Lessons #499 and 500
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New American Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
+ 4. Text is based on 1984 edition of the NIV +
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Prophecy versus tongue in mixed worship assembly (1 Cor 14:20-25)
… 22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers. 23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24 But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, 25 and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
Recall that the message of this section of 1 Corinthians 14:20-25 is that Prophecy is more important than tongues in a mixed worship assembly. This message we indicated will be expounded by considering three propositions. We have considered the first two propositions. The first is that matured thinking is important for comparison of tongues and prophecy. We noted that the apostle commanded the Corinthians and so all believers to be matured in their thinking but behave like children when it concerns wickedness or evil. The second is that assertion and inference from Scripture help in comparison of gifts of tongues and prophecy. We indicated that when the apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 14:22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers he did not mean that every speaking in tongue is an event that should cause an unbeliever to marvel at the manifestation of the presence of God. No! He meant that speaking in tongue that involves human language unknown to the speaker but given to the person by the Holy Spirit is intended to serve as what causes an unbeliever either to mock believers or to marvel about what God is doing and so to be benefited by it. So, we proceed to the third proposition.
The third proposition is that prophecy impacts unbelievers more than tongues in a mixed worship assembly. There are two main reasons for this proposition. The first main reason for our proposition that prophecy impacts unbelievers more than tongues in a mixed worship assembly is that unbelievers could easily misinterpret the significance of tongues. This first reason we have given is derived from what the apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 14:23.
The first reason we stated is certainly a continuation of the comparison between the use of tongues and prophecy in a mixed worship assembly. We are certain that the apostle continued his discourse on the comparison of tongue and prophecy because of the first word So of verse 23 in the NIV. The word “so” is translated from a Greek conjunction (oun) that has several usages. It may be used as a marker of continuation of a narrative in which case it may be translated “so, now, then.” The meaning “now, then” or “well” may be an indicator of transition to something new. The word may be used as a marker of emphasis with the meaning “certainly, to be sure.” It may be used as a marker of inference indicating that what it introduces results from or is an inference from what precedes so may be translated “therefore, then.” In the verse we are considering, it is used to indicate the apostle was continuing his discourse on use of tongues and prophecy in a mixed worship assembly but first with a focus on speaking in tongues.
To convey that the apostle was continuing with the topic of speaking in tongues, he introduced a scenario that hypothetically could take place in a mixed worship assembly. He introduced the scenario with the word “if” in 1 Corinthians 14:23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues. The word “if” is translated from a Greek conjunction (ean) that may be used as a maker of condition of a reduced likelihood of occurrence of an activity referenced with the meaning “if.” It can also mean “when” as a marker of point of time which is somewhat conditional and simultaneous with another point of time. In 1 Corinthians 14:23, the apostle used it to describe something that could probably take place in a mixed worship assembly though the event is unlikely.
We keep using the phrase “mixed worship assembly” because the apostle is concerned with the worship service of believers where one or more unbelievers are present. That the apostle is concerned with the worship of believers is conveyed in the conditional clause of 1 Corinthians 14:23 if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues. The fact the apostle is concerned with believers is introduced with the word “church” that is translated from a Greek word (ekklēsia) that may refer to a group of citizens assembled for socio-political activities and so means “assembly, gathering.” The word is used predominantly in Scripture to refer to people with shared belief and so the word is often given the meaning “church” in our English Bibles. However, the meaning “church” is used in different ways in relation to believers. We have in the past examined the different ways the word is used in our Scripture. For example, on the one hand, our Greek word translated “church” is used to designate the totality of believers in Christ, living and meeting in a specific locality or larger geographical area, but not necessarily limited to one meeting place. On the other hand, our Greek word translated “church” is used to designate the global community of believers or the whole body of those who have believed in Christ regardless of where they are located. In verse 23 that we are considering, the Greek word is used in the sense of a local assembly of believers in Christ so “church” in our passage refers to believers in the local church in Corinth. By application, the word “church” refers to any assembly of believers in Christ in a given locale.
Apostle Paul states two things that although possible but unlikely to take place. The first is given in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 14:23 the whole church comes together. A reason we say that what the apostle wrote although possible but unlikely is the adjective whole that describes the church. The Greek indicates that the word “whole” makes an assertion about the word “church.” The word “whole” is translated from a Greek word (holos) that may mean “whole, entire, complete” as it pertains to being complete in extent as the word is used by Apostle Paul to convey to the Romans the greetings of Gaius who was known to show hospitality to the apostle and to the entire Corinthian church, probably in the sense that the church met in his house as we read in Romans 16:23:
Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings. Erastus, who is the city’s director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings.
