1 Corinthians 14 gives us great insight into the tongues speaking issue. Tongues speaking was a problem in the Corinthian church and it continues as a problematic issue in American Christianity. Paul writes to correct abuses of tongues speaking and his inspired counsel needs to be regarded and heeded in our present day. The charismatic issue has spread untold confusion to the modern day church. An experience of speaking in tongues has almost become synonymous to salvation and going to heaven in some circles. The false teachers of the Faith Movement, men like Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Morris Cerullo, Kenneth Copeland and others have furthered these false teachings. What is speaking in a Biblical tongue? It was the spiritual gift to speak a foreign language without ever studying that language. Tongues was a sign to the nation of Israel. 1 Cor. 14:21-22. 1 Corinthians 14 can be outlined like this: 1. Uselessness of Uninterpreted Tongues v.1-19 2. Purpose of Tongues v.20-25 3. Regulations for Tongues v.26-40 This article is on the first section of this chapter. The theme of this Scripture in 1 Corinthians 14:1-19 is “The Uselessness of Uninterpreted tongues.” Do you pray in tongues in your private devotions and then do not interpret those tongues? Does your church practice a message in tongues which are not interpreted, or do many people speak at the same time in some unintelligible language? If so, if you speak in any kind of ecstatic speech that does not communicate the Gospel to someone, you are in error. If you ever speak in a tongue that is not interpreted, this is useless, vain, and unbiblical speech. This is strong language, but I beg you to continue reading and judge what I say not by your emotions or by your experience but by the Word of God. Uninterpreted tongues are useless for the following reasons:
1. Uninterpreted Tongues “Edify God,” v. 1, 2 (Which is useless because God does not need me to edify Him!) Let me tell you something: In a church service, God does not need to be edified; He is worthy of our worship. God does not need to be comforted with my preaching, people do! God deserves our worship and praise. Yet, when one speaks in tongues, and they are not interpreted, that person is only talking to God! Now, people misunderstand what Paul says in verse two. They often tell me, “When I speak in tongues, I am speaking to God.” Read carefully what Paul is saying! Paul uses biting sarcasm to make a clear point: When you come to a church service, God does not need to be edified, people do! When someone speaks in uninterpreted tongues, “no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.” The one who speaks in a common language speaks to men to “edification, exhortation, and comfort.”
2. Uninterpreted Tongues Edify The One Speaking, v. 2-4 (Which is useless because I speak to edify others!) Tongues does not exist for the edification of the one speaking, but it serves to edify others. In an article on “Ten Reasons Why Every Believer should speak in tongues.” Ken Hagin wrongly concludes from this verse that… 1. Tongues is for self-edification 2. Tongues is a way we communicate to God in a supernatural way The fact is, every spiritual gift was given so that others could be edified. No spiritual gift functions for a persons “self-edification.” They always exist for the edification of the body of Christ. For example, the one with the gift of giving gave to edify and build up another person in need. The one with the gift of exhortation practiced his gift to exhort others. A gift is something you give to someone else. If people think they can go into a church service and speak in tongues to edify themselves, then they deceive themselves! They abuse and misuse of the gift, and that is the whole point of Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians 14:1-5. The overall context of 1 Corinthians 14:1-20 is the uselessness of uninterpreted tongues in a public church service. Private prayer is not part of Paul's discussion. In verse 2 Paul writes with sarcasm to say, if a person speaks in tongues and the tongues is not being interpreted, he is just speaking to God. In a public church service we are to edify others as well as speak to God. Verse three makes Paul's point clear, for the one who prophecies speaks to men for the purpose of edification, exhortation, and comfort. He that speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself, but he that prophecies edifieth the church. The point is, you are not supposed to speak in tongues to edify yourself. The purpose of tongues or any spiritual gift is to edify others. If tongues in the early church went uninterpreted, Paul is saying "what shall I profit you." Yes, you might be self-edified, but the church will not be, therefore it is useless and senseless.
3. Uninterpreted Tongues Is Not a Life Giving Sound, v.7 (Which is useless because the purpose of speaking in the church is to give life!) Preaching is a life-giving sound. People hearing a Gospel message about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ can give life to their dead soul. Romans 10:14,15: How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18, 21: For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. The preaching of the Gospel and the Word of God gives life. Tongues, if uninterpreted, is not a life-giving sound. Imagine if you visited our church and a guest speaker from Russia speaks in his Russian language. No one interprets his message. It may be a wonderful message, and he might be blessed and edified by it, but if no one else speaks Russian, then no one can receive life or encouragement from that message. So it is with uninterpreted tongues. Language spoken that no one can understand is like discordant sounds on a piano. Would you give an offertory on the piano without practicing piano and knowing how to play? I cannot play the piano. Imagine if I just went up to the piano in the middle of a service and started banging on the piano. Would that be a blessing to anyone? I would only hurt your ears! That is precisely what unterpreted tongues is like.
