Verses 18-19
Corinthian tongues-enthusiasts could not reject Paul’s instruction because he did not have the gift himself and so failed to appreciate its value. He believed in the validity of the gift but did not value it highly. [Note: See Chadwick, p. 269.] He almost deprecated it. Edifying instruction was 10,000 times more important than personal private exultation for the building up of the church gathered for worship. This is another use of hyperbole, which was common in antiquity. [Note: Keener, p. 114.] The edification (building up) of the body is, of course, God’s great purpose for Christians today (Matthew 16:18).
Paul affirmed the gift that the Corinthians apparently regarded as the sign of genuine spirituality, but he did so by correcting their thinking about what was really important in their meetings. Worship should never be selfish, and it should always be intelligible. [Note: Barclay, The Letters . . ., p. 145.]
Be the first to react on this!
