1 Corinthians 12:1 is where Paul said, He doesn't want us to be ignorant concerning spiritual gifts.
And in 2 Timothy 2:7, Paul said if we consider what he wrote, the Lord will give us understanding in all things. Now, since tongues falls into the spiritual gift category, we hope you've been studying
along with us here and therefore are starting to put some things together. Today will be part 5 of the series. You can find parts 1 through 4 at TruthTimeRadio.com. In part 1, with an open Bible, we demonstrated that in every scriptural reference to speaking in tongues, it was always speaking about an earthly, not heavenly, but an earthly language. I spoke to a listener the other day who attends a church where they claim to speak in tongues and he said while he had always felt uncomfortable there because he didn't do what they were doing, he said he had never really taken the time to do his own research and look these verses up for himself. He went on to thank us for bringing this truth out, but hey, listen, this is the problem with many, not just this one gentleman. This was my problem as well.
It wasn't until I decided to open this book and find out the truth on my own that I discovered this. And that's what I want you to do. In part 2, we proved that where Paul referenced tongues of angels in chapter 13, he was not speaking of a heavenly language. No, every angel that ever spoke throughout the entire book, throughout the Bible, throughout scripture, always without exception, spoke in words easy to be understood. Angels always spoke in an earthly language. Study it for yourself. Even Jesus himself spoke in an earthly language and never in a so-called heavenly language.
Now, after laying our foundation with parts 1 and 2, we then entered into part 3 and began to teach verse by verse, making our way through the 14th chapter of 1 Corinthians. We continued our verse by verse study on part 4 and made it all the way to verse 22. In chapters 12, 13, and 14, we find where Paul is giving the Corinthians objective doctrine to guide them in the area of spiritual gifts. In verse 2
of chapter 14, he says, 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. Listen, Paul is not complimenting anyone. There is no compliment here. This is not a good thing. It's a rebuke. Today, it's no longer Christianity. It's twistianity. And in the arena of twistianity, they read this verse as a compliment. He that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God. For no man understandeth him. They read that as Paul complimenting you for speaking in an unknown tongue that nobody can understand.
In verse 4, we can read that he that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself. That is simply not a compliment. Paul is not teaching narcissist doctrine. The apostle Paul is not happy with what has been reportedly going on at the church of Corinth. Anyone who would show up at an assembly and speak in a language that cannot be easily understood was out of order. No one with their cognitive radar firing on all cylinders could possibly believe, could possibly read this chapter and come away thinking that speaking in an unknown tongue in front of people who do not understand the words coming out of your mouth is a good thing.That's nonsensical. Hey, if you want to speak to God alone, talk to him while you're alone. The church was to come together to edify each other, to edify one another, and not to focus on self. How do we know this? Chapter 12, verse 7, The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit. And what's the next word? With all. To profit with all. Not personally, no, with all. It's for everyone to profit. No one, not one person who received
a gift, received it for personal edification. They were given it to edify the entire group.
But some here at Corinth were selfish, kind of like some today. And they didn't follow this. Today, just like back here when Paul was addressing these issues, some are only in it for self-gratification. Hey, we're to be building up the body, not ourselves. It's not about nation-building, as it was with Israel in time past. And it's not about individual building, as some are caught up in today. It's about getting self out of the way and doing those things which will be edifying to the church the body of Christ. Speaking in an unintelligible language profits no one other than the speaker. And actually, it's
a false sense of profit even to them. There's no profit there. You see, the problem is that we have a bunch of experience seekers always looking for a new experience. This is what happens when God's word won't do it for you. When you're not getting anything out of God's word, you'll start chasing experiences. And you cannot get anything out of his word when you do not understand his word. And you cannot understand his word if you don't study and rightly divide his word. You see how these dots connect?
