1 Corinthians 14: 1,2 – Languages or prophecy?

Be pursuing love. Yet be zealous for spiritual endowments, yet rather that you may be prophesying. For he who is speaking in a language is not speaking to men, but to God, for no one is hearing, yet in spirit he is speaking secrets.

Paul has now shown very clearly what is the most superlative, namely the love of God. He had also prepared the Corinthians for the manifestations of languages ​​and prophesies to be of a temporary nature. For when the maturity phase came, only faith, hope and love would remain. In the next section, Paul will argue that of the spiritual expressions that were still there, prophesying is by far the preferred choice above speaking in languages.

Whoever speaks in a foreign language will not be understood by anyone. Except of course when someone would be addressed in the native language, as it happened during the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:11). But this was not the case in Corinth. People spoke in foreign languages ​​that they had not learned themselves, but which were not understood by anyone. The meaning was often hidden for the speaker himself. Only God could understand. That is not a recommendation. Because who was built up by this?

Delen: