1 Corinthians 14:4,5 - Edifying yourself

14:4

We now get more information on the purpose of the gifts. If we speak in tongues we edify ourselves.Some who say tongues is no longer relevant sometimes mock charismatic churches, saying that the tongues are not languages. Now, are what are called “tongues” sometimes made up? I would be surprised if this was not the case, but that does not mean all tongues are “made up”. Likewise, churches sometimes make far too much of tongues, giving it a place and purpose that the Bible does not give to it. Here we see that the primary purpose of tongues is to edify the individual. It is good to pray in tongues because it builds you up. We will say more about this when Paul says more about the gift. Prophecy, on the other hand, builds up the church. If someone speaks in a tongue no one else will have a clue what he or she is saying, indeed the speaker themself will generally will not have a clue. However, if someone prophecies the words will be intelligible to all, so the church can be built up.

14:5

So now we need a balanced and sensible approach. Tongues is good, but prophecy is even better. So Paul desires that all speak in tongues. This is not to say that all will, as he said earlier in 12:30, but it is good for anyone to speak in tongues. Speaking in tongues is not “magic”, you do not need to be special to speak in tongues, and speaking in tongues does not make you special. Prophecy is better because it builds up the whole church. So we should desire prophecy even more. Paul then mentions an exception, when tongues are interpreted. Interpretation is a gift that is not much evident in churches these days. The text implies that for the most part tongues will not be interpreted, it is a gift for the individual, but sometimes it will be. We should have the right spirit and attitude, the ones that Paul has been encouraging from chapter 12 onwards, and we should seek to have more of the gifts that God gives.