1 Corinthians 14:1-25

1 Corinthians 14:1-25 … This whole chapter will speak to spiritual gifts which are abilities and talents given by God (everything you have is a gift of God!) for the good of His body, the church. But more particularly, the text will concentrate on one particular gift, the gift of tongues, which seems to capture some attention today in Christian churches. Scripture speaks two ways of tongues: it is definitely various languages in Acts 2:3-13. But here, the reference to tongues is to a spiritual utterance that just comes forth in an unintelligible stream from a worshipper in the congregation. Paul’s point is that it is a spiritual gift, but that it doesn’t necessarily edify the body of Christ, and therefore ought to be done with restraint, in deference to the gift of prophecy (v.4), which also comes in two forms. When we say “prophecy” or “prophet,” normally, we think of a person who foretells some future event. That’s so in the Scripture, but it’s not the primary gift of prophecy, which is forthtelling or preaching the Word of God.