The word may mean “completely,” that is, as it pertains to degree of completeness as the word is used to describe a person who is full of light in the saying of Jesus Christ recorded in Luke 11:36:
Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.”
In our passage, the word is used with the meaning “entire,” that is, constituting the full quantity of something. It is because of this meaning that we contend that the apostle stated what is possible but unlikely. The Greek construction the apostle used indicates that he made an assertion about the church with the Greek word translated “whole” in the NIV. The implication is that the apostle meant that the entire local church is involved in what he stated. In effect, every believer that is a member of the local church is assumed to be present. It is possible but that is not always the case. I am saying that in a local church where believers recognize the importance of assembling with others for worship that it is possible for every member to be present but that is not always the case because there are those who would be absent because of health issue. I am not concerned with modern day Christians where some absent themselves from local churches because of pleasure. I am saying that even in a local church where the members are devoted to the Lord, it is possible that because of health problems, everyone may not be present in a given worship service. It is for this reason that I contend that it is possible but unlikely for what the apostle wrote in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 14:23 the whole church comes together to take place.
Be that as it may, we contend that the conditional statement of the apostle necessary to convey that an unbeliever may misinterpret the significance of speaking in tongues concerns public worship. That this is the case is indicated in the sentence the whole church comes together. Literally, the Greek reads the whole church assembles at the same. The expression “comes” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (synerchomai) that may mean “to assemble, gather,” that is, to come together with others as a group as in the description of the Jews who met with Paul when he first got to Rome for his first trial before the emperor as stated in Acts 28:17:
Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.
The word may mean “to come/go with one or more persons,” that is, “to travel together with” as it is used to describe the Jews that accompanied Mary to the grave of her brother, Lazarus, as recorded in John 11:33:
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
The word may mean “to come together,” in the sense of intimate relationship that implies sexual relationship as it is used to describe Mary’s pregnancy before the consummation of her marriage to Joseph in Matthew 1:18:
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:23, the word has the sense of “to assemble” or “to meet together” for worship.
Believers assemble at the same location and at the same time for worship as indicated in the phrase at the same of the literal translation of the verse we are considering although the NIV used the word “together” to cover the Greek phrase. The Greek phrase was not specific as to what the apostle meant in the literal phrase at the same. He could have meant at the same place or at the same time. It is probably that he meant both since believers conduct their worship service at the same location and that takes place at the same time that everyone comes together for that purpose. In any event, the first thing the apostle states that is possible but unlikely is that every member of a local church would be present in a given worship session.
A second thing the apostle states that is possible but highly unlikely is that every member of a local church speaks in tongues during a worship service as in the next clause of 1 Corinthians 14:23 and everyone speaks in tongues. It is true that on the day of Pentecost, we can surmise that all the disciples spoke in tongues and also that all those who were saved following Peter’s preaching at Cornelius house spoke in tongues but that does not mean that everyone in Corinth spoke in tongues. If that was the case, there would have been no problem that necessitated the apostle dealing with the subject of tongues as one of the troubling issues in the local church in Corinth. Furthermore, the apostle had already indicated that not everyone has the gift of speaking in tongues as we may gather from 1 Corinthians 12:10:
to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
Because it is unlikely that everyone in Corinth had the gift of speaking in tongues, when the apostle wrote the clause of 1 Corinthians 14:23 everyone speaks in tongues, he assumed something that although possible but unlikely. These unlikely events he assumed could happen are necessary to set up the scenario that would enable the apostle to focus on an unbeliever who comes in a local church where although unlikely everyone is speaking in tongues.
We have so far indicated that believers are part of the mixed worship assembly, so we need to consider what makes an assembly of believers for worship to be described as mixed assembly. As we have previously stated, it is because of the presence of one or more unbelievers. The presence of one or more unbelievers is given in the next clause of 1 Corinthians 14:23 and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in. A literal translation reads and uninstructed persons or unbelievers enter.
The expression “some who do not understand” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (idiōtēs) that may refer to a person who is relatively unskilled or inexperienced in some activity or field of knowledge and so mean “a layperson, amateur” in contrast to an expert or specialist of any kind so it refers to untrained or unskilled speaker in 2 Corinthians 11:6:
I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.
