In the study of the Bible, it is always important to remind ourselves that individual verses of the Bible are not to be likened to pearls on a string.  In other words, unlike a pearl, a verse does not have value in and of itself if it is taken out of its context.

After a close examination of 1 Corinthians 14.1-19, it is my intent to prove that the main issue plaguing the Corinthian church was intelligible communication and that Paul’s main concern for was for their edification.  Throughout this process I will address the gift of prophecy and tongues and their characteristics and use both personally and corporately.  These tasks will be accomplished by observing the historical and literary context of 1 Corinthians 14 within chapters 12-14.

The Historical Context

1^st Corinthians was authored by the Apostle Paul and sent to the church in Corinth.  Paul’s authorship of 1^st Corinthians is validated by his personal attestation, as well as past and present scholarship (1 Cor. 1.1; also see David Garland, 1 Corinthians, pg. 19 and 24).

Corinth was a wealthy city boasting a diversity of people and religions comparable to present day New York City, Los Angeles, or Las Vegas (Gordon Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, pgs. 1 and 3).  The city’s wealth and bustling commerce was directly associated with its location, which

Was situated on the Isthmus and was master of two harbors, of which the one, Cenchreae leads straight into Asia, and the other, Lechaeum, to Italy; and it made for easy exchange of merchandise from both countries that are so far distant from each other (Fee, pg. 1).

Since Corinth served as a gateway to both Asia and Italy and hosted many visitors from various countries, it naturally became a melting pot of people and religious expressions.

Even though this was the case, the City of Corinth was predominately comprised of Roman citizens and was home to many Greeks, Levanitines, and a large Jewish population (F.F. Bruce, 1 and 2 Corinthians, pg. 19).

Paul’s personal attestation and academic scholarship validate Pauline authorship of First Corinthians who resided in the wealthy and diverse port city of Corinth.  It is this historical backdrop that we must read this letter against.

The Literary Context

Chapters 12-14 of 1^st Corinthians revolve around one issue: speaking in tongues.  If anyone were too cursory read through chapter’s 12-14 one can readily observe that Paul was addressing the Corinthian’s fixation with speaking in tongues.  Gordon Fee best captures this observation, saying:

Even the most casual reading of 1 Corinthians 12-14 makes it abundantly clear that the   problem has to do with the gift of tongues. This can be seen first of all by the sheer    weight of numbers –“speaking in tongues” is mentioned or referred to at least 19 times.  It is further demonstrated by the fact that it is the only gift that makes all seven “gift lists,” where in the course of the argument Paul lists or refers consecutively to three or more gifts (Tongues – Least of the Gifts? Some Exegetical Observations on 1 Corinthians 12-14. Pneuma 2.2, pg. 3).

This one issue resulted in several other problems, such as the Corinthians ignorance about spiritual gifts, division within the church, a lack of love towards one another, and the edification of the gathering church community (Garland, pg. 559).

Nonetheless, it is the fixation with speaking in tongues that Paul corrects in 1 Corinthians 14 by which he prepared the way for his reprimand in chapters 12 and 13.

From 1^st Corinthians 12 we can observe that the Corinthian church was being destroyed by a uniformity of speaking in tongues and that the Corinthians possessed a narrow-minded view of the Holy Spirit and the gifts that He distributes.  Therefore, since the Corinthian’s were diligent in seeking after “spiritual gifts” (1 Cor. 12.31; 14.1), Paul showed them a “still more excellent way (1 Cor. 12.31),” namely, love, which is found in chapter 13.

It is in conclusion to Paul’s excursion on the excellence of love in chapter 13 that leads us to our focus of study in 1 Corinthians 14.1-19 and Paul’s reprimand of the Corinthian’s fixation with speaking in tongues, not forbiddance.

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Tags: 1 corinthians 14, gifts continue, Prophecy, speaking in tongues, tongues