Commentary - 1 Corinthians 14:20-25

Bird's-eye view

In this crucial section of his argument, the Apostle Paul pivots from correcting the Corinthians' selfish use of spiritual gifts to providing the central theological rationale for why prophecy is superior to tongues in the corporate worship of the church. He appeals to the Old Testament, to common sense, and to missional effectiveness. The core of his argument is that the Corinthians were being childishly enamored with the spectacular, failing to grasp the mature purpose of what God was doing. Paul reveals that tongues, far from being a private prayer language for the edified believer, were a specific, historical, covenantal sign of judgment directed at unbelieving Israel. Prophecy, on the other hand, being intelligible and clear, is God's designated means for building up the saints and convicting the lost. The entire passage is a call to theological maturity, urging the church to value what God values: clarity over confusion, edification over exhibition, and the conviction of sinners over the chasing of signs.

Paul masterfully contrasts the effects of these two gifts on an outsider entering the assembly. A room full of people speaking in uninterpreted tongues would appear to be a madhouse, confirming the unbeliever in his unbelief and thus executing a form of judgment. But a room where God's truth is being proclaimed intelligibly through prophecy has the power to pierce the sinner's heart, expose his secrets, and bring him to his knees in repentance and worship. This, Paul argues, should be the desire of any spiritually mature church. The goal of the assembly is not to create a spectacle that hardens the outsider, but to be a place where God is manifestly present through the clear preaching of His Word.

Outline

Context In 1 Corinthians

This passage is the theological hinge of chapters 12-14, Paul's extended treatment of spiritual gifts. Having established in chapter 12 that all gifts come from one Spirit for the common good and are distributed throughout the one body, and having extolled the supreme virtue of love as the "more excellent way" in chapter 13, Paul now applies these principles directly to the chaos in Corinthian worship. The Corinthians were elevating the gift of tongues above all others, likely due to its ecstatic and showy nature. Paul's task in chapter 14 is to restore right order by demonstrating the superiority of prophecy for the gathered church. Verses 20-25 are the central pillar of this argument. He is not just giving practical advice; he is grounding his instruction in Old Testament prophecy and redemptive history. This section explains why uninterpreted tongues are out of place in the assembly and why intelligible speech is paramount. It provides the theological foundation for the practical regulations that follow in the rest of the chapter.

Key Issues

The Sign of Judgment

To understand this passage, we have to let the Old Testament inform the New. Paul is not pulling his argument out of thin air; he is engaging in careful biblical theology. When he quotes Isaiah, he is unlocking the whole purpose of the gift of tongues. In Isaiah's day, the northern kingdom of Israel had refused to listen to God's prophets who spoke to them plainly in their own language, Hebrew. They mocked Isaiah's simple, clear teaching. As a result, God promised to speak to them next through the "strange tongues" and "lips of strangers", that is, through the harsh, guttural language of their Assyrian conquerors. The sound of a foreign language in their streets would be a sign of God's covenant lawsuit coming to its climax in judgment.

Paul applies this directly to the situation in his day. The gift of tongues at Pentecost and in the early church was the speaking of real, human languages previously unlearned by the speaker. For the devout Jews from foreign lands, hearing the gospel in their own tongue was a sign of God's grace. But for the unbelieving leadership in Jerusalem, the sound of all these foreign languages was the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. It was a sign that God was turning from them, who had rejected His Son, and was creating a new, international people for Himself. It was a sign of pending military judgment, a judgment that would fall within a generation with the arrival of the Roman armies in A.D. 70. Tongues were a sign for unbelieving, first-century Jews that their house was being left to them desolate. The Corinthians, in their childish excitement, were taking a sign of judgment and trying to make it a centerpiece of edification, which it was never intended to be.

Verse by Verse Commentary

20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking; rather in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.

Paul begins with a pastoral but firm exhortation. The Corinthians' fascination with tongues was a mark of spiritual immaturity. They were like children captivated by a shiny, noisy toy, without understanding its function or purpose. He is calling them to grow up. When it comes to malice and evil, he says, by all means, be like babies, innocent, naive, and harmless. But when it comes to theological understanding, it is time to be adults. Mature thinking is required to discern the proper use of God's gifts. This sets the stage for the serious theological argument he is about to make. He is essentially saying, "Put on your thinking caps, because I am about to explain something foundational."

