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NASB | 1 Corinthians 14:22 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. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Corinthians 14:22 Therefore, [unknown] tongues are [meant] for a [supernatural] sign, not to believers but to unbelievers [who might be receptive]; while prophecy [foretelling the future, speaking a new message from God to the people] is not for unbelievers but for believers. |
Bible Question:
Thanks to everyone who has responded to my question! We tend to answer questions out of our general knowledge, rather than deal directly with the text. This particular text says "Tongues, then, are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers." Some of the responses have contradicted this (ie. tongues are for believers, or of no benefit whatsoever...) without explaining how the conclusions were arrived at. Earlier in the chapter, Paul talks about speaking mysteries in the spirit and thereby "building up themselves" (v.4). So it seems there is a place for private tongues, as an act of worship --- but that this sort of tongues should not be used in a group. In a group, we should be striving to "build up the church" (v 12). It appears tongues can function in this way if there is an interpreter (v. 5). Tongues is good, but prophecy is a more reliable way to build up the church. Do you think this is a reasonable sumation of the first half of the chapter? There is then a shift at verse 20, which leads to a statement that seems contradictory to what I just stated. Where the first part says tongues are for the believer's private use or (with an interpreter) among believers, the next verses say tongues are to benefit unbelievers, not believers. Help me out here. It seems contradictory, but I suspect I'm just not getting the whole sense of it. There are, perhaps different uses of tongues. Let's leave the events of Pentecost aside, since that seems an extraordinary blessing, beyond the normal experience of the churches. Instead, please help with this particular chapter. Yours JRM. |
Bible Answer: Hi, JRM! I was about to sign off... Quick summation: Paul found himself in the midst of a power play... some were claiming (as it happens today) to be more able than others... perhaps a few were seeking to out do others and basically a battle of the wills emerged... at one point Paul speaks on the value of tongues... he states that in the Old Testament God tells Israel that He will be the God of those foreing to Him because they have continously rejected Him... and it is those of strange tongues that will listen to God while His own people will reject Him--this is the sign of condemnation: Israel the natural Olive rejects the Living God while the Gentiles, the grafted Olive accepts God (this converges in Christ Jesus--John 1:1-14)... So Paul uses this warning to bring order to the chaos that is transpiring... He further explains that speaking in tongues is an exercise between the speaker and God--no one other than a the person speaking in tongues and the person that is guided by the Holy Spirit to interprete will gain anything from the exercise... He uses several examples to demonstrate the futility of fighting among each other to out perform all others who are speaking in tongues (musical instrument; human language...); he even goes as far as to state that his abilities are greater than theirs and that he himself would rather use a legible language to instruct and convict those who hear him than to demonstrate his abilities at speaking in tongues... Another point that Paul makes is that God is not a God of chaos but of order; hence, he commands that when gathered to worship there should be an order for things... that not more than three (3) people should speak in tongues--and these in and orderly fashion--and only if there is someone who can interprete; he does not forbid speaking in tongues; he simply warns that any revelation must be for the edification of the Church, that it benefits all if we seek to preach/teach the Word, that we are to keep order (not everyone shouting and chanting all over the place), and that if there is no interpreter, those moved by the Holy Spirit should do so quietly as their actions should not interfere with the services taking place.... There's no contradiction in Paul's admonishion; there's simply a code of conduct and a command to workd to edify the Church in all that we do! God Bless! Angel |