When 5 Words are Better than 10,000

When 5 Words are Better than 10,000

“When 5 Words are Better than 10,000”
(1 Corinthians 14:6-19)
Series: Chaos & Correction (1 Corinthians)

Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD

Henderson’s First Baptist Church, Henderson

•Take your Bibles and open to 1 Corinthians chapter 14 (page 774; YouVersion).

We are preaching our way through the book of 1 Corinthians and we are now in chapter 14, studying a passage about the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. We have learned that God has endowed Christians with any number of spiritual gifts: preaching, teaching, administration, encouraging, prophesying, serving, healings, and other gifts, some not mentioned in Scripture like singing and building things, and so on.

Many in the Corinthian church had this gift called speaking in tongues and the problem, we have noted, was not the gift itself, but the way the in which the gift was being used, or better, abused.

We glean from chapters 12-14 that the Corinthian congregation was getting carried away with this gift of tongue speaking. There was disorder in how the gift was being used and so Paul brings correction to the chaos in the church by writing about the nature of speaking in tongues as well as providing instructions for how the gift was to be used.

We introduced the gift of speaking in tongues along with gift of prophecy last week as we studied the opening verses of chapter 14. And so we wrote down these definitions of prophecy and speaking in tongues. By way of review:

Prophecy, “Proclaiming what one believes God has brought to mind suddenly or spontaneously.”

Prophesying involves the telling of human words which may contain God’s truth and therefore must be judged or weighed for truth (verse 29). We’ll be treating this gift more pointedly in the weeks to come as Paul fleshes-out some of the details of prophecy later in the chapter.

For now, Paul wants us to understand that prophecy—more so than tongues—prophecy is more likely to edify the church than speaking in tongues. The person using the gift of prophecy is speaking in a language shared by all the worshipers and so the gift of prophecy is more likely to result in the edification or the building up of the church body.

We noted last week that this matter of edifying or edification is found throughout this passage and throughout this chapter. The word occurs in one form or other some seven times:

3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.

4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself,

Last part of verse 5, …that the church may receive edification.

Middle of verse 12, …since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church

17 For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified.

Last part of verse 26, …Let all things be done for edification.

We also saw that when tongues are interpreted that they—like prophecy—provide an element of exhortation, an instructional message that serves to strengthen the congregation, or to edify, or to build up others. And we defined speaking in tongues this way:

Speaking in Tongues, “Prayer or praise spoken in words generally not understood by the speaker.”

When I say, “words generally not understood” I mean, words not immediately understood, if ever at all. The speaker may understand later what he or she has said. This must be true if Paul encourages that the one speaking in a tongue should also “pray that he may interpret (verse 13).”

The problem is that the Corinthians had been allowing for speaking in tongues during worship services without interpretation. And apparently some were acting as if they had no control over their speaking, speaking over one another, and so forth. It was chaos.

So what Paul does in the verses in today’s passage is to illustrate that speaking in tongues without interpretation does not edify, does not build up, does not strengthen the church. Edification comes through understanding.

•Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word as we read just the first few verses.

6 But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching?
7 Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played?
8 For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?
9 So likewise you, unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air.
10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance.
11 Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me.
12 Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.

•Pray.

Introduction:

There’s a short and humorous prayer about speaking just a few words instead of just going on and on. The prayer goes, “Lord, fill my mouth with worthwhile stuff and nudge me when I’ve said enough.” I thought of that short prayer when I read Paul’s concluding statement in this passage down in verse 19.

In verse 19 he writes, “in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”

Five words! That’s not much: “Good morning, how are you?” Or, “It’s good to see you.” Or, “Have a great day today.”

And Paul’s point is that those five words would be easily understood and more likely to bless another, to edify another, than speaking a myriad of indiscernible words, 10,000 unintelligible words.

Speaking in tongues in public worship with no interpretation is pointless and profitless if no one understands what is being spoken.

Tongues and their Intelligibility (6)

6 But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching?

Paul says, “Were I to come to your church speaking in tongues—and assuming that what I was saying was not interpreted so that no one knew the meaning of the words I was speaking—what good would that be?!”

There would be no intelligibility in that. No one would understand what I was saying. He asks, “What shall I profit you?” What profit is there in unintelligible words?

