1 Corinthians 14

     The apostle here concludes his instructions about the use of spiritual gifts in the setting of the gathered church.  His main concern is a proper balance between the freedom all believers have in Christ, and the need for proper order, so that all things work together for the building up of the entire body.

     14:1-19.  Ecstatic speech had the potential to be very destructive to order, without much edification of the church in return.  Therefore, Paul puts rules in place to control it (27-28), while at the same time allowing it to continue (39).  This sort of tongues (2) seems to be quite an inferior gift (7,9,14) compared to the original clearly understood gift of languages of Acts 2:6, 8, 11.  See notes, Acts 2:2-21.

     Prophecy was the highest gift, because it most edified the church (3-4).  Though the Holy Spirit gives to each just as he wills (12:11), the desires of the receiver were also important (1, 39; cf.Mt.7:7-11).

     14:14,15,19.  Even in private prayers, but especially in public, Paul urges them to engage the mind, their own minds as well as the minds of others.  Nor does vain repetition (with prayer beads, for example) engage the mind (see Mt.6:7).  “In the beginning was the Word,” (John 1:1).  The world was created by Wisdom, not a meaningless ecstatic explosion.  God is not a God of chaos and disorder.

     14:20-25.  Outbursts of uncontrolled emotion are to be expected from babes, not those who are mature (20).

     The Law  (21) is a term used here in its broad sense for the whole OT, not just the Pentateuch.  (Cf. John 10:34, where Jesus quotes Ps.86:6, calling it “your Law”.)  Here, Paul uses Is.28:11 f., quoting very freely in a kind of preacher’s shorthand.  Israel ignored Isaiah’s words of warning, so God gave those unbelievers a sign that they needed to repent and believe.  The sign was the sound of the strange tongue spoken by the Assyrian army invading their land.  So Paul makes the point (22) that if the Corinthians are believers, they need to start listening to the words of the prophets among them.  Not only will the church be more edified, but ungifted visitors will be convicted of their sins and converted.  Otherwise, strangers will hear only a meaningless babble of tongues, and assume they are all mad.

     14:26-33.  These early church meetings were obviously very spontaneous.  All could participate, but only if things were done for edification, and done with decency and in order.  Even those with the gift of prophecy had to obey rules of decorum (making
Robert’s Rules and the wonders of Presbyterian government possible, I suppose.  Hence the need to break in with chapter 13, the grand chapter on love).

     14:29.  Let the others pass judgment; here is a most important restraint on excess and error.  Weigh everything against the word once delivered (11:2; 15:3-11).  Distinguish spirits (12:10), because many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1).  V.30 makes room for a challenge to what is said.  No one has a monopoly on truth.

     14:32-33.  Let no prophet use the excuse that he can’t keep still if order requires it.  It is not the Spirit of God who seeks to cause confusion in the churches.

     14:34-35.  Cf.1Tim.2:11-15, and notes there.  As the Law also says; See 11:8-9; and (as a part of the curse of original sin) see Gen.3:16.  “He shall rule over you.”

     We know that according to custom, the men and women sat apart at meetings.  Perhaps, one authority speculates, the women at Corinth were taking Christian liberty to mean they could shout questions and comments as the men talked, or even chatter among themselves.  Whatever the case, we know Paul does not mean that women never could speak in church at all.  They could and did pray and prophesy (11:5; cf. Acts 21:9).  Note that neither in the Law (Gen.3:16, above) nor here, are men told to subject women.  Women are told to subject themselves (34; cf.1 Pet.3:4-6).

     Perhaps only a certain authoritative kind of speech is forbidden, such as a teaching elder does from the pulpit, and teaching or assuming authority over men in a church office setting (e.g., as an elder, or chairman of a mixed deacon board).  Cultural norms may alter the application of such rules to some degree.  But in this case, universal abiding principles are at stake, which must be respected, as seen in Paul’s appeal to the Law (34).

     14:36-40.  The NASB, like several other translations, makes a mistake attaching v.36 to the end of the preceding paragraph.  This makes the conclusion of Paul’s admonition to the women seem impatient and angry.  This time the NIV gets it right.  V.36 is the first sentence of Paul’s conclusion to this whole section.  He is in fact a little impatient and exasperated with everyone equally, not just the women.  Not only does this arrangement make Paul more of a gentleman, but it makes better sense.  The you in v.36 is a masculine plural form, i.e., a generic you all, matching the masculine pronouns in v.38, which address everyone.