1 Corinthians 14:10 Commentary and Bible Study

There are so many kinds of voices or languages in the world, but all of them have a meaning to the people who speak those languages. None of them is without signification. Yes, every language has a meaning, except one. What is the one language in the world that has no meaning? What is the staggering exception? It is Pentecostal tongues. They did not exist in Paul's day, and so he is able to say, under inspiration, ‘Every language has a meaning’. But today there is a language which has no meaning: charismatic Pentecostal tongues. That language has no meaning! Staggering! However, did we manage that as Christians? The apostle is going down so many different routes to convince Christendom that tongues without a message are completely baseless and pointless. They are the product of emotional excitement, and it’s not surprising that there are many non-Christian cults who can speak fluently in ecstatic tongues without a meaning. The phenomenon is not confined to Christians because it has nothing spiritual about it. I am not suggesting it is from the devil. But it comes from instruction and excitement and a variety of influences: it's not difficult to do. Of course, the New Testament gift of tongues was not a meaningless sound, but a supernatural ability to speak a language that you had never learned, and that could not be fabricated by anyone, and not by modern day Charismatics, which is why they have to invent something – ecstatic languages – to put in its place.Strive to have among you gifts that result in the edification of the church. This is how to evaluate the gifts. If you want to put them in some sort of order, think about how much each gift edifies the body of Christ, because that is the reason that God gave them. On this basis, the gift of tongues certainly comes lower than prophecy, and indeed pastoring and teaching.