1 Corinthians 14:26-40 "The Worship Service - Decently and with Order"

A great  tendency  in the church of the 20^th century, particularly  within pentecostal and charismatic churches,  has been  to focus largely  on the exercise of spiritual gifts. It has been argued that these gifts  of the Holy Spirit  had been forgotten by the church and therefore, it was argued,  that the church had become  powerless  and dead.  What was needed    was a  return to  the exercise of the  spiritual gifts, primarily the  mystical gifts such as tongue speaking and prophesying.  Well, history judges  her children and  her  movements. The 20^th century shall go down in church history as the  century of the greatest church divisions and church splits  -  and many of them  on account of  the matter of the use of  the  charismatic gifts.

What shall we say about this?  

The Holy Spirit  surely is  is the Spirit of unity. He is not the author of confusion. He is  the Spirit of truth (Jn. 14:17)  given to lead the church into the truth.  The Holy Spirit has  inspired the sacred text  which we hold in our hands (1 Pet. 1:19-21).  He  is committed  to unity, because Jesus has prayed  for the unity of His church,

“… that they  may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me  and loved them even as  you have loved me.” (Jn  17:23)

I am convinced, more than ever,  that the  Scriptures which are inspired  by the Holy  Spirit do not allow us to organize  and  work as we  please in the church. The work  of the church  must be done with a spiritual mindset.  

The spiritual  gifts  must be used  spiritually, and not selfishly. 

Love, as defined in  13:4-7 is  the key  to   the attitudes that undergird the use of  spiritual gifts  for  our ministry.

  

The “building up of the church” is the desired  outcome (4:4,5,12,26). 

“Unity  of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God to mature manhood, to the measure  of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13) is the goal. 

Speaking  in  tongues  as an end in itself, or prophesying  as  a reason to boast,  as if this gift   had its origin in ourselves is childish and immature. 

The Bible reminds us  that the Holy Spirit is the Sovereign Dispenser of  spiritual gifts  (1 Cor. 12:6,11). 

He  is the One  who decides which spiritual gifts  are needed for the church at any given time. 

He decides which gifts  are  to  be withheld from  the church at any time.  

The matter  whether all the spiritual gifts mentioned in the  NT  must be  in operation  today is  not  as important as the question, "What gifts  does the church need in order to be built up?"  "How can the church  see  and cherish the Lord  Jesus Christ better?"

Paul argues in 1 Corinthians 14 that what the church needs most is clarity- clear speech! 

As Paul begins to  wrap  up his thoughts concerning  spiritual gifts  he reminds the church  that  all  things  be done  for the building up of the church (14:26)  and that “all things should be done decently and in order…”  (14:40). This includes the favourite gifts in the Corinthian church  which included tongue speaking and prophecy.  

Concerning these Paul  has some specific instructions in terms of what should happen in  public worship:

1.      He recognizes  them as beneficial gifts  for  the church of  that time, and he therefore  encourages them in 14:39 :  “My brothers, earnestly prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues…”. Nothing that benefits the church must  be withheld.  We need to pray for grace  and desire to know which gifts  presently  best up-build the church.

2.      He limits  the  tongue speaking in public worship.  "two, at most three  and not without interpretation (14:27,28)  to keep the clarity principle intact- (14: 6-24)

3.      He also limits  the prophesying in public worship. "two or three prophets..."  (14:29-32), and he  encourages  them to weigh  or judge (Gr. diakrinō)  what is being said.   Prophecies  must not be received uncritically. They must be  limited  and  those who prophesy must not ‘hog’ the  meeting. When somebody else wants to prophesy, they must  keep silent and allow the  next person to speak.

4.     An important  observation is that  the worship meeting  of the church ought not be a ‘free for all’. It must be orderly and regulated, without quenching the Spirit. It may be right at times  for those with prophetic urges to restrain themselves. This is the way in which  Charles Hodge interprets  the phrase  “the spirit of the prophets  are  subject to prophets.” (Hodge:p.303). The great principle  of order  becomes  apparent again when Paul says  in 14:33,   “For God is  not a God of confusion but of peace.”  How about the modern church?   Why do we not  have a time  when  we allow those with  prophetic  urges  to speak?  I have  much sympathy  for such a need. I could see for instance  that at the end of  an exposition  of Scripture, when our hearts and minds have been  settled under the word of God, a number of spiritually minded  and accountable church members might be given the opportunity  to speak into our lives, to  warn us concerning a matter,  or  to exhort us  to love God and  one another more.

5.      Next, and in  this same context  concerning the use of spiritual gifts,  Paul addresses a controversial matter:“As in all the churches of the saints, [34] the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. [35] If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. This may come as a surprise  to us, since  the OT had predicted that   at the time of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit  (referring to Pentecost)  “...your sons and daughters  shall prophesy!” (Joel 2:28ff). Peter the apostle quoted this  text on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:17) and Acts  21:9 makes mention of the fact  that Philip had four daughters that prophesied. Furthermore in 1 Cor. 11:5, Paul seemed to take it for granted that women would prophesy.  There is certainly no reason to believe that women  cannot be equally gifted in all areas of ministry. There is no reason  to believe  that women  cannot  contribute equally to the up-building to the church.  So what is the actual issue here? The matter here concerns order in public worship. Creation order  determines that  men must lead.  Men in this instance  are called to lead in public worship. That is the pattern from the beginning.   OT temple worship  knew of no  female priests, and it had nothing to do with OT male chauvinism or Hebrew culture. This was  all by God’s careful design. This was apparently  the practice also in all the NT churches  (14:33). Jesus chose no female apostles  for the public ministry. Elders  and  diaconal leaders in the churches  were always  men, although it is clear that women  also  have  pastoral  gifts (e.g. Priscilla the wife of Aquila – Acts 18) and diaconal  gifts (e.g. Phoebe- Rom 16:1) that build up the church.  However, God’s plan  for a woman   is  that she   should influence mankind  “from  the bottom up“ and not “from the top down“.  Ignoring God’s will  on this matter  has severe consequences.    In 1 Tim  2:14  Paul reminds us  that  Eve’s fall  occurred when she ignored  her divinely ordained position (i.e. when she began to ‘desire’ her husband’s position). Instead of following, she chose to lead. Instead of being  submissive  to God  she wanted to be like God. Paul reminds us  that in this  aspect it   was Eve  (not Adam) who was first deceived. She listened to Satan. She sinned before Adam did. In this aspect she was the leader and he was the follower.  The reversal  of roles in this case led to the fall.

