"I understood as a child.." 

"I thought as a child.."

"Whether there be knowledge, it shall pass away.." 

"Whether there be prophecies, they shall fail.."

By comparing 1 Corinthians 13.8 with 13.11, we see that Paul makes an obvious parallel between the spiritual Gifts and the growth of a child. Spiritual Gifts are given to believers while we are here on earth, this being comparable to the childhood stage of human development. Once we reach full maturity the childish language (Tongues), childish understanding (Knowledge), and childish thought patterns (Prophecy) are removed from our lives. We grow, and as we grow we gradually leave these things behind. After we reach adulthood we may often look back nostalgically on our childhood: but only the most psychotic person ever seeks to return to that early stage of life. Once we reach the perfect, our glorification in heaven, these "childish things" called spiritual Gifts will be put away forever. This isn't to downplay the spiritual Gifts: it's very important for a child to have a healthy childhood. Children deprived of their childhood are often incomplete adults in life. But the balance that Paul wants the Corinthians (and us) to understand is that the spiritual Gifts, though important, are not as important as what powers those Gifts, agape love. For as Paul says, "Charity (<= Agape love) never faileth". Parents give children toys so that they can learn from them, learning patience, coordination, and other motor and psychological skills that they'll carry with them into their adult lives. All toys teach, even if they just teach the child how to relax and leave fun with himself and others. But the giving of the toy has a goal, and that goal is to develop something in the child that will stay with him. God gives us the spiritual Gifts so that, through exercising these Gifts, we can learn how to live in and express agape love toward others in the Body. The agape love that we develop now will never leave us, for we'll carry it to heaven to use it there. It is because of the importance that God places on agape love that we should never emphasize the Gift apart from the goal. This is what the Corinthians were (wrongly) doing. They wanted the Gifts for the Gift's sake. This is what the Charismatics of today are doing, desiring the spectacular without regard to edifying the Body. The Gifts do help in the development of faith and hope, but, as Paul said:

"...And now abideth faith, hope, and charity (<= Agape love), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (<- Agape love)..."

The question you have to ask yourself is, "Where am I placing the emphasis?". To reject all spiritual Gifts is to reject the teaching aid that God has given us. To want spiritual Gifts selfishly, or to use them because they inflate our egos is to reject the purpose of the Gifts, and to negate their effectiveness in teaching agape love. The balance lies somewhere in the middle. We should seek out and use our own spiritual Gifts to edify the Body, using these Gifts to teach self and others agape love. To go to either extreme damages the believer more than he will know in this lifetime; but he may pay the price of his apathy or selfishness by loss of reward in heaven!

Paul has just spent the last two chapters teaching us that, for any spiritual Gift to be effective, it must be used to the edification of the Body (see again 1 Corinthians 13.1-3). God gave the spiritual Gifts for the expressed purpose of edification (1 Corinthians 12.24-25; 12.7). As Paul taught us these things in the last two chapters, it's impossible for him to now make an about face and start teaching that the Gifts are to be used for individual edification. The main purpose of the Gifts hasn't changed, and Paul's message hasn't changed: the Gifts must be used for the edification complex of the WHOLE Body of Christ.
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The Charismatics often turn, without consideration of context, to chapter fourteen to prove that Tongues are a "personal prayer language" that enables the believer to get closer to God. This is far from the truth; in fact, this is a rejection of all the previous context regarding Tongues and the spiritual Gifts. Paul wasn't saying that in the normal operation of Tongues only God knows what you're saying. Paul was saying, based on the previous contexts we've studied, that IN THE WAY THAT THE CORINTHIANS were using Tongues, only God knew what they were saying. There's a great deal of difference between the first and second interpretations. The Corinthians in Paul's day were misusing the Gift of Tongues (if they were using them at all) much like the Charismatics of today. They were speaking in Tongues when there was no evangelistic necessity to use this Gift. There are two outlets by which Tongues may be interpreted. The First outlet is the "Natural" interpretation of Tongues. The natural interpretation is seen throughout the Book of Acts (particularly Acts 2) where the early believers, through the Gift of Tongues, were able to witness to others who possessed a different language than they did. When the Corinthians were using "Tongues" in their congregation there were no unbelievers present who could understand the languages that they spoke. The second outlet is the "Supernatural" interpretation of Tongues. Under the supernatural interpretation God the Holy Spirit gives another believer in the congregation the Gift of Interpretation of Tongues. Then when a brother speaks in Tongues (which is an earthly language unknown to the speaker) the brother with the Gift of Interpretation speaks afterwards, making the message spoken clear to all present. The Corinthian believers spoke in Tongues with neither Natural nor Supernatural means of interpretation present. Because of this Paul says, in essence, "Only God knows what you're saying". This wasn't praise nor even recognition of a valid use of the Gift. Based on how much emphasis Paul placed on edifying the Body through the Gifts earlier, this is a rebuke. At the very least, it's a recognition of a misuse of Tongues among the Corinthians. So let's not make it into anything else. He who speaks in Tongues without an interpreter present speaks mysteries (MUSTERION - Secret things), and this speaking of secret things edifies only the ego of the speaker, not the congregation.

