Tongues:

A Biblical View

By Ovid Need, Jr.

Chapter Four
Tongues In the Old & New Testament

 Even though this might appear to be a little misplaced at this point, we need to go ahead and develop the meaning of the word tongues as used by Paul in 1 Corinthians. This will be important for the rest of this study.

Meaning of the word

1 Cor 13:1-3: tongues of men refer to understandable human languages; the tongues of angels may refer to the medium by which angels communicate in heaven. Paul does not say that it is possible or desirable to speak with the tongues of angels; rather, he says that if such a thing were possible, it (nor any other "gift") is not the mark of the Spirit of Christ; genuine love is the mark (ch 13 describes Christian love).

14:1-3. There are three NT words translated tongues in our KJV: heterai, glossai and glossa. Heterai refers to specific dialects, or languages, other than what was known by the speaker, Acts 2:4, 6, 8; 10:46 & 19:6. Glossai, when used in the plural with a singular pronoun, refers to ethnic languages, Mk 16:17; 1 Cor 12:10, 28, 30; 13:1, 8; 14:5, 6, 18, 22. Glossa, when used for "tongue" in the singular, refers to the Corinthian ecstatic utterance which had invaded the church from the pagan worship so prevalent in the city, 1 Cor 14:2, 4, 13, 14, 19, 26, 27 (including all the verses having unknown added by the translators). Moreover, 1 Cor 14:9 refers to the physical tongue of man; 1 Cor 14:23, plural with a plural pronoun, refers to the Corinthian ecstatic utterances. 1

Observe that chapter 14 contains a mixture of the word tongues: vs. 2, 4, 13, 19, 26 & 27, pagan ecstatic utterances; vs. 5, 6, 18 & 22, actual ethnic languages. Therefore, Paul says that he desires that they would indeed be able to supernaturally speak with other ethnic languages as he can, but on the other hand, he is soundly renouncing and rebuking the ecstatic utterances which are actually taking place in this church.

Let's make a quick overview of three main points from chapters 12-14, which will be covered in more detail.

First, notice Paul anchors tongues firmly in the law of Moses by citing tongues OT foundation: time-frame and purpose, 14:21, 22 (we will develop this shortly). Furthermore, Paul refers to Moses' command for women to remain silent in the church assembly and to learn from their husband, 14:34, 35. 2

This command is followed immediately with, If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that these things that Paul writes unto the church are the commandments of God, v. 37.

Second, notice Paul's list of "gifts," 12:8-10 and v. 28; tongues (ethnic languages) is listed last, showing that they were the least desirable of all the gifts, (cf 14:5). Whatever is done in the church is for one purpose only: to edify the church; the individual is to excel in building up the church, 14:12.

Paul is quite clear in 14:4: the Corinthian ecstatic utterance were for self-edification (and connected with the pride which Paul had to deal with in this letter). Paul makes a contrast: prophesying (preaching the whole counsel of God, Jesus Christ in His entirety, Acts 20:27; Rev 19:10) edifies the church; ecstatic utterances edify the individual.

Third, we see that tongues (both ethnic languages & the Corinthian ecstatic utterance) HAD TO BE interpreted for the profit of the entire assembly, vs. 5, 13, 27, 28; thus, if there was no interpretation for what was spoken, neither ethnic languages nor ecstatic utterance was permitted. In addition, Paul clearly and absolutely forbids women from taking any part in the speaking or interpretation of tongues: it is confusion, 14:33-35. What is needed in the church is clear, distinct and easily understood speaking, 14:7-12. Therefore, Paul, without actually telling them to stop the ecstatic utterances, placed severe enough restriction on them that, if they would obey him, they would stop. Notice the connection which we will come back to, 14:8. He connects tongues with the trumpet which sounded the alarm as in the OT, Ezekiel 3 and 33, &c.

In Paul's first letter to Corinth, he is dealing with situations which developed in this church with "the gifts." In Chapter 12:1 Paul starts his address on the subject of spiritual gifts; thus, Chapter 13 cannot be taken out of context from Chapters 12 & 14. These three chapters (12-14) were written to deal with the outside influence of the ecstatic utterances flooding into the church from the pagan temple worship of Aphrodite. We saw that Paul made it clear to the Corinthians that their speech (glossa) had no spiritual significance before the Christian God (1 Cor 14:6-11). Furthermore, in these three chapters, Paul points out the difference between the real tongues and the ecstatic utterance which was taking place. Obviously, what was going on at Corinth was causing problems because Paul, in 12-14, is not exhorting its practice; rather, he lists its restric- tions and regulations.