6.     Let no church think that she is an exception to the rule (14:36). The Corinthians might have thought  that  they were superior  in the matter of unrestrained tongue speaking, prophesying and giving little  attention  to  male leadership in the church. Consequently Paul  rebukes and challenges  them: “[36] Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? [37] If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. [38] If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.  Paul engages in  some sarcasm here! "Are you the mother church?  Are you the only church?  Did the Word of God (i.e. the gospel) originate with you in Corinth?   Did the Gospel  stop here with you?"  In so doing  Paul appeals  that the consideration  of the practice of the other churches  is significant, and  this too  must be noted by the Corinthians. 

7.     The authority that Paul carries as an apostle, is of a higher order because it carries the direct  calling and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ  (14:37-38). He bears the direct authority or  command of the Lord. So, when Paul speaks on these matters to them, they ought to listen, and if not -  that meant  that  they were not recognized by God  in the authority that they claimed to bear. They would simply be men driven by their own impulses, and unfortunately there are far too many churches like that! Likewise, for us the Scriptures ought to  have a higher authority  than the opinions of men.

8.      All things  should be done decently and in order. The  final exhortation is  that  all  worship should be marked  by  beautiful and peaceful order, and not by chaotic disorder, which inevitably happens  when men  and their ego’s take over and  when  and God becomes peripheral  to worship.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

God, in His Word has  given us  general principles in terms of how the church ought to be organized  and led  in terms   of  spiritual  gifts and in terms  of leadership ^[1].

The Corinthian church  had experienced fractured relationships  and chaotic meetings, all the result of  a lack of  proper respect to God and  His word  through the ordained apostle of God - the  apostle Paul. That is why  now Paul ad to  teach them  and remind them once again  that in the church,  “… all things should be done decently and in order”  (1 Cor. 14:40).  In 14:33  he  also has reminded them that God is  not  a God of confusion but of peace. In the immediate context he was speaking about  the use of tongues and prophecies, but  the principle surely   applies to  everything  done in the church!

The place  of  worship  is not a place  for  self- expression. It is a place of adoration and for mutual up-building. True worship  must cause you  to leave the place of worship encouraged and thoughtful and resolved to serve God and His kingdom.

The place of worship  must be respected. It is  for  this  reason  also  that  the first epistle to Timothy, the  pastor of the church at Ephesus  (1 Tim.1:3) was written. The purpose for writing is explicitly  stated in  1 Timothy 3:14-15:  “Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that,  if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

When a large group of people get together  for a public worship meeting there  is even more  need  for self- restraint and control.  We cannot worship as we please. We cannot  organize the church as we please. The question as to  whether women  should occupy pastor - elder positions in the church   is unfortunately no longer  an issue for many churches. It has, in fact  become  an entrenched practice in many churches. Female pastors and elders  occupy the pulpit  and leadership of many churches in Namibia  and in the world at large.  This is not helping the church, and sadly  this practise has led  to churches racing down the slippery slope of liberalism, which ultimately destroys the church.  

We are not free  to  depart from the  divine design.  We need to be  faithful to the teaching of the Scriptures, and in doing so  we remain faithful to God. We must not go with the times, as if modern  times were  more spiritual than the Scriptures. 

As for us and our household we  will continue to hold on to   the  firm belief   that the Bible  is  not controversial  in these  matters. The biblical teaching  is not  ambiguous in this matter.   

---

[1] This principle  is   expounded by Paul in Ephesians 4:1-16

1 Corinthians 14 : What about the Gift of Prophecy ?

TEXT : 1 Corinthians  14

TITLE:   What about  the  Gift of Prophecy ?

Date :  The Lord's Day  12/02/2012

AW Tozer was considered
by many
 to be a modern day prophet

Last week  we  looked at 1 Corinthians 14  from  a “descriptive perspective“. We  took note of what the apostle Paul had  described  and emphasized in 1 Corinthians 14. We noted that tongues and prophecies were  functioning gifts  in the apostolic church. In  the Corinthian church  tongue speaking was  apparently the most popular  gift, and this was not unrelated to the Greek love affair with   the mystery religions . We also noted that the apostle  Paul  did not encourage the speaking of tongues in public worship. He says it repeatedly , and sums up his view in  14:9  and 18. He prefers clarity  and  intelligibility. At the heart of Paul’s argument is that the church must be edified; she must be  built up through the use of spiritual gifts. He  thus curbs the exaggerated attention which the Corinthian church gave  to  tongue speaking.   

This  was  not true for the gift of prophecy (14: 1,5,31,39). On the contrary, Paul encouraged  it. He said that  prophecy  is a  useful gift for the  “upbuilding , encouragement and consolation“ of the church. (14:3)

But what exactly is prophecy?