I've tried to emphasize contexts all throughout this study because a proper understanding of the Biblical context is so important to the study of chapter fourteen. The Charismatics read 1 Corinthians 14 out of context. They disregard the tonal and historical contexts of the Book, and ignore the specific teaching of edification and agape love in chapters 12-13. The prominent approach of the Charismatics to chapter fourteen is, "Paul says that it's all right to do it. He just established rules that were to be followed if we do use our Prayer Languages". This approach is out of keeping with the Biblical context. Paul does establish that Tongues have value, but only if accompanied by the Gift of Interpretation (or by natural interpretation). Tongues without interpretation are only self gratifying, not Body edifying. In such cases Tongues are extremely misused and wrong.

1 Corinthians 14.5 "...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 might receive edifying..."

Again we have a much de-emphasized text on Tongues. The Charismatics look at the first eight words of this text, but ignore the remainder of the context. Paul says that he "would", or THELO, that the Corinthians all spoke in Tongues. THELO means "To wish or desire". Based on our previous contexts it's easy to see that Paul is implying several things here:

1. Based on 1 Corinthians 12.30 we've seen that not all believers in the same local Body can possess the same spiritual Gift. But obviously ALL of the Corinthians were speaking in Tongues, or were actively pursuing this Gift for their own. Paul says "I WISH YOU WERE all speaking in Tongues (but you aren't)". Since all of the Corinthians couldn't possibly be speaking in Tongues, then many of them must have been under some psychological or Satanic counterfeit of that Gift. By emphasizing that he wished that they all were speaking Tongues, Paul implies that he wishes that they all were involved in Tongues, rather than in some Satanic/psychological substitute.
2. Paul also implies that he wishes the Corinthians were all mature enough to where they could exercise SOME spiritual Gift, no matter what it was. Because of carnality (1 Corinthians 3.1-10) and spiritual immaturity the majority of the Corinthians had never reached the point where they COULD use the spiritual Gifts that they possessed. If all of these believers used the Gift of Tongues (which, again, is impossible), at least the Church at Corinth would be edified to some degree. But only a few among them possessed Tongues, whereas the others indulged their egos by using imitation Gifts. By their selfishness, carnality, and false spiritual pride the Church at Corinth was digging itself a hole that was going to take some time to get out of.
3. Paul also implies by his THELO that he has nothing against the Gift of Tongues. The point of this chapter isn't to downgrade any spiritual Gift. All Gifts are equally important to the Body of Christ (as we saw in chapter twelve). But Tongues, as with all spiritual Gifts, are equally divided among the Body for the edification of that Body. The Corinthians are being exhorted to use their own spiritual Gifts, rather than seeking out and imitating one Gift because it looks spectacular or inflates your ego. I'm sure that many Charismatics have accused me of being prejudiced against Tongues, and some have even went so far as to accuse me of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (a pat phrase that the misguided use when they want to scare another believer into their way of thinking). Paul perhaps expected this same type of response from the carnal Corinthians. Because of this he makes it clear that he's not against Tongues, but he is against abuses of Tongues and mass imitation of one spiritual Gift. Such a thing doesn't edify the Body, but it only tears it down.

