Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:10c and 14:1-25
Video Link: https://youtu.be/ibVvwZdyxMg
Audio Link: Stream Sermon – 19 Oct 2025 – Tongues & Ears by tawabaptist | Listen online for free on SoundCloud
Structure:
- Introduction
- The gift of tongues
- The gift of ears (interpretation)
- The gift of making sense
- Conclusion
Introduction:
Good morning everyone.
Today I thought we could start with a little experiment. How many of you here can roll your tongue into a tube shape, like this? Give it a try.
Apparently, the ability to roll your tongue is a genetic trait. You either have the gene, or you don’t. If you cannot roll your tongue, then don’t feel bad. There is no shame in it. You are not less in any way. Rolling your tongue does not make you a better person; it is simply a mildly entertaining party trick. You would not choose your friends based on whether they could roll their tongue or not.
In First Corinthians 12, Paul lists nine spiritual gifts. Paul’s list is not exhaustive; it is an ad hoc sample. So far, we have heard about the gifts of wisdom and knowledge, as well as faith, healing and miraculous powers. Last week we heard about the gifts of prophecy and discernment, but this week we focus on the gifts of tongues and their interpretation.
The gift of tongues:
Some of the Corinthians believed if you could speak in tongues then you were incredibly spiritual. And conversely, if you did not speak in tongues then you were a second-class Christian.
For these Corinthian believers the ability to speak in tongues was the Everest of spiritual gifts, there was nothing higher in their minds. If exercising spiritual gifts had been an Olympic sport, then those who spoke in tongues would have got the gold medal every time.
This thought is wrong of course. In some ways, the gift of tongues is like being able to roll your tongue. It does not make you superior. Just as you would not judge a person’s character based on whether they could roll their tongue, so too you would not judge another person’s commitment to Jesus based on whether they spoke in tongues.
It appears some of the Corinthians may have been using the gift of tongues like a party trick (to show off) during their gathered worship. In First Corinthians 14, Paul seeks to correct the exaggerated importance the people of Corinth had placed on speaking in tongues. From verse 1 we read…
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. 2 For anyone who speaks in a tonguedoes not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. 4 Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.
May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.
Before we dive into the detail of Corinthians 14, we should probably clarify what Paul means by speaking in tongues? In his book, ‘I Believe in the Holy Spirit’, Michael Green gives this definition: “Tongues is the ability to speak in a language that the speaker has not learnt and does not understand…”
The language may be a human language unknown to the speaker, or it could be a spiritual language, maybe the tongues of angels. Either way it sounds like gibberish to anyone listening. Tongues is (for most people) unintelligible.
However, it is understood by God. Indeed, tongues is given by the Holy Spirit so people can speak to God. Far from being a cheap party trick, tongues is a deep form of prayer and praise to God. To speak in tongues is to engage in a kind of intimate communion with the Lord.
Paul draws a contrast between prophecy and tongues. With prophecy, God is speaking directly to people. Whereas with tongues, the individual is speaking directly to God. Prophecy is meant for people and tongues is meant for God.
So did Jesus pray in tongues? We do not know. We do know Jesus went off to spend time alone in prayer with God, but we cannot be sure if tongues was ever part of his personal devotional time. Maybe it was. But then again, perhaps Jesus enjoyed a different kind of communion with God the Father?
In Mark 16, after his resurrection from the dead, Jesus did predict that some of his followers would speak in strange tongues. This in fact happened shortly after on the day of Pentecost. In Acts 2 we read…
2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tonguesas the Spirit enabled them.5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
At Pentecost the apostles spoke to God in languages they had not learnt and did not understand. On this occasion the people who heard them could understand because the tongues were spoken in their native language.
There have been some occasions in more recent times when people have spoken in tongues and someone from another culture recognised the words from their own language. But that does not always happen. The gift of tongues is not always given in a human language.
Returning to First Corinthians 14, for Paul, the gift of prophecy was more valuable than tongues, because prophecy edifies the whole church, whereas tongues (without interpretation) only edifies the individual believer.
The word edify simply means to build up or strengthen. In what sense does speaking in tongues edify the one speaking? Well, Paul does not go into details on this point, which means we are left to our own experience.
