Lessons #515 and 516
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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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Summing up Worship Instructions (1 Cor 14:36-40)
36 Did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? 37 If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. 38 If he ignores this, he himself will be ignored. 39 Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.
This section of 1 Corinthians 14:36-40 that we started to consider in our last study is a summation of apostle’s instructions to the Corinthians and so to the universal church of Christ, regarding worship matters with specific focus on speaking in tongues and prophesying. It is our assertion that this last section of 1 Corinthians 14 may be seen as consisting of three paragraphs. The first is concerned with reminders given in verses 36 and 37. The second is concerned with a warning that the Holy Spirit issued to every believer about rejecting apostolic teaching described in verse 38. The third consists of summarizing instructions given in verses 39 and 40. Based on the three paragraphs we state a message we believe the Holy Spirit wants us to deliver to you: You are not the only recipient of God’s word, so do not disregard its instructions but follow them correctly and orderly. We started to consider the reminders the apostle presented to the Corinthians. The first is that the Corinthians are not the source of the Christian message that consists of the gospel and Christian doctrines as he stated in the first rhetorical question of 1 Corinthians 14:36 Did the word of God originate with you? The second is that they are not the only recipients of God’s word in form of the gospel and Christian doctrines. It is this reminder that is given in the second rhetorical question in the NIV of 1 Corinthians 14:36 Or are you the only people it has reached? The third is that the apostle’s instructions were from the Lord. The apostle did not immediately present this reminder to the Corinthians instead he introduced a condition that leads to the third reminder. This condition is that of a possible claim regarding spiritual matters by some in Corinth as we read in the first clause of 1 Corinthians 14:37 If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted. So, we continue with the third reminder of the apostle to the Corinthians.
The third reminder the apostle brought to the attention of the Corinthians, as we have stated, is that the apostle’s instructions were from the Lord. It is this reminder that is given in the instruction of 1 Corinthians 14:37 let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. Our English versions translate the Greek differently using words with related meanings such as “realize” or “recognize” or “understand.” This is because the literal Greek reads let him know that the things I write to you are a command of the Lord. The Greek word translated “know” is then translated differently by our English versions as I will point out later.
The word “know” used in the literal translation or “acknowledge” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (epiginōskō) that may mean “to know,” that is, “to have knowledge about something or someone, implying a thoroughness or competence” as in describing the kind of information believers have about the truth as we read in 1 Timothy 4:3:
They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.
It is this meaning of the word “to know” that is reflected in the CEV of 1 Corinthians 14:37. The word may mean “to realize” as Apostle Paul used it in the test, he encouraged the Corinthians to take to determine if they are living as Christians should live and reminds them that Christ Jesus is in them as stated in 2 Corinthians 13:5:
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?
It is this meaning of “to realize” that is reflected in the TEV of 1 Corinthians 14:37. The word may mean “to understand” as it is used by Apostle Paul to state to the Corinthians that his epistle to them was not subject to double meaning, what he wrote is straightforward and not complicated as we read in 2 Corinthians 1:13:
For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that,
It is this meaning of “to understand” that is adopted by the translators of the NCV of 1 Corinthians 14:37. The word may mean “to identify newly acquired information with what had been previously learned or known,” that is, “to recognize” as it is used to describe those who identified the crippled man the Lord healed through Peter as we read in Acts 3:10:
they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
It is this meaning of “to recognize” that is reflected in the NASB of 1 Corinthians 14:37. These various meanings we have considered explain the various words used in the English to translate the Greek word Apostle Paul used in our verse of study. This notwithstanding, it seems better to take the position that in our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:37, the Greek word has the sense of “to acknowledge” or “to recognize,” that is, “to discern something clearly and distinctly, or as true and valid.”
The thing the apostle wanted the Corinthians, and by implication all believers, to acknowledge is what the apostle wrote as in the clause of 1 Corinthians 14:37 what I am writing to you. The word “what” is translated from a Greek word (hos) that may be used as a relative pronoun with such meanings as “who, which, what, that.” It is with the meaning “which” that Apostle Paul used it to reference the word of God he preached to the Thessalonians as we read in 1 Thessalonians 2:13:
And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
It is with the meaning “whatever” that Apostle Paul used it to instruct the Philippians to practice what he taught them as we read in Philippians 4:9:
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
The word may mean “what” as Apostle Paul used it to describe the conflict that ranges on inside the believer that is indeed a battle between the sinful nature and the Holy Spirit as we read in Galatians 5:17:
For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
The Greek word may be used as a demonstrative pronoun with the meaning “this” as that is the sense that it is used when Apostle Paul referenced the doctrine of the mystery of Christ that he espoused in his epistle to the Ephesians as we read in Ephesians 3:4:
In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ.
