BT4 – Tongues & Interpretation

No Comments

 

BT4:  We are NOT to be “ignorant” or “idiots” regarding the Spirit’s gifts including tongues meant for 3 different audiences with 3 different purposes with 3 different sets of advice for use

The Grace-Gifts of Tongues & Interpretation - Spirit Music Meet-Ups

 

Future video here

 

Tongues & Interpretation – YouTube Playlist

 

God’s Grace & His Spirit’s Grace-Gifts – YouTube Playlist

 

Video – Intro to Spirit Music Meetups

 

SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel to get the latest videos!

 

Follow us on GETTR, the fastest-growing free-speech Social Network in the world!

 

All of our Media info, photos, and videos

 

Please comment on the bottom of any page following our BLOG Etiquette Guidelines.  

 

 

Note:  On your phone, PDF documents may only open if you choose the “Save, Replace, or Keep Both” option and then it will be downloaded and notify you of this on the top of your screen.  Open it there or in your Downloads folder and it will give you the option to Open with Adobe Acrobat, Drive, or some other PDF app you have installed on your phone.  If you watch the associated video, it will open in another tab/window so that you can easily bounce back & forth between the PDF doc and the video.  If your screen is big enough you can even arrange the windows next to each other!

 

 

Paul dealt with this problem of the Corinthian Christians who were just plain ignorant in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11:  “Now concerning Spirit-kind-of grace-gifts, brethren, I absolutely-in-fact-NOT thelo ‘optimally want’ you to agnoeo ‘be ignorant’ (a):  You have already [with ongoing results] eido mentally ‘seen’ to perceive/known’ that when you continually-were-actively ethnos ‘heathen Gentiles’  pros ‘[bowing/prostrate] toward and interfacing with’ [as worshippers of] the idols, those mute [ones], even as you were continually-being-passively-led-to routinely be-passively-carried-away . . . [then Paul convinces them that being able to say “Jesus is Lord” as the standard surrendering-confession of water-baptism salvation per Romans 10:9, is only possible by the Holy Spirit presumably speaking to/thru you unlike mute idols]. . . Now, there actually, presently/ongoingly are diairesis ‘distinct-differences, distributed-divisions made dia thru-the-realizing-channel-of personal choice [of God]’ of grace-gifts kai and/but the autos same Spirit and/coupled there actually, presently/ongoingly are diairesis ‘God-chosen varieties’ of ministries/services kai and/but the autos same Lord [Jesus] and/coupled there actually, presently/ongoingly are diairesis ‘God-chosen varieties’ of energema ‘energized, operating, working effects or results’ kai and/but the autos same God [Father], the [One] routinely energeo ‘energizingly working within to bring about the next step’ pas ‘all of these types of’ things in/by/with everyone. Now to hekastos ‘each individual separately/distinctly’ is presently/ongoingly given the enlightening-manifestation of the Spirit pros ‘moving toward the goal of’ the sumphero common-profiting.  For to one is presently/ongoingly given dia thru-the-realizing-channel-of the Spirit the logos-message of/belonging-to wisdom, now to allos another-of-a-similar-type a logos-message of/belonging-to knowledge kata down-from/according-to the same Spirit . . . now to allos another-of-a-similar-type prophecy,  . . . to heteros another-of-a-different-kind (b) [plural] genos ‘races, family-groups, kinds, sorts’ (c) of glossa tongues/languages, now to allos another-of-a-similar-type the interpretation of glossa tongues/languages.  Now the one and/coupled the same Spirit actually, presently/ongoingly energeo ‘energizingly working within to bring to the next point’ ALL these-things, diaireo ‘apportioning, assigning, or distributing by a superior’ idios ‘peculiarly to the individual’ hekastos ‘each individual separately/distinctly’ kathos ‘just as, according the manner in which’ He presently/ongoingly [reflexively] boulomai ‘resolutely plans, stronger than thelo optimally-desires’.”  Whew, Paul sure is a long-winded lawyer!  Greek is way more specific than your English bibles!  <Notes> a) where get our word “agnostic” – not a flattering term, though I once claimed to be, b) where we get our word ‘heterosexual’, c) where we get our word “genus” vs. “species.”

 

Working in 15 worship ministries, I have found a LOT of Christians that are very “ignorant” of ALL of this, often because of terrible bible translations – see Bible Info!  Can you see all the different ways that God wants to speak “in and thru His Body-of-Christ into others?”  God is not a “mute idol,” but many Christians who are Cessationists believing that all this ceased sometime in the 1st century are back to worshipping a “mute idol” – their bible! See Tongues – BT14.