The word may mean “ordinary” or “untrained person” as it is used by Jewish religious leaders to describe Apostles Peter and John as recorded in Acts 4:13:
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
According to the scholars, the word was used in religious sense as a term for nonmembers of an ancient religious group who may participate in the sacrifices. The word in our passage probably means “uninitiate” or “outsider.” The problem is how to understand the person that the word refers to in our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:23. An interpretation is that it refers to a person who is an unbeliever that presumably occupies a position that is reserved in a local church for such a person to observe what is going on. Unlike in verse 16 where we indicated that the Greek word probably referred to full members of the church in Corinth who were made to take the position of those who were outsiders because they did not know what the one praising God in tongues is saying so that they would be as if they were outsiders when in fact, they were not but in verse 23 the word refers to outsiders who are unbelievers. This is supported by what is ascribed to such persons of charging that those who speak in tongues are insane/mad. It is unlikely a believer would make such a charge.
In any case, our interpretation that the Greek word (idiōtēs) translated in the NIV some who do not understand in verse 23 refers to outsiders, that is, unbelievers is confirmed by the phrase of 1 Corinthians 14:23 or some unbelievers. You see, the word “or” is translated from a Greek particle (ē) that may mean “than” as a marker of comparison as Apostle Paul used it to indicate that a person who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues if the tongues are not interpreted as we read in 1 Corinthians 14:5:
I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.
The Greek particle may mean “or” as a marker of alternative. The alternative may express opposites that are mutually exclusive as, for example, “to fall” is opposite of “to stand” as the apostle used it in rebuking those who judge other believers needlessly in Romans 14:4:
Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
The alternative may express related and similar terms, where one can take the place of the other or one supplements the other as Apostle Paul used the word “obstacle” as a word that can take the place of the expression “stumbling block” in Romans 14:13:
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.
It is in this sense of expressing similar terms where one can take the place of the other that the word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:23. Thus, the expression and some who do not understand is explained by a similar expression some unbelievers that takes its place.
The word “unbelievers” is translated from a Greek word (apistos) that may mean “unbelievable, incredible” as it is the word used to describe Apostle Paul’s question to King Agrippa of why it would be difficult for him to accept the matter of resurrection of Jesus Christ, as used in Acts 26:8:
Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?
The word may mean “unbelieving” as the word is used by Apostle Paul to describe spouses that are unbelievers in mixed marriages of believers and unbelievers in 1 Corinthians 7:14:
For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
The word may simply refer to an “unbeliever” as it is used to describe what Satan does to those who are not believers in 2 Corinthians 4:4:
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:23, the word means “unbeliever,” that is, a person characterized by lack of trust in Jesus as Messiah and disobedience to His revealed way of life.” This meaning of the Greek word enables us to be certain that the Greek word (idiōtēs) translated in the NIV as some who do not understand refers to an outsider in the sense of not being a member of the church in Corinth since the individual has not trusted in Christ. It is because we have the word “unbelievers” used in verse 23 that we recognize that the usage of the Greek word in verse 23 is different from its usage in verse 16 where we do not have an alternative to the Greek word that would enable its interpretation in verse 16 as we have here in verse 23.
Anyway, it is the presence of an outsider in the local church in Corinth that would create a mixed worship assembly when such a person enters the congregation as in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 14:23 some unbelievers come in. The expression “come in” is translated from a Greek word (eiserchomai) that may mean “to enter,” that is, to move into a space as the word is used in the instruction of the Lord Jesus as to how the disciples, He sent on a mission field, should conduct themselves regarding their support from those who welcome them as recorded in Luke 10:8:
“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you.
The word may mean “to enter into an event or state” and so when used of persons it may mean “come into something,” that is, “to share something, come to enjoy something” as it is used to describe the Gentiles who will share in eternal blessing of God in Romans 11:25:
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
The word may mean “to reach” in the sense of “to come into someone’s ear” as it is used of the cry of the oppressed workers reaching God in James 5:4:
Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:23, the word has the sense of “to enter” hence as we have stated, it is the entrance of an unbeliever to the assembly of believers for worship that creates the mixed worship assembly.