"Rather" is the Greek MALLON, which means "To a greater degree, more, better". Paul in this text continues to speak hypothetically: that is; he states in effect "It's all right to use the Gift of Tongues, but if you were all to use only one Gift (though you cannot, because the Gifts aren't divided that way), then it would be MUCH BETTER for you all to Prophesy than to speak in Tongues". Whenever we discuss the spiritual Gifts the conclusion is always: What edifies the Body of Christ the most? It certainly doesn't edify the Body for the whole Church to be exercising the Gift of Tongues. Can you imagine it? Everybody in the Church speaking a foreign language, but nobody understanding what the other person (or himself) is saving! It's like the Tower of Babel all over again. This certainly doesn't edify the Body. So Paul says, "If you must all use only one Gift, use a Gift that at least edifies the Body: Prophecy". To have everyone prophesying still doesn't edify the Body (because use of only one Gift is against the concept of the Body - 1 Corinthians 12), but it edifies it more than all members speaking something that only God understands. THE GIFTS ARE NOT GIVEN TO EDIFY GOD! They are GIVEN TO EDIFY THE CHURCH! If only God understands what you're saying, and only God knows what you're doing, then God isn't pleased! The Gifts are given to edify the Church, and if the Church as a Body matures, then the Body edifies God. That is God's desire and plan for the Church and it's Gifts. But the Corinthians were using one Gift, Tongues, to edify themselves rather than the Body. Since the Body wasn't edified, the Body didn't mature, and God wasn't edified. So Paul states that if they feel that they must use only one Gift, then use one that will at least partially edify the Church (Prophesy). By edifying the Church rather than staying on the road of self glorification Corinth will at least attain some level of maturity, though not as much as if each member learned and used his own designated Gifts.

By looking at the sentence structure of verse 5 we also see another interesting thing. Though Tongues and Prophesy are both valid spiritual Gifts, Tongues is inferior to Prophesy unless it is accompanied by the Gift of Interpretation. The value of all Gifts is based on their ability to edify the Body. Tongues by itself in the Body is valueless because it cannot edify the Body: no one can understand it. But if the Gift is accompanied by Interpretation (either natural or supernatural) then Tongues becomes just as valuable as Prophesy because it can edify the Church to some degree. In order to edify the Church to the greatest degree we shouldn't just be exercising Tongues and Interpretation; or Prophesy; but we should be following God's game plan of exercising ALL AVAILABLE GIFTS within the Body. The greater the edification of the Body, the greater the level of maturity among us all. This is the central theme of 1 Corinthians 12-14.

1 Corinthians 14.6-11 "... 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 prophecy, or by doctrine? 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? For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to battle? 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. There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. 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..."

Again Paul emphasizes that the Gift of Tongues have no benefit to the Body of Christ unless this Gift is interpreted. The Gift that doesn't benefit the Body is worthless in itself! Paul introduces two illustrations from everyday life, both having to do with musical instruments. In the first illustration Paul points out that musical instruments, though they make naturally beautiful noises, are less beautiful and not understandable if the player fails to use musical discipline. To be a true musician, one who brings true beautiful music out of his instrument, he must first understand how to "read" music. Once he understands the reading of music he must diligently practice everyday, striving to perfect his skills with his chosen instrument. Owning an instrument doesn't make you a musician. Only by diligent practice and discipline to your art can you ever hope to truly "make music". The spiritual Gifts are like musical instruments. You might already possess your Gift, but possession of the Gift doesn't make you mature. Only by discipline in the study of the Scriptures will you ever mature, and your continued discipline will make you mature enough to where you can exercise your Gift properly in the Body. If you attempt to exercise your Gift before you're mature enough to do so, you're just like the person who buys an instrument and thinks he's a musician: you annoy everyone else, but only inflate your own ego.