 

There is NOT just 1 genos ‘family/kind/sort’ of glossa tongue/language given to only 1 group of people in 1 Corinthians 12:10 above, i.e., speaking with their own tongue/language, nor can we assume only 1 genos ‘family/kind/sort of’ tongue/language by-the-means-of the Spirit, as we will see, and this heteros ‘others-of-a-different-kind’ group of people are given these [plural] genos ‘families’ of glossa tongues/languages, which by definition makes these people different than all other allos people that the other grace-gifts are given to.  How so?  Can you see how much is ‘lost in translation’ in our English Bibles – see Bible Info?

 

Paul will explain that all the OTHER grace-gifts are “varieties of ministry/services” from 1 Corinthians 12:5 above are to “build up the Church” (a) or “to build up the other person,” even the idiotes ‘conspicuously lacking in understanding’ (b) for “the sumphero common-profiting” (c), and even the genos ‘family/kind/sort of’ glossa tongues/languages that are interpreted, so that “if I come to you speaking/uttering” them they are “opheleo beneficially-profitable to you” exactly because they “bring to you either in/by/with [singular] revelation or in/by/with [singular] gnosis informational-knowledge or in/by/with [singular] prophecy or in/by/with [singular] didache teaching” (d), especially because Paul says “in/by/with the church-assembly I would rather speak 5 words by-the-means-of my mind in order to katecheo ‘catechize:  sound-down, teach foundational truths thru repetition’ other-people than 10,000 words by-the-means-of a [singular] glossa tongue/language (e).  Switching from allos to heteros people is because all the other grace-gifts than the plural ‘families’ of tongues is entirely “others-oriented,” but we will find that 1 of the 3 ‘families’ of tongues is “self-oriented.”  This makes those practitioners heteros from the others in this respect. <Notes> a) 1 Corinthians 14:12, 26, b) 1 Corinthians 14:16, these idiotes may be ignorant Christians differentiated from unbelievers in 1 Corinthians 14:23-24.  This should not be confused with those “exo outside the Church” in 1 Corinthians 5:12.  Bibles translating different Greek words the same sure can create confusion and wrong doctrine – see Bible Info, c) 1 Corinthians 12:7, d) 1 Corinthians 14:6, e) 1 Corinthians 14:13, 19, 26-28.

 

Paul uses the term sunerchomai ‘coming/assembling together’ (a) regarding the ekklesia ‘called-out ones, the saints, the church’ as but 1 of the 3 audience-purposes of various grace-gifts – some grace-gifts are “to/into us” but the 2 others are “thru us and then into others” per 1 Corinthians 12:4-6.  The problem of many Christians is their preoccupation with SELF instead of “discerning or preferring” the Lord’s Body-of-Christ, as seen in 1 Corinthians 10:14-22.  So although Paul addresses grace-gifts “into individuals” and directed “to yourself” for “building up oneself” as one audience-purpose, he is more concerned for those given by the Spirit “thru individuals and into others” for “another’s benefit” or “for the common-profiting.”  Therefore, Paul’s emphasis is on words like heautou ‘each other reciprocally’ where hekastos ‘each individual separately/distinctly’ should bring some Body-Ministry grace-gift to their church-assemblies, while focusing on allelon ‘one another, mutual, reciprocal’ unconditional-love, waiting to eat at love-feasts/Lord’s Suppers, equally-caring for Body-of-Christ members and not divisiveness, and greeting one another with a holy kiss (b).  <Notes> a) 1 Corinthians 11:17, 18, 20, 33, 34, 14:23, 26, b) 1 Corinthians 11:3, 12:25, 16:20.

 

Although every one of the grace-gifts above that are pros ‘moving toward the goal of’ the sumphero common-profiting” of 1 Corinthians 12:7 above, even when there are diairesis ‘distinct-differences, distributed-divisions made thru-the-realizing-channel-of personal choice [of God],” all these people-types receiving these types of grace-gifts are therefore allos, ‘others-of-the-similar-kind’ because of the “common-profiting” intended-purpose of their grace-gifts.

 

However, Paul abruptly diverts from allos people and their grace-gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:10 above to [plural] genos ‘families/kinds/sorts’ of glossa tongues/languages given to a heteros ‘other-of-a-different-kind-of’ persons, different because all the other grace-gifts, including interpretation of tongues, are intended for only 1 audience-purpose and that is “to benefit others” for “the common-profiting.”  These ‘families’ of tongues are different!