Paul defines Spiritual

It is important to understand that these three chapters are dealing with a problem: misunderstood spiritually. Paul, in 12:1, spiritual, follows the same line of thought as he did in Gal 6:1; these Corinthians were misunderstanding what it meant to be spiritual. Because of the carry-over of the pagan idea of worship (and thus spirituality), they were associating the pagan ecstatic utterance with spirituality and communion with the Heavenly Father. Notice that the word gifts is added by the translators; therefore, Paul writes the whole passage (chps 12-14) to clear up the misunderstanding associated with spirituality. (True spirituality is defined in chapter 13.)

OT & Tongues

Paul firmly anchored tongues (ethnic languages) in the OT law; therefore, we need to do the same. Tongues, a warning to unbelieving Jews, 14: 21, 22: were a sign. Here, as in all places, our final authority for all that is believed, said and practiced must be the word of God (2 Tim 3:16); Christ Himself commanded us to search the Scriptures (Jn 5:39, 46, 47). Both Paul and Christ were referring to searching the OT Scriptures to confirm any and every doctrine because there were no NT Scriptures when Christ spoke and Paul wrote. The OT, as we presently have it, was safely kept in the Synagogues. The Bereans were commended as being more noble than those in Thessalonica because they searched the OT Scriptures daily to confirm what they were being taught by Paul (Acts 17:11); might we do the same. Any doctrine which cannot be clearly confirmed from the OT is a false doctrine; therefore, we must reach back to the OT, as Paul does here, to find the true purpose of tongues.

Isaiah says that if anyone speaks not according to the law and to the testimony (of the prophets), there is no light in them (Isa 8:20. See also Lk 24:44-48); Therefore, we have no choice but, as Paul does, to go back into the OT to find the reason for the tongues of Acts 2, 10, 19; I Cor 12, 13 and 14. Paul rebukes the Corinthians for not understanding the OT Scriptures in their use of "the gift of tongues" by quoting Isaiah 28:11-12, 1 Cor 14:20-22.

Isaiah & Tongues

Isa 28 takes place in the latter years of Hezekiah, king of Judah, 705-701 B.C. Before his rule (722 B.C.), Assyria invaded Palestine and the Northern kingdom; Ephraim was destroyed. Now, many years later, Isaiah warns the people of the Southern kingdom, Judah, that the same thing will happen to them (cf. Jer 3:7-10). But instead of trusting in the Lord for their deliverance from Assyria, Judah makes a deal with Egypt. Their unity with pagan Egypt brings an influx of heathen practices into the congregation of the Lord, and their hearts turn from Him. In vs. 7, 8, the prophet Isaiah points to the leaders of Judah and tells the world that they are involved in wicked evil practices: a drunken party. The leaders mock Isaiah and his warning concerning their spiritual condition. Not liking to be addressed as irresponsible children, even though they are childish, they call his teaching childishly simple. As far as they are concerned, Isaiah, a fundamental legalist preacher, speaks down to them as one would to a minor, and, considering themselves "free adults," they resent Isaiah . . . they sneer at his warning.

Isaiah, vs. 11-13, deals with them in the very point of their sarcasm (he continues to speak to them as children, using their scorn for God's word against them) as he makes his prophetic announcement of coming judgment, v. 14ff. Since the people will not listen to God as He speaks to them in the plain and simple language which they understand and use daily, He will now speak to them in a language they cannot understand, Assyrian. Now they will need an interpreter to understand the other "tongues," languages, 10:5-6. When they hear the stammering lips and another tongue on the streets of Jerusalem, as well as all through the land (the Assyrian language which they understood not), they will know that God's judgment is upon them according to Isaiah's warning. The another tongue will be a sure sign pointing them directly back to Isaiah's warning of the coming judgment which they had mocked and sneered at.

Moses & Tongues

The warning goes back even farther than Isaiah. We find the basic law which was the foundation for Isaiah's (and Paul's) warning in Deuteronomy 28:15-68 (36, 49). There Moses points out to the con- gregation of the Lord (the seed of Israel) that one of the results of God's people rejecting the Lord as their King will be servitude to a people whose tongue (language) they will not understand. If God's people refuse to serve God as their King, they will serve the heathen, 47-48. Therefore, let us not suppose for a moment that the rebellious Jews that Isaiah and Paul spoke to didn't make this connection of Deut 28:45-68; there is no way they could have missed it, but knowing human nature as we do (we have it), they ignored the facts. "Other tongues" was the result of rejecting God's rule (Authority) over them. This is established in the law of God and will not change.