In our passage of 1 Corinthian 14:37, the Greek word is used as a relative pronoun with the meaning “what.” The question, of course, is to determine what the apostle meant when he wrote the clause what I am writing to you.
To help in the interpretation of what the apostle meant in the clause what I am writing to you we should recognize that the Greek word translated “what” is in the plural. An implication is that the apostle would have had in mind everything he had so far written in this epistle that requires the Corinthians to act. For example, he had instructed them to avoid those who claim to be believers but are living contrary to truth as he stated in 1 Corinthians 5:11:
But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
This notwithstanding, the focus of the apostle when he wrote the clause what I am writing to you was probably on the instructions he had given regarding worship activities of the church that include head covering, the proper way of celebrating the Lord’s Supper, and proper use of the gifts of speaking in tongues and prophesying to ensure orderliness in worship services.
In any case, the apostle reminds the Corinthians, and so the church of Christ, that what he taught as given in the epistle we are considering are from the Lord of the church as in the verbal phrase is the Lord’s command. There is a manuscript variation of this verbal phrase. Some later manuscripts have the reading “are of the Lord” while the earlier manuscripts and witnesses have the reading of either “are a command of the Lord” or “are commands of the Lord.” The variations notwithstanding, the fact remains that what the apostle writes or instructs is from the Lord. In effect, the apostle reminded the Corinthians, and so all believers, that everything written in our Scripture is from God in keeping with what the apostle wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
Of course, in the verbal phrase is the Lord’s command of 1Corinthians 14:37, the apostle focused on the Lord as the source of his instructions to the Corinthians. In effect, the Lord through the Holy Spirit revealed the truths the apostle communicated to the Corinthians.
The word “Lord” is translated from a Greek word (kyrios) that may mean “owner” as it is used to describe the owners of the colt that Jesus requested to be brought to Him for use in His entrance into Jerusalem, as recorded in Luke 19:33:
As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
The word may mean “lord, master” as a person in a position of authority. It is in this sense that the word is used to describe Abraham in relationship to his wife Sarah as one with authority hence Sarah described Abraham as her master meaning that he has authority over her, in 1 Peter 3:6:
like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
The word may be used to describe God in a general sense without distinction to the person of the Godhead in view as in Matthew 4:7:
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
It is in the sense of God the Father that the word is used in Matthew 11:25:
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
The word may refer to the Lord Jesus Christ. This may be the case in some quotations from the OT Scripture. Take for example, in Jesus’ quotation from Psalms in the question He posed to His audience concerning the Messiah as He taught, as reported in Mark 12:36–37:
36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ 37 David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?” The large crowd listened to him with delight.
The word “Lord” is applied to Jesus even when there is no quotation from the OT. Thus, the word was applied to Him about what should be the response of His disciples if questioned when He ordered them to get Him the colt, He would ride into Jerusalem in Luke 19:31:
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
The word is applied more often to the Lord Jesus Christ in the epistles of Apostle Paul, as for example, in Ephesians 3:11:
according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Apostle Paul when he is not quoting from the OT uses the word often to describe Jesus Christ although in some passages it is difficult to be certain whether he means Jesus Christ or God in a general sense, as in 1 Thessalonians 4:6:
and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:37, it is used as a reference to Jesus Christ.
Our interpretation that the word “Lord” in the phrase the Lord’s command of 1 Corinthians 14:37 has at least two implications. The Holy Spirit through the apostle reminds us that Jesus Christ is God since our Scripture is said to be from God or that the commands in the Scripture are from God. It is because the apostle recognized that the commands in the Scripture are from God that he already informed the Corinthians that what is more important than any ritual is obeying God’s command as we read in 1 Corinthians 7:19:
Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts.
