Pastor Marty Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 9:49PM 2 Peter 1:10-15. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, July 19, 2026.
Here is the audio. The article will be up later.
Pastor Marty Thursday, July 16, 2026 at 11:13AM 2 Peter 1:1-9. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, July 12, 2026.
As we begin to look at Peter’s second letter, we should note up front that Peter clearly treats this letter as if it will be his last. He states that he will shortly put off his body, as the Lord has shown him.
Let’s look at the letter.
The letter starts off with a statement of who is writing or sending it. This is the Apostle Peter. This is just as he introduced himself in his first letter. However, Peter adds the name Simon.
In some ways, this is his name, and it is normal for him to use it. However, in the first letter, he did not do this. There he introduced himself only as Peter. It was Jesus who gave him the name Peter. Thus, Peter emphasizes his new life following Jesus his master. Yet, Simon would also emphasize that he is that same Simon who has been being transformed by the teaching of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit. God was redeeming Simon through Jesus, making him into the rock that Jesus had called him to be.
Peter also adds that he is a slave of Jesus Christ. This may seem contradictory in light of the Apostle Paul’s emphasis that the Jews time serving under the law was a slavery. In Jesus, they are now set free from the law of sin and death. Yet, Peter is not calling himself a slave because Jesus has made him one. No, Jesus has set Peter free. Yet, Peter so loves the Lord Jesus that he considers himself a slave of Christ. He volunteers to live only for the purposes of Jesus and not his own.
Peter does not address this letter to a specific group. However, in 2 Peter 3:1, he will mention that this is his second letter. Thus, it seems reasonable to think that this letter was sent to the same people as the previous letter (central Asia Minor). Yet, it is possible that it had a wider circulation. He simply says in verse 1 that he is writing “to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours.” He is essentially addressing it to believers.
Faith involves what we do but also is a description of the truth about Jesus that we are called to believe. We are walking out the faith that others before us have passed down to us, but we are also walking in the faith to which the Holy Spirit has drawn us, even stirred up within us.
This faith has been made possible by “the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” It is his righteousness that lays the foundation for our faith.
It is important to note that in English this phrase could be read as either calling Jesus God, i.e., he is both God and Savior, or it can be read as speaking of two persons, the Father and Jesus. The Greek grammar behind this phrase is fairly clear that God and Savior are both describing the same person, Jesus. This is one of those clear places in Scripture where the divinity of Jesus is explicitly declared. We see a similar statement in Titus 2:13. You may find some Greek Scholars who dispute this, but it is generally seen to be a conclusive statement of the divinity of Jesus.
Peter ends his introduction with a salutation of “grace and peace be multiplied to you…” Grace is the good gifts of God in a variety of forms. Peace is both an external peace (no longer enemies with God) and an internal peace (an assurance of right standing with God resonating in our hearts). Peter prays for it to be multiplied to them (as it is needed), but particularly in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. The knowledge of God has been given to mankind through Jesus. When we understand all that Jesus has made available to us, it becomes a source of never-ending grace and peace to the believer.
Chapter 1 lays out a final exhortation of the Apostle. He starts out by describing a couple of things that believers in Jesus have been given (or granted). These have been granted by “his divine power.” Jesus exercised divine power throughout his ministry, death, and resurrection. On top of this, his divine power has secured many important blessings for believers. Peter sums this up by saying that we have been given everything we need for life and godliness. When you feel like you can’t do what God has given to you to do, remember that Christ has supplied everything you need to live a life that displays the godliness of our lord Jesus. Yes, our flesh fights us and even wins some battles. However, in the end, we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ our Lord. We must learn to thank God for His supply in every situation. We must learn to walk in faith knowing that He is going before us to make the way.
We must be clear that it is the purpose of Jesus that we should live a godly life in his name. Yet, at the same time, it is he who also supplies everything we need to do that. He has supplied the message of truth, the presence and empowering of the Holy Spirit, the family of believers along with many who are spiritually mature and can help us, and finally, he has supplied us with the Scriptures that have been confirmed and proven trustworthy.
The second thing that has been given to us is “his precious and magnificent promise by which we partake of the divine nature.” This is a mouthful and says a lot.
The promises of Jesus are that he will not abandon nor forsake us in this life. He will also send the Spirit to aid us. He will bring us to himself so that where he is we may be there too. He has secured an inheritance within the kingdom of God for us. We will be his jewels on the day of his second coming. These are only some of the great promises of Christ for those who follow him in faith.