4. Uninterpreted Tongues gives an Uncertain Sound, v.8 (Which is useless because preaching should give people great certainty!) Trumpeters in Bible times had certain sounds to play to prepare the people for a battle. The reason people come to church is to prepare for the battles of life. We live in spiritual warfare against the Devil and his host of demons. We wrestle not against flesh and blood. The preaching of God’s Word must prepare people to fight the battles of life: to witness, stand for the Lord, love others, and love God. Uninterpreted tongues do not prepare people to serve God. Do not build people up in the faith. Do not strengthen others in the Word of God. They are just words that are spoken into the air. v.9
5. Praying in Uninterpreted Tongues is Fruitless Worship, v.14-19 (Which is useless because worship ought to be of great help!) Paul says, “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.” Charismatic leaders like Ken Hagin use this passage to say that we ought to pray in tongues. Hagin writes, “When you pray in tongues, your spirit is in direct contact with God…" What does Paul really say? When you pray in tongues that are not interpreted, your spirit prays, but your understanding is unfruitful! So what does the next verse say, "I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also." In other words, when you pray in your own language, you also pray in the spirit and better yet, with your understanding! We do not need a "supernatural" means to talk to God, we need to thoughtfully tell God our requests. Mr. Hagin makes it sound as if one must pray in tongues in order to pray with the spirit. This is false. When you pray to God in your own language, in the name of Jesus and beg access into His presence by the blood he shed, you pray with the spirit and with your understanding. This is superior. Whereas prayer is constantly emphasized in Scripture, prayers in tongues in our private devotions is NEVER MENTIONED. And a host of other verses, tongues is never mentioned in reference to my private prayer life. As a matter of fact, the Lord Jesus taught the disciples to pray, and he did so by using a language they were familiar with. Jesus warned against using “vain repitions,” as the heathen. This includes chanting phrases, or unintelligible language (Matthew 6:5-13). Let me emphatically add the Bible says no where to pray in tongues in our closet. Paul's discussion in 1 Corinthians 14 has nothing to do with our private devotions, but only with the public assembly of the church. He says that when you pray in a church service, pray so everyone can understand, including yourself. Also, just because someone in the early church had the gift of tongues, it did not mean they could interpret these tongues. This argues against praying in tongues all by yourself, because you will not know what you are praying about, and then you will not know whether God answered your prayers! What sense would it be to pray in tongues in your private devotions, and then pray for an interpretation yourself! Why not just pray in the spirit with the language you already know!? What about Romans 8:26? "But the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Mr. Hagin does some tricky addition to our Bible when he quotes an alleged "Greek scholar" and says that it could read the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered in articulate speech." This could include "groanings" but also "other tongues." Now, let's be honest with the Bible, and read what is there rather than READ IN what is not there! False doctrine comes when we READ IN what is not there! Sound doctrine comes when we let the Bible speak for itself. First, tongues is no where described as groanings in our New Testament. Was Peter groaning at Pentecost or at Cornelius' house? NO! Second, “cannot be uttered means” "Unable to be spoken." You know what it is to groan. OHHHHHHHHHH! The Holy Spirit groans in us but it cannot be uttered or spoken by our lips. Third, tongues was a language that you had not studied but were given the gift to speak. Therefore, praying in tongues is praying in articulate speech that would have to be interpreted! What about Jude20, “praying in the Holy Ghost”? Tongues is not mentioned in Jude! Again, this is a classic example of READING INTO THE BIBLE WHAT JUST IS NOT THERE. God was perfectly capable of directing His inspired writers to say "Praying in tongues in the holy Ghost" if that is what He wanted them to say. They did not say it, so do not tell me they did! Praying in the Spirit is praying with a heart submitted and yielded to the Holy Spirit, praying with an attitude, not my will, but thine be done, and then allowing God to put into your heart His desires and then making them your desires. Praying over specific requests is hard work, and requires much spiritual discipline. To just babble and cackle in your prayers does not take any spiritual effort at all! God wants our whole body, soul, and mind and spirit engaged in prayer. That is praying in the Spirit, when the whole of our life is surrendered to the Lord. The Lord forbids vain repetition also. For those of you who pray in tongues, let me ask you, do you just offer vain repetitions? We are to be memorizing the Bible, this takes conscious effort and work. The thing that is frightening about the modern day charismatic movement is they want to put their minds into neutral and just babble their way through life! God wants us to exercise ourselves unto godliness. We are to gird up the loins of our mind. We are to use our mind and not put it in neutral! You do not need to pray in tongues to pray for the unknown, for every tomorrow is unknown! We can pray with our understanding, our mind, our spirit, for tomorrow. Be as specific as possible. Engage your mind and spirit, friend, and ask God to guide, keep, prosper your path in words you can understand! To say that we must pray in tongues to pray for the unknown is ludicrous. Mr. Hagin says, "By praying in tongues, you give thanks perfectly. He quotes again from 1 Corinthians 14:15-17. Paul is simply saying in these verses, when you give thanks, do it in such a way that others can give thanks with you. Paul is correcting the abuses of uninterpreted tongues in 1 Cor.14. If you give thanks in a language that others do not understand, "The other is not edified." In conclusion, uninterpreted tongues do not edify the church. Seek rather to the edifying of the church.