 

1 Corinthians 12:27-30 also speaks of these [plural] genos ‘families/groups/kinds/sorts’ of glossa tongues/languages.  Paul reminds us that we are ALL “particular/unique members of the Body-of-Christ, kai and/but hos some-of-these [members] (a) indeed have-been God tithemi ‘put/set, fixed/established, appointed/ordained into place’ en into-the-location-of the Church-assembly: proton firstly/superlatively (b) apostles, deuteros secondly (b) prophets, tritos thirdly (b) teachers, then-to-continue-on miracles, then-to-continue-on grace-gifts of healing, helping, kubernesis ‘helmsman who steers a ship, pilot or captain, director who guides, administrates, etc,’ [plural] genos ‘families/groups/kinds/sorts’ of glossa tongues/languages.  Apostles me pantes in-possibility-NOT [are] ALL [members]; prophets me pantes in-possibility-NOT [are] ALL [members]; teachers me pantes in-possibility-NOT [are] ALL [members]; miracles (d) me pantes in-possibility-NOT [are] ALL [members]; [plural] grace-gifts of [plural] healings­ [are] me pantes in-possibility-NOT ALL [members] presently/ongoingly echo ‘holding-to-have’ (e); me pantes in-possibility-NOT ALL [members] [are] [them] presently/ongoingly speaking by-the-means-of [plural] tongues (f); me pantes in-possibility-NOT ALL [members] [are] [them] presently/ongoingly interpreting.”  No wonder Peter said of Paul in 2 Peter 3:16 “His letters contains some things that hard to understand!”  You have to really take your time even with the Greek, as we will below:

 

<Notes> a) this may pertain to the first three that are the only ones numbered:  apostles, prophets, and teachers which are part of the 4 ‘equipper’ member-groups (c) of the Church in Ephesians 4:11 that “Christ indeed didomi ‘gave as grace-gifts from v. 4:8, supplied/furnished as necessary’ some [as] apostles, then some prophets, then some evangelists, then some shepherds and/coupled teachers (c) pros ‘toward and reaching’ the katartismos ‘equipping by coaching & facilitating, adjusting down to exactly fit/work, thus enabling/completely-furnishing the parts to work together in correct order’ of the saints [members] eis ‘toward and reaching the goal of’ [singular] work of service/ministry eis ‘toward and reaching the goal of’ [singular] building-up of the Body-of-Christ.”  Once again we see this dominant ‘intended audience-purpose’ Paul speaks of frequently.

 

<Notes> b) these numbers are used as adverbs describing the manner or order in which God tithemi placed praxis ‘functioning’ per Romans 12:4 grace-gifts into the Church – see Obedient Steps of Faith – BT21, and are thus not adjectives describing the importance or ranks of individual members as if they were offices, positions, or titles – see Coaches & Facilitators-BT12, especially since this would go against Paul’s careful uses of words like metron ‘measuring-cup to measure equal amounts of something for fair trade/purchase’ in Romans 12:3, 2 Corinthians 10:13, Ephesians 4:7, 13, and 16 [see Obedient Steps of Faith – BT21] to point out God’s equality & impartiality and doctrine about this in Romans 2:11, Galatians 2:6, Ephesians 6:9, Colossians 3:25.  Otherwise, this would also go against Christ’s doctrine about titles in Matthew 23:8-10 and exercising authority over others in:  Matthew 20:20-28 paralleled in Mark 10:35-45 and Luke 22:24-30, because only Jesus is the “Head over” as Paul teaches:  Ephesians 1:22, 4:15, 5:23; Colossians 1:18, 2:10, 19; and 1 Corinthians 11:3.  Nevertheless, Paul does view “apostles and prophets” as the “foundation of the household of God” in Ephesians 2:10 and the “revealers by-the-means-of The Spirit of the [gospel] mystery of/belonging-to Christ previously hidden in previous generations” in Ephesians 3:4-5 making them the evangelist ‘equippers.’  Paul nowhere else elevates teachers, except that he is “a teacher of the Gentiles in addition to being an evangelist and apostle” in 1 Timothy 2:7.  These 3 numbers may also simply be a way of differentiating the 3 “members” of “grace-gifts of Christ” from the rest – see note ‘a.’   Wouldn’t it sound foolish to give positions, offices, and titles to any of these “placed unique members of the Body-of-Christ” as:  Apostle __ , Prophet __ , Teacher __ , Miracle-worker __ , Healer __ , Administrator __ , Tongue-speaker __ , or Tongue-Interpreter __ ?  You can’t cherry-pick with the bible!