Deut 28:15-68 was fulfilled at least twice: it was fulfilled when Assyria moved against the Jewish nation in fulfillment of Isaiah's warning. (Note that even though God exalted Assyria as the rod of His anger, an instrument of chastising His people, when Assyria in its pagan pride exalted itself, God destroyed Assyria completely. God's people are still here; Assyria is nothing but dust today. Furthermore, one of the symbols of Assyria was a winged lion. See Deut 28:49.) Moses' prophecy was fulfilled again in 70 A.D. as Rome, under Titus, came against Jerusalem. Both Rome's and Hitler's ensign was an eagle. Deut 28:15-68 has been completely fulfilled (See our extensive study on Mat 21-24). The stammering lips and another tongue was God's judicial sign of judgment upon the Jews because they hardened their hearts against the simple truths which Moses and the prophet Isaiah spoke.

In Isaiah's day, the judgment came in the form of Assyria, and the speaking of the Assyrian language on the streets of Judah pointed to Isaiah's prophecy being fulfilled; they could not understand the language without an interpreter. In Paul's day, the Jews had again degenerated into an apostate nation and had rejected the true prophet, Christ the Messiah, and His warnings. No doubt if He had come as a worldly king or as an elite man of some kind, they might have listened to Him, but He didn't. He came as a humble servant of God; He came with a simple and plain message which the common man could readily understand, identify with and accept, and the elite rejected and killed Him. Christ warned of the horrible judgment which would come as the result of their rejection of the Son, Matthew 21-24. In fact, He said that the former judgments would be nothing compared to the one which was coming, 24:21, 22; Assyria, as terrible as it was, would pale compared to the punishment in store for Christ's crucifixion.

Signs & Tongues

After the crucifixion of the Son of God and before the final destruction of the Jewish nation, the sign of tongues re-appears. To the Jews who knew the law (Deut 28) and the prophets (Isa 28), this meant only one thing, judgment. Other tongues (ethnic languages) were not new to them; it happened in the past. (Remember, if it is new, it's not true; if it is true, it's not new.) In the middle of Paul's significant warning concerning the proper use of tongues (chp. 14), we have his reference to Isaiah, 14:21. Paul clearly identifies tongues in the same context as did Isaiah: a sure sign of judgment for rejecting the warning of God and the Roman language would be spoken on the streets of Jerusalem; they could not understand the language without an interpreter.

Observe the similarities of circumstances.

Something which is quite amazing here is the context in which Paul quotes Isaiah's warning and the resistance (even anger) put forward by the Jewish leaders against Isaiah, accusing him of treating them like children (let me strongly urge you to read Isaiah 28 because it is basic, or Paul would not have used it here). Both Isaiah and Paul are dealing with immature people who claimed to be the God's people; they were children whose pride and rebellion caused them to harden against being treated and spoken to as children.

Children

Our Lord said, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven(Mk 10:15). It is not hard at all to follow this thought as the gospel of the kingdom goes out from the very first day that Christ taught it to the last days of Paul as he taught it (Mat 3:2; Acts 28:31). The idea of becoming as a child would have struck at the very heart of the rebellious nation as once again these religious leaders get hostile at the thought of being treated like children. In fact, having to put on the spirit of a child is enough to make any "natural man" hostile. But not only is this required in order to enter into the kingdom, but it is required to advance in His kingdom. Stephen told the religious leaders (as did every other preacher of the gospel, including Christ) that they were the same pious, rebellious, stiff-necked, proud, hardhearted, hypocritical men as were their fathers who mocked and sneered at Isaiah's instruction. This did not win friends and influence people for Stephen any more than it did for Christ (Acts 7:51-60).

