믿음과 신뢰

Growing in Clarity: Faith Built on Intelligible Truth

1 Corinthians 14 calls us to pursue spiritual gifts with love, especially those that build up the church.

BibleVibe Editorial읽기 5분
번역본：ESV
고린도전서 14:1-20
본문 읽으러 가기 →

Follow after love; yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. For he that speaketh in a tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God; for no man understandeth; but in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men edification, and exhortation, and consolation. He that speaketh in a tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. Now I would have you all speak with tongues, but rather that ye should prophesy: and greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. But now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, unless I speak to you either by way of revelation, or of knowledge, or of prophesying, or of teaching? Even things without life, giving a voice, whether pipe or harp, if they give not a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain voice, who shall prepare himself for war? So also ye, unless ye utter by the tongue speech easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye will be speaking into the air. There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and no kind is without signification. If then I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be to him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh will be a barbarian unto me. So also ye, since ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may abound unto the edifying of the church. Wherefore let him that speaketh in a tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. 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. Else if thou bless with the spirit, how shall he that filleth the place of the unlearned say the Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he knoweth not what thou sayest? For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified. I thank God, I speak with tongues more than you all: howbeit in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that I might instruct others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue. Brethren, be not children in mind: yet in malice be ye babes, but in mind be men. In the law it is written, By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers will I speak unto this people; and not even thus will they hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to the unbelieving: but prophesying is for a sign, not to the unbelieving, but to them that believe. If therefore the whole church be assembled together and all speak with tongues, and there come in men unlearned or unbelieving, will they not say that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in one unbelieving or unlearned, he is reproved by all, he is judged by all; the secrets of his heart are made manifest; and so he will fall down on his face and worship God, declaring that God is among you indeed. What is it then, brethren? When ye come together, each one hath a psalm, hath a teaching, hath a revelation, hath a tongue, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. If any man speaketh in a tongue, let it be by two, or at the most three, and that in turn; and let one interpret: but if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. And let the prophets speak by two or three, and let the others discern. But if a revelation be made to another sitting by, let the first keep silence. For ye all can prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be exhorted; and the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets; for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, let the women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but let them be in subjection, as also saith the law. And if they would learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home: for it is shameful for a woman to speak in the church. What? was it from you that the word of God went forth? or came it unto you alone? If any man thinketh himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him take knowledge of the things which I write unto you, that they are the commandment of the Lord. But if any man is ignorant, let him be ignorant. Wherefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. But let all things be done decently and in order.

Paul's pastoral counsel in 1 Corinthians 14:1–20 prioritizes edification over personal experience. The repeated metaphor of the trumpet (v. 8) and the contrast between 'spirit' and 'understanding' (vv. 14–15) frame our theme of faith and trust: trust in God is not abstract mysticism, but a faith that can be understood, received, and shared within the believing community.

📖 고린도전서
🕰️ Pauline Mission Era📍 Ephesus/Corinth/Athens
Narration

배경

Paul writes to a rapidly growing church in a cosmopolitan Greek port city. The Corinthians had embraced the baptism of the Holy Spirit with remarkable enthusiasm, and the public worship gatherings had become a showcase of spiritual gifts—particularly tongues, prophecy, and teaching. But the abundance of gifts had produced an unintended fruit: chaos. Believers were speaking in tongues without interpretation, disrupting the assembly, and a quiet competitiveness had crept in, as some wanted to prove they had received the more 'spectacular' gifts (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:1). Into this contested environment Paul writes chapter 14, building on the love chapter (13) and the gifts chapter (12). His thesis is practical and pastoral: every gift must serve the body. He anchors his argument in two images the Corinthians would understand—musical instruments and military trumpets. A flute or harp that produces no distinguishable melody is noise; a trumpet that gives an uncertain call cannot rally the army (vv. 7–8). Without intelligibility, the gift fails its purpose. The same principle applies to speech in the gathered church: 'unless you utter by the tongue speech easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye will be speaking into the air' (v. 9). The historical setting shapes everything. Corinth had a reputation for rhetorical sophistication, but Paul's theology cuts through cultural pride. Spiritual power is not measured by what dazzles the individual speaker; it is measured by what edifies the listener. This is the soil in which our theme of faith and trust takes root. To trust God is to trust that His gifts are given to build up His people, and to trust that the community of faith can hear, receive, and respond to what is spoken in its midst.

시대와 장소

The Pauline missions era (mid-1st century AD) when Paul established and corresponded with churches across the Mediterranean, including Corinth and Rome.