 

None of these nouns are positions, offices, or titles, but members with varying grace-gifts having differing praxis functions!  In fact all these nouns, even “apostles, prophets, and teachers” are more likely verbal-nouns, short-hand ways of saying “members with the grace-gift of apostling, members with the grace-gift of prophesying, and members with the grace-gift of teaching.”  It’s like our use of “Garbage-Collector” for “the one who collects garbage.”  For example, out of 58 uses of “teacher” in the NT only 8 or 14% are used of Christians: 1 Corinthians 12:28-29; 2 Timothy 1:11; 1 Timothy 2:7; Ephesians 4:11; Acts 13:1; Hebrews 5:12, but the others are either positively referring to Jesus, negatively of the Jewish Law-teachers, or very negatively of demonically-inspired teachers!  Most uses are negatively describing teachers within an unbelieving, hostile world!  Concerning the office, position, or title of “teacher” James 3:1 “[strongly urges them] “in-possibility-NOT many routinely ginomai become, having already routinely eido ‘mentally ‘seen’ to perceive/know [with ongoing effects] that a meizon greater krima ‘judgment-verdict’ you shall indeed lambano ‘grab hold of to receive.’”  That’s why I sure don’t want to be your teacher, though I believe in “teaching one another, per Romans 15:14, Colossians 3:16, and other verses.  A key sign of religion is creation of hierarchy, positions, offices, and titles!  See Coaches & Facilitators.  I believe many church’s obsession with titles come from borrowing from the Old Testament and the world, which is exactly what builds The Great Wall quenching the Holy Spirit.

 

<Notes> c) the idea of a “5-fold ministry” is the result of poor bible-study.  Many Greek scholars see “shepherd kai and/coupled teachers” as 1 group because the first 3 nouns of “the apostles, de moreover the prophets, de moreover evangelists (messengers/preachers of the gospel)” are listed without punctuation or kai couplers and the 4th and 5th nouns (shepherds/pastors, teachers) are linked with kai which is normally a coupler when used only 1 or 2 times, as is the case here.  We have to remember from Ephesians 4:7-8, that these 5 nouns are NOT people, offices, or titles but only some of the plural grace-gifts of the singular grace-gift of Christ to the Church from the Father that is the Holy Spirit.  Also, Paul’s gives qualifications of “elders-shepherds-bishops/overseers who are able/skilled to teach” in 1 Timothy 3:2 and 2 Timothy 2:2, 24, giving those evangelizing and/coupled teaching double-honor in 1 Timothy 5:17.  Furthermore, Paul often uses “teacher” as a verbal-noun as in 1 Corinthians 12:28-29 that emphasizes the praxis functioning of it as in Romans 10:7. Teaching is just a praxis function of every member of the Body-of-Christ by-the-means-of the Spirit but especially should occur with the elder/shepherd/overseer group of people – see Body-Ministry and Teach-One-Another pages.  For Paul’s uses of “teacher” as a verbal-noun, see note ‘b’ above.

 

<Notes> d) Because the noun ‘miracles’ is in the nominative case (subject) like the previous nouns and Paul maintains the same grammatical syntax phrase structure throughout, Paul may be thinking of this as “members who work miracles” as a verbal-noun or “miracle-workers,” because here dunamis is a [plural] noun that normally means “supernatural, dynamite-like, enabling-powers.”

 

<Notes> e) Although Paul breaks his pattern of Greek phrase syntax here, it’s clear he is still talking about “members placed into the Church” that prefaced the whole conversation, these members here using their grace-gift of healings to obviously benefit others.

 

<Notes> f) There is no reason to think that Paul is going to start talking about any other ‘intended audience-purpose’ genos ‘family, kind’ of tongues/languages than still those “directed to others to benefit them” as in 1 Corinthians 14:3, 6, 12, 26, because the next on is those members interpreting tongues.  This whole particular conversation is for 1 audience-purpose – others to benefit them.

 

Even though all these “ministry grace-gifts” are important for the Church-assembly, Paul says in the very next verse 1 Corinthians 12:31:  “However, [I strongly urge you] to zealously-desire the meizon ‘greater in value’ [plural] grace-gifts (a), which he talks about in Chapter 14 as “especially to prophecy.”  It’s clear from that chapter that as valuable as tongues & interpretation are in the Church-assembly, Paul views the others that are higher up on his list more important as he will explain, but “more than all of them, to prophesy!”  Paul would freak out with the disdain many churches and Christians give his highest priority!  <Notes> a) ‘more than megas great in size, weight, age, degree, strength, ability, authority, virtue, etc. as determined by context, but here by the importance/value of their grace-gift to others.  Meizon is also used in 1 Corinthians 13:13 of unconditional-love when compared to trusting-relying-faith and hope (equal to faith for future things), but not as much as megistos ‘ultimate’ used only in 2 Peter 1:4 of God’s promises to us.

 

In 1 Corinthians 14:10 Paul relates supernatural [plural] genos ‘families/kinds/sorts’ of glossa tongues/languages to natural [plural] genos ‘families/kinds/sorts’ of phone voices/languages/dialects, each with its own meaning, some understood by the listener and others not, unless interpreted.  Therefore, just as with natural languages/dialects there are so many genos ‘families/kinds/sorts’ of, and the same is true of supernatural glossa tongues/languages!  In fact Paul implies in 1 Corinthians 13:1 that we could be “speaking by the [plural] glossa tongues/languages of men and of angels, but without unconditional-love, it is still just noise!”  Again, the context of this is “within the church-assembly” for the sake of others, and NOT what Paul will talk about next!

