Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
“IMPLEMENTATION OF NORMAL CHURCH LIFE”
1 CORINTHIANS 12-14 – GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT
C. 14:1-33 MANIFESTATION RULES FOR GIFTS OF UTTERANCE
1. 14:1-19 CONTRAST BETWEEN GLOSSALALIA AND PROPHECY
a. 14:1 BOTH FRUIT AND GIFTS OF SPIRIT GO TOGETHER
DiOke-te [1377] ten aGApen; zeLOUte [2206] de ta pneu-ma-tiKA [4152],
Follow after :love; yet desire earnestly the spirituals,
MALlon de HIna pro-pheTEUe-te [4395].
but rather that you prophesy.
b. 14:2 TONGUES ARE FOR COMMUNION WITH GOD
ho gar laLON GLOSse ouk anTHROpois laLEI, alLA TheO;
For who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men, but to God;
ouDEIS gar aKOUei; PNEUma-ti de laLEI musTEri-a [3466].
for no one hears; but in spirit he speaks mysteries.
c. 14:3 THREEFOLD PURPOSE OF PROPHECY
ho de pro-pheTEUon anTHROpois laLEI oi-ko-doMEN [3619],
But who prophesies speaks unto men edification,
kai paRAkle-sin [3874], kai pa-ra-muTHIan [3889].
and exhortation, and consolation.
d. 14:4 TONGUES FOR SELF EDIFICATION: PROPHECY FOR BODY EDIFICATION
ho laLON GLOSse he-auTON oi-ko-doMEI;
Who speaks in a tongue builds up himself;
ho de pro-pheTEUon ek-kleSIan [1577] oi-ko-doMEI.
but who prophesies builds up the church.
e. 14:5 PROPHECY AND INTERPRETATION: BEST FOR THE CHURCH
THElo de PANtas huMAS laLEIN GLOSsais,
Now I would you all to speak in tongues,
MALlon de HIna pro-pheTEUe-te:
but rather that you prophesy:
MEIzon de ho pro-pheTEUon e ho laLON GLOSsais,
and greater he that prophesies than who speaks in tongues,
ekTOS ei me di-er-meNEUe [1329], HIna he ek-kleSIa oi-ko-doMEN [3619] LAbe.
except he interpret, that the church receive edification.
f. 14:6 THE TRUE MEANS FOR EDIFICATION OF THE CHURCH
nun de, a-delPHOI, eAN ELtho pros huMAS GLOSsais laLON,
But now, brothers, if I come unto you speaking in tongues,
ti huMAS o-pheLEso [5623],
what shall I profit you,
eAN me huMIN laLEso e en a-po-kaLUpsei [602], e en GNOsei [1108],
unless I speak to you either by revelation, or of knowledge,
e en pro-pheTEIa [4394], e en di-daCHE [1322]?
or of prophecy, or of teaching?
g/ 14:7 ALL SOUNDS MUST HAVE SIGNIFICANCE
HOmos ta Apsu-cha [895], phoNEN [5456] diDONta,
Even the things without life, giving a voice,
EIte auLOS [836] EIte kiTHAra [2788],
whether pipe or harp,
eAN di-as-toLEN [1293] tois PHTHOGgois [5353] me do,
if they give no distinction in the sounds,
pos gnosTHEse-tai to auLOUme-non e to ki-tha-riZOme-non?
how shall it be known what is piped or harped?
h. 14:8 MEN MARCH BY CLEAR BUGLE CALLS
kai gar eAN Ade-lon [82] phoNEN SALpigx [4536] do,
For if also the trumpet give an uncertain voice,
tis pa-ra-skeuAse-tai [3903] eis POle-mon [4171]?
who shall prepare himself for war?
i. 14:9 SPEECH IS EMPTY IF NOT UNDERSTOOD
HOUtos kai huMEIS, diA tes GLOSses eAN me EUsemon [2154] LOgon DOte,
So also you, unless you utter by the tongue distinct speech,
pos gnosTHEse-tai [1097] to laLOUme-non [2980]?
how shall it be known what is spoken?
Eses-the gar eis aEra [109] laLOUNtes.
for you will be speaking into the air.
j. 14:10 THE WORLD HAS MANY VOICES
toSAUta, ei TUchoi, GEne phoNON ei-sin en KOSmo [2889],
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world,
kai ouDEN Apho-non [880].
and nothing is voiceless.
k. 14:11 UNINTELLIGIBLE VOICES ARE AS FOREIGN LANGUAGES
eAN oun me eiDO ten DUna-min tes phoNES,
If then I know not the force of the voice,
Eso-mai to laLOUNti BARba-ros [915],
I shall be to him that speaks a barbarian,
kai ho laLON en eMOI BARba-ros.
and who speaks will be a barbarian in my mind.
l. 14:12 COVET GIFTS FOR CHURCH EDIFICATION
HOUtos kai huMEIS, ePEI ze-loTAI [2207] es-te pneuMAton [4151],
So you also, since you are zealots for spirits,
pros ten oi-ko-doMEN [3619] tes ek-kleSIas zeTEIte HIna pe-risSEUe-te [4052].
