PURPOSE OF SPEAKING IN TONGUES
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will
pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the
Spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit (I Cor.
14:15-16).
The purpose of the gift of tongues, an utterance in tongues spoken to God,
is to pray in the Spirit or to sing (psallo) in the Spirit. Paul's concept of blessing
with the Spirit combines praying and singing in the Spirit. As the body of Christ
comes together, the Spirit may gather up the needs of the church as if it were one
individual and through a prayer in tongues present those needs to God. The Spirit
prays a collective prayer for the body through an individual who prays in tongues.
When the utterance is interpreted, the body is edified because the church under-
stands what the concerns of the Spirit were in presenting the needs of the church
to God.
In like manner, when the body meets, the Spirit may gather up the praise
and thanksgiving of the church, express it in a song (psalm) and speak that psalm
to God. When the utterance is interpreted, the body is edified because it under-
stands the expression of praise that the Spirit spoke to the Father. The phrase "I
will sing (psallo) in the Spirit" may be translated "I will psalm in the Spirit";
therefore, the Spirit is giving the church a psalm comparable to the psalms found
in the Book of Psalms to express the emotional and spiritual concerns of the
church.
PURPOSES OF THE GIFT OF PROPHECY
But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edifi-
cation, and exhortation, and comfort
(I Cor. 14:3).
When I speak of prophecy in this context, I am speaking of the simple gift of
prophecy, the spiritual manifestation of prophecy and not the message of the
prophet. Paul makes a distinction between the gift of prophecy (ye may all
prophesy one by one [I Cor. 14:31]) and the prophetic revelation given by a
prophet (Eph. 4:11). The purposes of the gift of prophecy are edification, exhorta-
tion, and comfort.
One of the purposes of the gift of prophecy is edification, to promote the
spiritual growth and development of the hearers. He that speaks in tongues to
God edifies himself. He that prophesies to men edifies men, building them up.
Philip the evangelist had four daughters who prophesied (Acts 21:9). They
prophesied under the anointing of the Spirit to build up the church, to promote
spiritual growth, and to promote the development of the hearer. To build up the
saints at Corinth the Apostle Paul wrote,
And God is able to make all grace abound toward
you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all
things, may abound to every good work
(II Cor. 9:8).
Another purpose of the gift of prophecy is exhortation. The word for
exhortation, paraklesis, is also translated comforter. It means to admonish
another, or urge another person in a future course of conduct. The one who
prophesies exhorts someone to do something. For instance, Paul exhorts us to:
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every-
thing give thanks. Quench not the spirit. Despise
not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that
which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil (I
Thess. 5:16-22).
These prophetic admonitions urge us to pursue a future course of conduct.
The other purpose of the gift of prophecy is to comfort. The word (para-
muthia), translated comfort, means "near speech." A friend draws close to
somebody and solaces them by the Spirit. The Spirit is very tender toward God's
children and, through prophecy, He tries to help, to succor people, who have
experienced trials or sorrows or tragedies. He brings them close to God and
comforts them. Paul states it beautifully:
Blessed be God...Father of mercies...God of all com-
fort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we
may be able to comfort them which are in any trou-
ble, by the comfort wherewith we our
selves are comforted of God (II Cor. 1:3-4).
The purpose, then, of the gift of prophecy is edification, exhortation, and
comfort as contrasted to the purpose of tongues which is prayer and praise.
WHY PROPHECY IS GREATER THAN
TONGUES
I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather
that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth
than he that speaketh with tongues, except he inter-
pret, that the church may receive edifying (I Cor.
14:5).
Paul reveals to us that while he wishes that all would speak in tongues, he
would rather that we would prophesy, since prophecy is greater than speaking in
tongues, except the tongues should be interpreted. Prophecy is the greater gift
because we are speaking for God to persons in languages they understand. We
do not have to interpret the language; they understand what we are saying.
Tongues is of little value to anyone except the person who does the speaking,
unless there is an interpretation. If there is an interpretation, then there is a
significance to the tongues that are spoken because the church can receive
understanding through the interpretation.
WHAT IS SAID IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN
THE METHOD OF SPEAKING
Now brethren, if I come unto you speaking with
tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak
to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by
prophesying, or by doctrine? (I Cor. 14:6).
Paul is careful to point out that speaking in tongues, or in any other lan-
guage, is not what is important, but rather what is said, the content of the
speaking, is of utmost importance. This is why Paul states, "Now, brethren, if I
come unto you by speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you?" For instance, if
I came to class and taught the lesson in a language that you did not understand,
you would be profited very little.
Paul also says that there are basically two types of speakings that profit the
church: prophecy and doctrine (teaching). Paul uses four words--revelation,
knowledge, prophesying, doctrine--to discuss these two concepts. The foundation
of prophecy is revelation by which one speaks for God. Prophecy does not come
from the mind; it comes from the direct revelation of the Spirit and is spoken to
the people. The Spirit gives the words, He gives the utterance; the person speaks
the prophecy. The foundation of teaching, on the other hand, is knowledge. If
one teaches, he speaks by knowledge. He speaks from the Word (the completed
reve-lation of God), from experience, and from knowledge gained by years of
study. My teaching comes primarily as a result of the knowledge that I have
accumulated over the years. Teaching comes from the completed revelation of
God; prophecy comes by the direct revelation of God. The Bible is the completed
revelation of God. We teach from that knowledge. Prophecy, the direct revela-
tion, comes by the Spirit's speaking through us to individuals. Paul said that if he
came speaking some kind of tongue that was not understood, even though it was
given by the Spirit, he would not profit or edify them. There are only two speak-
ings that edify the church, according to this context: one is prophecy, based on
revelation, and the other is teaching, based on knowledge. These are the utter-
ances by which the church is edified.
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