 

The OTHER genos ‘family/kind/sort of’ glossa tongues/languages is WITHOUT interpretation according to 1 Corinthians 14:16-17, where the member’s “eulogeo ‘speaking a good, beneficial logos message, thus blessing’ God by-the-means-of the Spirit . . . by your eucharistia thanksgiving . . . your present/ongoing eucharisteo ‘giving of thanks’ is truly kalos ‘viewed as good, advantageous, attractively-beautiful’ NOW has a primary “intended audience” that is NOT anybody in a church-assembly.  However, even in that setting, if tongues are interpreted then others in the church-assembly, even the idiotes ‘idiot, conspicuously-lacking in understanding ones’ (a) could say “Amen to your eucharistia thanksgiving” and so “the other person is being built up.”  So there is an overlap from a private audience of God that requires NO interpretation to a church-assembly that does for them to benefit from them. <Notes> a) these idiotes may be ignorant Christians differentiated from unbelievers in 1 Corinthians 14:23-24.

 

This OTHER genos ‘family/kind/sort of’ tongues is NOT intended for katecheo ‘catechizing instruction’ to “build up the church-assembly” or “opheleo be beneficially-profitable to you” because the primary ‘intended listener’ is the Lord, “for the one routinely speaking/uttering by-the-means-of a [singular, particular] glossa tongue/language speaks/utters absolutely-in-fact-NOT to men but-instead to God, for absolutely-in-fact-NO-one [man] akouo listens/hears-to-understand/know [what you are saying].  However, by-the-means-of [singular] Spirit [the one] presently/ongoingly speaks/utters mysteries/secret-hidden-things,” to God who does understand (a).  That’s why it take interpretation to “reveal or unhide what was hidden” in order “to benefit others if I come to you speaking/uttering them” (b).  Paul explains further:  “For if/when I presently/ongoingly proseuchomai conversationally-pray by-the-means-of a [singular] glossa tongue/language, The Spirit of/belonging-to me presently/ongoingly proseuchomai conversationally-prays although the mind of/belonging-to me presently/ongoingly is-defined-as/exists-as akarpos ‘without fruit, unfruitful, not producing the fruit it normally would’ ” (c).  My pride kept me for a long time from surrendering my control to “let go and let God” take control of my tongue without me understanding what was being said!  <Notes> a) 1 Corinthians 14:3, b) 1 Corinthians 14:6, c) 1 Corinthians 14:14.

 

Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 14:7-9 that the genos ‘family/kind/sort of’ glossa tongues/languages WITH interpretation are like musical notes from flutes or harps that have to be diastole ‘distinct’ in order to experientially ginosko know the music or the sounds from a bugle needing to be delos ‘self-evident’ to be able to prepare for battle.  WITHOUT interpretation, this OTHER genos ‘family/kind/sort of’ glossa tongues/languages are in-possibility-NOT eusemos ‘with clear meaning, so are intelligible or not understood,” so then how will people in the church-assembly “be-able [passively] to experientially ginosko know what was routinely being spoken?  For you will be routinely speaking eis ‘toward and reaching the goal of’ [singular] air-that-we-breath.”

 

This whole section is talking about ‘the intended audience’ being the church-assembly and “benefiting others” as in 1 Corinthians 14:3, 6 as Paul’s priority.  So in that mindset, Paul says in vv. 14:12-13 “Since you are presently/ongoingly zealous-ones of [plural] Spirit [things, in context grace-gifts] pros ‘toward and reaching’ the building-up of the church-assembly [I strongly urge you to] be zealously-desiring, in order that you may presently/ongoingly perisseuo ‘abundantly got all-around, above and beyond’ [this].  Therefore, the one who is presently-routinely speaking/uttering by-the-means-of a [singular] glossa tongue/language [I strongly urge you to] presently/ongoingly proseuche conversationally-pray they he/she might interpret.”  However, we can see here that Paul implies they are already “routinely, habitually, as a lifestyle speaking/uttering” glossa tongues/languages, which brings us to his OTHER tongues/languages argument below.  Note that these Christians were already rightfully zealous for the Spirit’s grace-gifts, but Paul is simply trying to direct this zeal toward “the greater grace-gifts but especially prophecy” that “benefit others,” particularly by “building up the church-assembly” as in vv. 12:31, 14:1, 3, 6, 12, 26, 39.  Oh that we would have people more zealous for any of the Spirit’s grace-gifts, especially to prophesy!