Another implication of the phrase the Lord’s command of 1 Corinthians 14:37 is that Jesus Christ is the head of the church as stated in Colossians 1:18:
And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Since Jesus Christ is the head of the church, it is incumbent on the Corinthians, and so all believers, to obey what He commands the church through Apostle Paul. In any event, the third reminder of Apostle Paul to the Corinthians is that his instructions were from the Lord. This brings us to the warning of the Holy Spirit through the apostle.
The warning of the apostle directed to the Corinthians, and so to all believers, is that there is consequence for disregarding the instructions of the Lord of the church that were given through Apostle Paul. It is this warning that is given in 1 Corinthians 14:38 If he ignores this, he himself will be ignored.
It is our assertion that verse 38 is a warning against rejection of the instructions of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul not only because of what is stated in the verse but also because the apostle used a Greek particle (de) to begin the verse although because of rule in Greek grammar it is the second word in the verse. The Greek particle (de) involved 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. It can also be used to indicate transition to something new or to resume a discourse after an interruption. In the verse we are considering, it can be interpreted in one of two ways. It could be interpreted as a marker of contrast meaning that what follows contrasts what preceded and so verse 38 should begin with the word “but.” This is the interpretation reflected in majority of our English versions. Another interpretation is that the particle is used as a marker of inference with the meaning “so,” indicating that since what the apostle instructed are from the Lord, it follows that failure to comply with the instructions should lead to negative consequence. It is this interpretation that we believe the apostle meant. By the way, the translators of the CEV seemed to have adopted this meaning since they began verse 38 with the word “so.”
The warning that is given in 1 Corinthians 14:38 If he ignores this, he himself will be ignored is a reminder of the spiritual law of sowing and reaping that is stated in Galatians 6:7:
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
The reason for asserting that the clause of verse 38 reminds us of the spiritual law of sowing and reaping is that the word “ignore” is used twice in the verses; in the protasis (the “if clause”) and in the apodosis (i.e., implied “then” clause). The second use of the word implies that what it states results from the first usage of the word. Hence, it is proper to consider the spiritual law of sowing and reaping as an implication of the verse.
The word “ignore” is translated from a Greek word (agnoeō) that may mean “to fail to understand” that is, “not to understand” as it is used to describe the inability of the disciples to comprehend what the Lord Jesus said about His betrayal into the hands of men as recorded in Luke 9:45:
But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
The word may mean “to be unaware” as the word is used in Romans 1:13:
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
The word may mean “to be uninformed” as Apostle Paul used to express his desire not keep the Corinthians in the dark regarding his and his team’s suffering in the province of Asia as recorded in 2 Corinthians 1:8:
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:38, the sense of the word is “to disregard,” that is, “to refuse to acknowledge” or “not to recognize” in its two occurrences in the verse we are considering.
In any case, Apostle Paul states a condition that would lead to a consequence he warned in verse 38 that we are considering. The condition or the protasis is given in the first clause of verse 38 If he ignores this. A literal translation is if anyone does not recognize (this). The word “if” is translated from a Greek particle (ei) that is used in different ways in the Greek. For example, the Greek particle is used as a marker of condition that exists in fact or hypothetical so that it is translated “if.” On the one hand, if a writer presents an action associated with a verb as real, although the writer may or may not believe the action to be real, there is the implication there is no doubt or uncertainty about what is stated when our Greek particle is used. Thus, in some context the meaning “if” may be understood to mean “since”, especially if the action has already taken place as in the statement of the brothers of the Lord Jesus to Him about public display of Himself based on His miracles as we read in John 7:4:
No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”
The clause Since you are doing these things is literally If you are doing these things. On the other hand, if a writer presents the action associated with a verb as possible the implication is that the thing in question is possible but uncertain, though assumed probable. Thus, it is used to state the possibility of suffering of Christians, recognizing that not everyone may suffer in a given time as we read in 1 Peter 3:14:
But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.”
It is in the sense there is no doubt or uncertainty about what the apostle stated that the word is used in our passage. In other words, the apostle assumes that a person would be involved in the action he stated 1 Corinthians 14:38 If he ignores this. Truly, the pronoun “this” is not used in the Greek, but it is implied since there is an implied object of the action stated. Of course, the question is to determine what the apostle says that a person will not acknowledge or will not recognize. The context implies that the apostle refers to the practices that he had taught that should be followed by believers in Corinth, and so the universal church, in worship service. In effect, the apostle would have meant what he taught about practices to be followed in worship services of believers such as head covering, the Lord’s Supper and the manner of exercising the spiritual gifts of speaking in tongues and prophesying in public worship with focus on prophesying as that was mentioned in verse 37.
