Sermon Tone Analysis

*1 Corinthians 14:20-40*

 

*20 Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be babes, but in your thinking be mature.

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            In verse 20 Paul seems to pause for a moment, and with a great sigh he says, “Brothers, don’t be children in your thinking…” The word “brothers” is the Greek /adelphos//,/ and it refers to Christian brothers in this context.

It is evident that the Corinthians were immoral, confused, and unorthodox in many areas of their lives, but Paul still addresses them as “brothers.”

The mere fact that he wrote to them as he did means that he believed they were truly saved.

Their actions were not a reflection of Christ, however, and because they were his brothers it was his responsibility to correct them – not judge them.

As professed believers in Christ they had put themselves under the authority of Christ and were accountable to other Christians.

Paul himself had already told them that those within the church were to be held accountable for their sinful behavior – not those outside the church who have not professed Christ as Lord and Savior.

Paul’s tone is strong, but it’s strong because his brothers were defaming the name of Christ.

When he tells them not to be “children in your thinking” he’s condemning their immature behavior with the issue of speaking in tongues.

The whole context is a condemnation against their misuse, and they were acting like children who wanted attention for their tongues-speaking.

They thought like children, yet they were adults.

Furthermore he tells them “in evil be babes.”

Just a child is innocent in his~/her ignorance of the evil ways of the world, Paul wants them to be too as adults.

They didn’t need to know all that was evil by mingling in with the rest of the world.

In other words, Paul was telling them, “Stop thinking selfishly like children, but instead be children in your ignorance of the evil and wicked ways of the world.

Grow up!

Your misuse of the wonderful spiritual gift of tongues-speaking is reprehensible.

Now stop acting like children.”

 

*21 In the Law it is written, “By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me,” says the Lord.

22 So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers, but to those who believe.

*

            Verse 21 is a quote from Isaiah 28:11-12, and notice that Paul calls this OT prophetic book “the Law.”

Technically the Law concerns the Pentateuch (or Torah, the first five books of the OT) as written by Moses, but on occasion in the NT “the Law” is a summarizing statement for all of the Scriptures.

The context of Isaiah 28, in relation to the problem of tongues in 1 Corinthians, has to do with the ancient Assyrians who were the dominating world power in the 8th century BC.

Isaiah, in chapter 28, was prophesying to the southern kingdom of Judah about 15 years after the fall of the northern kingdom called Israel (the united kingdom split in 930 BC and became the north and the south – Israel and Judah respectively).

The northern kingdom had gone into captivity at the hands of the Assyrians in 722 BC because of their rejection of God while the southern kingdom of Judah remained intact.

However, Judah was beginning to show signs of disobedience, and Isaiah was sent to prophesy against her behavior.

In essence Isaiah was reminding the Jews of what happened to their brothers in the north – how “men of strange tongues” had captured them.

Because of their unbelief God sent that pagan nation against them as the rod of His discipline.

Even Moses, 800 years before Isaiah, said as much in Deuteronomy 28:49 when he said, “The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand.”

And Jeremiah, about 100 years after Isaiah, said, “Behold, I am bringing a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel,… a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say” (Jer.

5:15).

All of these prophecies of strange tongues coming from foreign nations were prophecies against the Jews concerning their disobedience.

Because they were disobedient God sent pagan nations, who spoke in languages they did not understand, to judge them.

So Paul’s quote here of the Isaiah passage means that the gift of tongues was given to the Church as a sign of God’s judgment on Israel’s disobedience, specifically for their rejection of their Messiah – Jesus Christ.

So, per verse 22, the message of the tongues were given to show Israel that God had judged them.

They were a “sign.”

In the same way that the barbaric Assyrians, as referenced in Isaiah 28:11-12, spoke to Israel in foreign and strange tongues as they took them into captivity, so now the Gentiles would speak to the Jews using the spiritual gift of languages as a sign of God’s judgment against them for rejecting their Messiah.

God had used His messengers (the prophets) to speak to His people in their own language, and they refused to repent.

Now it was judgment time, and this is the clear biblical reason for the gift of tongues.

It’s certainly notable here that in the Book of Acts each time the gift of tongues and miracles are used there are Jews present (Acts 2, 8, 10, 19).

It is important also to note that Jesus used parables as a sign of his rejection of the Jews.

The kingdom of heaven was offered to the Jews (the “lost sheep of the house of Israel”) in Matthew 10, the Jews rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah in Matthew 12, and then Jesus rejected them in Matthew 13 through the use of parables.

He used these stories to hide the truth to their dull ears and eyes – another example of how strange speech and language is used by God as a sign of judgment on those who reject Him.

So 1 Cor.

