1 Corinthians 14:15 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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1 Corinthians 14:15

Comments

‘What is it then? [How should it be then?] I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also.’ The tongues speaker certainly would wish to be genuine and sincere and meaning this spiritually, but there must be understanding. There is no worship without understanding. You can’t worship in a trance. You can’t worship with just emotion and mood. There must always be understanding. ‘Worship is words’ – one of the great themes of the Reformation. ‘I will sing with the spirit [with feeling, and genuineness, and sincerity], and I will sing with the understanding also.’

Application

That is why the church should worship in the old way, in the traditional way, which we believe to be the Biblical way, with reverence and understanding. Yes, the heart must be in it, but you must worship so that you can understand the words; not with deafening instruments, shattering sounds, worldly music, crooning and notes sliding about all over the place, words that make little sense. It must be plain and intelligent and meaningful to us, so that we can understand it. Understanding is everything.

Questions

To charismatic believers these words teach that one may pray in tongues (in spirit) even though the understanding is blank. But this is out of the question for the believer, because the mind is always involved in spiritual activities. Paul says most emphatically – ‘I shall pray with the spirit, and I shall pray with the understand [with the mind] also.’ The situation he proposed hypothetically is not legitimate. Most definitely they should not even attempt to pray in that way, or sing in that way.

Outline

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Introduction

1 Corinthians 14:15 Commentary and Bible Study