Many of today's churches are inundated with sign seekers, just like the Jews, just like the Jews of old. If they can't see it, they won't believe it. Jesus dealt with these same type folk in his day. John 4:48, Except ye see signs and wonders ye will not believe. Okay, hopefully you have your Bibles as we pick up today in verse 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? You see, they were not all to speak in tongues. They were to be done by course. There was an order to how it was to operate. Many are attracted to those type churches that claim to speak in tongues because they're attracted to things that are sensual, things that appeal to the senses rather than the mind, fleshly things rather than spiritual. Think about it. Just imagine a visitor coming to your church and they're unlearned, and now when Paul says unlearned, he's speaking of unlearned in languages, someone who does not understand or speak multiple languages. They come into this church where some are speaking Greek, some are speaking Hebrew, others perhaps Aramaic. Now what's the unlearned going to think? Just what Paul said. They'll think they're in a madhouse.
Today, if a French-speaking person who knew no other language other than French walked into your church service and heard someone speaking Spanish and someone else speaking African, they would most likely leave just as fast as they came. They would simply be wasting their time because they
could not be edified. Listen, God is a God of order, not disorder. A worship service, if conducted correctly, will be a service of great clarity and not one of clamor, not one of pandemonium or mayhem. It'll be one of purity and precision, where truth is spoken with exactness. Okay? Verse 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. So, the one who spoke prophecy, forthtelling, and by the way, is why Paul says that prophecy is greater than tongues. This reflects and plays off two points made earlier by Paul. One where he said, I'd rather speak five words with my understanding that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue, an unknown language. And also where he said,
greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret that the church may receive edifying.
Okay, verse 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. In other words, after witnessing this miraculous gift, the visitor would know that God is in that person. He is truly of God. As Paul said, he is convinced. Verse 26, How is it then, brethren, when you come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation? You see here, Paul
is not praising them for what they're doing. He's rebuking them. He's saying, What you're doing is chaotic. It's pandemonium. Just how is it that every time you assemble, everyone, every one of you claims to have a psalm, a doctrine, a new tongue, a revelation, a new language you want to show off? Some of you listening are in this type church yourself. It's sort of chaotic, and you're not receiving edification. There are no new doctrines being revealed.
All the doctrine we need is in the Bible. It's complete. There are no new revelations. They've all been revealed in God's completed word, the Bible. And there is certainly no one being gifted the ability to speak in a foreign language. You've either studied it or you haven't. The gifting of speaking an unknown language ceased, just as we're told in chapter 13, and we'll get to that later on in this series. Now, Paul goes on to say, Let all things be done unto edifying. There is an order. There is a structure to follow. Back here, even though these gifts were in full operation, they were not using them correctly. So think about it. If when they were in operation, they were being misused, it only stands to
reason that they would be misused today when they are not even in operation anymore. And those who attempt to make them work are only producing a counterfeit. Churches that attempt to reproduce the day of Pentecost fail miserably. And it's why they don't have interpreters. They do not follow the biblical pattern and do it by course. There is an order to it, but they can't even do a wrong thing right.
Verse 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. Now, I want you to think about what we just read. Hopefully you've got your Bible open and you're reading it too, but look back over those words. If any man speak in an unknown tongue, now think about the church services you've attended or saw on television. Think
about it. If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by how many? By two, or at the most by three, and that by course, and let one interpret. Is that what you're seeing today? Again, the gift is not in operation today, but even if it were, the churches who try to reproduce it are not doing it correctly. By course. By course means there was an order to how it was to be done, and that order was just as the verse says, quote, by two, or at the most by three. Are you seeing this? This would have meant in a row, one right after the other, they were to follow this course by course in order.
And listen, only two or three should even do it, and only one at a time. By course would mean one spoke in a foreign language, then one would interpret. Another spoke in a foreign tongue, one would
follow by interpreting what he just said. This was to therefore benefit those in the service who did not understand a certain language. They would speak the word of God in their native language for them to understand, but it had to be interpreted so that the entire church could be edified. Wait your turn because there's an order. Don't be like a child standing in front of the snowball truck, breaking line in front of someone, just wait your turn. Now this makes sense. This is order.
