1 Corinthians 14:23

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? WHOLE ... ALL ... TONGUES. The more there are assembled, and that speak in unknown tongues, the more will the impression be conveyed to strangers 'coming in' from curiosity ("unbelievers," whether knowing a foreign tongue or not), or even from a better motive ("unlearned," ignorant of foreign tongues), that the whole body is a mob of fanatical 'madmen,' and that 'the Church is like the company of Babel builders after the confusion of tongues.' UNLEARNED - having some faith, but not gifts....

23._If therefore the whole Church come together _As they did not see their fault, in consequence of having their minds pre-occupied with a foolish and depraved desire, he tells them that they will be exposed to the scorn of the wicked or the unlearned, if any, on coming into their assembly, should hear them uttering a sound, but not speaking. For what unlearned person will not reckon those to be out of their right mind, who, in place of speech, utter empty sound, and are taken up with that vanity, while they were gathered together for the purpose of hearing the doctrine of God? This statement has much that is cutting: “You applaud yourselves in your own sleeve; but the wicked and the unlearned laugh at your fooleries. You do not, therefore, see what to the unlearned and unbelieving is _perfectly _manifest.” Here Chrysostom starts a question’ “If _tongues _were given to unbelievers _for a...

15-25 There can be no assent to prayers that are not understood. A truly Christian minister will seek much more to do spiritual good to men's souls, than to get the greatest applause to himself. This is proving himself the servant of Christ. Children are apt to be struck with novelty; but do not act like them. Christians should be like children, void of guile and malice; yet they should not be unskilful as to the word of righteousness, but only as to the arts of mischief. It is a proof that a people are forsaken of God, when he gives them up to the rule of those who teach them to worship in another language. They can never be benefitted by such teaching. Yet thus the preachers did who delivered their instructions in an unknown tongue. Would it not make Christianity ridiculous to a heathen, to hear the ministers pray or preach in a language which neither he nor the assembly understood? B...

Verse 23. _WILL THEY NOT SAY THAT YE ARE MAD?_] So they well might, finding a whole assembly of people talking languages which those who had most need of instruction could not understand....

BE COME TOGETHER INTO ONE PLACE - For public worship. AND ALL SPEAK WITH TONGUES - All speak with a variety of unknown tongues; all speak foreign languages. The idea is, that the church would usually speak the same language with the people among whom they dwelt; and if they made use of foreign languages which were unintelligible to their visitors, it would leave the impression that the church was a bedlam. AND THERE COME IN - those that are “unlearned.” Those that are unacquainted with foreign languages, and to whom, therefore, what was said would be unintelligible. OR UNBELIEVERS - Heathen, or Jews, who did not believe in Christ. It is evident from this that such persons often attended on the worship of Christians. Curiosity might have led them to it; or the fact that they had relatives among Christians might have c

EXPOSITION 1 CORINTHIANS 14:1 _The_ _gift of preaching superior to the gift_ _tongues_. 1 CORINTHIANS 14:1 FOLLOW AFTER CHARITY; literally, _chase; pursue. _The word is one of which St. Paul is fond (Romans 9:30, Romans 9:31; Romans 13:13; Romans 14:19;...

IF THEREFORE THE WHOLE CHURCH,.... The whole congregation of believers incorporated together in a Gospel church state, consisting of its officers and private members; the church at Corinth is particularly designed: BE COME TOGETHER IN ONE PLACE; to worship God, to pray unto him, sing his praise, preach and hear the word, as were usually done. Hence may be observed the custom of the primitive churches to meet together, in some certain place, for divine worship; nor did the members of them in common forsake the assembling of themselves together on that account, though it was the evil practice of some of them; the whole church, all the members of it, met together: and it may be seen from hence, that the church, and the place where it met, are two different things: AND ALL SPEAK WITH TONGUES; divers tongues, languages not understood; meaning, not that all that came together spoke with tong...

4. PROPHECY AND SPEAKING WITH A TONGUE. CHAPTER 14 _ 1. Prophecy the better gift. (1 Corinthians 14:1 .)_ 2. Intelligibility demanded. (1 Corinthians 14:14 .) 3. Practical instructions for the public use of these gifts. (1 Corinthians 14:26 .) It is evident from the contents of this chapter that the Corinthians had unduly magnified the gift of speaking in a strange tongue. It had a spectacular aspect which they enjoyed. He therefore shows them that the gift of prophecy is more to be coveted than speaking in an unknown tongue. The speaking in an unknown tongue is intelligible to God, but he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, e

Such over-valuing of tongues reveals an infantile intelligence (a sharp thrust for a church so rich in intellectuals); only in malice is it proper to be babes. Scripture announces that the Lord will speak by men of strange tongues to this people and yet they will not hear. Tongues then are a sign to unbelievers, not to believers; prophecy is for believers, not unbelievers. So if the church is assembled and all speak with tongues, and non-members or unbelievers come in, they will think the whole assembly has gone mad. But if a man belonging to one of these classes comes in and all prophesy, he is convicted and judged by all, the things he supposes to be known only to himself are dragged into the light, and thus he is brought to worship God and recognise His presence. The point of 1 Corinthians 14:22_ a_ is not that tongues are a sign conducing to the salvation of unbelievers, and

THE FALSE AND THE TRUE WORSHIP (1 Corinthians 14:1-19)...