Desire Prophecy: Pursuing what builds the church

 

Pastor Lathrop reminds us that we should pursue the gifts of the Spirit—especially that we might prophesy—in order to build up the church.

 

The subject of spiritual gifts is an on-going controversies in the contemporary church. Sincere, Bible-believing Christians are divided over this very important issue. Some in the church maintain that certain gifts of the Spirit, such as tongues and prophecy, are not for today. Others, mostly those that would call themselves Pentecostals and charismatics, maintain that all of the gifts exists, but in some cases they only emphasize speaking in tongues. Paul, who wrote the most extensively about spiritual gifts in the New Testament, would not endorse either of these views. In 1 Corinthians 14:1-12 the apostle Paul offers some counsel that serves as a corrective to both of these positions. Participants on both sides of the debate would do well to read and heed Paul’s words in this passage. In this text Paul commends the gift of prophecy to the Corinthian believers. In the remainder of this article we will examine the passage giving particular attention to the gift of prophecy in order to learn what Paul thinks are the most important issues concerning spiritual gifts. In considering Paul’s words we will note the character of the gifts of tongues and prophecy and the historical context to which Paul addressed himself in 1 Corinthians.

There is no question that the gift of prophecy existed in the New Testament church. References to prophets and prophecy are found in a number of places in Paul’s writings and in the book of Acts. Gordon Fee says that of all of the spiritual gifts, Paul mentions prophecy in his letters more than any other gift.¹ But what was this gift? Drawing on the biblical record in 1 Corinthians 14, Fee defines prophecy as, “spontaneous, Spirit-inspired, intelligible messages, orally delivered in the gathered assembly, intended for the edification or encouragement of the people.”²

The Corinthian believers were no strangers to spiritual gifts. In 1 Corinthians 1:7 Paul says that they, “do not lack any spiritual gift.” They were charismatic and they knew what prophecy was. This is evident not only from the mention of the gift in chapters twelve and thirteen and the instructions regarding its use in chapter fourteen but also from the instructions that he gives concerning women prophesying in chapter eleven. Since the church seemingly had a wealth of spiritual gifts, why does Paul single prophecy out and give the teaching that we find in 14:1-12?

One possible reason for Paul’s instruction was that the Corinthians’ understanding of the gift of prophecy may have been colored by the pagan exercise of prophecy, most notably at Delphi.³ New Testament scholar Craig S. Keener, however, does not see cultural background as being especially important in reference to this issue.⁴ So, the idea that Paul wrote as he did to counteract pagan ideas regarding prophecy is not entirely certain.

What is more certain is the condition of the Corinthian church. It was a divided church. Examples of division can be seen in the letter in relation to: teachers, wisdom, legal matters, marriage, divorce and idol feasts.⁵ Their divisiveness also carried over into areas of worship, namely communion and spiritual gifts.⁶ The intense individualism of the Corinthian believers is in part due to their culture. First century Roman Corinth was marked by, boasting, self-promotion and the desire for public recognition.⁷ The Corinthians brought these characteristics into their new faith.⁸ The “world” had invaded the church and Paul was seeking to remedy the situation in many areas, including spiritual gifts.

A third explanation for Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 14 is that he was writing to the church about spiritual gifts because they had previously written to him about them.⁹ Let us now turn our attention to a more detailed consideration of Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 14:1-12.

Before focusing on the gift of prophecy we need to note how Paul opens the passage. He begins in verse one by telling the Corinthian believers to, “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts.” Fee tells us that these instructions are imperatives.¹⁰ Thus, they are not mere suggestions, they are orders. Morris tells us that the word, “follow,” means to “pursue with persistence.”¹¹ In chapter thirteen Paul had taught extensively on the subject of love. By beginning chapter fourteen telling them to “follow the way of love,” Paul is indicating that love has application to the subject of spiritual gifts. As someone has said, the gifts of the Spirit should be exercised by the fruit of the Spirit. From what Morris has told us about the word “follow,” this is to be done in an on-going fashion. In view of what follows in chapter fourteen, Paul may have instructed the church to “desire spiritual gifts” so that they did not misunderstand his instructions as a negative view of the gifts. And most certainly, he urges them to desire spiritual gifts because they are good for the church. First Corinthians 12:7 makes it clear that this is the purpose of the gifts. So, Paul’s introductory remarks tell us that the gifts are to be sought and they also tell us the “spirit” in which they are to be exercised.