This is an important  question,  for there is much confusion concerning it. Paul does not give us a  working definition in this passage. He only tells us what it achieves : it builds up,  it encourages and it  comforts (14:3).   But what is the gift prophecy?

WHAT  IT CANNOT  MEAN 

1.   Whatever this gift is  , it cannot be on the same level  as  that  word  of the  prophets and apostles who  are called  “the foundation of the church” (Eph 2:20). That type of prophecy  is unquestionable  and unique in its authority. The word of  the  Old Testament prophets  is  “something more sure“. Peter calls it the “prophetic word”  (2 Pet 1:19)   It is as  good as  God's word^[1]. Therefore, to disbelieve or disobey a prophet's words was to disbelieve or disobey God ^[2].  In the New Testament  were the  "apostles" ,  the New Testament counterpart to the Old Testament prophets.^[3] It is the apostles, not the prophets, who have authority  to speak  the words of New Testament Scripture. 

2. Whatever this gift means, it  cannot bear the same authority and degree of revelation, because there is essentially  no need for  further revelation. Jesus is  God’s final revelation. (Heb 13 : 1 –3).   The apostolic writings and the gospels  are God’s final Word  for these last days. There can be no prophecies that would  add to our present  knowledge   in addition to Scripture . That would bring us into serious conflict with  Hebrews 1:1-3  and the principle  of  the sufficiency  of Scripture. No greater revelation than Christ has  given us  of heavenly realities  can follow  right now.  We must  wait for the second  coming of Christ  to take us to heaven.  So, with  Christ, the words of the prophets were  sealed.

3. Internal evidence  (i.e. within Chapter 14 ) helps us to see  that prophecy mentioned  here is not the same  kind  :  When Paul  says for instance  , "Let two or three prophets speak, and  the others should  weigh carefully  what is said" (1 Cor. 14:29), he suggests that they should listen carefully and sift the  prophecy . The word  for “weighing carefully” is the Greek word  “diakrino”  (dia – through ; krino – to judge)  - hence to consider thoroughly and carefully . We cannot imagine that an Old Testament prophet such as Isaiah would have said, "Listen to what I say, and weigh what is said—and  sort the good from the bad…!  No ! He speaks – “Thus says the Lord…” , and he is not inviting any further dialogue !  But here Paul commands that  this is how  it should be done in the church , suggesting that  this  type  of   prophecy did not have the authority of God’s word.  In 1 Cor 14:30-31  Paul allows one prophet to interrupt another one: "If a revelation is made to  another sitting there , let  the first be silent.  For you can all prophesy one by one,  so that  all may learn an all be encouraged  …".   If prophets had been speaking God's very words, equal in value to Scripture, it is hard to imagine that Paul would say they should be interrupted and not allowed to finish their message. But that is what Paul commands here. There is something about this prophecy that must be weighed and tested.  This also appears to be the implication of Paul’s statement to the Thessalonians  (2 Thess  5:20,21)  where he says:   “…Do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil“. Paul plainly  recommends that   such prophecies should be tested. They should not be automatically assumed to be God’s  words.   He challenges  the  Corinthians in  14:36 :  “Did the word of God originate  with you ? Or are you the only people it has reached ?"   Then in verses 37 and 38 he claims authority greater than any prophet at Corinth: "If any one thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is a command of the Lord."  It is plain then that Paul ascribes greater and unquestionable authority  to his own words!
    So we come to the conclusion that  the spiritual gift of prophecy in the  church had less authority than scripture prophecy or apostolic teaching.

THE PURPOSE  OF PROPHECY  :

Nothing directly in our text  helps us  to understand the nature of prophecy . Therefore we will have to look a little “wider“. 

Why did Jesus choose the new term "apostle" to designate those who had the authority to write Scripture? It was probably because the Greek word prophetes ("prophet") at the time of the New Testament had a very broad range of meanings. It generally did not have the sense of "one who speaks God's very words",  but rather of "one who speaks on the basis of some external influence" (often a spiritual influence of some kind. Note :prophecy is not peculiar to the Christian faith ; ‘Fortune telling’  belongs to the same category). Titus 1:12 uses the word in this sense, where Paul quotes a secular  concerning the Cretes:  "Even one of their own prophets has said, 'Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons" .  This has nothing to do with “Christian prophecy”.

The soldiers who mock Jesus also seem to use the word "prophesy" in this way, when they blindfold Jesus and cruelly demand, "Prophesy! Who hit  you?" (Luke 22:64). They don't mean, "Speak words of absolute divine authority," but, "Tell us  who hit you!”  (compare John 4:19 also).

So , if  this type  of prophecy  has nothing to do  with the writing of authoritative Scripture , then what is it?

Paul indicates that God could bring something spontaneously to mind,  so that the person prophesying would report it in his or her own words. Paul calls this a "revelation"( Gr. apokalupsis) : "If a revelation is made to  another sitting there  , let  the first be silent.  For you can all prophesy one by one ,  so that  all may learn an all be encouraged  …"  (1 Cor. 14:30-31) Here Paul is here simply referring to something that God may suddenly bring to mind, or something that God may impress on someone's heart or thoughts, in such a way that the person has a sense that it is from God.

Notice the effect upon the congregation :  1 Cor14:24 ,25 [24] But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, [25] the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.

Wayne Grudem  writes :  “ I have heard a report of this happening in a clearly non-charismatic Baptist church in America: A missionary speaker paused in the middle of his message and said something like this: "I didn't plan to say this but it seems the Lord is indicating that someone in this church has just walked out on his wife and family. If that is so, let me tell you that God wants you to return to them and learn to follow God's pattern for family life." The missionary did not know it, but in the unlit balcony sat a man who had entered the church moments before for the first time in his life. The description fit him exactly, and he made himself known, acknowledged his sin, and began to seek after God.

