Of all the gifts that were misused in the church at Corinth, it is clear that the gift of tongues was the most misused. We looked at the origin and the purpose of the gifts in chapter 12:4-7 as Paul set them forth. He was seeking to restore a proper order and balance in the use of spiritual gifts. Chapter 13 was something of a digression. In that chapter Paul had sought to point the believers to a more effective life than one spent in the exercising of their gifts. It would be more profitable, he said, to develop the grace of love. When all their gifts had ceased love would continue, 13:8, 13. He returns to his theme in chapter 14, showing that tongues was the lesser gift even though they looked upon it as the chief gift.

Paul had charged the church with carnality. I Cor 3:1-4. They were very much under the control of their baser nature. It was an evidence of this that they placed an emphasis upon tongues which God never intended the gift to have and they used the gift in a fashion contrary to the purpose of God in giving the gift and thus brought disorder to God’s house, verses 33, 40. 

I wish to commence our study of this chapter by answering the question — What was the gift of tongues?

The word in the Greek is glossa {gloce-sah’}. It refers to a language or dialect. Part of the miraculous equipping of the preachers and evangelists of the apostolic church by God included the ability to speak in languages never previously studied or spoken in. The best example of the use of tongues is given us in Acts 24-8. Tongues were languages, the knowledge of which and the ability to speak in was miraculously imparted to those who previously were ignorant of them. This made possible the immediate translating of the gospel into the languages which abounded in Asia, Africa and Europe.

A secondary use of tongues was that of a sign to unbelievers, 22. Thus the use of this gift in the church was contrary to this purpose. We shall concentrate upon the verses 1-25.

I. THE EDIFICATION OF THE CHURCH WAS THE END FOR WHICH SPIRITUAL GIFTS HAD BEEN GIVEN.

1. Gifts should be sought that the church be edified. 12.

2. Tongues as exercised by the Corinthians did not serve this end, 1-5. The speaking in the unknown tongue conveyed nothing to the listeners. It was a mystery, 2. The word is derived from that which means to shut the mouth. The tongues speaker was as useful as a shut mouth as far as the listeners were concerned. What he said was understood by God only, 2.

3. Tongues edified the speaker only.

4. The exercise of any spiritual gift undoubtedly produced a joy and an ecstasy. It was their seeking of this joy irrespective of the misuse of the gift that indicated that the Corinthians were carnal.4. The use of tongues created a profitless, discordant, empty activity. 6-9. Profit —Opheleo {o-fel-eh’-o} =  advantage or usefulness. There was embarrassment and confusion, 16-17. The unlearned who could not understand what was being said was embarrassed and confused.

5. There must be an interpreting of the speaking in tongues. 5, What was said in a foreign language had to be conveyed to the worshippers in their language.