Seek that you may abound unto the edification of the church.
m. 14:13 ADD INTERPRETATION TO SPEAKING IN A TONGUE
Di’ HO ho laLON GLOSse
Wherefore let him that speaks in a tongue
pro-seuCHEStho [4336] HIna di-er-meNEUe [1329].
pray that he interpret.
n. 14:14 NATURE OF A TONGUE: HUMAN SPIRIT ONLY EDIFIED
eAN gar proSEUcho-mai GLOSse, to PNEU-MA mou proSEUche-tai,
For if I pray in a tongue, my :spirit prays,
ho de nous [3563] mou AkarPOS [175] es-tin.
but my :understanding is unfruitful.
o. 14:15a ti oun es-tin? What is it then?
p. 14:15b BOTH SPEAK AND SING WITH SPIRIT AND UNDERSTANDING
proSEUxo-mai to PNEUma-ti,
I will pray with the spirit,
proSEUxo-mai de kai to noI:
and I will pray with the understanding also:
psaLO [5567] to PNEUma-ti,
I will sing with the spirit,
psaLO de kai to noI.
and I will sing with the understanding also.
q. 14:16 UNDERSTANDING PRECEDES APPROVAL
ePEI eAN eu-loGES [2127] en PNEUma-ti,
Else if you bless in spirit,
ho a-na-pleRON [378] ton TOpon [5117] tou i-diOtou [2399]
how shall who fills the place of the unlearned
pos eREI to A-MEN ePI te se eu-cha-risTIa [2169],
say the Amen at your :giving of thanks,
e-peiDE ti LEgeis OUK oiDEN?
seeing he knows not what you say?
r.14:17 GOOD THANKS IN A TONGUE: DOES NOT EDIFY ANOTHER
su men gar kaLOS eu-cha-risTEIS,
For you verily give thanks well,
all’ ho HEte-ros ouk oi-ko-doMEItai [3618].
but the other is not built up.
s. 14:18-19 PAUL’S EXAMPLE: PROPHECY IN CHURCH – TONGUES IN PRIVATE
eu-cha-risTO [2168] to TheO, PANton huMON MALlon GLOSse laLO:
I thank :God, I speak with a tongue more than you all:
alLA en ek-kleSIa THElo PENte LOgous
19 but in church I would rather speak five words
to noI mou laLEsai HIna kai ALlous ka-teCHEso [2727],
with my :understanding that I might instruct others also,
e muRIous [3463] LOgous en GLOSse.
than ten thousand words in a tongue.
NOTE: Here for some is one of the difficult passages of the New Testament; while for others – there is thanksgiving for Paul’s clear exposition by the Spirit.
I read a book as a young believer entitled, “Let God say what He wants to say, and let the Bible mean what it wants to mean!” I seek to follow this maxim since 1946.
For me, the enlightenment from the Greek language in the Aorist Tense, the matter was settled once and for all. Many dispensationalists believe that the gifts of the Spirit and the office of apostle and prophet ceased when the first apostles of Jesus passed away. But – the BIBLE does not say so! As a matter of fact, because of the Aorist tense, it says exactly the opposite! It spells out that as long as the church remains on earth, all the gifts of the Spirit, plus the offices of apostle and prophet should continue to operate.
The Aorist tense describes an event taking place usually in the past – but just as possible in the present or future – that is complete in itself, rounded off, but with continuing consequences. See Ephesians 4:11 and 1 Corinthians 12:28. In the latter God “SET’ (Aorist) in the church apostles, prophets… healing, tongues etc. In Ephesians, JESUS GAVE (Aorist) apostles and prophets etc. to function as long as the church is on earth.
Study the history of revival. Whenever God in mercy and compassion returned to the church as He did 7 times in the Book of Judges on behalf of backslidden and sinning Israel – THEN all ministries, gifts and the supernatural returned also. In the Wesleyan Methodist revival of the 18th century starting about 1738, one half of all John Wesley’s preachers used tongues as a devotional help. In his words he said, “I neither encouraged this nor discouraged it. But I noted that those who exercised this gift devotionally, were among my most zealous soul winners.
In the beginning of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, many of the leaders and people used the gift of tongues devotionally. It is true that eventually this was discouraged, but at the beginning or initiation of practically every church revival, we find records of all the gifts of the Spirit reappearing, with the 5-fold offices of Ephesians 4:11 also.
It is God’s stated purpose that the manifestation of these should continue from Christ’s First Coming to His Second. If these fail to manifest themselves – it is NOT God’s fault. But like Israel of old – slipping back into worldliness, idolatry, carelessness etc. – will cause God not only to temporarily lift His hand off His people – but to bring them back to their senses – He allows judgments of disaster and bondage to take place. It worked for Israel. It still works today. God’s judgments are ALWAYS in love and mercy.
He also judges nations in a similar manner. Books have recently been written pointing out the amazing correlation between the United States pressuring Israel to give up God’s land for peace – and judgments such as recently happened in New Orleans area and the wicked sinfulness of Mardi Gras.
In the 1906 Earthquake in San Francisco, the news media widely reported, “Whatever other cause might explain this earthquake tragedy, we can clearly say it had NOTHING to do with the judgment of God. Then Frank Bartleman, who corresponded and prayed with Evan Roberts of the Welsh Revival from 1904-1906 – wrote a tract setting out that without exception – EVERY earthquake recorded in the Bible came as the JUDGMENT OF GOD.
When this tract came out in San Francisco at that time, Bartleman had to literally run for his life because of angry mobs!
And finally it is instructive to note that in 1 Corinthians 14:18, Paul testifies that he spoke in devotional tongues more than anyone else in the Corinthian church.” In another place he said,-- “FOLLOW ME – as I follow Christ.”