If you believe your Bible over your denomination, then you know that God is a God of order. Verse 40 of this same chapter tells us so. It says God wants all things done decently and in order. Now you tell me, is this what goes on today? No, everyone speaks over each other. Today we might see a group of people speaking in unintelligible sounds that no one understands. Not so in the Corinthian church we're reading about. They were speaking and interpreting earthly languages. Today, that's not what's
happening. Watch what happens next time you're at your church where this takes place. Or watching it on television. Tell a vision. And that's what some of those preachers are doing. They're telling you a vision because it ain't true. It's just their vision. This order is ignored. And think about this. It's almost always done by either one or by a whole mess of people. That's error. We just read it. God said, Let it be done by two or at the most by three. Are you seeing that? There had to be at least two and no more than three. Not by one nor by four or more. A simple rule that simply does not get followed.
And always, listen, always after each one spoke someone was supposed to follow with interpretation. Doesn't happen today. If we compare scripture we run into the truth head on. Paul said, If any man speak in an unknown tongue let it be by two or at the most by three. Compare that to 2 Corinthians
13:1. Listen closely, This is the third time I am coming to you in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. Wow. Isn't it outstanding when we just compare scripture with scripture and figure these things out. Are you understanding this? In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. This wasn't a suggestion. No. Paul said 1 Corinthians 14:37, The things he wrote were and I quote, The commandments of the Lord. It took the mouth of two or three witnesses for the word of God to be established. Hence the rule for anyone speaking in an unknown tongue. An unknown language. It was never allowed for just one person to do it. Or a church full of people to do it like we see today. It could never be only one and it could never be four or more. This is wisdom. This is truth for anyone that can count.
Listen, God don't play games. Every word must be confirmed leaving no room for man in his conjecture. And the same held true for the prophets as we'll see coming up here in verse 29. But first verse 28. But if there be no interpreter, maybe he's home in the bed with the flu, let him keep silence in the church and let him speak to himself and to God. You see, they knew who the interpreters were, and if they were not there no one was allowed to speak out if they could not speak the Corinthians native language. Don't disturb the order of the assembly by speaking in a language when our interpreters are absent. Put a cork in it and hold your peace. Verse 29, Let the prophet speak two or three. There it is again. Let the prophet speak two or three and let the other judge. There you have it. This course of order was to be followed so that the words that they spoke, well, they could be judged. They could be verified. They could be tested and proved. You know as well as I do this is not how it
works today. This is not being followed. Over and over they have no interpreter. And even if they tried they couldn't because they are not speaking in an earthly language as they did here in the Bible. They're speaking in their own language that they have practiced and mastered. This is why ever so often someone will stand up and take a guess at what was just said.
One simple rule to help you define the tongues that were being spoken in the Bible is to always remember that the word tongue equals language. Tongue equals language. In God's word when it speaks of the gift of tongues it is always speaking of God allowing someone to be able to speak in an earthly language that they did not learn. It was supernaturally gifted unto them. Nowhere in Scripture was it a heavenly language. It was always an earthly language. And the reason it is sometimes referred to as an unknown tongue is because the person speaking it didn't previously know it before God supernaturally allowed them to speak it. This truth for some is quite shocking. It's hard to believe that
for all these years you've shown up at church and seen or even participated in it yourself, things that the Bible simply does not support. How is it that it has gotten to this point? Well, for many years you just showed up and took someone's word for it without using the gift God gave you, the Bible, his word, to test what you're hearing. And I'm not throwing off on anyone I did the same thing, but it's time we change. We can do better.
Most of us were not taught to test things, at least not the things taught in church. I mean, we test the politician, the school teacher, our daughter's friends and coaches, but the preacher? No, he somehow gets a free pass. Problem is that's not biblical. The Bible in many places supports just the opposite. Prove all things, hold fast to that which is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:21. Do you do that? Do you prove that what you're being fed is the truth? Do you dare let your children hear these things in church without testing them against the Scriptures? In just one verse, Acts chapter 17 verse 11, there were two preachers, Paul and Silas, who people tested. And they didn't do it every once in a while. They did it daily. They tested them daily. After every time they would preach, the Bible says those in attendance, quote, Searched the Scriptures daily to see if what they were preaching was true or not. And the men who tested them were called noble for doing so. Would they get called that today? In Scripture, people who tested and proved things were commended for it, not looked down upon. Today? Yeah, that's a different story. Question things and you'll be reported to the thought police. They'll label you as a troublemaker, a boat rocker.