In this way, prophecy serves as a "sign" for believers (1 Cor. 14:22) - it is a clear demonstration that God is definitely at work in their midst, a "sign" of Gods hand of blessing on the congregation. And since it will work for the conversion of unbelievers as well, Paul encourages this gift to be used when "unbelievers or outsiders enter" (1 Cor. 14:23-25).

Many of us have experienced or heard of similar events.

For example, an unplanned but urgent request may have been given to pray for  someone. Then much later those who prayed discovered that just at that time people had been in a car  accident or at a point of intense spiritual conflict, and had needed those prayers. Paul would call the sense or intuition of those things a "revelation" and the report to the assembled church of that prompting from God would be called a "prophecy."

(A similar thing happened to us when our son Martin nearly drowned  - The Lord showed  a lady here in the congregation that this was to happen  – and she prayed- though we did not know  - and thankfully Martin was spared !)  

 D.A. Carson says  ^[4] : One begins to suspect that prophecy may occur more often than is recognized in non-charismatic circles , and less often than is recognized in charismatic churches…. What preacher has not had the experience , after detailed preparation for public ministry , of being interrupted in the full flow of his delivery with a new thought , fresh and powerful , interrupting him… until he makes room for it and incorporates it into his message –only to find after the service that the insertion was the very bit that seemed to touch the most people, and meet their needs … The same is true for healings  - these also happen in non charismatic  churches in response to the gift of faith.

I wonder whether you know  that our own  Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834 – 1892) was subject to a most remarkable  and striking  prophecy^[5]?   He was still a child  when his grandfather brought  to the church a  former missionary by the name of Richard Knill for special meetings. Knill had spent many years in India and in Russia and was at that time serving in England. He became much taken with  young Charles , quickly recognizing his unusual mental ability and his rare clarity of speech. For instance , Charles read the Scriptures every day  , and  reporting of this experience , Knill said:”I have old ministers and  young ones read well , but never did I hear a little by read so correctly before .”  When it was time to leave the family stood around , and Richard Knill took young Charles on his knee and made the pronouncement : “This child will one day preach the gospel , and will preach it to great multitudes , and I am persuaded he will preach in the chapel of Rowland Hill” . Rowland Hill’s chapel (Surrey Chapel) was one of the largest in England at that time, and  in later years Charles did preach there.

Spurgeon himself testifies:  “He spoke very solemnly , and called upon all to witness what he said. Then he gave me a six pence as a reward if I would learn the  hymn : ‘God moves in mysterious ways , His wonders to perform.” I was made to promise , that when I preached  in Rowland Hill’s chapel , that hymn should be sung. … would it ever be an idle dream? Years flew by. After I had begun for some little time to preach in London, Dr Alexander Fletcher was engaged to deliver the annual sermon to the children in Surrey Chapel  , but as he was taken ill , I was asked in a hurry to preach to the children in his stead . ‘ Yes’, I replied , ‘ I will’ , if you will allow the children to sing ‘ God moves in mysterious ways , His wonders to perform.’ I have made a promise long ago that that hymn should be sung when I preached there.

And so it was . I preached in Rowland Hills chapel , and the hymn was sung. My emotions on that occasion I cannot describe , for the word of the Lord’s servant was fulfilled.”

IMPLICATION  AND APPLICATION  : 

1.   Prophecy is “telling something that God has spontaneously brought to mind." (Wayne Grudem ).“ It  denotes something like our preaching , but it is not identical with it. It is not the delivery of a carefully prepared sermon , but the uttering of words directly inspired by God“ ^[8]

2.  Prophecy must be weighed i.e. it does not have to  be accepted as binding or “ as the word of the Lord” . Often , it appears as if we simply have to wait in order to see whether something is really of God . Therefore we must not be overly eager  to call something from the Lord – wait until it happens – and then give praise to God!

3.  If a prophecy  conflicts or contradicts with Scripture , it should be immediately discarded. Under no circumstance can this prophecy overrule the word of God.

4.   The purpose of prophecy is for strengthening ,  encouragement and comfort  see 14:3 i.e. edification . This may  certainly include rebuke, since that also leads ultimately to our comfort.

5.  True Prophecy is something outside of ourselves. Therefore, the issue is one of the sovereignty of the Spirit of God.  God  sovereignly can use  anyone, or choose to gift  certain ones  for the purpose of strengthening and encouraging the church in this way.

6.  We must guard ourselves from  manipulating  the Spirit for our own ends. In fact we may be assured that the Spirit who is sovereign , cannot be manipulated . At the same time we may expect Him to work in unusual ways. We cannot say that the Spirit  cannot do something.   

7.   The claims of the charismatic movement  concerning the  normative  occurrences of tongues ,  prophecies etc.   are  exaggerated.

8.   The use of tongues and prophecies  cannot enjoy prominence above  the  proclamation of the word of God.

---

[1] (see Num. 22:38; Deut. 18:18-20; Jer. 1:9; Ezek. 2:7; etc.).

[2](Deut. 18:19; 1 Sam. 8:7; 1 Kings 20:36; etc.)