What does he mean by “partakers of the divine nature?” It does not mean that we are becoming gods ourselves. Rather, God is supplying to us things that are His by nature. He is eternal by nature, but He has made it possible for us to partake (have a portion) in his eternal life. We also partake in the eternal fellowship among the Godhead. This is about a relational bond and life that we can share with God.
The flip side of this partaking is that we are those who “have escaped the corruption that is in this world through lust.” By nature, we are those who are being corrupted by the lusts of the flesh. By partaking in the divine nature, we are enabled to escape the death that is brought about through the lusts of men.
Faith is the foundation of our walk with Christ. However, we need to add some things to our faith. In fact, we need to be diligent in this matter. The following list is similar to Paul’s fruit of the Spirit. It is clear that they are not intended to be exhaustive. Rather, Peter is telling us not to settle for faith alone. We must go on to let the Holy Spirit help us to bear the fruit of His presence. These character traits are to be in our lives. They will ensure that we are not stuck doing one thing to the exclusion of all other virtues.
To our faith in Christ, we need to add virtue (moral excellence). How we live matters. To our virtue we need to add knowledge. Peter is not talking about the knowledge of humanity. We need to add the knowledge of God that has been made available in Jesus.
Let me just insert here that this may sound strange. How can I supply virtue to myself? Though Peter does not make this explicit, the previous mention of the fruit of the Spirit is part of the answer. God is supplying His Spirit in order to transform us into the image of Jesus. However, this requires me to “supply” the faith and courage to walk these things out. I must be intentional. The question is never about God’s supply. He is faithful. However, the question is whether I will take up what He is supplying and adding it to my life.
To knowledge, we must add self-control. Notice that knowledge in and of itself can puff us up with pride. Thus, all of these virtues working together keep us from falling short of the image of Christ.
To self-control, we are to add perseverance. Many people can do good things for a short time. We are called to stick in there and endure to the end.
To perseverance, we are to add godliness. Sometimes people who have endured many hardships can become arrogant and hard towards others. We can cease to be like Jesus in our care for the lost. We need both.
To our godliness, we are to add brotherly love. This emphasizes the relational love that develops between family and friends as we do life together.
Finally, we are to add love (agape). This is a love without condition. It is love for the sake of Christ. I love you, not because we have done life together and I have a bond with you, but because Christ compels me to do so. This seems to serve as the capstone of Christ-like character we are to emulate.
Peter then makes a conditional statement. “If these are yours and are increasing…” It is up to you to listen to Jesus and to his apostle. You can add these things because God is faithful to help you, supplying all you need to do it. Instead of calling for a certain level, Peter emphasizes that they are increasing. It may be hard to know if you are increasing in love over the short term. However, over time, we can see how God transforms our life as we trust Him and obey.
If we have these and they are increasing, then we will not be useless and unfruitful. Without Christ, our lives are essentially that: useless to God and unfruitful for the things that matter. As God pours into your life, He is also working to make you spiritually fruitful to others in your life. He will be able to use you to impact people who are spiritually lost, or brothers and sisters who need a helping hand.
Jesus even told his disciples that God will sometimes prune perfectly good things out of our life in order to make us more fruitful.
As we read verse nine, we can see that certain people were kicking against Peter’s command to grow in godliness. Thus, Peter challenges those who refuse to follow this instruction. They are blind and short-sighted. They are blind to all that Jesus is trying to do in their life, and they are short-sighted to the day when they will give an account to the Lord they claim to have trusted.
They have forgotten their purification from former sins. This is what Jesus is doing. He has first legally purified us from our sins. Yet, he then enlists us in a lifelong task of cleaning sin out of our lives. We are not saved because we do this. Rather, we do this because he has saved us.
For the life of me, I do not understand how some people have twisted grace into the idea that they don’t want to “work.” Somehow you are encroaching on their freedom if you challenge their sin. Jesus did not die to give us freedom to sin as we please. He died to set us free from sin. If we are not blind to the deleterious effects of sin in our life, then we will rejoice to have his help in this.
Praise be unto Jesus who delivers us from these bodies of death!
Email Article | Print Article | Share Article | tagged Character, Divine Nature, Faith, Fruit of the Spirit, Godliness, Virtue Pastor Marty Tuesday, July 7, 2026 at 9:03PM Proverbs 14:34. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, July 5, 2026.