In the last part of verse one, Paul especially commends the gift of prophecy to his readers. Since the letter is addressed to the church as a whole, Witherington reminds us that any believer could be used in the gift of prophecy.¹² But why this emphasis on prophecy (seemingly over against tongues)? Barrett believes that it is because the Corinthians had an exaggerated view of the importance of tongues.¹³ Morris also shares this view.¹⁴ Paul does compare and contrast the two gifts and he has an obvious preference for prophecy. Fee says that what Paul is taking issue with is not tongues but tongues that are not interpreted.¹⁵ Also in commenting on the passage Fee says that, “The concern is edification (vv, 3-5), the issue intelligibility.”¹⁶ This is a very good assessment of the situation. With this in mind let us now give our attention to what Paul says about the gifts of tongues and prophecy.

The two gifts have a couple of common characteristics in that they are both gifts of the Spirit and verbal gifts, but there are significant differences as well. In verse two, Paul give us some details about the gift of tongues. He tells us that the one who speaks in tongues directs their speech to God, not to men. At least part of the reason for this is that no one understands them because they are speaking mysteries and not the native language of the congregation. By way of contrast in verse three Paul describes the gift of prophecy. One who is prophesying speaks to men (note: the direction of the speech) for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort (note also the contents of the prophetic message). In order for people to receive the benefits of this communication they must be able to understand it. Therefore, prophecy is spoken in the native language of the congregation.

A further contrast between the two gifts is drawn in verse four. This contrast has to do with the benefits that the gifts produce. The person who speaks in tongues edifies (or builds himself up) whereas, the person who prophesies edifies or builds up the church.

In this contrast the issue of edification comes into view. Edification of the church body as a whole only takes place when those gathered understand what is being said. This accounts for Paul’s preference for the gift of prophecy. Prophecy is intelligible. Paul wants more people to be served. If the church continues to give excessive attention to uninterpreted tongues the church will remain individualistic in that each one will be concentrating only on building themselves up. This in the long run will be detrimental to the life of the church and is in fact contrary to the purpose for which God gave spiritual gifts; God gave them for the common good (12:7).

Now this is not to say that tongues is a bad gift. It is a gift that has come from God (12:10) and as such has its place. Later in the chapter Paul himself says that he speaks in tongues (14:18). Lest he be misunderstood in verse five he says that he would like every one of them to speak in tongues. So, Paul is not against speaking in tongues, but he would rather have the Corinthians prophesy when gathered together as a church. The later part of verse five makes it clear that this is because he wants the church (as a whole) to be edified.

In verse five Paul also states, in a qualified sense, the superiority of prophecy over tongues. The qualification can be seen in Paul’s statement that “He who prophesies is greater that one who speaks in tongues unless he interprets (emphasis mine).” Here again, as the later part of the verse makes clear, the issue is intelligibility. This verse has led some commentators to conclude that tongues plus interpretation equals prophecy. C. K. Barrett holds this position.¹⁷ Leon Morris also seems to subscribe to this view claiming that man receives a message from the gift of tongues when it is accompanied by interpretation.¹⁸ I think that this blurs the distinction between the two gifts. I am indebted to charismatic scholar Craig S. Keener for pointing out that tongues is prayer (which would be directed to God).¹⁹ Gordon Fee also holds this view.²⁰ This is not to put down interpreted tongues, we can all benefit from understanding the praise that the one who speaks in tongues offers, it is just to say that interpreted tongues should not be a word from the Lord, on the contrary, it should be a word to the Lord.