의미

The passage is not a doctrinal treatise on the gifts; it is a pastoral call to order. The controlling verb is found in verse 1: 'Follow after love… desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.' Love is the atmosphere; prophecy is the specific ambition. To prophesy, in Paul's usage, is to speak the truth of God in a way that strengthens, encourages, and consoles (v. 3). The Corinthians are not forbidden to speak in tongues, but they are taught that tongues without interpretation are spiritually self-edifying, while prophecy serves the gathered body. Two principles emerge that bear directly on our theme of faith and trust. First, faith is not silent. The Corinthians could have assumed that the more ecstatic the prayer, the more authentic the faith. Paul overturns that assumption: 'I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also' (v. 15). True faith engages the whole person—spirit and mind. A faith that cannot be articulated is, in Paul's view, an incomplete faith for the gathered community. Second, faith operates within a community of listeners. The 'Amen' (v. 16) is a small but powerful word. When the believer speaks, the assembly must be able to affirm, 'So be it.' Without intelligibility, there can be no communal affirmation, and faith becomes a private experience divorced from the body. Paul's argument is therefore remarkably pastoral. He does not denigrate the experience of the Spirit, but he insists that spiritual experience must be governed by love and ordered toward the edification of the church. The trust we place in God is meant to overflow into trust shared with others—what we believe must be receivable, transmissible, and confirmable in the gathered community.

적용

First, check the tempo of your spiritual life. Paul asks, 'If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself for war?' (v. 8). A Christian life that produces no clear, intelligible signal may stir emotion but will not rally others. Ask yourself: when I speak about my faith, can a thoughtful hearer understand what I am saying? Is my witness a clear note, or an indistinct noise? Faith that is real is faith that can be articulated, not perfectly, but truly. Second, refuse the Corinthian temptation to envy the more 'spectacular' gifts. The believers who envied tongues were measuring their faith by experience rather than by love. We do the same when we envy the loudest worshipper, the most charismatic preacher, or the most visible missionary. Paul says: desire earnestly the gifts that build up the church. In our context, that may be the gift of listening, the gift of encouragement, the gift of steady presence. To trust God is to trust that the quieter gifts are not lesser gifts. Third, obey the church's 'Amen.' Verse 16 assumes that the gathered community actively responds to what is spoken. Application looks like this: when you hear a sermon you receive, say 'Amen' aloud. When a brother teaches something true, confirm it. When a sister shares a grief, respond with the gospel. The 'Amen' is the small liturgical act that turns individual faith into a shared confession. Faith thrives in a community that says, 'Yes, so be it,' together. Fourth, pursue the spirit and the understanding together (v. 15). Pray the liturgy. Study the Scriptures. Read the great confessions. In a culture that prizes spontaneous experience, Paul's insistence that we 'pray with the understanding' is a quiet rebuke. Our trust is not in our feelings; it is in the God who has revealed Himself in words, words we can read, translate, and pass down. Build your devotional life on the Word and the sacraments, and the experience will be grounded, not lost. Finally, remember that love is the rule that governs all the gifts (v. 1). If our spiritual practices do not produce love for the gathered church, we have mistaken the goal. Faith and trust are not solitary virtues; they are bonds that knit us to Christ and to His people.

되새김

It is easy to read 1 Corinthians 14 as a chapter about a controversy we no longer have. Tongues and prophecy are debated, but the question that should press us is older and deeper: do we trust God enough to trust one another with what we have received? Paul assumes that the Corinthian believer has received something worth speaking. The Spirit has given gifts. The question is not whether the fire is real, but whether anyone can warm their hands by it. Think of the small churches that disappear not because they lack zeal, but because no one can understand what is being said. Think of the small Christian whose faith is vivid but inexpressible. Paul's letter is for them. The trumpet must have a clear sound. The prayer must engage the mind. The 'Amen' must be on the lips of the listeners. The gift must be given, and the gift must be received, and the giving and receiving are both acts of faith in the God who speaks and the God who hears. There is a quiet courage in this chapter. Paul does not ask the Corinthians to fake certainty or to manufacture feeling. He asks them to trust that the Spirit they have received is larger than the experience they can describe. The mind, the Spirit, and the gathered body are not rivals; they are partners. And the believer who prays with the spirit and prays with the understanding is, in Paul's words, fully present before God, fully present before the church, and ready to say, in a voice the next person can hear: 'The Lord is faithful. Trust Him.'

자주 묻는 질문

Why does Paul say prophesying is greater than speaking in tongues?

Paul is not denigrating tongues; he is prioritizing the edification of the church. Prophecy strengthens, encourages, and consoles (v. 3), while uninterpreted tongues edify only the speaker.

What is the meaning of the uncertain trumpet metaphor?

If the trumpet gives an unclear sound, soldiers cannot recognize the command or prepare for battle. Likewise, spiritual speech that cannot be understood leaves hearers unable to respond.

My spirit prays but my understanding is unfruitful—what should I do?

Paul answers this in v. 15: 'I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also.' Ask God for understanding, and learn to articulate your faith in clear words.

← 이전 글

The Joy of Going to God's House and Praying for His People

다음 글 →

Resting Faith Within Holy Boundaries

HomeDiscoverStudyReadMe