Two Hundred Fifty years ago yesterday, the Continental Congress debated and adopted the formal declaration of Independence that was worked out by the Committee of Five: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston.
It was actually on July 2nd of that year that the same congress adopted a resolution absolving themselves from any allegiance and political tie to Great Britain.
Later after a decade of struggling to work together as a Republic, the Constitution was hammered out and ratified with this preamble:
"We The People of the United States of America in order to
do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
Many things can be said about this statement. First, it purposefully lists “We the People” in large letters as the agent creating the document. No government was giving the people anything. It was the people who were creating and empowering the federal government.
I want to focus on the last purpose listed for the creation of this constitution, “and secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” The importance of Liberty, Freedom, was a common theme among the leaders of those days.
Many sermons and speeches referenced Proverbs 14:34 in those days. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”
The question now hangs over our Republic as it did all those years ago, will we prosper as a people into the future, and what exactly is meant by prosperity?
When Patrick Henry passed away in 1799, there was an original copy of the 1765 Stamp Act among his personal effects. This Act had been passed by the Virginia legislature, of which Henry was a member at the time. A handwritten message was placed on the back of that document by Patrick, knowing others would go through his stuff at his death. Here is the message.
“Whether this [the American Revolution] will prove a blessing or a curse will depend upon the use our people make of the blessings which a gracious God hath bestowed on us. If they are wise, they will be great and happy. If they are of a contrary character, they will be miserable. Righteousness alone can exalt them as a nation [Proverbs 14:34]. Reader!—whoever thou art, remember this!—and in thy sphere practice virtue thyself and encourage it in others. P. Henry.”
The scope of this proverb is national, but Patrick brings it down to the personal level. If it is true that righteousness exalts a nation, then I must do my part within my sphere of influence. I must “practice virtue” myself. Of course, much righteousness is not done because we are too busy pointing out the unrighteousness of others. May God help us to grasp this once again across this Republic!
Let’s go deeper into this proverb.
Though this is a simple statement, it begs many questions regarding what is meant by the person making it.
Just what is righteousness? This is one of the prime questions of our day. How we define righteousness, right and wrong, is up for grabs today. Many refuse to accept that there can be an absolute right or wrong. They are all about a subjective approach to this definition.
However, this creates a problem. Everyone will complain if you punch them in the face and take their stuff. Will it be any easier for them to accept it if I say, that it is “right” for me? Of course not. This is not a view you can actually live by, at least not for long. It works fine, until it doesn’t. Such people will have no problem pretending that you have absolutely wronged them! Clearly, they won’t use that terminology!
This reminds me of the book of Judges in the Bible, each one doing what is right in their own eyes. They too started out as a people with “No king, but King Yahweh!” Yet, they couldn’t survive everyone being their own king. God had to save them over and over again.
America started out with the mantra, “No king, but King Jesus!” We too are finding it hard to stick to that path. We would rather follow our own definition of righteousness.
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 14:12 that, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” You could replace “seems” with “feels” and have the same sense. This was illustrated by Adam and Eve in the Garden. The serpent tempted them to define right and wrong for themselves. Come on! Don’t you want to be like God? Thus, humanity embarked on a road of death almost from its beginning.
If you are using your “feelings” to determine what is right, you will quickly find out that no one else cares. Why should my life be determined by your feelings? If there is no absolute right and wrong, then we can’t even begin to have a discussion. There is no foundation to start on but everyone’s feelings.
Those who are intellectually honest will see quickly that this is a weak position. Thus, people will quickly retreat to a more sophisticated position. The definition of righteousness becomes whatever the majority of people within a society agree upon for the time being. Of course, there rarely is a vote on the subject. And then in cases where a vote happens, it is rarely a true majority. There are those who are for a position and those who are against. Yet, there are many in the middle who become the target of the “highest bidder,” seeking to get their vote. Of course, some of them do not vote.
In the end such a definition of righteousness creates a social quagmire, quicksand, upon which we can never depend upon what will be right tomorrow. Everyone will be constantly “evolving” on the issues in order to look like they are with the times. In the end, we are led to become a prostitute-people selling ourselves for the next beautiful trinket, selling ourselves for “bread and circus.”
In truth, this position is about what the majority can be manipulated to go along with. Yet, God’s Word shows us a better way. Psalm 145:17 says, “The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds.” The best definition of what is righteous is that which conforms to the character of God.