 

Paul already said in 1 Corinthians 14:3-4 that “routine speaking/uttering . . . builds oneself up,” which is distinctly different from “routinely prophesying, presently/ongoing speaking/uttering to men [resulting in their] building-up kai and/related encouragement kai and/related consolation/comfort” of v. 14:3.  These 2 different intended-audiences/purposes of the grace-gifts of “to men” vs. “to God” is what makes the group of Body-of-Christ members in 1 Corinthians 12:10 given the grace-gift of [plural] genos ‘families/kinds/sorts of’ glossa tongues/languages then obviously heteros ‘others-different-in-kind’ than the allos ‘others-similar-in-kind’ members!  All the member-groups but 1 are focused on using their grace-gifts “to benefit others” but the tongues/languages member-group has a dual focus, as Paul will explain further.

 

Therefore, although ALL grace-gifts are ultimately sovereignly apportioned by God, Paul still encourages ALL Christians in 1 Corinthians 14:5 “Now I presently/ongoingly thelo optimally-desire YOU ALL to actively, presently/ongoingly speak in glossa tongues/languages,” and even boasts in their value to himself in v. 14:18 “I thank God that I presently/ongoingly speak in glossa tongues/languages more than ALL of YOU.”  In every case glossa tongues/languages is plural and Paul is expecting everybody to do get some genos ‘family/kind/sort of’ them, because this “builds them up” and is evidently a key part of their relationshipeulogeo eulogizing by giving God eucharistia thanks/praise,” per 1 Corinthians 14:16.

 

Prayer and thanksgiving are linked.  We are told in Philippians 4:6 “in every circumstance by proseuche conversational-prayer and/coupled deesis supplication with thanksgiving let your aitema requests be made experientially, relationally gnorizo known to God.”  In Colossians 4:2 Paul strongly urges us to “continue steadfastly in proseuche conversational-prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”  He tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:1, “I urge that deesis supplications, proseuche prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.”  Finally in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 Paul strongly urges us to “routinely rejoice always, routinely proseuchomai conversationally-prayer without ceasing, in/by/with all things routinely give-thanks – for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.” Very few things are explicitly states as “the will of God” – see New Covenant Ways – BT16.  Therefore praying with thanksgiving-praise by tongues is certainly “the will of God” for EVERY Christian, and is thus the reason that Paul will do so in 1 Corinthians 14:15 and optimally-desires others to follow his lead in 1 Corinthians 14:5.  When will we obey?

 

Now in 1 Corinthians 14:20-21 Paul really wakes these Christians up who are agnoeo “ignorant” or paidion “little-children, even infants in the thinking of their minds” or idiotes ‘idiot, conspicuously-lacking in understanding ones.’  Wake up and smell the coffee!  Paul says he is quoting the Law, but Deuteronomy 28:49 would be an obscure application of “a nation far away being brought by the Lord against Israel, a nation who phone voice/language/dialect you absolutely-in-fact-NOT akouo listen/hear-to-understand/know.”

 

More likely Paul is citing Isaiah 28:11-12 “For dia thru-the-realizing-channel-of heteros ‘another of a different kind of’ (a) cheilos  ‘lips that produces languages/dialects’; [plural] heteroglossos ‘another-of-a-different-kind of tongues/languages’ (b) I (God) (c) will speak to these people [d: to whom He (God) (e) has said (f), ‘This is the rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose,’] yet they would absolutely-in-fact-NOT eisakouo deeply listen/hear-to-understand/know” (g).  There is a lot to unpack here!  Anybody who says the bible is easy to understand and so we can know exactly what God’s will is, is trying to sell you property in the Florida everglades – see Bible Info!

 

<Notes> a) LXX Greek: phatne  ‘a manager made from a cattle feeding box’ sound off-the-wall, or more likely Hebrew laeg stammering/mocking because of the way Isaiah mocks the future rabbis of Christ’s day and their way of ‘knowing God’ – see New Covenant-BT17, –BT18, and Least Among You – BT3, b) LXX Greek: dia thru-the-realizing-channel-of heteros ‘another of a different kind of’ [singular] glossa tongue/language, c) LXX Greek: they or Hebrew: He (God), d) this section is missing in Paul’s writing, e) LXX Greek: they – this may be a reference to the Pentecost 120 disciple and others afterward that spoke God’s message even by tongues, which exactly fits Isaiah’s argument, f) Greek LXX: is presently-routinely-saying, g) Hebrew & LXX simply has akouo listen/hear-to-understand/know, and Paul’s Greek adds: “Me, says the Lord.”

 

We see Jesus and other New Testament writers refer to all parts of the Old Testament as “The Law” – see Logos Word of God – BT5a, and yet Christians are to have NOTHING to do with the Law – see New Covenant Ways – BT4b. Jesus is obviously alluding to Isaiah 28’s “rest and repose” when He said in Matthew 11:28, “[I strongly-urge you to] duete ‘come here now close-beside’ Me, all who labor and/coupled are heavily-burdened, and I will give you rest,” for Hebrews 4:9 indicates that Jesus is “the Sabbath Rest for the people of God.”

