New Testament in a Year

Using Spiritual Gifts in Love to Benefit the Church

14 Keep on pursuing love, and eagerly seek spiritual gifts, but especially prophecy. ² For the person who speaks in a tongue^[a] speaks to God, not to people. For no one understands him, but he speaks mysteries in the Spirit. ³ However, the person who prophesies speaks to people things that edify, encourage, and comfort. ⁴ The one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. ⁵ I would like all of you to speak in tongues, but I would prefer that you prophesy. For the person who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.

⁶ Brothers,^[b] if I come to you speaking in tongues, what good will I do you, unless I communicate to you a revelation, or some knowledge, or a prophecy, or some teaching? ⁷ Even lifeless instruments that produce sound, such as a flute or a harp, if they do not make the notes distinct from one another, how will anyone know what is being played on the flute or harp? ⁸ If the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will get ready for battle? ⁹ So also with you: Unless you use your tongue to produce intelligible speech, how will anyone know what is being spoken? To be sure, you will be speaking only into the air.

¹⁰ There are perhaps ever so many kinds of languages in the world, and not one of them is without meaning. ¹¹ Accordingly, if I do not understand the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker, and he will be a foreigner to me. ¹² So also with you: Since you are eager for spiritual gifts, seek to use them abundantly in a way that will build up the church.

¹³ That is why a person who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. ¹⁴ For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding^[c] is unfruitful. ¹⁵ So what is to be done? I will pray using my spirit, and I will pray also using my understanding. I will sing using my spirit, and I will sing also using my understanding. ¹⁶ Otherwise, how will an uninformed person^[d] say the “Amen” after you give thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? ¹⁷ To be sure, you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. ¹⁸ I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. ¹⁹ But in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

²⁰ Brothers, do not be children in your thinking, but be like babies in regard to evil, and be mature in your thinking.