This is often described as “the way of the LORD,” as opposed to “the way that seems right to a man.” The Old Testament revealed the character and actions of God. However, because men often manipulate words to their own ends, Jesus came as the exact representation of God the Father’s righteousness and nature. He was the perfect image. What did we find by the way Jesus lived and died? God is far more loving than some want to pretend, and sin is far worse than we ever imagined.
The twisted nature of sin hijacks you from truth (if you were ever interested in it in the first place). In the name of God, we will put God to death. In the name of truth, we will put truth to death. Without the righteousness of God, you will always end up in destruction because you are rejecting the Creator of all things and His wisdom, instruction, on how it was made to work.
So, what is the righteousness of a nation, or the lack thereof? It is found in the public policies and their level of conformity to God’s revealed will. It is essentially all the things we as a people are living by.
What is meant in this proverb by being exalted? It is a general statement, so it is not so much about being the top nation in the world. It simply means to rise, to rise up out of degradation, poverty, and slavery (first spiritually and then naturally). No other nation has to be pulled down in order for a nation to rise. A man rising up and being industrious all day does nothing to diminish the people around him. They too could do the same thing.
We are a people halting at the intersection of the future. I do not believe a majority of the people agree with the ungodly things that are being pushed in our land. However, some think it is somehow godly not to promote the principles of Christ in our land. Too often the standing down of people who claim to follow the righteousness of Christ contributes to the lack of righteousness in this Republic. How long can a man do this and remain righteous? This is a tension that we need to seek the Holy Spirit concerning.
The problem in our society is not the kid who is confused about their gender. The problem is a collusion of so-called experts to tell them that their solution is surgery. Again, I doubt a majority of Americans think that this is good and the best option. So why does the majority stand down and let it happen?
The second half of Proverbs 14:34 describes the reverse of the first half. No people are so great as to make themselves immune to this truth. Let me be direct. The United States of America is not immune to this verse. Before we get into that, let’s talk about what we mean by sin.
The English word “sin” refers to missing a target. However, we should be clear on what the target should be. A better definition would be any thought, speech, or action that goes against the revealed character of God. This involves both internal and external things.
Of course, external sins cause more damage to a society, but then, all sins begin internally. It is only a matter of time before it shows its ugly head in one form or another. Thus, a person should never settle for simply nipping sin when it buds, i.e., breaks forth into our external life. We must commit ourselves to rooting it out of our hearts and mind through a diligent relationship with Christ. Such a relationship will involve the Written Word of God, prayer, listening for the leading of the Holy Spirit, and living out the righteousness of Christ.
Our society is in the midst of exalting and enshrining in its public policies full-throated rejections of God’s revealed will. Things like no-fault divorce, no penalty for adultery, the attack of Christian families, the abortion issue, and many others, are encouraging the average persons in sin. I don’t say that pointing the finger. Yes, we all fall short of the glory of God and have plenty of fingers pointing at us. However, I am talking about the public policies, what we are holding up as acceptable or good. Many of these things are rejections of the revealed will of God.
All people need compassion and grace, but it is not an act of compassion to help people cast off the righteousness of God. It is not an act of compassion to remove as many consequences as possible of a person’s sin. Our society seems to have a sick form of sin where we try to make ourselves feel better by redefining sin. In truth, this is a national suicide according to Proverbs 14:34.
The word “disgrace” here could be translated “shame.” It is functioning as a contrast to the earlier exaltation caused by righteousness.
Shame can refer to feelings that we have regarding the bad things that we have done. A person may or may not feel ashamed of the sin they are doing.
Shame can also refer to your position before society for what you have done. It is the overt standing of society towards our sinful actions. A person may or may not care about what society thinks. In fact, society and people can be wrong.
Finally, shame can also be the consequences or damage done to us and others when we sin. All sin causes injury to self and others to some degree. Thus, the disgrace is a sinking down into the consequences of our sin. It is the resultant bondage in which we find ourselves stuck.
How long can a people, a Republic, cause injury to themselves morally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically without falling? What would that fall look like? It would look like a dissolving of the things that once held us up. It would look like righteousness becoming rarer and rarer while sin becomes more and more common.
I said this earlier and I want to say it again. No people are immune to the destructive effects of sin. We must be a light to our people. We must speak the truth in love. We need to stand with Jesus in this hour for our people.