14:21 is Paul’s way of teaching the Corinthians that they were misusing the gift of tongues.

Whereas they saw the gift as a show of their “deep spirituality” Paul was reminding them that it had nothing to do with that.

It was predominately a sign of God’s judgment on the Jews.

But tongues were also used as a sign of blessing.

The gift served to show that God was no longer working through just one nation, specifically Israel.

The gift of tongues also served as a sign that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, was for all nations where many different languages were used.

Paul says as much in Galatians 3:28… “There is neither Jew nor Greek… slave or freeman… male or female… for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

The transgression of the Jews in their rejection of their Messiah actually brought about salvation for the Gentiles (cf.

Romans 11:11-12; 25-26).

And the sign of tongues as a blessing was repeated in Acts 10:44-46 when the Gentiles were included in the church of Jesus Christ.

The gift of tongues was also a sign of authority.

They were given, first of all, as a sign of judgment against Israel.

Second, they were given as a sign of blessing to the Gentiles.

And third, they were given as a sign of authority to the apostles and the NT prophets (cf. 2 Cor.

12:12; Rom.

15:9).

After the apostles and prophets pointed the way to the Messiah and had their message backed up with the gift of tongues, miracles, and healings, the gift no longer had any reason to exist.

This is why Paul even said that it would cease (cf. 1 Cor.

13:8).

It would be like following directions to someone’s home.

You pass the first landmark, the second, then the third – all are signs pointing you to the house.

But when you arrive at your destination you no longer need any landmarks.

You’re there!

So it was with the gift of tongues as a sign of authority.

They pointed to Jesus Christ by validating the ministries of the apostles and prophets.

Once there, they were no longer needed.

The world knew, the scriptures were written down, and we can either believe the message of salvation from the mouth of validated apostles or not.

Dr.

John MacArthur makes the following observation: “It is interesting, and I believe highly significant, that no record is given of a single word spoken in tongues or even interpreted.

Every reference to tongues is general.

They are always mentioned in relation to their purpose and significance, never in relation to their specific content.

The messages given in tongues were not new revelations or new insights, but, as at Pentecost simply unique expressions of old truths, ‘the mighty deeds of God’ (Acts 2:11).

Though tongues could edify when interpreted, their purpose was not to teach, but to point, not to reveal God’s truth but to validate the truth of His appointed spokesmen.”

Prophecy, on the other hand, was never given for unbelievers as tongues was.

Prophecy was given for believers.

Though the English version above says that prophecy is given as a “sign” to believers, in the Greek text “sign” is not there.

Prophecy is never called a “sign” in the Bible because it doesn’t point to anything.

It isn’t given to point to anything, but it is given for edification.

The gift of prophecy (proclaiming God’s Word) concerns inspired speaking in normal human language.

It is given not as a sign but as edification for believers.

Tongues was inspired speech spoken in a language unlearned by the speaker, needing interpretation, and given as a sign to unbelievers.

Paul’s whole admonition was to strive after prophecy because it edifies the church.

The Corinthians, however, were only concerned with themselves as evidenced by their tongues-speaking.

*23 If therefore the whole church should assemble together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad?*

Verse 23 draws a conclusion in a hypothetical situation.

The situation is that when the church gathers together in one place for worship, if all begin to speak in tongues, anyone who enters who either does not speak in tongues (the “ungifted”) or have the ability to interpret them (not all Christians possess the gift) or if an unbeliever should enter, they would believe the tongues-speakers to be lunatics.

Now for a believer in Jesus Christ to be labeled a lunatic is obviously not a good witness for Jesus Christ.

If the outside world and~/or other Christians who don’t speak in tongues should enter a congregation where tongues are being practiced among other professed believers the bottom line is that those believers will be labeled as a bunch of crazy lunatics.

The gift of tongues was not given to be used in public worship of God.

Since all do not possess the gift, they consequently cannot be edified by the gift.

In Acts 2:11 it is noteworthy that those Jews who came to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost plainly understood what was spoken by Peter and the apostles who received the gift of tongues that day.

Tongues were given to be understood, not to bring confusion.

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*24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; *

            In v. 24 Paul, once again, contrasts the confusion of tongues with the beauty and coherency of prophecy.

If, on the other hand, a group of believers gather to worship God and to prophesy (preach and teach God’s Word) – if an unbeliever or another Christian who does not understand tongues should enter, then at least five things are said to occur.

First, he is “convicted” by all.

This word means “to show fault or error; to expose.”

One who enters a worship gathering where God’s Word is proclaimed, whether a believer or unbeliever, has no choice but to be convicted of his~/her sin just through the hearing of God’s Word.