 

Paul continues in 1 Corinthians 14:22 “So then these (a) glossa tongues/languages are eis ‘toward and reaching the goal of, intended for’ a sign, absolutely-in-fact-NOT [intended for] those presently-routinely having trusting-relying-faith, but-instead [intended for] those not-of-the-trusting-relying-faith-ones, but ‘the prophecy’ (b) [is] absolutely-in-fact-NOT [intended for] those not-of-the-trusting-relying-faith-ones but-instead [intended for] those presently-routinely having trusting-relying-faith.”  Again, we have to remember the present context is about what goes on in the church-assembly “to benefit others,” not privately by a believer in their relationship of eulogeo “eulogizing by giving God eucharistia thanks/praise,” per 1 Corinthians 14:16.  We know this from verse 4:23. <Notes> a) or those I’ve been talking about all along, b) that prophecy I’ve been talking about all along.

 

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:23 “Therefore if/when the WHOLE church-assembly gathers-together epi upon the autos same-place kai and/then ALL might speak by-the-means-of [plural] glossa tongue/languages de however-then [if] [plural] idiotes ‘idiot, conspicuously-lacking in understanding ones’ (a) or [plural] not-of-the-trusting-relying-faith-ones might-come-into-reaching [us], will they absolutely-in-fact-NOT say that you-all are mainomai ‘maniacs, raving or senselessly mad, deranged, or insane’?”  However, Paul goes onto say that “if/when they ALL prophesy” (b) a person from these 2 groups could “be convicted by ALL, called to account by ALL, the secrets of his heart disclosed, and so falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you-ALL.”  Tongues to the “WHOLE church-assembly” is one of the “heteros ‘others-different-in-kind’ genos ‘families’ of tongues” from v. 12:10 that Paul advise us to interpret in v. 14:27-28 below.  <Notes> a) 1 Corinthians 14:16-17, these idiotes may be ignorant Christians, unable to say “Amen” to those giving eulogeo “eulogizing by giving God eucharistia thanks/praise,” in tongues, because they don’t have the Spirit’s grace-gift of discernment or interpretation “to eido ‘mentally see to perceive/know what they said” – a word used most often of prophetic ‘seeing’, where idiotes is differentiated from unbelievers here vv. 14:23-24, b) good luck seeing that in a modern church.

 

So then Paul gives instruction in 1 Corinthians 14:26-33 for orderly worship of God in the church-assembly, where there is a great emphasis that “hekastos ‘each individual separately/distinctly’ has a hymn (a), a teaching, a revelation, a glossa tongue/language, OR an interpretation.”  This is NOT a complete list as we can see from parallel passages of Colossians 3:16 “routinely teaching and/coupled routinely noutheteo ‘gently reasoning thru warning, admonishment, exhortation, or counseling’ heautouEACH OTHER reciprocally’  by-the-means-of psalms, hymns (a), Spirit-kind-of odes (b), always with thanksgivings” or Ephesians 5:19-20 “routinely laleo ‘conversationally-speaking’ to heautouEACH OTHER reciprocally’ via psalms, hymns (a), Spirit-kind-of odes (b), always with thanksgivings.”  As with all Paul’s writings about the church-assembly, the emphasis is on Body-Ministry, not on one-man or small-team ‘shows’ as the modern churches are patterned from (c), which comes from ‘borrowing’ from the Old Testament and the world, building The Great Wall quenching the Holy Spirit.  Paul’s main emphasis in this ‘audience-purpose’ context is “[I strongly urge you to] let ALL things be done for building up” (d) the church-assembly. <Notes> a) Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26; Acts 16:25; Hebrews 2:12, b) odes: psalms or hymns but unique in that they likely spontaneous music completely-different-in-kind “NEW songs” and thus not pre-composed – see also Spontaneous Music-BT5, – BT6, and – BT7, c) see Romans 12:3f, d) 1 Corinthians 14:26, cf. 14:3, 6, 12.

 

In 1 Corinthians 14:26-33 Paul explains that tongues/languages and prophecies addressed to the church-assembly “for building up” are to be spoken one after another, as this is certainly the loving thing to do, the emphasis of 1 Corinthians 13, and for the sake of love’s harmonious-peace in v. 14:33.  In this ‘audience-purpose’ context, tongues/languages are thus to be interpreted so that everybody can benefit from them and any idiotes uninformed and unbelievers won’t think you are raving lunatics!  Many Pentecostal and Charismatic churches have not heeded this warning!  If nobody can interpret your tongues/languages, implying you know of Christians ahead of time that have practiced this grace-gift or you have asked the group before you want to give it, and you have even prayed but not received an interpretation, only THEN you should NOT address the church but instead “keep silent in the church-assembly, though-instead [I strongly urge] you presently/ongoingly speak [the tongues/languages] to yourself and/coupled to God.”