In the second illustration Paul uses a trumpet to illustrate his point. In the early days of warfare trumpets were used to signal the troops of intended battle movements. There were no walkie-talkies or land-air telephones, so generals relied heavily on their trumpeters to signal their armies as to what they were supposed to do next. The trumpeters as well as the troops all understood that a certain rhythm was a signal for a certain movement; and in practice "war games" the men went over and over these same rhythms until everyone understood instinctively what each series of notes meant. The trumpeters, the generals, and the armies all used discipline to the point where they all acted as one body in response to the sounds of the trumpets. If the trumpets only made one tune, or the trumpeters had no discipline nor knowledge of their instruments, then how would the army know how to respond in the face of attack? They wouldn't know, and the armies would suffer vast defeats and casualties, even to the point of losing the war, if there were no distinction in the trumpet's call. In the same way Tongues (as with all spiritual Gifts) are useless (and even damaging) to the Body of Christ unless they are used by mature, disciplined believers. Tongues never edify the Body of Christ by just being exercised: they must be used in such a way that they are beneficial. It might seem discordantly musical to walk into a building where everyone is speaking a different language, but if no one knows what the other is saying, then this musical chant/ mantra is only a bunch of noise. NO GIFT IS GOOD JUST BECAUSE IT IS PRESENT! Anything that doesn't edify the Body of Christ, whether it be Gift or not, is destructive of the Body and useless in the eyes of God. Tongues without Interpretation are useless, and Tongues with interpretation spoken all at once is just as bad. You're just wasting your breath, and everybody else's time. Or as Paul put it: "...For ye shall speak in the air..."

Fellowship in the body of Christ is based on the ability of the members to communicate with one another. If the exercise of the Gift of Tongues causes one member to Consider his brother a barbarian (BARBAROS - "One who speaks gibberish or nonsense"), if the mis-exercise of a Gift causes an adverse impact on the fellowship of the Members in the Body, then this valueless Gift should be left inactive until you know how to use it. You only speak into the air, and destroy that sacred Body of which you're a part. DISCIPLINE is the key word: Discipline to the study of the scriptures, Discipline to the concept of brotherly Agape love, Discipline in your spiritual growth. Anything less is less than God's Design.

1 Corinthians 14.12-15 "... Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. Wherefore let him that speaketh in an [unknown] tongue pray that he may interpreter For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also..."

Again we come to a text that has been badly misinterpreted by the Charismatic Movement. Nearly every Charismatic that I meet tells me that "Tongues also have a function in the Church as a 'personal prayer language' between the believer and God." My first question is always, "Where did you find such a doctrine?". The second is always, "But why do you think you need a personal prayer tongue?". In answer to my first question the misled brother always shows me this passage as proof that there is a personal prayer tongue in the scriptures. As usual, this type of believer always reads into the text something that supports his own personal experience, rather than seeking out and applying the pure teaching of the Scripture. Let me answer the first misguided claim, then I'll explain why NO BELIEVER needs a personal prayer tongue before God.

The text starts out with Paul commanding us to "seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the Church". This isn't just a personal desire on Paul's part, but is a direct command from God (1 Corinthians 14.36-37). "May excel" in the Greek is in the Present Tense of duration, showing repeated or habitual action. The verb is also in the Active Voice, showing that the believers at Corinth THEMSELVES should keep on seeking to excel in edifying the Body of which they are a part. And finally the verb is in the Subjunctive Mood, showing that the action of edification is based on their own volition. The Corinthians (like the Charismatics) can choose to obey or disobey God in this commandment. If they disobey and refuse to edify the Body then they are in sin; I don't care whether they think they're exercising a spiritual Gift or not. Exercise of the Gift isn't what God emphasizes: He emphasizes EDIFICATION of the Church above all else. The Corinthians and all believers are commanded to "keep on seeking to excel in edifying the Body", not just to inflate their own egos through false use of alleged spiritual Gifts.