“What shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by,”—four things here—“revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching.” These four words refer to things that are intelligible, things that ordinary hearers would understand; a revelation from God, as in a Bible verse, a truth revealed by God; knowledge, something a person can know about God; prophecy, the proclamation of God’s truth; teaching, an exposition of a passage of the Bible. These are all things that are readily understood by others. They are truths that bless and edify, or build up, a congregation.

So Paul’s speaking in tongues would be pointless and profitless. Why? Because he would be speaking in unintelligible words. When people gather together in public worship, they should understand what is spoken. Communication should occur through intelligible words, intelligible speech. Public worship demands that a congregation understand the language.

Think for a moment of how this principle of intelligibility applies to us. We may enjoy the choir’s singing an anthem, but without our thinking about the words they are singing, what profit is there? We may enjoy the beat or the harmony, but there is no understanding. This is why we put the words on the wall so that we can read the words and understand what is being spoken so as to worship.

What good is it to listen to a preacher preaching if we do not make a concerted effort to engage, to listen to the words being spoken, to use our minds so as to understand the words with a view to worshiping God? Intelligibility is of utmost importance. Secondly:

Tongues and their Illustration (7-12)

In verses 7 through 12, Paul provides some illustrations that strengthen his point, the point being that speaking in tongues is fruitless if no one understands what is being spoken. So Paul gives these illustrations. The first is from the world of music. He writes in verse 7:

7 Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played?

This would be like my trying to play this organ over here. I don’t know how to play the organ. It’s got all these buttons and pedals and stops. And I don’t know which key is which note and if I got on that organ and started pushing the keys and stepping on the pedals and everything, you all would cover your ears and cry. It wouldn’t be music; it would be noise.

This is Paul’s point about speaking in tongues that no one understands. It would be noise. No one would be able to discern any truth from what was being spoken. It would just be a cacophony of strange sounds, indiscernible utterances. Another illustration:

8 For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?

A trumpet or bugle call is used to rally the troops. For example, when “Reveille” is played, troops know it’s time to get up, time to awake. Paul asks in verse 8, “but if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?”

When I was in Boy Scouts I had been assigned the job of bugler. I was supposed to awaken and 6 AM and blow the trumpet, play Reveille. My buddy Chris and I were always in the same tent and so I would awaken and I’d get that cold trumpet and I was supposed to play it at six o’clock. And sometimes my buddy and I got to laughing and carrying on so that when I tried to play, I was also laughing and, as those of you who play a brass instrument or even a woodwind know, you can’t laugh and play at the same time. The laughing doesn’t help the sounds being piped through the instrument. So I was supposed to be playing “Reveille” but it didn’t always sound like it.

This is Paul’s point here. What profit is there if the bugler is playing a melody that is supposed to rally the troops for battle, but the troops are lying in their tents with their heads cocked to one side asking, “What the devil is he playing?! I don’t know that bugle call! Are we supposed to get up or go back to sleep?!” It’s an uncertain sound. Verse 9:

9 So likewise you, unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air.

Speaking in tongues without understanding is pointless to a congregation that doesn’t know what is being spoken. Verse 10 and following:

10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance.
11 Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me.

Anyone who has ever been on an overseas mission trip knows what this is like. Here you are wanting to speak to this person yet you speak a different language than this person and this person speaks a different language than you. Paul says in verse 11, “If I do not know that meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me.” 

We’ll just be babbling nonsense to one another. We won’t be communicating. We’ll be like, “I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” and we’ll be running around trying to find the translators who will interpret what’s being said. Without interpretation, we may as well be speaking into the air. It’s just not edifying. So Paul says in verse 12:

12 Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.

The Corinthians were eager to have spiritual gifts. Paul says, “May your eagerness to have spiritual gifts be with a view to edification, to building up the congregation. Since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for strengthening others.”

Tongues and their Intelligibility, tongues and their illustration. Thirdly:

Tongues and their Interpretation (13-19)

Paul’s point from verse 13 to the end of our passage is that a Christian should not speak in tongues in the gathered assembly unless someone interprets what is being spoken. Verse 13:

13 Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.

So we note here that it is possible for the one speaking to also receive the gift of interpretation. That may sound rather unusual to us, but this is what the text teaches. A person may speak in words he or she does not understand and then may receive the understanding. Though it seems that ordinarily what would happen would be that one person spoke in a tongue and someone else interpreted what was being said.