Ask yourself this question because I've had to do this. When they cited Scriptures or quoted Scriptures, did you actually go and look that Scripture up? Faithfully? Did you take their word for it? And if you did look it up, did you look it up and read the entire chapter of that where that verse was cited in its context? Because I'm being honest, I never did. No, I didn't. Because I never questioned. I used to think, well, they're the experts. He's not going to steer us wrong. So I don't need to question it.
No. So why am I going to need to look it up? They've looked it up. They've done the hard work. And what they didn't think about at the time, because you don't do, you don't think about these things, is to actually look a little bit deeper and start questioning why they bring certain things in and they'll follow certain things and not others. We brought this up because we just wanted to finish off by saying that they are controlling you by cherry picking certain verses from the Bible that fits with their doctrine, that fits with their practices, that allows them to control you and manipulate you into a certain way of thinking, group think. When you look at the rest of those scriptures that are not following, they're hypocrites. What we want you to do is, if you're used to just looking at scriptures they cite and quote,
look at it in context, get the Bible out and actually read all of the scriptures surrounding it to understand what the meaning was around that scripture and what else goes along with it. Because you can guarantee they want to tailor it to suit one of their agendas and their motives and their reasoning to suit their doctrine. It's not for your good, it's for their good.
Today we're in the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 14. Our verse-by-verse study continues. We've now made it to verse 30. If anything be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.
Again, they did not have God's completed word, as you and I are privileged to have today, so it was common for an inspired first century prophet who had a message to deliver to speak forth, to forthtell his message to the assembly. So here what we have is Paul explaining how this is to go in order for the church to do it correctly. So when he says, let the first hold his peace, he's saying, know when to be quiet. You went first, now hold your peace while someone else speaks. He's been given inspiration and now it's time for you to button up and allow him to speak. Verse 31, For ye may all prophesy one by one, meaning to take turns, that all may learn, and all be comforted.
Verse 32, And that the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. It was mandated that only the prophets were to test other prophets, to judge, test, and verify them as speaking forth truth. Apparently those at Corinth were speaking out in service when they were supposed to be quiet. Verse 33, For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. Folks, this alone ought to make you question what's going on at some churches today. Think about it. Paul said, God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. You know as well as I do, it's confusing when people come into an assembly, stand up, and begin to speak an unintelligible language. Next thing you know, people are claiming to be modern day prophets with new revelations from God. Revelations that God somehow forgot to put in his Bible. Listen, God is not the architect of any such confused service. Okay, that's going to do it for now. Be sure and join us next time as we continue this verse by verse study through 1 Corinthians chapter 14.
We'll pick up at verse number 34. I'll leave you with a question. Are you saved? If not, exercise your faith today. Salvation is you trusting in the finished cross work of Christ. Resting. Salvation is resting. It's you resting your faith in what he did on your behalf. He died for all of your sins. He was buried and he has risen. In Ephesians chapter 1 we're told that you hear the gospel, you believe the gospel, trusting in Jesus Christ alone. And at that moment you're sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise unto the day of redemption. It's finished. Now you can rest and be at peace concerning your salvation.
Salvation is not living the Christian life. Living the Christian life is living the Christian life. Salvation is you by faith resting in the finished cross work of Christ. Your day to day life, your Christian life, now that's a different story. That's something that will take some effort on your part. But more than that, it's allowing the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to live in and through you. But you'll never be able to grow in his grace and learn how to live for him by trying to achieve your own salvation. Ephesians 2:8 and 9 says salvation is not of yourselves. So if there's anything you're trusting in that is of yourself, you can know for sure that's not salvation. Learn more about this beautiful grace by visiting the website today, truthtimeradio.com. And remember, you only get two educations, the one you're given, and the one you give yourself.
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