FollowWhat about Tongues? (Part 1)
© 2026 by C. O. Bishop
1st Corinthians 14:1-28, 39-40
1 Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
2 For he that speaketh in an [unknown] tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
You may see that the word “unknown” is in italics in your Bible. That is because, in every case, the adjective “unknown” is not in the original language. It only means a language the speaker has not learned.
3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
4 He that speaketh in an [unknown] tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. 5 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 interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
6 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?
Non-living Examples
7 And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?
8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
9 So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.
10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.
11 Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.
12 Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
13 Wherefore let him that speaketh in an [unknown] tongue pray that he may interpret.
14 For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
15 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.
16 Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned (has not learned that language) say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
17 For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.
18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:
How Did Paul Use Tongues?
I do not know how Paul was using this gift. Dr. McGee thinks he used it to preach the Gospel. But there is zero evidence in the Bible that God ever used the gift of tongues in evangelism. Rather, He used it in praising God, magnifying God, and speaking the wonderful works of God.
Most of the places Paul went already spoke Greek. This was the result of the Grecian empire expansion from 400 years earlier. The conquerors introduced the Greek culture and language wherever they went. The empire included all of the Grecian peninsula, Northward into what is now Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, and all of Turkey. It reached southward into the Northeastern section of Egypt. Then it reached Eastward across the entirety of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Iraq, Iran, and even deeply into Northwest India.
Everywhere he went, Alexander named cities after himself, and left soldiers there to govern the areas. It was all in the Greek language, with the result that Greek culture and language deeply affected a huge area…in fact, ALL of the areas in which Paul would later preach. My assumption is that he was speaking in Greek, wherever he went.
Speaking With Understanding
19 Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an [unknown] tongue.
20 Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
21 In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
This prophecy (Isaiah 28:11, 12) is that Gentiles would bring the Gospel back to the Jews in their various languages. They would testify to Israel of the Truth of God’s Word, and His Righteous, Holy Character, and His Messiah. And the Jews would still reject the message. History has continually fulfilled that prophecy .
A Sign
22 Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.
23 If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
24 But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: 25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
27 If any man speak in an [unknown] tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
Introduction:
As I have said before, I do not see in scripture a definite time when tongues will cease. I only see that they will. The closest thing I have, declaring when, is 1st Corinthians 13:8-12. So far as I see, the “Perfect,” in verse 10 is the return of the Lord Jesus at the end of the tribulation. It is the beginning of the Kingdom age. And, it has not happened. So, if the gift has ceased, I can’t prove it and I can’t say when it happened.
Over the years, you all probably have figured out, I really do not like to cite extrabiblical sources as authoritative. However, I will briefly do so, here. In studying this chapter, I looked to some commentaries. Why? Because this chapter is confusing, even when I try to read it in context with the rest of scripture.
The Continuing Question: Have Tongues Ceased?
I consider only God’s Word to be completely authoritative, however, speaking historically, Dr. J. Vernon McGee quoted John Chrysostom. (He was an early church father at the end of the fourth century, from AD 347-407.) He wrote, regarding chapter 14, and the matter of tongues. “This whole passage is very obscure, but the obscurity arises from our ignorance of the facts described, which, though familiar to those to whom the apostle wrote, have ceased to occur.”
It is interesting that from that early church father’s perspective, the gift of tongues had already faded out of existence. And the gift ceased long before the time of Chrysostom. Long enough that no one was sure how the gift worked.
So, have these gifts ended? I don’t know. However, the few examples I have personally seen, of a “message in tongues” and an “interpretation,” were false.
Test the Spirits
Dr, McGee also told of a former student of his who came from a deep Roman Catholic past. As a believer, he went into a Charismatic church: One which regularly practiced “tongues and interpretation.” He stood up and recited in Latin, part of a Catholic mass. Then he sat down: And another man popped up to “interpret.” The second man gave a lengthy “interpretation,” but one which had nothing to do with what actually had just been said.