In his commentary on Corinthians, David Prior suggests some possible benefits of speaking in tongues during your private devotions. These include a particular sense of God’s presence (that feeling of closeness with God), relaxation from tension, strength to cope with pain, and experiencing a greater freedom in your prayer life (being able to praise God with free abandon). [1]
I know one pastor who uses tongues to prepare himself for spiritual ministry. It’s a way of getting into the zone. For him, speaking in tongues is like a warm-up exercise before taking to the field or its like tuning into God’s frequency so he can better hear what God might be saying.
Others believe there is a psychological benefit to speaking in tongues. Morton Kelsey (a theologian and psychotherapist) writes: “Speaking with tongues is one evidence of the Spirit of God working in the unconscious and bringing one to a new wholeness, a new integration of the total psyche, a process which the church has traditionally called sanctification.” [2]
He may be right. To use the Russian dolls metaphor, with tongues one of the deeper parts of yourself may be talking with God and in the process being reconciled to one of the other parts of yourself.
This is not to say that speaking in tongues should be accepted blindly or without caution. There is a demonic counterfeit to speaking in tongues. Pagans have their own version of tongues, which does not involve praising God.
How then do we know if the tongue we are speaking is genuine or on the level? How do we know we are not just spouting gobbly gook or even worse, cursing God? Well, like any of the spiritual gifts, tongues is exercised by faith.
If you love Jesus, if you are directing your spirit toward God in an attitude of prayer and praise, when you speak in tongues, then you can trust the Holy Spirit in good faith. As Paul says in his letter to the Romans…
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
If speaking in tongues edifies you personally, if you find it helpful in your private devotions, then you are probably on the right track.
There was quite a damaging heresy circulating during the second half of the 20th Century that unless you spoke in tongues you did not have the Holy Spirit and therefore were not a real Christian. This is complete rubbish.
Just because some Christians speak in tongues, it does not automatically follow that all Christians must speak in tongues. As Paul writes in First Corinthians 12…
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord…
So, if you don’t speak in tongues, then don’t worry. There is more than one way to pray and serve God. Find your way.
The gift of ears:
I started the sermon this morning by asking whether you could roll your tongue. Apparently, most people can roll their tongues, upwards of 65% of the population in fact.
But what about wiggling your ears? How many of you can move your ears independently, without touching them with your hands? Give it a go.
According to the internet, only 20% of the population can wiggle their ears. And, like rolling your tongue, it is a genetic trait. You either have the gene or you don’t.
Again, there is no shame in not being able to wiggle your ears. You are not inferior in any way if you cannot wiggle your ears. Your value as a human being comes from being made in the image of God, not ear wiggling.
Now at this point you might be wondering, ‘I thought today’s message was about tongues. Why is he talking about ears?’
Well, the spiritual gift of interpreting tongues is really the gift of ears. Technically, the Bible does not use the phrase, ‘the gift of ears’, but in practical terms Paul is saying the church at Corinth need to use their ears more than their tongues. Tongues need interpreting in gathered worship.
Not only do ears enable us to hear, so we can understand, ears also help with balance. The Corinthians had got the spiritual gifts out of balance. Paul wanted to restore the balance.
What exactly is the gift of interpretation then? Well, the interpretation of tongues is not a literal word for word translation. Anyone who speaks more than one language knows that a particular word in one language do not always have a corresponding word in another language. Often you have to go with a word that approximates the meaning as closely as possible.
The one giving the interpretation, therefore, is summarising; giving a kind of paraphrase which communicates the sense of what the Spirit is saying.
Another thing to note is the interpretation is usually related to God’s response. It is not necessarily a translation of what the speaker said in tongues.
Tongues is an effusion of prayer and praise to God and interpretation is hearing God’s response to that. This means the interpretation of tongues is effectively a form of prophecy and as a form of prophecy it needs to be tested by the community of believers.
The interpretation of tongues and prophecy both require the gift of ears.
You cannot give an interpretation or a prophecy without first hearing from God.
Paul takes some time to emphasise the importance of the gift of ears.
From First Corinthians 14, verse 6 we read…
6 Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 7 Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8 Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 9 So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air.
In these verses Paul compares speaking in tongues with the sound a musical instrument makes. Music is its own kind of language (music speaks to our spirit) but for the language to make sense the notes need to be arranged properly.
Speaking in tongues without interpretation (in the context of gathered worship) is like playing an instrument without distinct notes. It is both unpleasant and pointless for those listening.