Because edification of the Body is the end goal of all the spiritual Gifts, Paul commands in verse 13 that those who truly do speak in Tongues (not 'unknown' Tongues. This is an addition of the KJV translators, and has no place in the Text. This is why I have been placing this word in []. All Tongues are known earthly languages, as we've emphasized again and again) must also pray for the Gift of Interpretation. "Pray" in the Greek is a Present Tense (of duration) verb in the Imperative Mood. The Imperative Mood stressed that the believers at Corinth are COMMANDED to pray for the Gift of Interpretation. Tongues without interpretation are useless to the Body of Christ because they do nothing to edify that Body. The Present Tense again shows that the believer is commanded to "keep on Praying" for the Gift of Interpretation. Until the believer (or another believer in the Body) receives Interpretation, Tongues are useless and not to be used in the Body. In fact, they aren't to be used anywhere, either in the Body or out of the Body. Uninterpreted Tongues neither edify the believer exercising the Gift, nor those around him. This is what Paul emphasizes in verse 14.

In verse 14 Paul states that "If he prays in a tongue, his spirit prays but his understanding is unfruitful". "If" is the Greek EAN, and it's used with a verb in the subjunctive mood. Earlier we saw that EAN + Subjunctive Mood gives a third class conditional statement in the Greek. In other words, it speaks only of a hypothetical statement. Paul isn't saying that he can or does pray in Tongues, nor is he even saying that it's possible. He merely states that EVEN IF HE COULD USE TONGUES TO PRAY, then this use of Tongues wouldn't edify him anymore than it would edify the other members of the Body. His "spirit" would be praying, but his understanding would be unfruitful. In other words, He wouldn't be saying a thing that he could understand! Much is made also of "my Spirit prayeth". Charismatics have built up the false doctrine that when you use Tongues to pray, the Holy Spirit of God prays through you; you yourself aren't even praying. Though "spirit" in this text is the Greek PNEUMA, and the Holy Spirit is also referred to as PNEUMA, it's plain in the context that the Holy Spirit isn't the one who is praying here. Paul says, "MY spirit prays", not "the HOLY SPIRIT prays". Though the Holy Spirit of God indwells every Church Age believer, that Spirit doesn't belong to us: HE IS GOD AND BELONGS TO NO ONE. No where in scripture is the Spirit ever referred to as the possession of the believer, but here Paul says that it is MY (his) spirit that prays. He refers not to the Holy Spirit, but to his human spirit that would (if it were possible) be praying.

Romans 8.26 "...Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered..."

The Spirit of God does make intercessory prayer for all believers daily, but not through the workings of any "prayer Tongue". This intercessory prayer is made with "groanings that cannot be uttered". "groanings" is the Greek STENAGMOS, which means "a sigh, something uttered below the breath so as to be unintelligible". "Cannot be uttered" is the Greek ALALETOS, which means "something not spoken". So the true intercessory prayer of the Spirit for believers is "unspoken unintelligible sighs; something intelligible to God but unheard by the believer." This rules out the Spirit using "prayer Tongues" to pray for believers, because though Tongues may be unintelligible, they are definitely spoken and heard. The Spirit's intercession is unspoken, and being unspoken it is unheard. The only proof of a prayer Tongue is in the minds of misguided believers, not in the teachings of Scripture. As there was no need of a "personal prayer Tongue" for the believer, God never gave such a thing. Prayer is an act of conversation between the believer and God, very much like a dialogue between a Father and his child. In prayer God desires our communication, our thanksgiving, and our requests for spiritual and material needs. He wants US to talk to him, not some unintelligible gibberish. To help you understand more about true Biblical Prayer, the following short outline on the "Doctrine of Prayer" is supplied. I hope you'll study it!
 

