Brothers, stop being childish in your thinking. In respect to evil be like infants, but in your thinking be mature. 21 It is written in the law: “By people speaking strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” 22 Thus, tongues are a sign not for those who believe but for unbelievers, whereas prophecy is not for unbelievers but for those who believe. 23 So if the whole church meets in one place and everyone speaks in tongues, and then uninstructed people or unbelievers should come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if everyone is prophesying, and an unbeliever or uninstructed person should come in, he will be convinced by everyone and judged by everyone, 25 and the secrets of his heart will be disclosed, and so he will fall down and worship God, declaring, “God is really in your midst.”
Paul appeals to the Corinthian believers, imploring them to grow in spiritual maturity, distinguishing between innocence in “evil” and maturity in “thinking.” Paul’s appeal connects with his prior discourse on love and the edification of the Church (1 Cor. 13:1-13), urging the Corinthians to avoid simplistic fascination with sensational gifts, like tongues, and instead seek a mature understanding that builds up the community. The gift of tongues can lead to pride and disorder so Paul encourages them to be mature in thinking and develop wisdom and discernment (cf. Heb. 5:14).
Paul quotes Isaiah 28:11-12 to stress the potential for misunderstanding in speaking in tongues. In Isaiah, the prophet warned of judgment upon Israel because of their unbelief, where God would communicate through "foreign tongues" (the Assyrian invasion) as a sign of Israel’s hard-heartedness. Paul shows that unintelligible tongues might inadvertently become a “sign of judgment” for unbelievers, contrasting it with prophecy, which communicates God’s message of salvation more clearly. The analogy was that the gift of tongues, when not understood, becomes a barrier rather than a conduit for divine communication.
Paul presented a hypothetical situation. If those who lack knowledge of Christian worship were to encounter a chaotic assembly where everyone speaks in tongues, they might view Christians as irrational or fanatical. Paul’s pastoral concern is that this perceived irrationality could drive unbelievers away from the faith rather than drawing them into a deeper understanding of God’s love and presence. But when believers prophesy in a communal setting, it reveals the truth of God’s word, which convicts and judges the heart and leads to conversion (cf. Heb. 4:12).
When an unbeliever hears prophecy, it reveals the "secrets of his heart," an act that can only be achieved through the Holy Spirit. In this moment, prophecy functions as a clear, intelligible message that conveys God’s will directly, inviting a response of faith and invoking genuine recognition of God’s presence among the believers (cf. 1 Thess. 5:19-21). This revelation of hidden truths leads the individual to recognize God’s presence.
Heavenly Father, grant us the wisdom to seek maturity in faith, the humility to understand Your will, and the courage to share Your truth with clarity and love. May our words and actions draw others to recognize Your presence among us. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
References
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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