We will study in greater detail the order of tongue speaking and interpretation in the coming weeks as Paul provides specific instructions in verses 26 and following. For now, we are seeing that Paul’s main point is that Christians should not speak in tongues during a worship service if there is no one present to interpret what is said. Verse 14:

14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.

Remember that speaking in tongues is generally about speech directed to God, prayer or praise directed to God. So Paul says in verse 14, “If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays (my inner spirit as opposed to my mind; my spirit prays), but my understanding is unfruitful.”

Put another way, “When I pray to God in a tongue and I don’t understand what I’m saying, it is not so much my mind at work, but my heart at work.” I am worshiping God and feeling His presence and power. It’s a bit like when we sing, we speak intelligent words, our mind is at work, but we also sing with the heart. There is the involvement of the inner spirit.

So Paul says in verse 14, “my understanding is unfruitful.” There is no intelligibility to what I am saying. The words are indiscernible with respect to meaning. So verse 15:

Now, we may wonder why God would grant such a gift. Why grant a gift that when one uses it, he doesn’t understand what he is saying? One reason may be to keep us humble and to keep us from becoming intellectual snobs, pridefully believing we can know as much as God Himself. So maybe God grants the gift to keep us on our knees, remembering that we are forever dependent upon Him for understanding.

In any case, Paul says in verse 14, “If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.”

15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.

Paul says there are times when he will “pray with the spirit” and this would refer to his speaking in tongues privately, such as in his prayer closet, praying to and praising God, praying with his inner spirit, praying from the heart and speaking in tongues, not knowing the meaning of the words being spoken. And, he says, there are also times he will “pray with the understanding.” That is, there are times when he will pray using specific intelligible words, the common way of praying in both private and public, praying in words everyone understands.

He adds in the last part of verse 15, “I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.” Most of us readily understand this. We can sing both from the heart and from the mind. Verse 16:

16 Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say?

Paul suggests, “Suppose you are in public worship speaking in tongues, praising God in a tongue or language that no one understands. You may indeed be blessing with your spirit, but the guy who doesn’t know what is going on, “the uninformed,”—the one sitting next to you, for example—he doesn’t have a clue what you are saying. So you may be praising God in your spirit and in your spirit saying, ‘Amen,’ but how will the guy next to you say, ‘Amen?’ He doesn’t know what you are saying!” So verse 17:

17 For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified.

So Paul is saying, “You may be worshiping, genuinely worshiping the Lord in your spirit, but the guy next to you is in no way edified or strengthened.” So the point is, “Don’t do that! Don’t speak in tongues in public, in the worship service, where there is no interpreter present. Then Paul makes this concluding statement in verses 18:

18 I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all;

Did you know that Paul spoke in tongues? He did. And he did this a lot. He says in verse 18, “I thank my God I speak with tongues (not as much as you, but) more than you all.”

And when did Paul speak in tongues? In his private time, his prayer closet. How do we know that? Verse 19:

19 yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Paul is like, “Look, speaking in tongues does not make a person any more spiritual than anyone else. If you speak in tongues, great. It’s a wonderful gift, but it’s not for everyone, nor is it at all edifying when done in a worship service where no one knows what is being said. So a person is better off speaking five words with understanding that ten thousand words that are not understood.”

Conclusion:

So when are 5 words better than 10,000? When everyone knows what the speaker is saying, when the words are understood.

So here are five words you all will understand:

“Let’s all stand for prayer.”

God, help us to think about why we are here in worship. We are here to glorify You. We thank You for the truth of Your Word and the reminder to be engaged with both our head and our heart.

We thank you for the power of the Gospel, that Jesus Christ has taken care of our sin, our separation from you. By living a perfect, sinless life—for which we may receive credit—and by dying a substitutionary death, dying on the cross in our place, taking the penalty of our sin upon Himself—for which we may receive pardon, we thank you for Jesus Christ.

We thank you that we may be saved from sin, saved from sin’s penalty, saved from hell and the judgment to come. 

We thank you that because of Christ we may also receive salvation from sin’s power, that we who believe are growing and becoming more Christlike with each passing day.

Help us to remain faithful to public worship. Use passages such as this one to remind us of our place in the body of Christ. Remind us that we are to use our gifts and to use them regularly. And thank you for the reminder to worship you in both spirit and truth, to worship you with both head and heart.

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