"Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue."
The blessings that God gives us should not stop with us. We should allow His blessings to flow through us to others thereby maximizing the glory that He receives for His gracious acts in our lives. If you were to tell me an exiting story of God’s goodness in your life, you would need to speak to me in English, if you want me to thank God with you. Otherwise, your words are completely lost on me, and I am not encouraged by your testimony at all.
This is not to say that the gift of tongues was worthless. Paul spoke in tongues and was glad for the gift. But he recognized its place—that it needed to be interpreted. If the unknown spoken language was not interpretable, Paul spoke in a language that could be understood by the hearers.
Five understandable words spoken to you, such as “God’s Son died for you,” are better than a thousand words that seem to be nonsense to you. For example: Οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλ' ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Unless you know Koine Greek, the previous sentence is meaningless. But translate it, and you will know it to be John 3:16. The problem is not with the words but with the need for understanding.
No comments:
Post a Comment