Be that as it may, the apostle was concerned with the reaction of an unbeliever or unbelievers that enter the worship service of believers where presumably everyone was speaking in tongue that the individual does not understand. As we have indicated previously, the reaction of a person to hearing people speaking in various tongues could be negative or positive. This we illustrated using the speaking in tongues that occurred on the day of Pentecost. Recall the Jews in Jerusalem that did not understand what the disciples were saying, charged or mocked them of being drunk as we read in Acts 2:13:
Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
However, those whose languages were spoken by the disciples as they spoke in tongues were amazed or stood in awe of what God was doing as we read in Acts 2:6–12:
6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
This aside, Apostle Paul focused on the negative response by a person who hears others speak in tongues in worship assembly of believers that the person does not understand. It is this negative response that the apostle described in the rhetorical question of 1 Corinthians 14:23 will they not say that you are out of your mind?
The expression “out of your mind” is translated from a Greek word (mainomai) that means “to be mad, be out of one’s mind” so that the word is translated “insane” in the NIV in narrating the response of Apostle Paul to the charge of Festus because of his preaching of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as we read in Acts 26:25:
“I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable.
Experts tell us that the word was used to describe the raving of a person possessed by demons as in the charge of the Jews against Jesus Christ as recorded in John 10:20:
Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:23, it has the sense of “to be frantic,” that is, “to be insane, perhaps marked by uncontrolled excitement or emotion.”
The declaration of the unbelievers who enter the worship service of believers where tongues are spoken that they do not understand, as believers being insane or frantic would be the same as those who mocked the disciples on the day of Pentecost. Thus, these unbelievers would misinterpret the significance of speaking in tongues. It is this declaration of the unbelievers in a mixed worship assembly that is the reason for stating that the first main reason for our proposition that prophecy impacts unbelievers more than tongues in a mixed worship assembly is that unbelievers could easily misinterpret the significance of tongues. This brings us to the second reason for our proposition.
The second main reason for our proposition that prophecy impacts unbelievers more than tongues in a mixed worship assembly is that unbelievers cannot misinterpret prophecy. In effect, this second main reason is antithetical to the first. This is evident from the fact that 1 Corinthians 14:24 begins with the word but in the NIV. The word “but” is translated from a Greek word (de)
that may be used to connect one clause to another, either to express contrast or simple continuation but in certain occurrences the marker may be left untranslated. Although it is often translated “but” in the English when there is a perceived contrast between two clauses, but it has other meanings such as “now,” “then,” “and,” “so” when it is used to link segments of a narrative. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:24, it is used to contrast the responses of unbelievers in a mixed worship assembly to the exercise of gifts of tongues and prophecy. Unbelievers would misinterpret the significance of speaking in tongues but not so with prophecy.
There are three reasons unbelievers would not misinterpret the exercise of the gift of prophecy. By the way, the three reasons we gather from what the apostle stated in the passage we are studying are preceded by repeating the same scenario of unbelievers present in the worship service of believers as we read in the conditional clause of 1 Corinthians 14:24 if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying.
The word “prophesying” is translated from a Greek word (prophēteuō) that basically means “to prophesy” that is understood in three general ways. “To prophesy” may mean “to proclaim an inspired revelation” as it is used to describe the activity of Enoch in the OT times as we read in Jude 14:
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones.
It is in this sense of proclaiming inspired revelation that the word is used to describe those in Ephesus that spoke in tongues and prophesied when Apostle Paul laid his hands on them although what they proclaimed is not given as we read in Acts 19:6:
When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
“To prophesy” may mean “to tell about something that is hidden from view” as the guards who guarded Jesus during His trial used it to taunt Him by asking Him to tell the one who hit Him since He was blindfolded as we read in Mark 14:65:
Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.
“To prophesy” may mean “to foretell something that lies in the future” as it is used to describe what the high priest Caiaphas said about the death of Jesus that it would be better for Him to die than for the whole nation of Israel to perish as we read in John 11:51:
He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:24, it means “to prophesy” in the sense of “to proclaim an inspired message” concerning conduct or behavior of unbelievers that those who do so have no way of knowing. It is important we understand that the activity of prophesying here is different from preaching that may produce the same effect as the apostle mentioned in the passage we are studying because the Holy Spirit would enable a preacher of the word to describe something that will hit home to an individual. I mean that often the Holy Spirit directs a preacher of the word to describe a situation that matches an individual but that does not necessarily mean that the preacher has the gift of prophecy. Instead, it means that the Holy Spirit acted in the preacher in such a way to ensure that he speaks to whatever it is that an individual is guilty of or going through.
