(1) The criterion of intelligibility (14:1-25)
According to Paul the goal of everything that takes place when Christians gather together is edification (14:1-5; see vv.12, 17, 26). Essential to assure the achievement of this goal is intelligibility; everyone, believers (14:6-19) and unbelievers (vv.20-25) alike, must be able to understand clearly what is being said if they are to be built up by it. The burden to be intelligible rests on the shoulders of the speakers, not the listeners. Nevertheless, it is the Spirit, who grants the gift of prophecy and/or interpretation, who enables those with the gift to speak in such a way as to be understood.
Paul’s preference for prophecy over tongues expresses three essential concerns (14:2-5). He prefers speech that addresses man rather than God, is intelligible rather than esoteric, and builds up the church rather than the speaker. His concern for relevance and helpfulness to all those who gather for worship determines his emphases here. Edifying oneself is not wrong, it is simply not the reason Christians gather for corporate worship (see Heb 10:23-25).
In 14:18 Paul claims to speak in tongues; in fact, he claims to speak in tongues more than all of the Corinthians. Precisely what he means by this and why he feels compelled to boast of this is debated by interpreters. Some assume that he refers to his multilingual gifts, suggesting that Paul “speaks more languages” than the Corinthians (Carter, 220; Clarke, 6:276). But this view is impossibly flawed by the fact that mallon, more, is an adverb modifying speak rather than an adjective modifying tongues. Paul’s preference for prophecy and his depreciation of uninterpreted tongues-speaking is not due to any personal deficiency. Did the Corinthians doubt that he possessed this or other spiritual gifts (see 2Co 10-13)?
Whatever boastfulness Paul may be guilty of in 14:18, he retracts in v.19. Tongues are useless in the church. The contrast between his preference in church for five intelligible words to ten thousand words in a tongue is striking—all the more so because ten thousand was the largest word for a number available in Greek. Intelligible (14:19 niv) is literally “with my mind” (nrsv; see 14:14-15; intelligible in 14:9 is literally “easily understood”). The purpose of Paul’s intelligible words is to instruct others, to make himself understood (from katexeo, as in the English “catechism”). Only intelligible communication is capable of edifying others.
Paul’s solution to the problem of the negative response of unbelievers and these others to tongues-speaking is not to exclude them from Christian gatherings. It is instead to exclude uninterpreted tongues from these assemblies and to limit severely even interpreted tongues (14:27-28). In light of the strikingly different responses of unbelievers to tongues (v.23) and prophecy (vv.24-25) as Paul envisions them, it is surprising that he does not totally exclude tongues from church. But he does not (see vv.27-28, 39).
Paul assumes that church meetings might be effective for of evangelism if everyone prophesies (14:24-25). He envisions a succession of four responses by unbelievers or inquirers to this, moving them from conviction for sin to a confession of faith and, presumably, to their conversion. Would that God’s presence were so overwhelmingly real in our churches that the unconverted might be compelled to turn to faith!
Intelligibility must be a concern not only in churches of the charismatic movement. Wesleyan churches at times use clichés and shibboleths that are unintelligible to unbelievers and nearly meaningless to the younger generation. Our message must be communicated in common language.