Let's move to the middle of Paul's instruction in chp. 14, v. 20, where he warns them against childishness. Paul's warning fits in with the situation in which Isaiah spoke (1 Cor 14:21-Isa 28:11). Isaiah was rejected by the Jewish leaders because he was treating them like children; Paul here tells the folks at Corinth, "Don't continue in your childish attitudes as your fathers did in Isaiah's time. Grow up! Remember, the reason for other tongues is to speak to a rebellious, stubborn, stiff-necked people who will not hear me, saith the Lord. When your fathers rejected the clear plain message of repentance toward God, then they had to listen to other tongues: an ethnic and unintelligible language of a foreign invader. Your fathers needed an interpreter to understand what was being said." Paul's thought continues, "The another tongues had nothing to do with salvation or with being spiritual; rather, it is a sign of judgment which is either already here or is coming."

Also, notice Paul's indictment against this church for being childish, 1 Cor 13:11; 14:20. The Supernatural ability to speak an unknown (to the speaker) foreign language was being used with pride as a child would be lifted up with pride over abilities which he had and considered superior to another's abilities. Paul points out that childishness is only commendable in the matter of malice, not in understanding, and tells them to grow up. Again, the connection is significant as he moves from this exhortation into the quote from Isaiah. The context of both Paul and Isaiah has to do with childishness and maturity. (Note that the Romans, as they moved in judgment against this rebellious nation, camped at the place which was called, "The Camp of Assyrians." Furthermore, neither the Jews nor the Romans could understand each other; therefore, both needed an interpreter to understand the other. Josephus acted as an interpreter (Book V, chp. VII, sec. 2; chp. ix, sec. 2).

Paul's 13 guidelines

Now let's examine some points made by Paul as he tries to instruct this worldly, immature and childish church concerning the proper use of tongues; keep in mind that the ecstatic utterances from the pagan worship had infiltrated this church and was being mistaken for something Godly and spiritual. We have already noted Paul's distinction between their ecstatic speech and true spiritually. We will not cover the whole chapter (1 Cor 14) but will mention thirteen guidelines which Paul establishes for the proper use of tongues.

1) Let us be reminded other tongues as used in ch 14 would be the power given by the Holy Spirit to speak in a foreign language which would not be known to the speaker. This fact will be obvious as we go through this passage. Let's refer back to either the situation with the Assyrians or with the Romans; the context of ch 14 would be something like this: the people did not understand the Roman speech, it was unknown; a person who does not know the Roman speech is given the power (by God) to speak in the Roman language; those around him do not understand the Roman language either, so he needs an interpreter to translate the Roman language into the Jew's language so those around him can understand what he is saying. Paul says it's crazy to speak in the Roman language which requires an interpreter when you could speak in the Jews language and be a blessing to all, 1 Cor 14:1-6.

Then Paul mentions the gift of interpretation, 12:10: the supernatural power of understanding a foreign tongue without ever having studied or learned it. Paul shows us here in this assembled Corinthian church one speaking in tongues, a literal language unknown to either the speaker or the assembly. Present in this assembly is a Jew whose native language is something other than the common language of the assembly (maybe Italian). In order for the assembly to understand what the speaker is saying (he is speaking in Italian), there had to be an interpreter present who could interpret what was being said in the visiting Jew's language for the rest of the people present.

Tongues in both cases, Assyria and Rome, would have been a foreign language for which the assembly would need an interpreter to understand, Deut 28:49; Isa 28:11 (Confirmed by all of Acts, esp chp. 2). Anything other than this scenario would have to be the ecstatic speech carried over from paganism which Paul is writing against. He tells these immature Christians to quit seeking these childish things and grow up. "Sure it makes one feel good to be able to supernaturally speak in a foreign language not understood by others, but what good is it to speak in mysteries which only God can understand? It's so much better to speak in the common language of those present." Paul tells the Corinthians what he thinks of ecstatic utterances by saying that he would rather speak five words in easily understood language than ten thousand words ecstatically which cannot be understood by the hearers, 1 Cor 14:19.

[I find it amusing that those who claim the supernatural gift of being able to speak foreign languages which they have never learned have to have someone to interpret or translate for them when they go to a foreign country to preach. How can they claim the supernatural gift of tongues is from God if they can't even preach the gospel in the native tongue?]