In any event, as with the case with speaking in tongues, the apostle mentioned in verse 23, not every believer would prophecy, but the apostle assumed that such, while possible, is unlikely to occur in order to state what we consider as the reasons for unbelievers not misinterpreting the exercise of the gift of prophecy.
A first reason unbelievers would not misinterpret the exercise of the gift of prophecy is that its exercise will lead to them being convicted as they are judged by all who prophecy. It is this reason that is given in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 14:24 he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all. A literal translation is he is convicted by all, he is judged by all.
The word “convinced” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (elegchō) with a range of meanings. The word may mean “to convict, convince”, that is, to bring a person to point where the individual recognizes the person’s wrongdoing, as the word is used to describe a function of the Holy Spirit in John 16:8:
When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
Another meaning of the Greek word is “to expose, bring to light”, as the apostle used it in his instruction to the Ephesians with respect to what should be their action regarding hidden sinful conducts in Ephesians 5:11:
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
Another meaning of the Greek word is “to reprove, correct”, that is, to express strong disapproval of someone’s action, as the word is used in charging Timothy, and by implication all overseers, regarding what is expected of him with respect to the local congregation he was responsible, as per 2 Timothy 4:2:
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:24, it has the sense of “to be convicted,” that is, to bring a person to the point of recognizing wrongdoing. It is because of the sense of this word that probably the translators of the NIV rendered the Greek verb used as he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner since the word “sinner” does not appear in the Greek text. Anyhow, the apostle described a situation where an unbeliever enters a congregation where everyone is prophesying in such a manner that something the individual had done is revealed. It is probably the case that the apostle supposed that the situation would be that the sinful conducts of the individual would be declared in different ways by different people prophesying because of the verbal phrase convinced by all.
The word “all” is often taken by many in the English as a reference to “absolute totality” but that is not always correct. The word “all” is translated from a Greek particle (pas) that has different meanings. For example, it may mean “every kind of, all sorts” in the sense of everything belonging, in kind, to the class designated by the noun. The word may mean “each, every” as it pertains to totality with focus on its individual components. The word may in some contexts mean “always” as in the description of love in 1 Corinthians 13:7:
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
In the Greek, the word “all” appears three times in this verse, but it may mean “always” as in the NIV. The word may mean “full” as it is used by Apostle Paul in describing the gifts, he received from the Philippians in Philippians 4:18:
I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.
The sentence I have received full payment is literally I have all things. The word may mean “complete” as Apostle Paul used it in connection with knowledge that he conveyed the believers in Rome had as we read in Romans 15:14:
I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.
So, you get the idea that our Greek word has different meanings. The meaning “all” is context dependent. We mean that it is the context that determines how to understand the word “all.” Take for example, the declaration of the Lord Jesus concerning the persecution of believers as we read in Matthew 10:22:
All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
The word “all” here could not refer to the totality of humanity but the context of Jesus’ declaration indicates that “all” refers to “some” since not all humans will hate believers but only those who are unbelievers so that “all” should be understood as those who are unbelievers. Another context makes clear that “all” refers to the totality of humanity as we read in Romans 5:12:
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—
The word “all” here is used in the sense of absolute totality of humanity since all humans are sinners. The point is that it is the context that determines how to understand the Greek word translated “all” in the verbal phrase of 1 Corinthians 14:24 convinced by all.
The Greek form of the word “all” indicates that the word is subject to two interpretations. A first interpretation is that “all” refers to every member of the local church in Corinth that is engaged in prophesying. Of course, as we stated previously it is not likely that everyone is prophesying but the apostle assumed that possibility to make his point. A second interpretation is that “all” refers to the content of prophecy or what was said. There is a sense that the two are related and difficult to separate but it is more likely that the apostle meant all that was said by those who prophesied. Nonetheless, it is probably all that was said that the apostle meant. Thus, all that was said in prophesying regarding the conduct of the unbeliever that caused the unbeliever who heard what was said to become convicted of the individual’s sins and guilt before God.
The convicting of the individual whose sin is presumably revealed is further described in the and will be judged by all. Again, the word “all” will refer to all that was said during prophesying in Corinth. That aside, it is what every member that prophesied said that will be involved in judging mentioned in our verbal phrase.
