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

Summary - 1 Corinthians 14:20-25

N.T. Wright reads verse 20 as a statement of general principle. Paul is calling on the Corinthians to be wise - to figure out what should happen in a church service and why. They should grow up and discern the difference between babbling, indiscriminate use of their gift (Baker, p. 200) and when its judicious use is helpful to the church. Tongues may be a sign to unbelievers* and not needed by believers. They could drive away visitors who would see Christians as crazy and it could look like exhibitionism to other believers. Prophecy, however, was a sign which could be useful for building up both believers and non-believers. When prophecy revealed unknown secrets of the heart, listeners would marvel at God's presence in the service. They too would worship him.

Extra source: Cornerstone Biblical Commentary 1 Corinthians (William Baker), 2 Corinthians (Ralph Martin & Carl Toney), ed. by Philip Comfort. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, c2006.
*Since tongue speaking was also a characteristic of many cults and temples, the value of the sign could be debated.

Summary - 1 Corinthians 14:13-19

Praying: Since Paul keeps pounding a drum about the gift of speaking in tongues, readers have to assume it was a major problem. Evidently members did speak in tongues during the service. Evidently it sounded like a cacophony. Evidently nobody knew what anybody else was saying. Evidently it was off-putting to visitors, new-believers, and mature believers alike. Who knew what was going on?

Helpful to listeners and to speakers alike is the gift of interpreting tongues. Paul urges them all to pray for understanding. He himself would rather pray five meaningful words than ten thousand words in obscurity. At the center of building up a church is the maturity level and spiritual wholeness of every individual within the church. What Paul has to do is teach the members to be concerned about the whole church by and through the growth of each individual. A spiritually mature church and a spiritually mature individual has blended, not compartmentalized components (N. T. Wright). Corinthians needed to place their hearts, minds, bodies and souls under control of the Holy Spirit and grow to be like the one who is worshiped, Jesus Christ. Putting others first is Paul's continuing message and solution.

Summary - 1 Corinthians 14:6-12

Church worship and use of gifts: Paul contrasts speaking in tongues and prophecy. He closely allies the gift of knowledge, the gift of wisdom, and the gift of revelation with prophecy, while arguing that the gift of tongues in a worship service does not bring barbarians* together because the one cannot understand the other.

He picks out thoughts of "sound" with possible uncoordinated, unclear tones from a harp, pipe or trumpet. Everything sounds like meaningless noise. Who knows the song if instruments play indistinctly? Usually people woulld rather sing, "Something I know." Further Paul states the trumpet can only alert soldiers to the battle with a recognized musical signal. In verse twelve, Paul recognizes the desire of the Corinthians to have spiritual gifts, yet emphasizes his desire that they concentrate on having those which edify the whole church, not just their individual lives.


*Foreigners and conquered peoples from nations on the outer edges of the Roman Empire

Summary - 1 Corinthians 14:1-5

Worship: Wright boils these verses down to one point: Believers should go to church so everyone is built up, not just to build their own spiritual selves. -- So much for slipping in the back door, sitting in a pew, and leaving early. That's the way to miss out on half of God's purpose.

How does Paul present that point? He explains that speaking in tongues is useful to one; prophesying (presenting and explaining God's word) is useful for all. Take time to ask God about your work in the church and, if you are going to ask for a gift, ask for prophesy. Although, speaking in tongues is a good gift for the purpose of self-growth and time with the Lord (Paul himself has it), prophesy has the greater value to the whole church.

Summary - 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

The Love chapter: This is one of the most well-known sections of the Bible, Paul's presentation and explanation as to the what love is and how it works in the church. Without love, the church fails. The first three verses explain how important it is - greater than any other language, the gifts of prophecy, of knowledge, or generosity (even to the point of self-sacrifice). The performance of any of these acts while lacking love, nullifies their value. Personalized, Paul indicates, not even an apostle can be effective without love (Baker, p. 191).

Verses 4-7 form a second section which gives fifteen attributes or characteristics of love, sometimes from a positive and sometimes from a negative viewpoint: patience, kindness, not jealous, not boastful, not proud, decorous (sexually), unselfish, not provoked, discounts offenses, rejoices in good-not evil- and truth - not injustice, bears all things, believes all things, hopes for all, and endures all. The goal of all Christians is to be an ideal person, an example of Christ. Love is a commitment of mind and will which once followed bring along the emotions of the heart. Love is to be used in the church with fellow-believers. Love can spill outside of the church to non-believers because its source is Christ.

The third section points believers to eternity when love alone abides. Prophecy, tongues and knowledge fall to the wayside. Imperfections of all kinds slide away in the growth from childhood to spiritual maturity where in eternity we can fully see as we are fully known. The gifts of faith and hope are crowned with the gift of love.

Extra source: Cornerstone Biblical Commentary 1 Corinthians (William Baker), 2 Corinthians (Ralph Martin & Carl Toney), ed. by Philip Comfort. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, c2006.

Summary - 1 Corinthians 12:27-31

Spiritual gifts in church ministry: Paul lists eight gifts in v.28 and then renames seven of them in v.29. His desire is to point out gifts prominent for initial evangelism in the church. No one has all of them, nor is the list complete. Gifts previously listed in verses 12:8-10 do not completely match the ones cited here. The gifts are not hierarchical and do not give greater importance to those so gifted.