2) Paul's second restriction: prophecy, not tongues, was to be desired, 14:1-5. The desirable thing is the ability to explain the principles of God's word and how to apply them to life; this will build the church. Everything done within the church is to be for the benefit of the body of believers; the purpose of the public assembly is to admonish one another, to build up and strengthen one another, and to be an encouragement and help, Heb 10:25. When we consider the true purpose of tongues (warning of judgment upon the rebellious Jewish nation), we can see how tongues would not "edify" a church. They would edify an individual and lead to vast amounts of pride: "I'm special because God is using me to speak to that person about judgment to come." (Yes, I see 14:5, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. We'll see more of this as we go on. Ed.) 3) Tongues were not spontaneous, 14:2, 28, 32, &c. There were several conditions which HAD to be met. 4) 14:8 is an interesting comparison; speech is compared to a trumpet which sounds an alarm (Num 10:5; Jer 4:19; Jer 6:17; Jer 42:14). Paul calls tongues an uncertain trumpet, alarm for battle. In fact, anything not easily understood would leave the people unprepared for battle. 5) tongues were for a sign... to them which believe not. When the unbelieving Jew heard the tongues (supernatural speaking in a foreign language which was his native tongue), the tongues would speak to him of the coming judgment against his hardness and rebellion because he would know both Moses and Isaiah, v. 22. 6) But to the unlearned (those not knowing the law of Moses) and to the unbelieving Gentile (who also would not know the law), tongues would be madness, v. 23. 7) It would be the preaching of the gospel of Christ and of eternal judgment to come which would cause the visitor to believe, v. 24. It is the proclamation of the gospel which reveals the heart (v.24), causing conviction and conversion, v. 25 (Heb 4:12, 13).

As we look through Acts, we see that in every instance of tongues there were unbelieving Jews present: unbelieving in the sense of not believing the gospel (Acts 2), unbelieving in the Holy Spirit (we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost, Acts 19:2), or unbelieving that the gospel should go to the Gentiles (Acts 10).

The purpose of Paul's instruction in I Cor chps 12-14 is to clear up the misunderstanding of what is spiritual. The Corinthians were under the delusion that the ecstatic utterances from pagan worship were a sign of being in close fellowship with the Holy God of heaven and earth. First, Paul said the supernatural ability to speak in an unlearned and unknown foreign language was the least important of all the gifts. Why do we need to speak in a foreign tongue when our message can be so much more effective in the common language? Paul's second guideline was to only use that which will edify the complete body of believers within the church; the ability to speak in a foreign tongue edified only the speaker. Third, tongues (ethnic languages) must be interpreted by the MAN who speaks them because a message in a foreign language which cannot be understood by the hearers is useless. It would be crazy to use a supernatural ability to speak in another language that the hearers cannot comprehend, 14:5. Fourth, the ability to speak in an unknown foreign language was to warn the hardened unbelieving Jews that judgment was on its way, that soon he would witness on the streets of his own hometown an invading army whose language for which he would need an interpreter. This was backed up by the law and the prophets. Judgment was coming upon the Jewish nation for rejecting the plain, clear, child-like message of God (The Messiah) which had been in their own language and easily understood. Obviously then, there had to be an unbelieving Jew present for tongues to be of God.

Continuing with Paul's instructions: 8) Speaking in a foreign language could not be uncontrolled; it had to be planned, orderly and always subject to the speaker, vs. 32-34, 40. 9) At the most, there could only be three speakers, and then only one at a time, vs. 2, 27. 10) Furthermore, there had to be a person present who could translate what was said into the common language of the assembly, 14:28. If there was no one who could translate (explain) what was said, then either the speaker had to do it (v. 5), or he had to keep quiet. 11) As already mentioned, there had to be an unbelieving Jew present because when the speaker spoke in the foreign language of that Jew's birth, that unbelieving Jew would understand and know from the law and the prophets about the judgment to come against his unbelief, v. 22. As the speaker spoke in the unbelieving Jew's language, for the rest of the church to understand, either an interpreter or the speaker himself must explain what was said.

12) Probably one of the more important restrictions which Paul places on the use of tongues is found in vs. 34, 35: tongues were, without exception, absolutely forbidden to women in the churches. The purpose of tongues was to "preach" to the unbelieving (yet knowledgeable of Moses) Jews, and he would know that women were forbidden to take any speaking or leadership authority in the church; they were required to be under subjection to their own husbands in their homes (Eph 5:22-24; 1 Tim 2:11-12). The situation at the city of Corinth makes this a very important point: Corinth was famous for its immorality with its temple prostitutes (one thousand were kept in the temple). One of the signs that these prostitutes (priestesses) were in close communion with their gods was their ecstatic utterances during the temple rituals of sexual orgies. Notice the firmness of Paul's statement, for it is a shame for women to speak in church, v. 35; the reference would be to either preaching or usurping authority over the men of the church (of course, preaching is the exercise of authority based upon God's word). The ability to speak in the foreign language of that unbelieving Jew's birth was a sign to him, but to that unbelieving Jew, a woman was little better than a slave. (Only Christianity elevated women to the status of respect and honor - 1 Pet 3:7). Under no circumstances would a Jew in Paul's day have listened to a woman speak from any position in a church; for a woman to speak would completely destroy the purpose of tongues. (The Jewish man thanked God for three things every day: that he wasn't a publican; that he wasn't a Gentile and that he wasn't a woman.)