1. Prayer is addressed to the Father only: Matthew 6.9-13
2. Prayer is always in the name of the Son: John 14.13-14
3. Prayer must be made in the power (under the Filling) of the Spirit of God: Ephesians 6.18
4. Christ as our High Priest prays for us : Hebrews 7.25
5. The Spirit of God prays for us, though we cannot hear it : Romans 8.26-27
6. We pray for ourselves : Hebrews 4.16
7. Proper prayer contains the following ingredients:
1. Confession of outstanding sins in our lives: 1 John 1.9
2. Thanksgiving for what God has already given us: Ephesians 5.20; 1 Thessalonians 5.18
3. Intercessory prayer on behalf of others: Ephesians 6.18
4. Petition for your own needs, both spiritual and physical: Hebrews 4.16
8. Prayer must be used in faith: Matthew 18.19; Matthew 21.22; Mark 11.24; John 15.7
9. The principles of prayer are:
1. Prayer is most effective for the mature believer: John 15.7 ;1 John 5.14
2. You must be Filled with the Spirit when you pray: Ephesians 6.18
3. If you are in carnality, your prayers are ineffective: Psalms 66.18
4. Prayer must be made with full recognition of God's principles of grace: Hebrews 4.16
10. Categories of prayer and petition are:
1. Sometimes what you pray for (the petition) is answered though your desires are not fulfilled: 1 Samuel 8.19-20; 1 Samuel 8.5-9
2. Sometimes your petition isn't answered but the desires of your heart are satisfied: Genesis 17.18; Genesis 18.23-33; 2 Corinthians 12.7-10
3. In the best type of prayer, both your petition and the desires of your heart are answered: Judges 16.28; 1 Kings 18.36-37
4. In the worst type of prayer, neither your petition nor the desires of your heart are answered
11. Prayers are often not answered (neither desire nor petition) because:
12. You pray outside of the Filling of the Spirit: 1 Peter 2.5,9; Ephesians 6.18
13. You pray with disobedience to God in your heart: 1 John 3.22
14. You pray with carnality in your life: Psalm 66.18
15. You pray, asking for things selfishly rather than in order to glorify God: James 4.2-3
16. Lack of compassion toward others, either the downtrodden or apathy to the Body of Christ: Proverbs 21.13
17. A lack of domestic tranquility between the husband and wife causes unanswered prayer: 1 Peter 3.7
18. Self-righteousness or pride in the life causes unanswered prayer: Job 35.12-13
19. Prayer outside of the clear or unexpressed will of God will never be answered: 1 John 5.14
20. Faithlessness on the part of the believer, or a faithless prayer, will never be answered, for doubt of God is sin: Matthew 21.22; Mark 11.24; Romans 14.23

1 Corinthians 14.15 "...What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also..."

Prayer is a dialogue between the Father (God) and His children (the Believers). Because of this we are commanded to both pray and praise God in our human spirits in such a way that both WE AND GOD understand what's being said. There is no Biblical basis for a personal prayer Tongue. There never has been and never will be. Such a thing would neither edify the believer speaking gibberish, nor would it edify the Church. As Paul said elsewhere in scripture:

Romans 15.1-2 "...We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let everyone of us please his neighbor (<- the Other Believers in the Body) for his good to edification..."

We aren't in the Body of Christ to please ourselves, just like the hand on the human body doesn't seek it's own pleasure. Our goal is to please others in the Body, to seek, it's fullest edification. And again Paul said:

Romans 14.19 "...Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another ... "

If we're to follow after the things that make peace and edification in the Body then WE MUST avoid false doctrines (prayer Tongues) and misuses of the spiritual Gifts. The Corinthian Church wasn't doing this, and their Body was suffering because of it. If you use Tongues in the Church they MUST BE INTERPRETED, or not used at all. The Corinthian Pattern is the same pattern that the modern day Charismatics copy, and neither pattern is prescribed by God in the Scriptures. Both Corinthian and Charismatic seek their own edification rather than the edification of the Body, and by doing so unwittingly harm themselves in the process. As Paul said again:

1 Thessalonians 5.11 "...Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do..."

And again:

Ephesians 4.11-12 "...And He gave some apostles, and some prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ..."

All spiritual Gifts were given with the idea of edifying or building up the Body of Christ, not just the individual believer. When you begin to use some alleged Gift to edify yourself then you lose touch with God's Plan and with reality. The Church has it's Gifts so that it might, as a whole, be edified. Nothing else, regardless as to what your "experiences" are, is truly from God.

1 Corinthians 14.16-19 "...Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say amen at the giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified. I thank my God I speak with tongues more than ye all: yet in the Church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an [unknown] tongue..."