[3] (see 1 Cor. 2:13; 2 Cor. 13:3; Gal. 1:8-9, 11-12; 1 Thess. 2:13; 4:8, 15; 2 Pet. 3:2

[4][4] D.A. Carson :  Showing the Spirit p. 168  

[5][5] A. Dalimore : Spurgeon p 10 ;  Spurgeon’s Auto Biography : The early years : p.27

[6] Don Whitney: Article : Silence and Solitude

[7]  M.L.Jones : The Puritans  : Howell Harris and revival . p.282

[8]  Leon Morris : Commentary  on 1 Cor ( IVP) p.190

1 Corinthians 14 : Biblical Worship : In Love and with Grace Gifts

 

TEXT : 1 Corinthians  14

TITLE:   Biblical Worship :  In love  and with  Grace gifts 

Date :  The Lord's Day 12/02/2012

The last time we  looked at this first letter  to the Corinthians  was in October  last year . We really need  to finish the study of this letter  for there is nothing to help us grow in  spiritual  knowledge  as much as   the  systematic pursuit of the logic of Scripture. Working through entire  books  of the  Bible  helps us  to  construct   a biblical worldview that  will stabilize our  thinking and therefore our lives. Even  if the matter at hand  does  not appear entirely relevant  to your situation right now  , it nevertheless produces  a vital deposit  of truth , which will come in handy in due time. We are always tempted  at  every stage of our lives  to forget  God and His Word. At such critical stages   we need a deposit of truth to  steer us through  difficult and barren times.   Let us pray   therefore for the Holy Spirit’s help  to listen well, and hide his truth in our hearts that we may not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11)!

We  begin with  some  review and  some historical  perspective on our passage .

Paul ,   the human agent of  the Holy Spirit had  ‘planted’ this church somewhere between  AD 50 and 52  ( see  Acts 18) .   First Corinthians  was probably  written in   AD 55   , which means  that it was  written to this church some  3-5 years after it was planted.  

This  church  had a worship problem.  It is a common problem  in the modern church, and that  makes this letter actually very  relevant! The worship problem  related  to  a  mind-shift which had taken place . The church had moved from  God centered thinking to man centered thinking ( see   1:10ff ;  Ch 3), a process which as you see,  can  happen very swiftly.  Without  solid  feeding and meditating  upon God’s truth  we revert very quickly to our human default thinking . So we see that  the  focus  shifted  from sound doctrine – God’s wisdom ,  to  man-  made solutions and man made wisdom .  When sound doctrine is absent , unsound thoughts  easily  flow from our unstable hearts and minds.  This is what is happening here . The problems translated themselves into  a wide spectrum of problems which the founding apostle needed to address  :

•      Divisions- party spirit – which is focusing on men rather than on  Christ ; 
•     A  questioning of   the  authority of the apostles  as servants of Christ  ( Ch4) which is really a rejection of  God’s authority since the  apostle’s  teachings were given to the church  for its  spiritual  health  and stability .  
•   Sexual immorality-  which is a  giving into man centered,   fleshly desires  rather than to a  mind controlled by the Holy Spirit  (Ch5)
•   Lawsuits among believers-   by which  they  were  trusting  worldly court systems  more than   godly counsel from fellows believers    (Ch 6) 
•    Marriage problems ;  their  eyes were on  sex for personal gratification , and not in  godly consideration  of   their spouses  (Ch7) 
•   A return to idolatry by not being careful   who they were associating with . Bad company corrupts good character   (Ch 10) 
•  Abusing the Lord’s supper by not making the Lord but  making food and drink the main thing- leading to gluttony and drunkenness  ( Ch11)  ;  
•  The  self centered   use of spiritual gifts in the church .  They were  using spiritual gifts not to glorify God  and  for the edification  of one another . They were bragging and boasting in them  and  using them  in a  way that was  hindering the church , and not building the church  up.

 At the heart of the  Corinthian  worship problem was a lack of  God centered  (agape)  love. (Ch 13). Love for God  and  neighbour (Mk 12:30,31)  had been replaced  with self  centered  attitudes.  This is where we find ourselves in our exposition . Chapters 12 – 14  are Paul’s  response to  what is lacking in the church  in terms of the  proper  use of   spiritual gifts, applied   in  biblical love (Ch 13) .

Chapter 14  

You will note the connecting statement between Ch’s  13 and 14  :  v.1  “Pursue  love” i.e. pursuit with persistence…. indicating a never terminating action  in the way described in  14:4-7 . The key  to  understanding the proper use of spiritual gifts is  to use them  in Christian  love . We have learned previously  in 1 Cor 13:1-3  that anything that we do or say  without love is empty or meaningless, and that anything done in godly love is   truly helpful   AND God glorifying . To live in  such attitude of  love as is described  in 1 Cor 13:4-7  is  to  truly worship  God .

 … and earnestly  desire  (covet earnestly) the spiritual gifts …. The point is that we must be eager  to  love the church by  the  use our spiritual gifts. You might have noticed that  one of the key phrases in  chapter 14 is  “to build up “ the church -  see  14 :4, 5, 12, 26. 

The goal of the use of our  spiritual gifts in love  is to build the church up .  To build a church up by our spiritual gift means , to  improve  our people , to leave them  in a better  shape  ; to make the  church ( the bride of Christ) more   beautiful in the eyes of Christ.   Once  we have  understood this, our capacity  to serve  others joyfully increases  and our  happiness increases as we see others built up.   So ask yourself   this question :  How can I increase the  joy  of  my fellow church members  and  their ability to praise  and serve God  more   through  that gift  which God has put into me ?  

Now,  we notice that the apostle Paul focuses on two particular spiritual gifts : tongues and prophecy . These are by no means the only spiritual gifts that edify and build up the church. We had  previously seen that there are over 20 spiritual gifts listed in the Scriptures . We have  reason to believe that these gift  lists may only be illustrative  and not exhaustive . There may be more spiritual gifts to build up the church than we think .  So  why  does he only mention these two controversial gifts   here  ?

