1Corinthians 14:20-40, “Tongues: Let’s Be Done With It!”

Bible Text: 1 Corinthians 14:20-40 | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: 1 Corinthians

*Note… Video is slightly out of focus (actually, it’s focused on the pulpit by mistake). This will not be an ongoing problem.

Read verses 20-22… Clearly, prophecy is given to teach and instruct believers, prophecy is not a sign, but is a gift that edifies the Church! Tongues on the other hand was a sign to the unbelieving Jews, it was a judgement upon Israel.

About 1500 B.C. God warned Israel (Deuteronomy 28:49), “The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand.”

Around 700 B.C., through Isaiah (28:11-12), God warned that “with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people [Israel], …but they [will] not listen.”

About 100 years later (600 B.C.) God again warned Israel (Jeremiah 5:15), “‘O house of Israel,’ declares the LORD, ‘I am bringing a distant nation against you– an ancient and enduring nation, a people whose language you do not know, whose speech you do not understand.’”

So, judgement was declared on Israel through the tongues (or languages) of foreigners (Gentile languages); at Pentecost, there were Jews from many countries present; in fact, 15 different dialects are mentioned in Acts 2:7-11.

God’s judgement on this people was proclaimed by Peter (Acts 2:22-23), holding them responsible for the murder of God’s Son, in 70 A.D. God used Rome to bring a disastrous judgment upon Israel: Jerusalem was destroyed, 1,100,000 Jews were slaughtered, the Temple was desecrated and robbed of all its gold and silver.

Israel had been the one and only nation set apart by God for His own glory and honor. But tongues announced to the Jews that God would no longer favor one nation, people, or language above another.

Tongues proclaimed judgment on unbelieving Israel, it was a sign that God would now welcome, bless, and have relationship with individuals from every nation, people, and language who (Acts 10:35), “fear Him and do what is right.”

Read verses 23-25… Again, more sarcasm from Paul. Yes, tongues was a gift through which a real language unknown to the speaker was spoken by him and there must be at least one present who understands the language and can interpret it.

Tongues-speaking was a means by which the message of God could quickly spread from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, and to the ends of the earth – from the Hebrews to the Gentiles the message of God was spread.

However, Paul says, concerning the speaking of tongues during times of worship, it is unprofitable, for anyone coming in would think the people are out of their minds; where as, prophecy given in intelligible language, would bring conviction, by God’s Spirit, so a person would repent, believe, and worship God (John 14:6; 16:8-9).

Read verses 26-28… Worship is to be honoring to the Lord and edifying [lit. housebuilding] to His people, i.e., to encourage, equip, exhort, nurture, and mature the body of Christ. But the Corinthians’ worship assembly was carnal and self-centered, everyone chiding in with a Scripture, a teaching, a new revelation, or a message in a tongue— it was total chaos.

And yet, Paul’s instruction was very clear concerning tongues: one person at a time, a total of three speakers max, each tongue to be interpreted by one gifted person within the

church; in fact, if there is no interpreter there was to not be any tongues-speaking; and if someone was compelled to speak in a tongue without an interpreter, he was to remain silent and just talk to God in prayer.

Read verses 29-33a… Paul says, at most there are to be three prophets, speaking one by one, and there is to be accountability in that the message given by a prophet is to be authenticated by the other prophets, for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.

Read verses 33b-35… Without getting to sidetracked, let’s look first at what God is not saying here. He isn’t saying women can’t talk in church, the word “speak” has to do with teaching, leadership, exhibiting authority in the church, i.e., (v. 26), “when you come together,” or when you assemble, this is talking about the structure of church leadership.

Last August we studied chapter 11 in 1Corinthians, on the subject of “headship,” and if you missed that you may want to check those lessons on our website.

God is clear concerning headship in the home.
Ephesians 5:22-23, “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is

the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church.” God is clear concerning headship in the Church.

1Timothy 2:11-14, “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.”

God is clear concerning headship in society:
1Corinthians 11:3, “Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and

the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.”

Paul says, it is shameful, improper, for a woman to “speak” in church, i.e., to lead or to teach, neither are they to ask questions in a disruptive way, but instead they should ask their husbands at home. This implies that men should be well versed in the Word of God – in a perfect world maybe – but because many men do not have a good understanding of the Scriptures , neither do they lead responsibly, in their homes; this can lead women to rebel, even to attempting to take a man’s role as head.

God is not saying that women aren’t gifted to be good teachers or leaders, but in the church they are not to exercise authority over men.

Read verses 36-38… Many Corinthian believers, both male and female did not agree with Paul on this topic; note Paul’s sarcasm (v. 36).

Paul is very confident of his authority as an apostle of God (v. 37), “what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command.” Paul’s teachings are not up for debate, they are God’s Word and no believer has the authority to ignore, alter, overrule, disregard, or disobey God’s sovereign and authoritative Word.

Paul makes it clear concerning the role of women, in reference to tongues, prophecy, teaching, and leadership, in the church (v. 38), to the point that anyone in the church who rejects or fails to recognize God’s authority in Paul’s teaching, is to be disregarded, i.e., ay one who rejects Paul’s teaching rejects God’s teaching, and so, they cannot serve in the church, for they have disqualified themselves as teachers and leaders and are therefore to be considered ineligible!

Read verses 39-40… The biblical and legitimate use of the gift of tongues was to be allowed in the churches, at least, until such a time as tongues would cease, which probably happened, in my opinion, sometime after 70 A.D. and before 96 A.D.

However, the much more important and greater gift of prophecy, which, by the way has not ceased, should be strongly desired and promoted, for it edifies believers by building them up and equipping them to both know God’s Word and to do God’s Will.

Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

2Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Ephesians 4:11-16, “It was He [Jesus Christ] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”