The Gift of Tongues: Its Meaning and Purpose
What was it and why was it given? 1 Corinthians 14:1-25
What was it and why was it given? 1 Corinthians 14:1-25
The immaturity of the Corinthians extended into the spiritual gifts, and Paul spends three chapters (12-14) trying to get them to correct their overemphasis on a narrow and soon-to-be obsolete gift. He reminds them that the gift of tongues was a sign to the nation Israel that they would soon be under God’s judgment and that the Good News was now going out to the nations. The way to understand this gift is to anchor it to the three times it is mentioned in the book of Acts (2, 10, 19) beginning with Pentecost. There, Jews from many nations heard the love of God in their national languages rather than Hebrew, a true reversal of Babel’s curse. The idea that tongues are “ecstatic utterances” rather than languages is based upon assumptions we make about the text, not the simple reading of the text and comparing scripture with scripture. Paul is not praising this minor gift, but explaining its origin and purpose and curbing its abuse.