We  must  remember  that  this  letter is written into a specific  situation. It was to correct excesses  in the church  with respect to these two gifts.   

 Also  note  that  Paul  speaks about these two gifts as a matter of fact. He  considers  “speaking in tongues”  and  “prophecy”  as a normal expression of church life. He himself claims to speak in tongues (14:18). Furthermore,   he exhorts the Corinthians in  14:39,40 to “… earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues… reminding them also ….  [40] But all things should be done decently and in order.” .

He says a similar thing to the Thessalonians (1 Thess 5:19-22) with respect to prophecies :  [19] Do not quench the Spirit. [20] Do not despise prophecies, …. reminding them also … [21] but test everything; hold fast what is good. [22] Abstain from every form of evil.

Notice    that in both cases he also issues warnings against excesses ! These gifts  were  easily abused  in the church , because they belonged to the realm  of the mysteries in the Spirit  (14:2) .

Next , I want you to see that  Paul makes a  quality distinction  between ‘speaking in tongues’ and  ‘prophesying’ .   In fact , the whole chapter is really an argument of the supremacy of prophecies  over  the use  of tongues.  Interesting!

The logic of his argument  is as follows :  Since tongues (speaking in other languages)  are unintelligible   to the  hearer  they cannot build up the church  unless they are interpreted  (14:13). Tongues  appear  to be mostly  for  personal edification  ( 14:4). By way of contrast  he argues that prophecy edifies the church. Paul  says that  the act of prophesying produces “upbuilding , encouragement and  consolation (comfort)”  for the church (4:3). Therefore  Paul  says that he prefers intelligible speech (14:9) to  language that no one can understand .

Paul’s point is consistent :  the church  must be helped by gifts  (14:12). If people are not being  helped by  tongues ,  the chief goal of worship cannot be attained. God must be glorified  in the building up of the church ! It appears then as if  these man  centered  Corinthians  were  seeking to speak  in tongues , but not for the building up of the church.
 

At this point it  may be helpful to  seek to understand the  Greek culture of the day. Greek culture was steeped in the so called  “mystery religions” -  in the mystical and the metaphysical.   Many converts came from such backgrounds . 
African culture  and religion is  by and large also pervaded by  the  fear , awe  and  seeking after  the  “spirit world“.  The world of the ancestors   forms  a big part  of African mind and culture.

Since we are born into a cultural setting we are steeped in cultural preferences. It  is very hard  to separate ourselves  from  this , since it is so much  a part of our identity.  Returning  to the  Greek mindset  (obsessed with the metaphysical world ) they were forever seeking for the key to higher knowledge[2] – the key that would open up the world of the unknown, the world of the gods.   The Greek mystery religions also practiced  glossolalia – ‘speaking in tongues’ … in fact many  other modern  religions  (Muslims , Buddhists  , Hindu’s , Occult)  have  mystic offshoots  that claim to speak in tongues . It is by no means a Christian phenomenon . 

Paul’s desire was for  intelligibility ; clarity! The Christian  faith  is not about   keeping secrets. The Christian faith is open. “We speak the truth plainly”,  says Paul  (2 Cor 4:2)  ! Christianity  is about revelation. The Christian faith is about the fact that God has not kept himself hidden  and unapproachable. In the OT  He  revealed  Himself  through His prophets !   In the NT  He has  revealed Himself in Christ and then through the apostles. He has revealed Himself  by  the Holy Spirit  who was clearly announced and  who Himself  manifested   as a mighty , rushing wind at Pentecost . From that perspective we need to remember that Pentecost is a unique, once for all , never to be repeated event. 
At Pentecost the Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus  to give gifts to the church. In Chapter 12  we learn that the Holy Spirit is the sovereign dispenser of  spiritual gifts . “ He … apportions to each one individually as He wills .”  (1 Cor 12:11) .

Spiritual gifts  and in this context , tongues and prophecy are not  chosen to be used by   us – they are  to be corporately  desired among us (14:1)   , but in themselves  they are  sovereignly given to us, and  when the Holy Spirit gives them , you cannot resist  them or  ignore them  !

We still have to do a lot of work in this passage  , but  I need to wrap up  for today and make some  important  comments  with respect to the modern phenomenon  of  spiritual gifts  ,and especially  tongues . I will comment on  “prophecy“ next time.

1.     The Sovereign Holy Spirit  can  do whatever He chooses. He is  God. He can  therefore give and withhold any gift  at any moment .

2.    Just because the gifts  are mentioned in Scripture , this   does not mean  that  there must be tongues  or prophecy or  routine healings  today . God decides – not we !  There was a time in the OT  when  God even  withheld the preaching of the Word (Amos 8:11-12)  . There was a time   of 400 years before the coming of Christ  (The Inter-testamental period )  when there was no  prophecy – no word from the Lord. Preaching was not heard. This is unthinkable  for  Reformed Baptists !  We may well be in such a time today, when the true  word of God is rare!

3.    Any attempt by  people  to manipulate the gifts of the Spirit will  ultimately  play into the hands of Satan,  who thrives where there is disobedience and chaos,   and who uses trickery and deceit  to confuse and divide the church . This is precisely what has happened in the Corinthian church  and it has happened to the 20^th century church. I warn you , as did Paul . Do not  seek to manipulate spiritual gifts . Desire  ( you all – plural) to have  spiritual gifts in the church  by all means  (that is the plain  meaning of 14:1) .  But do not  trivialize tongues through babbling  or  claim  to prophesy  spuriously. To do that means that you will put out the Spirit’s fire . To do that means  to treat prophecies with contempt . I am afraid that as in the day of Jeremiah ( e.g. Jer  5:30,31  ; 8 :11 ; 14:13ff)  , there are far too many false prophets in our   churches and in our society  and they are not building our people up . They are destroying and dividing churches. That is not the work of the Holy Spirit .