The apostle, having stated what could happen regarding ignoring or not paying attention to his teachings, states the consequence of such an action in the last sentence of 1 Corinthians 14:38 he himself will be ignored or literally he is not recognized. The literal translation reflects the use of present tense in the Greek. However, the translation of the NIV is one way a present tense in the Greek could be translated in that a present tense is sometimes used for confident assertions about what is going to take place in the future. A future event is perceived as so certain to occur that it is thought as already occurring in which case the present tense is translated with a future tense in the English. Hence, the apostle is certain that the consequence of not recognizing or acknowledging his instructions regarding worship will take place so that he used the present tense. This notwithstanding, the problem is how to understand the consequence stated in the last sentence of 1 Corinthians 14:38 he himself will be ignored or literally he is not recognized.
There are twofold problems with the interpretation of the sentence he himself will be ignored. The first is that the Greek is in the passive voice implying that someone other than the one that did not recognize the instructions of the apostle will carry out the consequence stated. The second problem is that of manuscript variations. The oldest known manuscript has the reading that leads to the translation let him not be recognized. This implies a command is issued in the Greek text. This reading is reflected in such English versions as the NRSV, the TEV, the CEV, to name a few. However, the next to the oldest Greek manuscript has a reading that is reflected in the NIV, the NET, the NJB, to name a few. Thus, the way the consequence of what the apostle asserts regarding what he warned against depends on the manuscript reading one accepts. Acceptance of the reading of the oldest known manuscript implies that the apostle issued a command to the Corinthians not to acknowledge or recognize anyone that fails to recognize or acknowledge what he taught. On the other hand, acceptance of the reading in the next to the oldest manuscript will mean that the person who refuses to accept the instruction of the apostle will not be recognized either by fellow believers including the apostle or by God since there are only two possible actors if the reading reflected in the NIV is accepted.
Which of the two interpretations would have been meant by the apostle? It seems to me that it is the interpretation that is supported by the reading of the oldest known Greek manuscript, that is, one that indicates a command, that was in the mind of the apostle. There are at least three reasons for this interpretation. First, is a subjective reason that I believe the Holy Spirit brought in my mind. As I read the sentence in the standard Greek text from which I study and pondered on what it means. The Spirit brought in my mind that the sentence would make best sense if it were a command. At this point, I have not consulted any textual apparatus. But as the Spirit focused my mind on this reading, I decided to consult a textual commentary of Greek NT. To my delight, I discovered that what the Spirit brought in my mind was indeed the case because the oldest manuscript we have reflects that the apostle issued a command and not merely a statement. Second, accepting the reading of a command removes the difficulty of trying to determine who the apostle would have meant would act on the one who fails to recognize or accept the apostle’s teaching regarding worship practices. As we said, the passive voice would mean that fellow believers or God would act to produce that action required. In other words, believers would not acknowledge or recognize that person that rejects apostolic teaching or that God would be the One that would not acknowledge the offender. It is difficult to understand what it would mean for God not to acknowledge a believer since He knows those who are His. True, the Lord Jesus spoke of not acknowledging some who prophesy in His name as those He does not know because they are not believers in Him. It is difficult to imagine that a believer who rejects a specific practice would not be recognized by God as His child unless one interprets God not recognizing a person to mean that the person would be denied reward. The point is that it is difficult to understand how God would not recognize a believer. This difficulty is removed if we accept the interpretation that is supported by the oldest known manuscript, of a command. Hence, believers would be the ones that will not acknowledge the individual that does not accept apostle’s instructions. Third, the instruction not to recognize or acknowledge one that rejects apostolic teaching would be in keeping with the apostle’s manner of stating what believers should do with those who refuse to obey God’s word. Writing to the Romans, he instructed them to avoid interaction with those who reject the teaching of the word he gave them as implied in Romans 16:17:
I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.