The word “judge” is translated from a Greek word (anakrinō) that may mean “to examine” in the sense of conducting a judicial hearing so means “to hear a case” as Pilate used it to describe his judicial investigation regarding accusations of the Jews against Jesus Christ as narrated in Luke 23:14:
and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him.
The word may mean to engage in careful study of a question hence “to examine, question” as it is used to describe the activities of the Bereans who examined the Scripture after Apostle Paul preached in their city, as recorded in Acts 17:11:
Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
The meaning of the Greek word of “to question” is used by Apostle Paul regarding eating of meat in the house of an unbeliever that invites a believer to a meal, as in 1 Corinthians 10:27:
If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience.
The verbal phrase without raising questions is literally questioning nothing. The word may mean to examine with the view of finding fault and so means “to judge, call to account, discern” as it is used in 1 Corinthians 2:15:
The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:
The sentence he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment is literally he himself is judged by no one. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:24, it has the sense of “to be evaluated,” that is, “to be subject to the critical scrutiny of another.” Thus, when the apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 14:24 and will be judged by all he meant that all that was said in prophecy would be used by the unbeliever to evaluate self to recognize that the individual is under God’s judgment and so to escape that, the individual should believe in Christ.
A second reason unbelievers would not misinterpret the exercise of the gift of prophecy is that its exercise will lead to revealing of the individual’s thoughts or conduct unknown to others as stated in first clause of 1 Corinthians 14:25 and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare.
The word “secrets” is translated from a Greek word (kryptos) that may mean “hidden” as it is used in Jesus’ assertion recorded in Luke 12:2:
There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.
The word may mean “secret” as Apostle Paul used it to describe what will happen in the day of judgment through Jesus Christ in Romans 2:16:
This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:25, it has the sense of “secret,” that is, “something (whether information or object) that remains hidden from others.” Hence, the secret thoughts of this individual or hidden sinful conduct will be revealed. You see, the expression “laid bare” is translated from a Greek word (phaneros) that pertains to that which appears clear or evident hence means “clear, evident, clearly, plain, known.” It is with the meaning “widely known” that the word is used to describe the popularity of Jesus during His earthly ministry in Mark 6:14:
King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
It is the sense of “clear” that Apostle Paul used it to describe the activities of the sinful nature that should be apparent to every believer in Galatians 5:19:
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
The translators of the NIV used the meaning “obvious” that is synonymous to “clear” to translate our Greek word here in Galatians 5:19. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:25, the word has the sense of “known.” So, the secrets of the unbeliever would be revealed or made known through the exercise of the gift of prophecy. There is no direct statement as to whom the secrets of the unbeliever are revealed. Therefore, there are two possibilities: the individual or the congregation. It is more likely that the apostle meant the secrets are revealed to the individual rather than those who are assembled for worship. This is because for those assembled to know of the secrets revealed requires for the unbeliever to publicly confess the failure which is probably unlikely. Anyway, the revealing of the secrets to the unbeliever will lead to the third reason an unbeliever would not misinterpret the exercise of gift of prophecy.
A third reason unbelievers would not misinterpret the exercise of the gift of prophecy is that its exercise will lead an unbeliever whose secrets are made known to acknowledge the presence of God among the believers assembled to worship. The individual upon believing in Christ will join in the worship of God as implied in the clause of 1 Corinthians 14:25 So he will fall down and worship God.
The expression “fall down” is translated from a Greek word (piptō) that may mean “to fall.” In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:25, the word is used in the sense of “to fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before God.” Hence, the unbeliever would humble self as the individual acknowledges the presence of God in the assembly of believers as that is what is meant in the last sentence of 1 Corinthians 14:25 exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
The word “exclaiming” is translated from a Greek word (apangellō) that may mean “to report,” that is, to give an account of something as the word is used to describe what the apostles told their fellow believers about their treatment by the Jewish religious authorities as we read in Acts 4:23:
On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
The word may mean “to proclaim,” that is, to make something known publicly as it is used by Apostle John in the introduction of his epistle in 1 John 1:3:
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:25, the word has the sense of “to confess” or “acknowledge.” The unbeliever having believed in the Lord because of what he observed acknowledges the presence of God within the group of believers where there is the exercise of gift of prophecy. In any event, having considered three reasons an unbeliever will not misinterpret the exercise of the gift of prophecy, let me end our study by reminding you one more time the message of the section we have examined which is: Prophecy is more important than tongues in a mixed worship assembly.
03/03//23