So, the first speaker stood, again. He declared that the interpretation was false. He said that what he had actually recited was the Catholic mass, in Latin! And the church’s response? The ushers hustled him out of the meeting and told him not to come back! They were not upset or disturbed by the false interpretation: They were upset because it was exposed!
I have personally known other believers who “tested the spirits” in this way, and those they exposed were also very angry. In one case, the only reason the man did so was because his relatives had been pressuring him to “try speaking in tongues.”
He was exasperated by their persistence, so he finally raised his hands and quoted a children’s poem in Pennsylvania Dutch. They were thrilled; moaning and praising God, declaring that they could “feel the Spirit moving!” But he stopped and sadly told them what he had actually said. And they were furious!
(Sorry: That sort of thing makes me very skeptical about the true source of the modern tongues movement.)
As we begin Chapter 14, I will reiterate that I see no Biblical teaching that the gift of tongues has already ceased. However, I will also say have never personally seen a genuine application of the gift, used as prescribed by God.
We See Several Things In 1st Corinthians 14:
The gift of preaching (as described in verse 3) is far more valuable and productive than the gift of tongues.
The phenomenon of tongues (verse 22) is a sign, but it is a sign for unbelievers, not believers. We can see three major events where tongues were a sign:
Acts 2:4-14 a sign to the Jews that the Gospel is true: Jesus is the Messiah.
Acts 10:44-47 a sign to the Jews that the Gentiles were born-again saints.
Finally, Acts 19:1-9 a sign to the Jews that the message of the Gospel is true.
Notice that in each of these three cases, God gave the miracle to draw attention to the message. This is also true of the various healings. The lame man healed in Acts 3:1-11, was an undeniable miracle, but God specifically gave it to draw attention to the Gospel. When Jesus healed the man at the pool of Bethesda, it was to draw attention to His message of the Kingdom, not just to “make the man feel better,” or to “set up shop as a healer.”
Tongues Were Real Languages
Also, please note that Acts 2:4 specifies that the disciples, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, actually spoke in these other languages. Many commentators have attempted to teach that they were all just speaking “some ecstatic heavenly language,” and the audience only heard them in their own individual languages. That is not true. Each disciple spoke in a language that he or she had not learned. The listeners heard them speak in those languages: their native languages.
Finally, 1st Corinthians 1:22-24 states that it is primarily the Jews who demanded such signs.
Also, there evidently is (or was) a use of tongues in prayer, but this is the only place God mentioned it, so I can’t say much about it.
The use of tongues in church was limited to two or three (at most) people per service, by turns, and that was only if interpretation was given. Without interpretation, they were to keep silent.
So, How Do We Proceed?
Though God’s Word does declare certain boundaries and priorities, Paul admonished the church as a whole, in 1st Corinthians 14:39, 40
39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. 40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
In conclusion, we do not attempt to prevent people from using the miraculous gifts (if they still exist.) But we also see a caveat. When the true gift is being used: By necessity, the True Giver has to determine how people use the gift. Otherwise, it is not God at work, but our old nature.
A Biblical Example:
The book of Numbers tells us that Balaam was a true prophet, but he sold out. When Balaam used the gift of prophecy, it truly was God speaking through him: But it did not produce what he or the Moabite king wanted to hear. So, he offered “advice” in addition to the true prophecy, as to how to cause Israel to fall into sin. And it worked! But the result was that the Moabites and Midianites were defeated, and Balaam died with them! (See Numbers 22-24, and Numbers 31:1-8)
The remainder of 1st Corinthians 14 is dealing with the orderly form of a God-centered Church Service. We will continue to examine the remainder of the chapter in the near future.
Lord Jesus, we ask that You, as the Living Word, will guide our hearts and minds: And that You, by Your Holy Spirit, will teach us to follow Your Written Word in all things. Help us to avoid deception and distractions, and to walk with You in Truth.