4.      Spiritual gifts  bless , heal  , unite and build up the church . That is their  mark !

---

[1] Leon Morris  : 1 Corinthians (IVP ) p.190

[2] Gnosticism : A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realization of Gnosis (esoteric or intuitive knowledge), is the way to salvation of the soul from the material world.

1 Corinthians 13:8-13 : The Supremacy of Love

TEXT : 1 Corinthians 13:8-13   

TITLE:  The Supremacy of  Love     

Date : 23  /10 /2011

“Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So  now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 

(1 Corinthians 13:8-13 ESV)

Heaven is a world of love ! I would like to capitalize on this thought  today . The  famous American Theologian Jonathan Edwards ( 1703-1758)   wrote a sermon [1],     on  verses 8-13  , entitled “Heaven is a world of love” .   The sermon script on  A4 format  is 22 pages  long ! By comparison  , I normally give you 4 pages  of sermon notes . Clearly, we are living in a different age . We seem to be much more ‘compact’  and poorer  in our preaching .  Edwards  left virtually no stone unturned  in the exposition of this text. He  mined the text  to the limit  . 

The Text and Context :

Having concluded  his  detailed  exposition  on  the nature of  biblical love , the apostle Paul  now  makes  some important  conclusions   concerning the nature of this love .             

Today   the Bible  wants   to make a strong case  as to why  we  should strongly invest  in  understanding   and practicing  this biblical  love . Paul gives  us two reasons why  this love is worth investing in  :

1.       Love never ends  ( KJV never fails)  while  spiritual gifts  will pass away

2.      Love   is the  greatest  of all virtues. Faith and hope  will cease , but love  goes through the curtain   of death and beyond  the grave , and  heaven will be a world of love.

1. Love  never ends

Love,   in contradistinction to the gifts  ( Paul mentions prophecy , tongues and the word  of knowledge (cf 12:8)   in particular ) endures forever .  Prophecy  and tongues  and  the word of knowledge  will cease  in  time . There will be no ignorance in heaven , for we shall live in the full revelation of  the  truth and the love of God .We are now living in the state of imperfection . Paul  speaks about the state of perfection  in verse 10 , when the partial  will pass away .  Many theologians have  been puzzled by   what Paul means “ when  the perfect comes, the partial  will pass away” . What do we mean  by  “ the perfect” ?  Some have maintained  that this must refer to heaven ( and thus tongues , prophecy and knowledge will no longer be necessary)  , while others  have maintained  that  with the closing of the canon of Scripture  all need for  additional revelation through prophecy and tongues  and words of knowledge  had ceased to be necessary .

Who is right ?  Well , if we take  Jonathan  Edwards explanation , then both are right . I will summarize what he says in  a nutshell   :

Edwards says  that  “there is a twofold imperfect, and so a twofold perfect state of the Christian church. The church in its beginning, or in its first stage, before it was strongly established in the world, and settled in its New Testament state, and before the canon of Scripture was completed, was in an imperfect state - a state  … of childhood, in comparison with what it was to be in its ….later ages, when it should have reached its maturity …  or of comparative earthly perfection.

(However )… this comparatively perfect church of Christ, so long as it remains in its militant state ( that is, down to the end of time)  will still be in an imperfect, childish state, in comparison with what it will be in its heavenly state, … in its state of …. perfection.

And so there is a twofold  ending  of these miraculous gifts of the Spirit here mentioned. One was at the end of the …infant age of the church, when the canon of Scripture was completed, and so there was to be no need of such gifts for the church in its latter ages, when it should have put away childish things, and come to a state of maturity  before the end of the world, and when the Spirit of God should most gloriously be poured out and manifested in that love , which is its greatest and everlasting fruit.

And the other will be, when all the common fruits of the Spirit cease with respect to particular persons at death, and with respect to the whole church at the end of the world, while  love  shall still remain in heaven, and there the Spirit of God shall be manifested in perfect love in every heart to all eternity.

The apostle, in the context, seems to have respect to both these states of the church, but especially to the latter. For though the glorious state of the church in its latter age on earth, will be perfect in comparison with its former state, yet its state in heaven is clearly the most perfect state  .

Jonathan Edwards sees a progression of  knowledge and revelation  here on earth . So it is ! The  knowledge  and the  teaching that the Lord  Jesus  gave  to His disciples and apostles  was a revelation of the heart and the will of God( Hebrews 1:1-3  ;  2 Peter  1: 19-21)  . And we now  have so much more understanding than Moses  or Abraham had ; we have had more  clear information than the saints of the early church  had  .  And we with the early church have had the Holy  Spirit  poured out  upon us to give us wisdom and understanding , counsel and conviction  through this Word  .

And  now we have these words  in our hands . We have the  help of the Holy Spirit. We know   how God wants us to live . We know  how  to let our loving behaviour guide  our  thoughts and actions while we live on the face of this earth . We do not need anyone to prophecy or speak in tongues or  bring a word of knowledge concerning  how we should live with one another – and how we should love one another . It is all here for us to believe and to  implement  with the help of God the Holy Spirit.

We are no longer children , ignorant with respect  to the will of  God . Only the new Christian may perhaps be excused in these things , for he / she will still have to discover and apply the Word of God , but  you who have been Christians for   some time  , you should no longer be children  who need milk . You are able to digest solid food .

