What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
This chapter is all about the gift of tongues, and it can be somewhat convoluted. I think I see:
- The supernatural ability to speak a language we have not learned,
- The speaking of another language one has naturally learned, and then
- The ability to interpret.
Some might say this gift of interpretation is evidence that the tongue was otherworldly. I have a different view. The ability to speak a foreign language, and the ability to interpret someone else speaking that language so a congregation can clearly understand, are not the same. It is a gift to interpret a preacher speaking in another language—getting the sense of the message across to the congregation while keeping the congregation’s attention on the preacher, not the interpreter.
I notice that the concern of this chapter is more about the impact of these actions on the “unbeliever and unlearned” than on the gift itself. And I notice it’s about understanding. We ought to do things in church in such a way that the lost and immature are cared for, and that we all grow in understanding.
When we pray, we ought to do it “in the spirit” and with the understanding.
When we sing, we ought to do it in the spirit and with the understanding.
That tells me getting emotional and excited about church services is good and right—but don’t forget to think at the same time. Prayer that’s excitable but thoughtless is not what we’re after. Singing that’s loud and enthusiastic but lacks a message—or ignores the message—isn’t it either.
Whatever we do ought to be done in the spirit—with passion, enthusiasm, and all our being—and with the understanding: level-headed, thoughtful - to glorify God, edify believers, and evangelize the lost.
#SpiritAndUnderstanding #EdifyWithClarity #PassionWithPurpose #TruthOverEmotion #WorshipThatSpeaks
The Tongues Debate: Church God's Way
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Church isn’t meant to be a show of emotions or a lecture of facts—it’s meant to stir the spirit and grow the mind. According to 1 Corinthians 14:15, our worship—prayer, singing, and all we do—should be done in the spirit and with the understanding.
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