Now, let’s see if we can wrap this up and move on to other things. We’re ready for 1 Corinthians 14:21-22. “As it is written in the Law, By men of other languages and by the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to Me, says the Lord. So, languages are a (supernatural) sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.”
I’ll not go into all the historical context of this except to say verse 21 is a quote of Isaiah 28:11. Then some 700 years later on the day of Pentecost when the streets of Jerusalem were filled with unbelieving Jews from all the nations around, they heard the disciples praising God in all these strange Gentile languages they had never learned. And note the last part of the verse, “and even then they will not listen to Me”. Three thousand of them turned to Christ that day, and several thousands in the days after; but most remained in unbelief, as evidenced by the persecution that followed, as discussed in previous lessons.
But, let’s not get distracted from the main point Paul is making here. The spiritual gift of speaking in a foreign language is not for believers but for unbelievers. And in an assembly of believers, this gift has no purpose. Carry the thought a little farther. Would the Holy Spirit inspire this gift in situations where there would be no purpose for it? Of course, the answer is no! So, what is the easy conclusion concerning what was going on in Corinth? They were not displaying the spiritual gift of speaking foreign languages by the Holy Spirit to unbelievers; it was, instead, a repetitious, unintelligible, syllabic utterance that meant nothing to the believers present.
“If, therefore, the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in languages and some who do not understand (the language) or some unbelievers come in, won’t they think you’re out of your mind? But if all prophesy and an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in, he will be convicted of his sin by all, he will be called to account by all, 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.” (Verses 23-25)
Wait a minute, what happened here! Did Paul just contradict what he had said in the previous verse (22), that speaking in foreign languages was for unbelievers? No! Look at the scene he just described: the whole church (believers) has come together and everyone is speaking other languages. What legitimate language could they be speaking, since no foreigner or unbeliever is present – yet? Again, is the Holy Spirit going to enable them to praise God in foreign languages, when there are no foreigners present? Then, while this is going on, an outsider or unbeliever comes in on it. What’s he going to think? He’ll probably think, these people are nuts, I’m out of here!
But, on the other hand, if an outsider or unbeliever comes into a meeting in progress and everyone is taking turns speaking God’s truth, a truth inspired by the Holy Spirit that exposes their sin and holds them accountable, they’ll soon be on their face, repenting and acknowledging that God is there. Again, all Paul is trying to do is redirect them away from the false gift to the one that will always benefit believers and unbelievers alike.
Then Paul begins to give some rules and restrictions designed to stop the abuses, bring order to the meetings and further direct them towards activities that will strengthen the church. “What, then, should you do, brothers? When you come together, one should have a hymn, or a word of instruction, or a revelation, or a foreign language with an interpretation. But, make sure everything is done for the good of all present.” (Verse 26) Clear enough. Paul is simply advocating some variety. At the same time, he’s not forbidding the legitimate, Holy Spirit directed gift of praising God in a foreign language. Paul would never be so foolish that he would forbid something that is entirely the province of the Holy Spirit.
He follows this with a restriction on this particular gift in verses 27-28, limiting it to two or three speakers, requiring interpretation and adding this rule – if there is no one to interpret, keep silent and speak to yourself and God. Then he sets the same restriction on prophecy (remember, this is not predicting the future, it’s interpreting the will and purpose of God for believers), two or three at most, while those present listen attentively (verse 29). Then he adds in verses 30-31 that if (during the course of one speaking) another receives an “inspired revelation”, that he should be given the opportunity to speak, as well, so everyone can contribute and all can benefit.
In verses 32-33 Paul says, “The spirits of the prophets are under the control of the prophets. For God is not a God of confusion or disorder, but of peace and order.” This is simply his way of telling them, if you choose to speak in a meeting, just remember you’re responsible for when you speak, what you speak and how long you speak. So, make sure it’s consistent with what God would want.
And, at this point let me clarify something. As Paul emphasized in 12:11, true spiritual gifts come only at the discretion and timing of the Holy Spirit, and to whom He chooses. Some of them tend to be spontaneous (given at a specific or appropriate time during a meeting), some not (being revealed earlier to someone who will then be able to add something helpful at a later time). But not everything spoken during a meeting is the result of a true spiritual gift.
It may be the result of someone’s previous experience with God or something they may have learned in the past, and it can still be important and helpful. The only caution is that when a group of believers gather, there may be those who are determined to grab the spotlight and shine it on themselves, instead of God and His word. This is when those more mature and discerning must step forward and bring order to such behavior.
This brings us to verses 34-35 and I’ll quote them, and then put them in context (there is an unfortunate verse division here, where the last part of verse 33 actually belongs at the beginning of verse 34, so that’s where I put it). “As in all the churches of the saints, let the wives be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to ask about something, they should ask their husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a women to talk in church.”
First of all, verse 34 must be taken in the context of verse 33 stating God is not the source of confusion or disorder. We cannot take Paul’s indirect imperative in verse 34 about wives being silent in the churches as absolute. It’s to be applied to all women in all the churches who are a source of confusion and disorder. And to those wives Paul is saying they should be submissive to their own husbands and learn proper manners and behavior at home, because it’s a disgrace for them to speak out of turn or in a disruptive manner in a meeting.
The issue here is not men versus women, but confusion versus order. Paul is simply wanting the men to control what seems here to be the major source of trouble in the Corinthian church – women dominating the meeting with incoherent utterances purported to be foreign languages causing some to despair (remember the “malice” in verse 20) and making it difficult to do anything that would truly benefit those present. And just to be clear, women were permitted to speak in churches in the proper way and it is obvious women were involved in the churches and active in Paul’s ministry.
Paul then ends this chapter with, “Did the word of God come from you (Corinthians)? Or are you the only ones it has reached? If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I have written to you is a command from the Lord. But if anyone is determined to remain misinformed, let him be misinformed still. Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, but do not forbid speaking in foreign languages. And make sure everything is done in an orderly way.”
The language is clear. Paul has just admonished and instructed this church regarding the true spiritual gift of speaking in a foreign language and the false, unintelligible, syllabic utterance that would mean nothing to both believer and unbeliever alike. And he recognized the fact that some would be mature enough to heed his admonishment and some would be determined in their immaturity to continue the error – just as others to this day have refused to accept clear truth and put away this doctrine of demons born over 4,000 years ago in the idolatrous temples of Babylon.