The Divine Choreography: Liberty is Not Anarchy Text: 1 Corinthians 14:26-33
Introduction: Two Ditches on the Worship Road
When it comes to the public worship of God, the modern church has a remarkable talent for finding one of two ditches. On one side of the road, you have the ditch of dead formalism. The liturgy is fixed, the hymns are ancient, the prayers are read, and the whole affair has all the spiritual vibrancy of a museum tour. The Spirit, if He is present, is certainly not invited to mess with the bulletin. On the other side of the road, you have the ditch of chaotic enthusiasm. Here, the guiding principle is raw, unfiltered expression. The music is a concert, the prayers are a cacophony, and success is measured by the emotional pitch of the room. The Spirit, it is assumed, is the author of all this commotion.
The Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthian church, would tell us that both ditches are a departure from the road. The Corinthians were not in the ditch of dead formalism. They were a spiritually gifted people, and they knew it. Their problem was that they were swerving wildly into the ditch of chaos. Their worship services were a competitive display of spiritual gifts, a sort of charismatic free for all. They had zeal, they had gifts, but they lacked maturity, order, and most importantly, love. They were more interested in their own spiritual experiences than in the edification of their brothers and sisters.
So Paul does not tell them to stop exercising their gifts. He does not quench the Spirit. Rather, he gives them God's traffic laws for public worship. He provides the divine choreography. He teaches them that true, Spirit-filled worship is not chaotic, but orderly. It is not a confusing mess, but a beautiful, coherent, and peaceful assembly. This is because the Holy Spirit is not a spirit of anarchy. He is the Spirit of the God who created the cosmos, not the chaos. Therefore, the worship He inspires will reflect the character of the God who is being worshiped.
The Text
What is the outcome then, brothers? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has a translation. Let all things be done for edification. If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must translate; but if there is no translator, he must keep silent in the church, and let him speak to himself and to God. And let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment. But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted. And the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
(1 Corinthians 14:26-33 LSB)
The Prime Directive: Edification (v. 26)
Paul begins by summarizing the problem and stating the overarching principle that must govern everything that follows.
"What is the outcome then, brothers? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has a translation. Let all things be done for edification." (1 Corinthians 14:26)
The Corinthian service was clearly participatory. It was not a passive spectator event. When they came together, people came prepared to contribute. This, in itself, is not a bad thing. But it was a jumble. "Each one has" suggests that everyone was trying to get their contribution in at the same time. It was a spiritual potluck where everyone was trying to talk with their mouth full.
Paul's solution is not to ban the potluck, but to establish some table manners. He lays down the prime directive, the fundamental law of public worship: "Let all things be done for edification." To edify means to build up. The central question for anything that happens in a worship service, from the songs we sing to the words that are spoken, must be this: Does this build up the body of Christ? Does it strengthen the faith of my brother? Does it instruct the mind and encourage the heart of my sister?
This immediately demolishes all individualistic, experience-driven worship. The assembly of the saints is not primarily for my personal self-expression or for me to have a private, mystical experience with God. It is a corporate gathering for the mutual strengthening of the whole body. My gifts are not for me; they are for you. Your gifts are not for you; they are for me. Love for the brethren must be the traffic cop that directs the exercise of every spiritual gift.
Traffic Laws for Tongues (vv. 27-28)
Having established the principle, Paul now applies it to the most problematic gift in Corinth: speaking in tongues.
"If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must translate; but if there is no translator, he must keep silent in the church, and let him speak to himself and to God." (1 Corinthians 14:27-28 LSB)
The regulations are crystal clear and restrictive. First, there is a limit on the number of speakers: two, or at the most, three. This is not an open mic night. Second, they must speak "each in turn." No speaking over one another. This requires self-control and deference. Third, and this is the non-negotiable part, "one must translate." If a tongue is a real, human language as it was at Pentecost, someone who knows that language must be present to interpret. If it is a private prayer language, someone with the gift of interpretation must be present to render it intelligible.
Why? Because without interpretation, there is no edification. An uninterpreted tongue is just noise to the congregation (1 Cor. 14:9). It does not build anyone up. It is a useless gift in the public assembly. Paul is so insistent on this point that he gives a direct command: "but if there is no translator, he must keep silent in the church." This is a bucket of ice water thrown on the face of most modern charismatic practice. The man who feels the urge to speak in a tongue is commanded by the apostle to first check if an interpreter is present. If not, he is to zip it. He can speak quietly "to himself and to God," but not out loud to the church. This is about order, clarity, and love for the saints.