And yet  it is true that the   most solid believer among us is  so  sluggish and slow to apply  God’s truth  . Why ? It is true,  dear brothers and sisters , that  with all the wonderful complete  knowledge of  Scripture  which was given to us in Christ , and despite the outpouring of the Holy Spirit ( who enlightens the Scriptures  for us)  we remain  in  a state of imperfection  , because our total  being is  so affected by sin  that from one day to the next we  find it hard  to maintain our vision of biblical love .

But take heart  ! Heaven is before you , and  in heaven you will no longer need faith or hope for you shall live in the presence of unclouded   truth and love . Love is the only virtue that will  pass through the curtain of death into heaven . The state of imperfection caused by our fallen bodies  and the fallen environment  in which we live  will soon  cease to be . In the meantime  focus on what shall be  : heaven , which is before you,  is a world of perfect love !

2. Love is the greatest virtue . Heaven is a world of Love

Here are some( selected)  encouragements  from Jonathan Edwards  to that end!

·         The God of love Himself  dwells in heaven . Heaven is a part of creation that God has built for this end, to be the place of his glorious presence, and it is his abode forever; and here will he dwell, and gloriously manifest himself to all eternity. And this renders heaven a world of love; for God is the fountain of love, as the sun is the fountain of light….  There  in heaven, dwells the God from whom every stream of holy love, yes, every drop that is, or ever was, proceeds. There dwells God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit, united as one, in infinitely dear, and incomprehensible, and mutual, and eternal love. There dwells God the Father, who is the father of mercies, and so the father of love, who so loved the world as to give his only-begotten Son to die for it. There dwells Christ, the Lamb of God, the prince of peace and of love, who so loved the world that he shed his blood, and poured out his soul unto death for men. There dwells the great Mediator, through whom all the divine love is expressed toward men, and by whom the fruits of that love have been purchased, and through whom they are communicated, and through whom love is imparted to the hearts of all God's people. There dwells Christ in both his natures, the human and the divine, sitting on the same throne with the Father. And there dwells the Holy Spirit - the Spirit of divine love, in whom the very essence of God, as it were, flows out, and is breathed forth in love, and by whose immediate influence all holy love is shed abroad in the hearts of all the saints on earth and in heaven. 

·         There are  only  lovely objects in heaven :  No  sinful  ,  polluted person or thing is to be seen there. There is nothing there that is wicked or unholy.  (Rev. 21:27). There are no false professors or hypocrites there; none that pretend to be saints but are  not  …..  There shall be no pollution, or deformity, or  defect of any kind, seen in any person or thing; but everyone shall be perfectly pure, and perfectly lovely in heaven. That blessed world shall  be perfectly bright, without any darkness; perfectly fair, without any spot; perfectly clear, without any cloud. No moral or natural defect shall ever enter there; and there nothing will be seen that is sinful or weak or foolish; nothing, the nature or aspect of which is coarse or displeasing, or that can offend the most refined taste or the most delicate eye. No string shall there vibrate out of tune, to cause any jar in the harmony of the music of heaven;…. Every Christian friend that goes before us from this world, is a ransomed spirit waiting to welcome us in heaven. There will be the infant of days that we have lost below, through grace to be found above; there the Christian father, and mother, and wife, and child, and friend, with whom we shall renew the holy fellowship of the saints, which was interrupted by death here, but shall be commenced again in the upper sanctuary, and then shall never end. There we shall have company with the patriarchs and fathers and saints of the Old and New Testaments, and those of whom the world was not worthy, with whom on earth we were only conversant by faith. And there, above all, we shall enjoy and dwell with God the Father, whom we have loved with all our hearts on earth; and with Jesus Christ, our beloved Savior, who has always been to us the chief among ten thousands, and altogether lovely; and with the Holy Spirit , our Sanctifier, and Guide, and Comforter; and shall be filled with all the fullness of the Godhead forever!

·         In every heart in heaven, love dwells and reigns. The heart of God is the original seat  of love…. Love is in God, as light is in the sun, which does not shine by a reflected light, as the moon and planets do, but by its own light…. And from God, love flows out toward all the inhabitants of heaven. It flows out, in the first place, toward his only-begotten Son …. the Son of God is not only the infinite object of love, but he is also an infinite subject of it. He is not only the beloved of the Father, but he infinitely loves him. But this love is not only confined to  the  mutual love of  the Father and the Son  .  It flows out… toward all the created inhabitants of heaven, to all the saints and angels.  As God has given the saints and angels love, and  their love is chiefly exercised back  towards God . They all love God with a supreme love.  The love of the saints, one to another, will always be mutual and reciprocated.  The joy of heavenly love shall never be interrupted or damped by jealousy. – We will have no doubt of the love of each other. We  shall have no fear that the declarations and professions of love are hypocritical; but we shall be perfectly satisfied of the sincerity and strength of each other's affection.   There shall be nothing within us  to clog or hinder  us  in the exercises and expressions of love.  In this world the saints find much to hinder them in this respect. They have a great deal of dullness and heaviness. They carry about with them a heavy body ,  a mass of flesh and blood that is not fitted to be the organ for a soul inflamed with high exercises of divine love.   In heaven they shall have no such hindrance. There they will have no dullness and unwieldiness, and no corruption of heart to war against divine love, and hinder its expressions; and there no earthly body shall clog with its heaviness the heavenly flame. The saints in heaven shall have no difficulty in expressing all their love.   

---

[1] Jonathan  Edwards  :Charity and its Fruit , published by Banner of Truth