13) Tongues were not to be forbidden, 14:39. In Paul's day, before the judgment against Jerusalem of which they spoke, tongues were needed, and to forbid them would be to forbid the Spirit of God from expressing His message through His chosen vessel. Judgment was at the door; Jerusalem was on the very threshold of being completely overturned, heaped up in a pile, burned and, as Josephus says, the foundations plowed with a yoke of oxen. The Jewish race was on the verge of extinction, so God continued to send warnings to them right up to the day Jerusalem was sealed by Rome with millions inside.

Pray

In addition, notice these two points about v. 14: first, pray in this verse does not mean "addressed to God" as in Mt:21:22, &c.; rather, it means "to offer prayers, to pray, (everywhere of prayers to the gods, or to God)" as in Mt 6:5 where the Pharisees depended on their loud, long public prayers to be heard by the Lord (cf Mr 12:40). The word pray (1 Cor 14:14) can refer to either empty words spoken into the air or meaningful words; it is used twice in Mt 6:5, once for proper and once for improper prayer (See The New Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon, pg. 545). Therefore, claiming that pray (ecstatic utterance) in v. 14 is words spoken to the Father stretches the context beyond Scriptural recognition. Scripture is clear: there is no dirrect approach to the Father through words or any other means. All who come to the Father must come through Christ, John 14:6, 13 &c. Therefore, the only prayer which the Father hears is through Christ. Second, my spirit, not the Holy Spirit; In other words, "My spirit can, by some circumstance, be moved to an utterance." As we saw in the introduction, the charismatic movement's leaders know how to use emotions to produce their desired effect: ecstatic utterances. (Note Paul's final remark on this subject, vs. 37, 38.)

The best thing is to testify of Christ; preach the gospel; apply His principles of life to the whole of life, and don't forbid tongues AS LONG AS THEY MEET THE CONDITIONS laid down by Paul to prevent their misuse, chps. 12-14. Of course, those conditions cannot be met today, but if tongues would be "active" today, they no doubt would be something like 14:18: Paul, as he traveled around into the many foreign lands, undoubtedly did not know all of the languages of those nations, so God gave him the ability to sound the alarm for battle for God by preaching in languages he did not know.

Ecstatic utterances were a carry-over from the pagan temple worship. Biblical tongues was the supernatural ability to speak an unknown foreign language. As that message was delivered in the assembled church, it would speak to the heart of the unbelieving Jewish hearer; the result would be the repentance of sin and turning to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul said, "You are proud of your spirituality, but let me show you what true spirituality really is." Then he moves into chp. 13: true spirituality is humility and love for one another shown by actions, not by any "supernatural ability" one might think he has (Read all of I Jn). Love is shown by rejoicing over someone's salvation, by encouraging others when the person takes a stand for Christ, by unity among the body of Christ, by a willingness to do for one another, and by a genuine family spirit among the body of believers, 12:12-31; 13:1-13.

The pagan's definition of close spiritual contact with their gods (ecstatic utterances) had crept into the church at Corinth, and the church claimed spirituality and love for God because they could imitate the pagans. Paul points out that what they had was not true spirituality, ch 13.

What will we go out of our way to do for our family? How much will we overlook in a physical brother, sister or child... a brother or sister in Christ? What kind of spirit do we exhibit? Do we show as much love, concern and patience for fellow Christians as we do for our family? Do we show family unity in our actions and attitude one toward another or disunity, envy, jealousy and schisms? Everyone can see our spiritual condition, and it is not by what our mouth claims as spirituality.

Footnotes

1. See The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, by Spiros Zodhiates, pg. 1404, 5. Back

2. A result of the fall is that the husband is commanded to instruct his wife, Gen 3:16; Eph 5:22; 1 Pet 3:1. Thus, for the woman to instruct the man in the church is a direct effort to overthrow the word of God. Back

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