By Timothy W. Burnett
"Now brethren if I come unto you speaking in tongues, what shall I profit you, except I speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine" (verse 6). It does not profit the assembly of believers when somebody speaks in tongues. Common sense tells us why, but God will interpret it Himself as we continue.
"Even things without lifegiving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped. For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself for the battle?" (verses 7-8). We can program our cell phones to give a certain sound when a call comes in. What if that sound is changed without our knowledge, and while in a group of people the phone gives an unfamiliar sound? We look around to see whose phone is ringing. What about the sounds that prepare warriors for battle. There is Reville which wakes the soldiers, Taps which signifies mourning for the loss of comrades. Then there is the tune that leads soldiers into battle. The military depends on the buglers or pipers to play the correct tune. Otherwise, if they play unknown tunes, the soldiers will not know to prepare themselves for the battle.
"So likewise, except you utter by the tongues words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? For you shall speak into the air." When somebody speaks in tongues during an assembly and that one does not believe to give the interpretation, he speaks words that are not easily understood by the others. In essence, he speaks only to the air.
"There are , it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaks in tongues, a barbarian. He that speaks shall be unto me a barbarian." There are many different languages in the world, and all of them are developed and significant languages. The person who is speaking in tongues is like a foreigner and stranger to the others, and they are seen the same way by the speaker.
Verse 12 establishes what was emphasized in verse 5, "even so, for as much as you are zealous of spiritual matters, seek that you may excel unto the edifying of the church." Please note that the spiritual matters does not exclude speaking in tongues. All members in the body of Christ can and must speak in tongues often in their personal prayer lives, and at the same time seek to excel spiritually unto the edifying of the other members in the body.
Verses 13-14 gives more information, "Let him that speaks in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful." To "pray" to interpret means to believe to do so. All prayer must be with believing in order to get the promised results. Also, when we speak in tongues it is the spirit of God which prays, and our mental understanding is unfruitful. It builds us up spiritually in that it edifies the spirit that is in us.
Verse 15 provides more important information, "What is it then, I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also." To pray or sing with the spirit refers to speaking in tongues. Praying and singing with the understanding refers to those prayers that are in our own language. God loved the world so much that He made it available for anybody who believes that He raised Jesus from the dead, to be filled with holy spirit. And not only so, but to pray with that same holy spirit, which is speaking in tongues.
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