"Bless" is the Greek EULOGEO which means, "To make a benediction". Speaking uninterpreted Tongues in the congregation not only fails to edify the believers, but it also fails to edify unbelievers as well. When you make a benediction (actually, probably means "to preach or evangelize") in the Church in gibberish, the unlearned (the visiting heathen. See verses 23-24 in comparison to this text) doesn't understand a thing you're saying. How can the Gospel of Salvation be preached to visiting unbelievers at your Church if they don't understand you; or worst, if they think you're a bunch of crazy people? When unbelievers visit your Church the foremost thing in your mind should be to witness to them, so that they might accept Christ as Savior and become a part of the Body. This person might be saved, and might receive a spiritual Gift that your Church especially needs. But if you give them a false impression by your false doctrines and misuses of the Gifts, then neither you nor the unbeliever benefits.

Paul goes on to say that the Corinthians give their benediction "well". This isn't to be taken as an apostolic compliment (as it seems in the KJV). "Well" is the Greek KALUS, which means "Prettily, in a pretty manner". It is pretty to hear other languages spoken, even if you don't understand them. I think the most beautiful language I know is French, particularly spoken by a French woman. But I don't understand a word of it, though I'm mesmerized by it's sounds. This is what Paul was speaking of. It wasn't right what the Corinthians were doing, it wasn't even good by God's standards. But I'm sure it was hypnotically beautiful to go into the Corinthian congregation, and hear everyone there speak in a different tongue all at once. Though it might have been pretty, it wasn't right, because it didn't edify the Body of Christ. Paul certainly wasn't praising the Corinthians, but he was bringing charges of failure to edify against them. The Corinthians weren't edifying themselves, nor the Body, nor even the visiting unbelievers. They only thought that they were doing right, and this is the saddest thing of all

In the latter part of the text Paul says "I thank my God I speak with tongues more than ye all". Again, Paul wasn't against the Gift of Tongues. He probably used the Gift more than the Corinthians ever would. But Paul used the Gift properly, whereas the Corinthians misused it (if they were using it at all). As an Apostle Paul was responsible for establishing new Church bodies. I'm certain that he often went into areas where nobody spoke his language, and God used the Gift of Tongues to overcome this linguistic barrier. Tongues has a very real and valid use in the Church, though not as the Charismatics portray it.

As this series draws to a close (and it must close, for all doctrinal points should have been thoroughly covered), I want to leave you with two things to consider. First, I'm sure that some of you have been asking if I think that Tongues are still a viable Gift in the Church today. As a sign of the Baptism, I have to say "absolutely not". But as an evangelistic tool to witness the Gospel (as in Acts 2), I say, "absolutely". Our God is still the God of miracles. I believe that, if it were needed to witness of the glorious Grace of the Cross, then God would activate the Gift in whoever He desired to accomplish that goal. Are true Tongues a common Gift in our present age? Absolutely not! When you consider our great technology and ability to spread the Gospel worldwide, when you consider how great the Church has grown, in nearly every instance the Gift of Tongues has been replaced by other means today. We send missionaries into foreign countries linguistically equipped to preach the Gospel. We translate the Bible into thousands of languages through institutions like Wycliff, American Bible Society, Gideons, International Bible Society, and numerous denominational Church affiliated translators. Is there a great need for this Gift in our Church today? No, because of these very aforementioned reasons.

1 Corinthians 14:21-24 "In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe. If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:"

Tongues were never meant to be the play toy of the Christian, but were an evangelistic tool to bridge the communication barrier so that the unbeliever could hear the Gospel. Uninterpreted Tongues are even useless in this capacity, as they only lead the visitor to your Church to assume that you're all quite mad. Christ is not glorified in this. Christ is only glorified when the Church is edified, and when the lost are witnessed to.

1 Corinthians 14:26-31 "How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. Let the prophets speak two or three, and let he other judge. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.

All things must be done in the Church with edification in mind. All things should be done decently and in order. For as the Bible says:

1 Corinthians 14:33 "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints."

If you are using Tongues, or some semblance of Tongues in your Church services, and it is leading to confusion rather than edification, then this is not of God. If not of God, then who do you think it is from? Think on it carefully, my brethren. Your spiritual growth is at stake!