If you find yourself or others having an attitude that says, “Nothing can be done,” then hear the word of the Lord. Our work is not based on the likelihood of success. It is based upon the sacrifice and command of Christ. It is based upon the leading of the Holy Spirit. In our flesh, we may not care about politics and our Republic. But, as a believer in Jesus, we must be concerned and involved in the public policies of our society, however that may be.
May God strengthen us in this day as we cross 250 years as a Republic!
Email Article | Print Article | Share Article | tagged Exaltation, Independence Day, Liberty, Righteousness, Shame, Sin, USA Pastor Marty Monday, June 29, 2026 at 5:19PM 1 Corinthians 14:20-33. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, June 28, 2026.
Today, we come to the end of our look at how the Holy Spirit empowers believers with spiritual gifts.
Paul has been correcting the Corinthians over their over-fascination with speaking in tongues in their worship assemblies. They had carried pagan understandings of spirituality into Christianity which caused them to be at odds with the work of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s look at the rest of chapter 14.
Up to this point, Paul has been explaining how to apply his teaching for the sake of other believers. He challenged them that tongues were good because through them a person edifies themselves (builds themselves up to be more like Jesus). However, in the assembly of believers, the desire should be for gifts that are understandable. If a person speaks in tongues, and it is not interpreted, then no one else will be edified. This is good in your private devotions, but not within an assembly.
A person may ask why it wouldn’t be fine for everyone to gather and edify themselves. However, edifying yourself through the Holy Spirit is best on your own. In Christian gatherings, it is the will of the Holy Spirit to work through us to minister to others and to work through others to minister to us. This is God’s way, but we can also see how it keeps us from becoming myopic and insular.
Now, Paul deals with the situation from the standpoint that unbelievers may also be in the meeting. What is the effect on unbelievers of everyone speaking in tongues without interpretation?
Paul first brings up the issue of spiritual immaturity. He mentioned this back in chapter 13. “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.” Verse 20 challenges them to stop being children spiritually and start being spiritually mature in this matter. He continues the maturity language, “in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.”
This is similar to Paul’s statement in Romans 16:19, “Be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.” Their wisdom was driving them to practices that were not good and were even evil. Their actions were evil because they were at odds with the Holy Spirit’s good purpose, and it was causing harm to the gospel and people.
This is a thread throughout this first letter to the Corinthians. Their wisdom led them to lift up one leader above others. It led some of them to try and have “spiritual marriages” by refraining from sexual intercourse with one another. This may sound spiritual, but Paul saw that the devil would use it to destroy them. The Holy Spirit was not given to cause us to cease from having sex. That will be our condition following the resurrection, but not now. Their wisdom led them to these problems with the spiritual gifts as well. All of this is childish thinking in regard to the legitimate spiritual gifts.
Paul then traces this issue of unknown languages back into the Scriptures (Old Testament). He quotes from Isaiah 28:11-12. Several things will become clear if we go back to that chapter and read it.
First of all, right before this section, God rebukes Israel for not listening to His instructions through the prophets (in a language they understand even). Can God teach the children when the adults won’t listen (verse 9)? Because they were not listening to His words through the prophets in their own language, He would now speak to them in a language they don’t understand by foreigners (especially Assyria and Babylon).
God is not presenting the foreign tongues as a solution to their lack of listening to His prophets. As they hear the foreign tongues, they might “that they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive (verse 13).”
The foreign tongues are connected to being cast out of the land due to sin. It is connected to being far from God and His place of dwelling. Yet, this connection goes back further than Isaiah.
Strange tongues originated at the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. Nimrod had led the people into a rebellion against God’s command to fill the earth and be fruitful. They build a tower at Babel in order to connect to the fallen Elohim from before the flood. God’s judgment upon the tower project was to confuse the language of the people. This became the origin of nations. They could not understand one another. We are told that God then handed them over to the powers of the heavens and determined the boundaries of their dwelling places (Deut 4:19; Deut 32:8-9; Romans 1:23-24). Genesis 10 pictured around seventy different nations. Again, the strange tongues surrounding you, i.e., not understanding the language of those speaking around you, is a sign of God’s judgment upon the nations. They are being cast out as the humans who will dwell in His presence with a special relationship. Instead, God then turns to call Abraham in order to make a new nation (Israel) who can serve Him.
The ministry of Jesus set off a cascade of events. God was calling Israel to embrace Messiah and become a light to the nations. However, as a nation, they refused. Yet, a remnant believed. Thus, we have an event where some who are unbelieving are under the judgment of God, but others who are believing are not under the judgment of God. All of this is within Israel. Outside of Israel, the nations who have been under the judgment of God for millennia are entering a new era of grace. God’s intention is now to speak to them in a language they understand in order to call them to faith in Messiah Jesus. Of course, they too have a choice to make in which some will not believe and a remnant will believe.
