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NASB | 1 Corinthians 14:15 What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Corinthians 14:15 Then what am I to do? I will pray with the spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me] and I will pray with the mind [using words I understand]; I will sing with the spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me] and I will sing with the mind [using words I understand]. |
Bible Question:
I'm quite confused about the issue of praying with our spirit. 1 Corinthians says, 'if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays.' Some churches take the view that praying with one's spirit necessarily means praying in a tongue. Is it biblical? I used to think that praying with our spirit doesn't necessarily mean praying in tongues. Can anyone show some insights regarding this? |
Bible Answer: I think what the churches you are referring to are saying is that scripture simply refers to praying in tongues as praying in the spirit. This is exactly what Paul said and taught, so I don’t see how this could be considered wrong. As you have said 1Co 14:14 says ‘if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays’ How hard is that to understand? Just read what it says and then read it again for the interpretation! Here is a verse by verse commentary by David Guzik that is an honest interpretation of what Paul said without all the twisting and squirming that some commentators must resort to in order to get things to fit in with a pre-conceived theology. (1Co 14:14) My spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful: speaking in tongues is communication with God on a spiritual level, by-passing our understanding. My understanding does not benefit when I speak in tongues (is unfruitful), but my spirit prays. (1Co 14:15) Paul gladly proclaims: I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, I will also sing with the understanding. Paul will use the gift of tongues, both in prayer and in song, and he will use it often. (1Co 14:16) Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say "Amen" at your giving of thanks: if no one understands my blessing of the Lord, if no one understands my thanks to God, they can’t say "Amen" with me. When I am gathered together with other believers, I can’t just do my own thing and say, "Well, it blesses me." I must have a concern for others also. (1Co 14:17) You indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified: Paul is completely consistent in his emphasis on tongues being directed to God. Just in these verses, he points out what we do with the gift of tongues: we pray, we sing, we bless, and we give thanks. All of these we do unto the Lord, not unto man with the gift of tongues. (1Co 14:18) So, Paul saw great value in the gift of tongues for his own devotional life before the Lord: I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all. Yet, when he gathered with other Christians, his concern was to be a blessing, not with getting a blessing. (1Co 14:19) Yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding . . . than ten thousand words in a tongue. Therefore, Paul’s use of tongues was pretty much focused in his devotional life with the Lord. God bless! retxar |