The apostle had already instructed the Corinthians of avoiding fellowship with believers who do not live according to the truth as reflected in sexual immorality and other sinful conducts enumerated in a passage we cited previously, that is, 1 Corinthians 5:11:
But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
To the Thessalonians, the apostle instructed not to associate with any believer that does not obey the instructions he gave in his epistle to them as we read in 2 Thessalonians 3:14:
If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed.
Thus, we contend that the consequence of rejecting the apostle’s teachings on worship practice is that those who do, would be avoided by other believers. Having stated the consequence of rejecting his teachings, the apostle summed his teachings with focus on the use of the gifts of speaking in tongues and prophesying.
We assert the apostle summed up his teaching on the subject of practices believers should follow in public worship because of the word therefore that begins 1 Corinthians 14:39. The word “therefore” is translated from a Greek word (hōste) that may be used either as a marker of purpose with the meaning “in order that, so that” as Apostle Paul used to describe the state, he and his team experienced because of the pressure they faced as stated in a passage we cited previously, that is, 2 Corinthians 1:8:
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
The word is used as a marker of result with the meaning “therefore” or even “for this reason” as Apostle Paul used it in his encouragement to the Philippians to stand firm in the Lord since they would eventually receive glorious bodies similar to that of our Lord Jesus when He returns as we read in Philippians 4:1:
Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:39, it is used either to state the conclusion of a previously mentioned matter or to convey a deduction, conclusion, or summary although it may be translated “therefore.” In either case, the apostle implies that because what he wrote is from the Lord and so should not be rejected, so he went on to summarize his teaching in such a way that places responsibility on the Corinthians.
The apostle summed his teaching on worship with focus on the most troubling issues of speaking in tongues and prophesying by issuing two instructions to the Corinthians and so to the church of Christ universal. The first instruction is that prophecy is to be preferred in public worship but speaking in tongues should not be forbidden. The preference for the exercise of the gift of prophecy is given in the sentence my brothers, be eager to prophesy.
We can tell that the apostle is about to state important instructions that sum up his teachings and so was moving to a new focus in his teaching because of how he addressed the Corinthians with the phrase my brothers. The word “brothers” is translated from a Greek word (adelphos) that has several meanings in the Greek. It could mean brother in the sense of a male person from the same mother as the referenced person. It is in this sense that the word is used by Apostle Paul to reference those who are from the same mother as Jesus in His humanity as he defended his right to marry as stated in 1 Corinthians 9:5:
Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?
The word may mean “a believer” as that is the sense the word “brother” is used by Apostle Paul in his instruction to slaves regarding how to treat their masters who are believers in Christ as we read in 1 Timothy 6:2:
Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them. These are the things you are to teach and urge on them.
It is clear that “brothers” is used here for believers because of the clause because those who benefit from their service are believers. Hence the word “brother” is the same as “believer.” Thus, it is not surprising that the translators of the NIV translated the Greek word as “believers” in the letter of the first church council that was sent to Gentile believers as we read in Acts 15:23:
With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings.
The phrase the Gentile believers in Antioch is literally the brothers from among the Gentiles in Antioch. In keeping with this understanding, the word may mean “brother” in the sense of one who has the same beliefs with the one that uses the word, irrespective of gender, that is, the word refers to “a fellow believer.” It is in this sense of one who shares the same faith and so belongs to a specific Christian community, that is, a “fellow believer” that Apostle Paul used the word to describe Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:25:
But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.
It is in this sense of fellow believers, regardless of gender, that Apostle Paul used it in his final greetings to the Ephesian church in Ephesians 6:23:
Peace to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The peace the apostle wished on “the brothers” could not possibly apply only to male members of the church in Ephesus. Therefore, the word “brothers” has the sense of “brothers and sisters in Christ” here in Ephesians 6:23. It is in this sense that the word is used in 1 Corinthians 14:39.
The apostle’s use of the word “brothers” in verse 39 is not only to indicate those he addressed were fellow believers in Christ but to indicate he was about to sum up his teaching because he in effect repeated something he had previously communicated in the instruction of 1 Corinthians 14:39 be eager to prophesy. A literal translation is set your hearts to prophesy. The word “eager” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (zēloō) that is used both negatively and positively. Negatively, it may mean to have intense negative feelings over another’s achievements or success, that is, “to be filled with jealousy or envy” as it is used to describe the attitude of the Jews in Thessalonica towards Apostle Paul as we read in Acts 17:5:
But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.