21 In the Law it is written, “BY MEN OF STRANGE TONGUES AND BY THE LIPS OF STRANGERS I WILL SPEAK TO THIS PEOPLE, AND EVEN SO THEY WILL NOT LISTEN TO ME,” says the Lord.

Here is the linchpin of the entire chapter. Paul quotes from Isaiah 28:11-12, referring to the Old Testament broadly as "the Law." As noted above, this prophecy was a curse. Because Israel refused to listen to God's clear word spoken in Hebrew, He would speak to them in the foreign tongues of their invaders. It was a word of judgment. And notice the conclusion of the quote: "even so they will not listen to Me." The purpose of this sign was not to convert them, but to confirm them in their rebellion and seal their judgment. By quoting this, Paul is defining the primary, redemptive-historical purpose of the New Testament gift of tongues. It was a judicial sign aimed at "this people", unbelieving Israel.

22 So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign not for unbelievers but to those who believe.

Paul now draws the direct theological conclusion from the Isaiah passage. The word "wherefore" or "so then" connects this verse directly to the previous one. Tongues are a sign, but what kind of sign and for whom? They are a negative, judicial sign for unbelievers, specifically, the unbelieving Jews of that transitional, apostolic generation. Prophecy, on the other hand, which is the clear, intelligible declaration of God's mind, serves as a sign for believers. It is how they are built up, encouraged, and consoled. It confirms to them that God is present and speaking to His people. The contrast is stark: tongues are a sign that pushes unbelievers away in judgment, while prophecy is a sign that draws believers together in edification.

23 Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and uninformed men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your mind?

Having laid the theological foundation, Paul now applies it with a common-sense illustration. Imagine an outsider, an "uninformed" person or an "unbeliever", wandering into a Corinthian church service. If everyone is speaking in languages he cannot understand, what will his conclusion be? He will not be edified; he will think they are all insane. The very gift that was meant to be a sign of judgment on the obstinate would simply appear as madness to a Gentile visitor. In this scenario, the church is not being missional; it is being a stumbling block. They are creating a spectacle that repels, rather than a word that convicts. This is a misuse of the gift that turns a sign of judgment into an occasion for mockery.

24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all;

Now Paul paints the contrasting picture. What happens if that same unbeliever walks into a service where everyone is prophesying? And by prophesying, Paul means not just predicting the future, but proclaiming the Word of God with clarity and power. As the Word is preached, the unbeliever is "convicted" and "called to account." The Spirit of God takes the intelligible words of Scripture and uses them like a sword to pierce the man's conscience. The message is not a confusing babble but a targeted address to his soul. He is being judged, not by a confusing sign, but by the clear truth.

25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that SURELY GOD IS AMONG YOU.

The work of the preached Word is completed. The Spirit exposes the man to himself; the "secrets of his heart," his hidden sins and motivations, are laid bare. This is the power of true preaching. It is not generic religious talk; it is a divine encounter. The result is not a charge of madness, but a posture of worship. The man falls on his face, humbled and broken, and makes the great confession: "God is really among you." This is the goal of a rightly ordered worship service. It is to be a place where the presence of God is so manifest through the clear proclamation of His truth that even an unbeliever cannot help but acknowledge it. Edification of the saints and the conversion of the lost happen through the plain, powerful, prophetic Word, not through ecstatic displays.

Application

The apostle's argument here is a sharp rebuke to much of what passes for "Spirit-filled" worship in the modern church. The principle Paul establishes is that Christian worship must be characterized by sober-mindedness, clarity, and intelligibility. God is not the author of confusion. Our worship services are not meant to be showcases for our spiritual experiences, but rather solemn assemblies where the Word of God is clearly proclaimed and applied.

We are called to be mature in our thinking. This means we must value substance over style, and truth over trendiness. We should be wary of any practice that creates confusion or makes the gospel inaccessible to a watching world. The central event of our worship should be the preaching of the Word, because it is through the foolishness of preaching that God is pleased to save those who believe. When the Word is faithfully expounded, the secrets of hearts are still disclosed. When Christ is lifted up in the sermon, sinners are still convicted and brought to their knees.

The ultimate test of our worship is not how it makes us feel, but whether it makes the presence of God known. Does an unbeliever walking into our midst conclude that we are mad, or does he conclude that God is truly among us? The answer to that question depends entirely on whether we have prioritized our own experiences or the clear, powerful, life-changing proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.