Peer Review for Prophets (vv. 29-31)
Next, Paul turns to the gift he values most highly for the church: prophecy. But even this superior gift is not without regulation.
"And let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment. But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted." (1 Corinthians 14:29-31 LSB)
The rules are similar to those for tongues, but with a crucial difference. Like tongues, the number of speakers is limited to two or three. Like tongues, they must speak in turn. The rule about yielding the floor, "the first one must keep silent," demonstrates a humble and orderly spirit, not a clamoring for the spotlight. The goal is the same: "so that all may learn and all may be exhorted."
But notice the key difference. With tongues, the necessary counterpart was interpretation. With prophecy, the necessary counterpart is judgment. "Let the others pass judgment." The "others" likely refers to the other prophets or perhaps the elders of the church. This tells us something vital about New Testament prophecy. It is not infallible. It is not on the same level as Scripture. It is a message from God through a fallible human being, and therefore it must be weighed, tested, and evaluated against the plumb line of apostolic doctrine, which we now have in the completed canon of Scripture. This single phrase demolishes the cult of personality that grows up around self-proclaimed prophets whose words are treated as if they came directly from stone tablets. In a healthy church, prophecy is subject to peer review.
The Spirit is Not a Seizure (v. 32)
Paul then states a foundational principle that undergirds all these regulations and directly confronts the Corinthian mindset.
"And the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets;" (1 Corinthians 14:32 LSB)
This is one of the most important verses in the chapter. The Corinthians likely excused their chaotic behavior by claiming they were "overcome by the Spirit." They acted as though the Holy Spirit hijacked their bodies and forced them to speak. This is the essence of pagan ecstatic religion, from the oracle at Delphi to modern voodoo. Paul says, "Nonsense."
The spirit of the prophet, meaning the spiritual gift of prophecy and the prophet's own human spirit under the influence of the Holy Spirit, is subject to the prophet's control. The Holy Spirit does not cause Christians to lose their minds. He does not induce a frenzy. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23), not its casualty. The person with a prophetic word can control when he speaks, how he speaks, and whether he speaks at all. He can wait his turn. He can be silent if another is speaking. He can submit his word for evaluation. Any claim to a spiritual experience that involves a loss of self-control is not from the Holy Spirit of Scripture. He is a gentleman; He does not barge in and make a scene.
The Character of Our God (v. 33)
Finally, Paul anchors all this practical instruction in the very nature and character of God Himself.
"for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints." (1 Corinthians 14:33 LSB)
This is the theological bedrock. Why must our worship be orderly? Because our God is orderly. Why must it be peaceful? Because our God is a God of peace. A worship service that is chaotic, confusing, and disorderly is a public misrepresentation of the God we claim to serve. It bears false witness against His character. He is the God who brought the ordered cosmos out of the tohu wa-bohu, and He desires that same beautiful order to be reflected in the assembly of His people.
And lest the Corinthians think they are a special case, a unique outpost of spiritual freedom, Paul adds the universalizing phrase, "as in all the churches of the saints." This is not a cultural suggestion for first-century Corinth. This is the apostolic standard for all churches, in all places, at all times. The principles of edification, order, and peace are not optional extras for the church's worship; they are a direct reflection of the character of the Triune God.
Conclusion: Freedom Within Form
We must recover this Pauline vision for worship. We must reject the false choice between dead, rigid formalism and chaotic, subjective enthusiasm. The biblical pattern is one of freedom within form. The river of the Spirit's power flows most effectively between the banks of biblical order.
Our worship should be vibrant, participatory, and filled with spiritual life. We should desire that God's people come with psalms, teachings, and exhortations. But all of it must be governed by love for the brethren and a desire for their edification. All of it must be done decently and in order, reflecting the beautiful, peaceful, and coherent character of the God we have the privilege to worship.
True liberty is not anarchy. True spirituality is not chaos. The Holy Spirit is the author of Scripture and the creator of the cosmos. When He gathers His people, He does so to build them up in a coherent and orderly way, for the glory of the Father and the honor of the Son. Let our worship, therefore, be a true reflection of our God, who is not a God of confusion, but of peace.