1 Corinthians 14:13-25
Build Up the Church
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13Therefore, the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret.
14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.
15What then shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
16Otherwise, if you speak a blessing in spirit, how can someone who is uninstructed say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?
17You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other one is not edified.
18I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.
19But in the church, I would rather speak five coherent words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
20Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.
21It is written in the Law: “By strange tongues and foreign lips I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to Me, says the Lord.”
22Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.
23So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who are uninstructed or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds?
24But if an unbeliever or uninstructed person comes in while everyone is prophesying, he will be convicted and called to account by all,
25and the secrets of his heart will be made known. So he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is truly among you!”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Paul tells the person who speaks in a tongue to pray for interpretation. He will pray and sing with both spirit and mind, and he wants thanksgiving to be understandable so another person can say “Amen.” A genuine private experience does not automatically serve a gathered church.
Paul thanks God that he speaks in tongues more than the Corinthians, yet in church he prefers five understandable words to instruct others over ten thousand words in a tongue. The point is not to despise spiritual expression. It is to make shared meaning more important than display.
He tells the Corinthians to be infants in evil but mature in understanding. Isaiah 28 describes people who refuse God's message and then hear foreign speech in a setting of judgment. Paul uses that passage when calling tongues a sign for unbelievers. A sign need not bring comfort: speech they cannot understand can leave people outside the message, still not listening to God. Prophecy serves believers by making truth understandable, and Paul then shows that it can also convict an unbelieving visitor.
If everyone speaks in tongues, outsiders may conclude that the church is out of its mind. If everyone prophesies, an outsider may be convicted by what is heard, have the secrets of the heart exposed, and worship God. Paul is showing why intelligible speech can help a person recognize God's presence.
How We Know
Isaiah 28 joins foreign speech with a warning to people who would not listen to God's offer of rest. Paul cites that text before describing visitors who hear uninterpreted tongues and conclude the church is mad. The setting helps explain why calling tongues a sign does not mean every use of them benefits an unbelieving hearer.
Questions
1 What should a person speaking in a tongue pray for?
AnswerThe person should pray for interpretation so the gathered church can understand and share in the spiritual expression.
2 How did Paul use his mind in worship?
AnswerHe prayed and sang with both his spirit and his mind so that others could understand and join him.
3 What did Paul prefer to ten thousand unintelligible words?
AnswerHe preferred five understandable words that instructed others and strengthened the gathered church over thousands no one could interpret.
4 What can intelligible prophecy do for an outsider?
AnswerIt can expose the person's heart, help them recognize God's presence, and lead them toward worship.
What This Means for Us
Make room for understanding in public faith. Explain unfamiliar practices, translate when needed, and remember that a visitor should be able to hear what Christians are saying.
Use both spirit and mind. Careful thought is not the enemy of sincere worship, and strong emotion is not proof that understanding has been absent.
Prayer
God who makes Yourself known, give our worship both depth and clarity. Help us speak in ways people can understand, and use Your truth to awaken honest worship rather than confusion. Amen.
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