1 Corinthians 14:20-25
20: Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.
21: In the Law it is written, “BY MEN OF STRANGE TONGUES AND BY THE LIPS OF STRANGERS I WILL SPEAK TO THIS PEOPLE, AND EVEN SO THEY WILL NOT LISTEN TO ME,” says the Lord.
22: So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe.
23: Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad?
24: But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all;
25: the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.
Paul appealed to them to think maturely about he had been saying. He referenced Isaiah 28:11 where the Lord said He would speak to His people by men of strange tongues. The Lord had given the Law and the prophets to His people, but they would not listen, so they ended up in captivity in a foreign land—in the midst of strange tongues and lips of strangers. So, for God to “speak” to them in a foreign tongue was not a blessing, but a judgement for their rebellion. This of course was not the gift of tongues by the Holy Spirit, but the result of being placed in a foreign land surrounded by a language they didn’t know. Paul used this example to say that going to church and listening to a foreign language was not going to bless those who didn’t understand. They wouldn’t hear anything from God they could respond to. They’d just think they were all crazy.
So, considering what happened to Israel, tongues are a sign to those who don’t believe, but with prophecy or an interpretation of the tongue, the message of God comes through in an understandable way. We can rejoice over the fact that God speaks to us today. He is giving us opportunity to hear, understand, and do what He says. Through His gifts we can draw words from the depths of God’s heart and make them known in an intelligible way, so the listeners can hear, understand, and apply them to their life. The unbeliever or ungifted is convicted when they hear these words which open their eyes to see the condition of their own heart and the holiness of God’s.
Being in the midst of words they didn’t understand was a judgement of God upon Israel. In the church today, He wants to offer mercy and speak to people clearly so they may understand. This is a time of grace and God wants His words to be heard and understood. Once again, it is not wrong to speak in tongues, but Paul wanted them to think maturely and consider those who didn't understand these gifts. They are gifts from God to enable us to capture the deep thoughts of His heart. Yet we need to consider those who don’t believe or understand when they are among us and give them words they can understand and respond to.
21: In the Law it is written, “BY MEN OF STRANGE TONGUES AND BY THE LIPS OF STRANGERS I WILL SPEAK TO THIS PEOPLE, AND EVEN SO THEY WILL NOT LISTEN TO ME,” says the Lord.
22: So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe.
23: Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad?
24: But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all;
25: the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.
***
Paul appealed to them to think maturely about he had been saying. He referenced Isaiah 28:11 where the Lord said He would speak to His people by men of strange tongues. The Lord had given the Law and the prophets to His people, but they would not listen, so they ended up in captivity in a foreign land—in the midst of strange tongues and lips of strangers. So, for God to “speak” to them in a foreign tongue was not a blessing, but a judgement for their rebellion. This of course was not the gift of tongues by the Holy Spirit, but the result of being placed in a foreign land surrounded by a language they didn’t know. Paul used this example to say that going to church and listening to a foreign language was not going to bless those who didn’t understand. They wouldn’t hear anything from God they could respond to. They’d just think they were all crazy.
So, considering what happened to Israel, tongues are a sign to those who don’t believe, but with prophecy or an interpretation of the tongue, the message of God comes through in an understandable way. We can rejoice over the fact that God speaks to us today. He is giving us opportunity to hear, understand, and do what He says. Through His gifts we can draw words from the depths of God’s heart and make them known in an intelligible way, so the listeners can hear, understand, and apply them to their life. The unbeliever or ungifted is convicted when they hear these words which open their eyes to see the condition of their own heart and the holiness of God’s.
Being in the midst of words they didn’t understand was a judgement of God upon Israel. In the church today, He wants to offer mercy and speak to people clearly so they may understand. This is a time of grace and God wants His words to be heard and understood. Once again, it is not wrong to speak in tongues, but Paul wanted them to think maturely and consider those who didn't understand these gifts. They are gifts from God to enable us to capture the deep thoughts of His heart. Yet we need to consider those who don’t believe or understand when they are among us and give them words they can understand and respond to.
Comments
Post a Comment