God wants peace among his people, not disorder. The gathering of
believers should build up the group rather than draw attention to individuals or
divide the group and God’ s intentions for having diversity in the church.
Several things are less clear in this passage:
● Prophecy seems to be a timeless truth that is applied to particular people in
particular situations. It will never contradict the words of Scripture, and whenever
someone speaks in the church, others should discern if what is being said does
or does not contradict this truth. Speaking should be done in an orderly and
peaceful way.
● Tongues are a gift of language and should also be used for the benefit of the
church. In a multilingual context like Corinth, the ability to speak a language that
one otherwise doesn’t know is a powerful sign of God’ s work. However, the
content should still be useful for the strengthening of the group by being
translated so all can understand.
● Sharp instruction for women to be quiet. The keyword for “speaking” here,
regarding what women are told to not do, is rarely used in the New T estament
or outside of it in other ancient documents to refer to public speaking, such as
teaching. That means that what is being forbidden here is not likely women
prophesying in gender-appropriate ways (1 Cor 14:5) but chatting in a
distracting way while others are speaking.
In all, this chapter reinforces the theme that everything should be done in a way that
honors God and helps others.
Questions for Reflection/Discussion:
-Have you ever experienced something distracting during a worship service?
-Are there ways you could be tempted to distinguish yourself in the church community
rather than focusing on the good of others.