In verse six Paul raises the question of what benefit he would be to the Corinthians if he came to them speaking in tongues. He implies that he would be of no value to them unless he brought them something intelligible (revelation, knowledge, prophecy or word of instruction). He then goes on to show the importance of intelligibility. In verses seven and eight He uses two examples involving musical instruments to make his point. The first one involves a flute or harp. Ferguson says that the word should be pipe not flute.²¹ Be that as it may Paul’s point is not lost. If the notes are not clearly sounded no one will recognize the song that is being played. In the same way in a battle situation one will not know what instructions are being given if he can not detect the notes of the trumpet call. In order for any benefit to be received one must understand. That the instrument examples relate to Paul’s argument about spiritual gifts is borne out by verse nine where he says, “So it is with you” and then proceeds to speak about tongues. Paul’s point; they must speak intelligibly in order to benefit each other. In verses ten and eleven Paul acknowledges that there are many languages in the world and that they all have meaning but if their meaning cannot be grasped then the words spoken are of little value to the hearer. In verse twelve Paul again states that the Corinthians should channel their zeal for spiritual gifts toward those gifts that will benefit the church as a whole. Morris states it well, “The great thing for the Christian is that he may be able to edify others.”²² That is the point that Paul is trying to make to the divided Corinthian church.

Paul’s message in this text has great contemporary relevance. To members of the body of Christ who deny or downplay the gifts of the Spirit Paul says desire or seek them. To other believers who have and exercise the gifts Paul would say make sure that you exercise them in the proper spirit, which is love, and for the proper purpose, the edification of the church. There is no room for spiritual pride or showmanship in the church; we are empowered to serve. To those in the Pentecostal or charismatic churches who are in some sense duplicating the Corinthian error of over emphasis on tongues Paul would say that there are other gifts as well that can edify the church and they should be sought because the church needs all of them. Finally, Paul’s words tell us that we have a God who desires to communicate with us and build us up in the faith. He desires to do this, at least in part, by speaking through various members of the body. May we be great seekers of His gifts, good stewards of His grace (1 Peter 4:10) and grateful recipients of his servants for the up building of His church.

 

PR 

 

Notes

¹ Gordon D. Fee, Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 170.

² Gordon D. Fee, God’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit In The Letters Of Paul (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994), 170.

³ Ben Witherington III, Conflict & Community In Corinth: A Social-Rhetorical Commentary on 1 and 2 Corinthians (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans/ Carlisle, Cumbria: Paternoster, 1995), 276-279.

⁴ Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary New Testament (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1993), 480.

⁵ Witherington, 241.

⁶ Ibid, 247, 253.

⁷ Ibid , 8.

⁸ Ibid.

⁹ Bruce W. Winter, After Paul Left Corinth: The Influence of Secular Ethics and Social Change (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001), 1.

¹⁰ Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle To The Corinthians, The New International Commentary On The New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1987), 653.

¹¹ Leon Morris, The First Epistle Of Paul To The Corinthians, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, reprint (Leicester, England: InterVarsity/Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1983), 190.

¹² Witherington, 281.

¹³ C. K. Barrett, The First Epistle To The Corinthians (New York: Harper & Row, 1968; reprint, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1987), 315.

¹⁴ Morris, 190.

¹⁵ Fee, Corinthians, 653

¹⁶ Ibid.

¹⁷ Barrett, 316.

¹⁸ Morris, 192.

¹⁹ Craig S. Keener, 3 Crucial Questions about the Holy Spirit, Three Crucial Questions Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1996), 121.

²⁰ Fee, Corinthians, 659.

²¹ Everett Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, second edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1993), 98.

²² Morris, 194.

 

All Scripture quotations taken from the New International Version copyright 1973,1978, 1984 International Bible Society.