1 Corinthians 14:13 Commentary and Bible Study

Here is the practical outworking of the principle that every gift should edify the church. If there is someone who does genuinely has the gift of tongues – and again, it is evident that this was his permanent gift and not something that came and went – then he should want to use that gift to bring a message to the church, a message from God. This person has the gift but at the moment he has no intelligible message to give to the people: he finds himself unable to articulate in the language. Well, pray, says Paul, that you have a clear understanding, and there will be a message from God. He is fervent; his tongues is going; it is a real language; he is in a posture of prayer calling upon God, but the whole exercise is without meaning. That is sad; his gift has run away with him. There is no inspiration from God today. ‘My spirit prays; I am sincere; I have a vague idea what I am saying, but my understanding is unfruitful.’ Paul is not being unkind to that tongues speaker. He is an earnest person; he means well. ‘But dear friend,’ the apostle is saying, ‘you are not inspired today. You shouldn’t be doing this.’Paul takes it for granted that the mind must be fruitful for worship to be acceptable to God. There always must be understanding. Worship is words: thought, sung, or said. It is an intelligent activity. I have been in a service in another place years ago where the announcement was made that we are going to worship in music, and somebody got up and played a solo on a trumpet. Not possible! No words! Worship without words: that is a nonsense. ‘I will pray with the spirit; I will pray with the understanding also.’ The understanding is vital. It is the palace of faith. It is within the understanding that your communication with God, and your prayer, and your worship, is launched. ‘I will sing with the spirit; I will sing with the understanding also.’ These things are paramount, and Paul announces them as basic principles.