Positively, the word may mean to be positively and intensely interested in something and so means “to strive, desire, exert oneself earnestly, be dedicated.” The positive sense of the word deals with what is desirable so that the apostle used it three times in his epistle to the Corinthians to instruct regarding spiritual gifts. The apostle used it to encourage the Corinthians to desire spiritual gifts in general, as for example, in 1 Corinthians 12:31:
But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.
The word may mean “to be zealous” as in the instruction of Apostle Paul to the Galatians recorded in Galatians 4:18:
It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:39, it is used in a positive sense of “to be zealous,” that is, “to be or become marked by active interest, passion, and enthusiasm for something.” The thing that the Corinthians should be zealous or be passionate about is prophesying as in the instruction be eager to prophesy.
The word “prophesy” is translated from a Geek 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 the church in Corinth that would bring a sinner to admit that such individual is indeed a sinner as we read in 1 Corinthians 14:24–25:
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!”
“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 14:39, it means “to prophesy” in the sense of “to proclaim an inspired message” either of proper behavior to a standard, or of future events. In any event, the instruction of 1 Corinthians 14:39 be eager to prophesy is to be recognized as one that sums up what the apostle taught about prophecy since this command is essentially the same instruction given in 1 Corinthians 14:1:
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.
The instruction to be passionate about prophesying is followed by another instruction that suggests that the apostle was summing up his instruction regarding speaking in tongues. This instruction is given in the last part of 1 Corinthians 14:39 and do not forbid speaking in tongues.
The word “forbid” is translated from a Greek word (kōluō) that may mean “to keep something back” and so may mean “to withhold, keep back” as it is used to report the question of Apostle Peter, if anyone would deny the Gentiles who have received the Holy Spirit from being baptized as we read in Acts 10:47:
“Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”
The word may mean to keep something from happening, hence “to hinder, prevent, forbid” as it is used to describe what false teachers do as it pertains to marriage as recorded in 1 Timothy 4:3:
They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:39, it means “to prevent,” that is, “to stop someone from doing something.”
It seems that there were some in the local church in Corinth that might have already started to prevent some from exercising the gift of tongues and so the apostle instructed that to stop or only to be carried out in accordance with his instructions. We say this because the Greek construction involve a present tense and a Greek negative (mē) that is a subjective negative and means “not.” However, when it is used with a present tense to issue a command, the sense of the command is to stop something in progress. Thus, it seems that there were those who were preventing speaking in tongues and so the apostle says that that should stop. He certainly wants the Corinthians to follow his instruction about tongues in public worship. The implication is that if a person is speaking in tongues without anyone interpreting then such a person could be stopped. Anyway, it is important that we recognize that there is no reason to stop every speaking in tongue if we are to obey the instruction of 1 Corinthians 14:39 do not forbid speaking in tongues.
Be that as it may, the second instruction of the apostle that indicates he was summing up his teaching about worship is concerned with orderliness in worship. It is this instruction that is given in the clause of 1 Corinthians 14:40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.
Worship service is intended to be carried out in a manner that is proper and in good order. This we say because of the word “fitting” and the expression “orderly way.” The word “fitting” is translated from a Greek word (euschēmonōs) that pertains to being proper in behavior, hence, “decently, becomingly” as the word is used to instruct believers of being mindful of their lifestyles in Romans 13:13:
Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
The word may pertain to being appropriate hence may mean “correctly.” In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:40, it is used in the sense of “properly” or “decorously,” that is, “in a manner characterized by propriety in manners and conduct.” The expression “orderly way” is translated from a Greek word (taxis) that may refer to state of good order and so mean “orderly, proper procedure” as it is used by Apostle Paul in commending the Colossians according to Colossians 2:5:
For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 14:40, it has the sense of “good order.” Hence, the apostle summed up his instructions regarding worship as intended to be proper and in good order. With this instruction, the apostle ends his teaching about worship in the church of Corinth and by application to all local churches of Christ. In any event, let me end by remind you of the message the section we have studied which is: You are not the only recipient of God’s word, so do not disregard its instructions but follow them correctly and orderly.
04/28//23