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Timothy: I Corinthians 14:1-12
Prophecy and Tongues – Part 1

Dear God, my Beloved Father, I respectfully offer my praise and gratitude to You. You are the Almighty God and my Father in Heaven. I find joy in my heart, as lately I have been thinking about the day when Christ will come to take the Church out of the world. I eagerly await that day. I pray that You stir the hearts of my brothers and sisters in faith, so that they may also have such anticipation. When we have this longing, we know to prepare ourselves and be ready to go with Christ. I hope that no one will be left behind. Now, I pray that Christ may grant me new strength in this new day. I ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten me as I reflect on the Eternal Living Word of God.

Father, I would like to present my reflections on I Corinthians 14:1-12, as follows:

1 Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.

Verse 1: I understand that following love means earnestly manifesting the characteristics of love in life to become someone who truly knows how to love. Above all else, loving God is the most important thing, and next to that is loving everyone. Desiring spiritual gifts means having a passion for earnestly desiring the things that come from God, including the spiritual gifts bestowed by the Holy Spirit. The greatest desire is the desire to prophesy.

2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.

Verses 2 and 3: I understand that the Holy Spirit, through Paul, affirmed that the gift of speaking in tongues without interpretation does not edify the Church when the Church does not understand the spoken words, even if they pertain to the wonders of God. However, the gift of prophecy edifies the Church, as it brings encouragement, consolation, and increased understanding to the people of God.

4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.

Verse 4: I understand that the gift of speaking in tongues was given to edify the speaker, especially the people of God in Paul’s time. At that time, the Church did not have the New Testament Scriptures. The people of God did not have the teachings of the Word of God concerning the Church to know for certain if they belonged to the Lord or not. Therefore, the Holy Spirit granted the gift of speaking in diverse languages to the people of God so that they could have a confirmation that they belonged to the Church, as they received the gift of speaking in tongues, like the disciples in Jerusalem on the day of the establishment of the Church. That is also the reason why the gift of speaking in tongues only edifies the speaker. But the gift of prophecy edifies the Church because the Church understands what is being spoken.

5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.

6 Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?

Verses 5 and 6: I understand that perhaps the people of God in Corinth at that time placed too much emphasis on the gift of speaking in tongues. So the Holy Spirit used Paul to teach them that the gift of prophecy was more important than the gift of speaking in tongues. Paul presented a typical case: if he came to them and only spoke in tongues, it would not benefit them because they would not understand what he was saying. He truly helped them by bringing them to the saving Gospel and giving them an understanding of God when he preached in their own language.

7 And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?

8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?

Verses 7 and 8: I understand that Paul wanted the people of God to know that even inanimate objects, like a flute, harp, or trumpet, need to produce sound according to established rules in order to be beneficial to humanity. The people of God, who have new life in Christ, need to speak in a way that their words bring benefit to others.

9 So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.

10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.

11 Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.

Verses 9 to 11: Human languages are diverse and different. Every nation takes pride in its own language. Therefore, they consider the languages of other ethnic groups uncivilized if they do not understand them. Consequently, speaking in languages that the listeners do not understand is not beneficial.

12 Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.

Verse 12: I understand that Paul advised the people of God in Corinth that if they had a fervent desire for spiritual gifts, as they valued the gift of speaking in tongues, they should seek out the other spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit had bestowed upon them. They should explore what other gifts they have been given besides the gift of speaking in tongues. Then, they should strive to pursue the purpose of these gifts in the endeavor of building up the Church, in order to achieve abundant results in benefiting the Church.

Dear Father, I am grateful for today’s lesson. I ask that You help each of Your people recognize the spiritual gifts that have been given to them and make use of them to build up the Church in these last days. I thank You, Amen!

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Timothy Christian Huynh
05/26/2023