Summary - 1 Corinthians 14:26-33

Church services - orderly and peaceful: Paul here identifies several elements of a worship service - psalms, teachings, revelations, tongue speaking and interpretation. He limits the tongue speaking to two or three in a row, each followed by an interpretation. Futher if no one with the gift of interpretation is present, then those with the gift of tongues should not speak except to God alone. The prophets, after two or three speak consecutively, need others to discern their meanings. Only one should state the revelation of meaning, even if a nearby person discerns another meaning. The major point is that of orderliness and peace.


Fee (p. 691) observes the absence of a group leader and (Fee, p. 692) that Paul does not forbid having the gift of tongues. Hays (p. 242) explains that the spiritual gifts exist for edification of the community. It is not that the community exists just as a place for spiritual gifts to be displayed. That hits the "pride" problem abhorred by Paul whose main interest is growth and of church through edification.

Extra source: The First Epistle to the Corinthians by Gordon D. Fee (Eerdman's 1987) online at http://books.google.com/books?id=XlBp10nUTXAC&dq=Gordon+Fee+Bible+commentator&printsec=frontcover&source=in&hl=en&ei=SwLNSu3nA4v6Mf2XlDo&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=12#v=onepage&q=&f=false
First Corinthians by Richard B. Hayes (John Knox Press, 1997) on line athttp://books.google.com/books?id=M_PC0PAs3VYC&dq=1+Corinthians+and+Richard+B.+Hays&printsec=frontcover&source=in&hl=en&ei=2oPcStDCIIvf8Aaq0Ki3BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=11&ved=0CCMQ6AEwCg#v=onepage&q=1%20Corinthians%20and%20Richard%20B.%20Hays&f=false