 

A lot of churches violate this or go to the other extreme by “forbidding speaking in glossa tongues/languages” as Paul explicitly warns against in 1 Corinthians 14:39 as if he knew churches would do this!  Also, despising prophecy certainly quenches the Holy Spirit just as 1 Thessalonians 5:19-20 warns against!  Was Paul seeing into the future?  See Tongues – BT14.  Instead Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:31 and 14:39 they should be “zealously-desiring this mega ‘greater gift’ of prophecy and “to especially do” or “even more to do” this in 1 Corinthians 14:1, 5.

Once again we see there are different “intended audiences” and thus the reason for the heteros ‘another-of-different-kind’ member-groups using [plural] genos ‘families/kinds/sorts of’ glossa tongues/languagesonly some who have a grace-gift of tongues/languages “to others” as Body-Ministry to “build others up,” and the OTHER for every Christian’s blessing of God by thanksgiving “to God” that “builds oneself up.”  This is so clear in Paul’s writings that it appears that many just don’t want to obey them.

 

Even with prophecies that are either clearly understood or interpreted from glossa tongues/languages to bring “this revelation to others,” Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:29-31 of these prophecies and revelations that members “were hekastos ‘EACH individual separately/distinctly’ TO BRING” from v. 14:26, they are still to be treated the same way with his advice for orderly gatherings:  “[I strongly urge you to] let 2 or 3 prophets speak kai and/then the allos ‘others of the same kind’ (a) [I strongly urge to] let them presently/ongoingly diakrino ‘judge thru-the-realizing-channel-of close investigation/reasoning, thus weighing in’ . . . in order that ALL might [actively] manthano ‘learn the key facts from experience and/or reflection’ (b) kai and/coupled ALL might [passively or reflexively] be parakaleo ‘encouraged from close-beside consoling, comforting, gentle instruction’.”  <Notes> a) either the other prophets waiting their turn or the other Spirit-kind-of people who are NOT agnoeo ‘ignorant’ from v. 12:1 or idiotes ‘uneducated’ from vv. 14:16, 23-2, just as Paul calls these 2 ‘like-kind’ groups of “prophets and Spirit-kind-of people” in v. 14:37 to judge/critique his “things he is writing” – see Bible Info-BT5 for testing/judging prophecy, b) Matthew 11:29 the way we ‘learn’ from Jesus if we take His yoke of instruction upon us; Ephesian 4:20 the way we should have ‘learned Christ’.

 

When is the last time you were allowed to stand up or raise your hand to lovingly take turns in doing any of this?  That shows you how far churches have spiraled down away from the Church models given to us.  They borrow their models from the Old Testament Temple worship and from the world, further building The Great Wall quenching the Holy Spirit in the Church.

 

Christians and churches that don’t understand the clear teaching of Paul are thus agnoeo ‘being ignorant” (a) and idiotes ‘conspicuously lacking in understanding (b), and even “paidion ‘little-children or infants’ in their phren ‘mind-set, insight, understanding . . . instead of teleios ‘developed unto reaching the end-goal of maturity” (b).  It seems a lot of this is the case!  <Notes> a) 1 Corinthians 12:1, b) 1 Corinthians 14:16, 23-24, c) 1 Corinthians 14:20.

 

As a Christian now that we are no longer “ignorant” or an “idiot” regarding the Spirit’s grace-gifts even of tongues & interpretation, are we going to take responsibility and be obedient to anything we have just learned from all of this?  Are we going to routinely, habitually pray and psalm by singing and/or playing music in tongues, even under our breath or inside our heads by-the-means-of the Spirit, even while doing anything else out mind is having to naturally be “fruitful or productive” about, in order to be “built up in our most Holy Faith in order to stay in the unconditional-love of God?” Are we going to pray to give a tongue in church-assemblies and pray for an interpretation from us or others before giving it, in order that “others can also be benefited and built up?”  Are we going to share God’s gospel logos-message of unconditional-love to the world thru every avenue possible, even through music and even by tongues if we have to, even using our own native tongue to others that don’t understand us, and have the trusting-relying-faith that God can do the interpretation for us?  Will we simply “trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus” in order to be supernaturally effective in “building up” anybody from these 3 intended audiences by simply praying and psalming in tongues?  As with everything in the Christian walk, “the obedience of faith” is our only limiting factor.

 

 

Thank YOU for visiting:  BT4 – Tongues & Interpretation

 

 

 

Share your blessings to help others - Tongues & Interpretation - Spirit Music Meet-Ups

Click on Pic for details

 

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *