 1:15 NLT), and that they used this gathering for prayer and mutual encouragement. They had no idea what was going to happen next, but they were faithfully following the Lord’s final words.
“Now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” – Luke 24:49 NLT
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8 NLT
As they prayed and waited, the day came when the promise was fulfilled.
On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. – Acts 2:1-4 NLT
And Luke goes on to record the purpose behind this one-of-a-kind event.
At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! – Acts 2:5-8 NLT
In this instance, each of the disciples spoke in a different foreign tongue simultaneously. It was a scenario much like the one Paul described in his example. But the reason behind this miraculous event was simple. There were thousands of foreigners who had come to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost. Luke provides an incomplete list of their ethnicities.
Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. – Acts 2:9-11 NLT
Attracted to the cacophony of the disciples using their newly acquired, Spirit-empowered language skills, each of these visitors to Jerusalem was shocked to hear the familiar sounds of their own language. And because they could hear the message in their own language, they were able to say, “We all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” (Acts 2:11 NLT).
The pouring out of the Spirit of God created a unique situation that enabled thousands of people to hear the word about Jesus and prepare them for Peter's message. And the result of his impromptu, Spirit-filled sermon was that 3,000 people came to faith in Christ.
On that day, the gift of tongues had a distinct, divinely ordained purpose, directed by the Holy Spirit. But this occasion was not intended to be the norm; it was not a prescribed form of worship for the early church. And yet the Corinthians had childishly elevated tongues to a superior position, misunderstanding its purpose and missing the point behind what God was trying to do in their midst.
Ultimately, Paul was interested in heart change. He compares tongues to the gift of prophecy, describing another scenario in which a lost person attends the corporate worship service. This time, rather than confusion and chaos, they hear the truth being proclaimed through the gift of prophecy. And Paul describes the result of this hypothetical scene.
They will be convicted of sin and judged by what you say. As they listen, their secret thoughts will be exposed, and they will fall to their knees and worship God, declaring, “God is truly here among you.” – 1 Corinthians 14:24; 25 NLT
When the truth of God is understandable, it results in undeniable heart change. Revelation brings about redemption. Lives are changed when the Word is clearly articulated and understood. For Paul, edification and evangelism were the primary purposes behind the gifts when the church gathered. There was a proper place and time for the gift of tongues, but it had to be Spirit-determined and directed. Choosing to use the gifts because of their apparent spiritual superiority reveals a childish, short-sighted perspective. A more mature outlook views the gifts as given by God and as up to Him to use as He sees fit, with the ultimate purpose of building up the body of Christ.
Father, when we are Spirit directed and empowered, we can accomplish great things. But as soon as we attempt to use the Spirit’s power for our own benefit or to position ourselves as more spiritual than others, we miss the point. You gave these outpourings of the Spirit’s power as gifts to the body of Christ, not individuals. They are all meant to edify others, not to glorify self. When used as You intended, the gifts strengthen the church. But when we attempt to personalize and hijack them for our own benefit, they become divisive and destructive. When we use them for our own glory, we take what is rightfully Yours. Open our eyes to the truth concerning the gifts and help us treat them with reverence and respect. We are simply stewards of the gifts You have given and we want to use them in a way that builds up the body of Christ brings You honor. Amen
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.