Kenneth Bailey observes how the pipe and the harp are instruments that invoke tranquillity and soothe the troubled soul. They bring peace and harmony.
By contrast a trumpet directs the troops in the midst of battle… How disastrous, if at the critical moment, the troops did not know whether to advance or retreat. [3]
The gift of ears, to interpret God’s response to tongues, should bring peace to the troubled soul. Likewise, the gift of ears to hear a word of prophecy from the Lord, should give clear direction so the church knows what to do in the spiritual battle we find ourselves in.
Okay, to recap so far: The gift of tongues is best exercised in private devotions for the edification of the individual. But if tongues are spoken in the context of gathered worship, then there needs to be someone present with the gift of ears to interpret.
Following this line of thought, what is said in gathered worship needs to make sense if it is to build up the church and glorify God.
The gift of making sense:
Some people think spiritual gifts are a bit woo woo, a bit flaky, a bit out there.
They imagine a massive divide between things cerebral and things spiritual.
For them, spiritual stuff is intellectually soft or irrational. Chalk and cheese.
But this is not how Paul saw it. For Paul, it wasn’t either / or. It was both / and. Mind and Spirit.
Embracing the gifts of the Spirit does not mean discarding rational thought. We are to love and worship God with our whole selves. As Paul writes in verse 15…
So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.
We need to remember our purpose. One of the main purposes of gathered worship is to edify the church. As we read in verse 12: Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.
To paraphrase Gordon Fee: The point of corporate worship is not personal experience. The point is building up the church.[4]
This means when we come together to worship God on a Sunday, we don’t go into our own little bubble for a private emotional experience. No. We are mindful of God and of those around us. We are thinking ‘we’ not ‘me’.
When gathered worship helps others in their faith, when it creates connections and strengthens unity, then we put a smile on God’s face.
Gathered worship is like playing a team sport. When you are on the field you have your eyes on the ball and on your team-mates. If you have the ball, you look around to see who you might pass to. And if you don’t have the ball, you think about how you can support your team-mate who does have the ball.
And if your team-mate drops the ball or misses the goal, you don’t shower them with criticism and contempt. You lift them up with your words and reassure them they are still part of the team.
Off the field you might have your own individual training programme to improve your fitness and performance, but on the field, you stay in your position ready to play the part the team is relying on you for.
Glorifying God in our gathered worship goes hand in hand with edifying the church. With this in view Paul reminds his readers to be aware of those on the fringes who may be watching our worship. From verse 23 we read…
23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24 But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, 25 as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
Not everyone who comes to church on a Sunday is a committed Christian. Some may be interested in Christianity and are here to check it out. If we act a bit too strange or use language which excludes those on the margins, well that does not glorify God. That potentially turns people away from Jesus.
Having said that, I don’t think anyone could accuse this congregation of being too woo woo. If anything, we could probably afford to be a little less reserved in our worship.
Conclusion:
This morning we have learned about the gift of tongues, the gift of ears and the gift of making sense.
The gift of tongues can be helpful in one’s private devotions, but in gathered worship tongues needs the gift of ears. Tongues needs to be interpreted.
In line with this thinking, what is said in gathered worship needs to make sense if it is to build up the church and glorify God.
Let us pray…
Gracious God, bring the understanding you want to edify the church and glorify yourself. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.
Questions for discussion or reflection:
- What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
- Can you roll your tongue? Can you wiggle your ears? Whether you can or can’t, what difference does this make to you?
- What is meant by speaking in tongues? How is this different from prophecy or any of the other spiritual gifts? Why does the Holy Spirit give the gift of tongues? What purpose does it serve?
- Do you speak in tongues? If so, is this helpful to you? In what way? If not, how do you commune with God?
- What is the gift of interpretation? Why is the gift of interpretation important?
- What is the purpose of gathered worship? Why is it important that what is said in gathered worship makes sense?
- Where is your mind when you are worshipping God? How might we hold together the mind and the spirit in our worship?
[1] Refer footnote in David Prior’s commentary on First Corinthians, page 240.
[2] Morton Kelsey, ‘Speaking with Tongues’, page 222, quoted in David Prior’s commentary, page 246.
[3] Refer Kenneth Bailey’s book ‘Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes’, page 393.
[4] Refer Gordon Fee’s NICNT, 1 Corinthians, page 667.
Tawa Baptist 