All of this is the backdrop to what Paul is trying to cause the Corinthians to understand.
All of this is important for Paul because he is building a case, or argument, for why we would want unbelievers to understand what the Spirit is saying.
He states in verse 22 that tongues are a sign to unbelievers (not to believers). He does not mean they would be a sign that they could read and understand. He means it in the sense we have described in Isaiah and Genesis. God speaking in a language you do not understand has always been a sign of judgment. You are not God’s target audience. This has changed since Jesus. God is now targeting all humanity with His message concerning Messiah Jesus.
Before you jump to the conclusion that tongues should never happen, let Paul’s argument sink in. God’s purpose is for unbelievers to hear the Gospel. If they come into a church service and only hear foreign tongues, then they will continue in unbelief because they haven’t heard the good news. At least, they haven’t truly received an opportunity to believe.
All of this is in the context of a gathering of people. Paul earlier made it clear that he spoke in tongues more than any of the Corinthians (vs. 18). Yet, in a gathering, he would rather speak 5 words in an intelligible language than 10,000 words in a language people don’t understand. Thus, it is clearly implied that he mainly spoke in tongues during private devotional times. Paul’s argument against uninterpreted messages in tongues in Church gatherings cannot be used to disqualify uninterpreted tongues in private prayers. There is no hint of a problem in the private devotional life of the Corinthians.
If you are perplexed as to what good praying in tongues would have for a believer, i.e., how does it edify me (vs. 4), I have spoken to this before now. So, I will give a few points. First, speaking in tongues is instigated by the Holy Spirit within us. To recognize that and yield yourself to trust the Holy Spirit builds our faith in Him. It isn’t important for you to understand all that the Spirit is praying through you because the fact that you are working with the Holy Spirit to speak to God in ways He can understand strengthens our confidence in His work in us. Second, if I am used to speaking things that I don’t understand in languages I don’t understand, then it will be easier for me to speak the things I do understand in a language others will understand. This strengthens our obedience to the Holy Spirit in real time. In fact, when the Holy Spirit compels us to speak certain things in particular situations, we don’t always understand the wisdom and purpose behind them, even though we perfectly understand the words. Trust in God is something we need to become better at doing.
If you are wondering about the speaking in languages at Pentecost, we can say that the messages were interpreted by the people outside of the group who understood what was being said. However, Pentecost is a unique event (no other event like it). The way that tongues happened on that day should not be turned into a pattern anymore than we should expect tongues of fire on our head or the sound of a mighty wind in our meetings.
In short, God is reversing the judgment of Babel through the work of Jesus Christ and His Church. We need to seek for unbelievers to hear the message of the Spirit in a language they understand.
On the other hand, Paul tells us that prophecy is a sign to believers that God is still working with us and through us (vs. 22). It is meant to spur us on in becoming like Jesus.
Verse 23 introduces a hypothetical situation of a gathered church all speaking in tongues only. There are two categories of people mentioned: “ungifted or unbelievers.” There is no question what “unbelievers” means. It is referring to those who have not put their faith in Jesus. They may be open or hostile. Regardless, they are not a part of the church yet. The “ungifted” as the NASB translates is not as straightforward. There are a variety of translations which all involve trying to interpret what Paul means. The word essentially has the meaning of an unlearned or untaught person. But, in what way is this meant? “Ungifted” is interpreting it to mean those who don’t have a spiritual gift in order to interpret the tongue. However, they may only be unlearned about what spiritual gifts are. It is also possible that they are a category between believer and unbeliever. They are not opposed to believing. They are simply uninformed regarding the gospel. Regardless of how we translate this term, we are still dealing with the same dynamics. People who are not believers and not learned in the things of the Gospel will hear everyone speaking in tongues only. They will then conclude that everyone is crazy. The Corinthians will essentially put them in a “judged of God” position in which they don’t understand what is happening and continue down a path of being lost.
The problem with all of this is that God is no longer excluding the nations, unbelievers, the uninformed. He is calling all men everywhere to hear the truth, repent of sin, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Their actions were actually contradicting God’s purpose.
Speaking in tongues alone will not save the lost. It will only push them away further. However, Paul states that prophecy (speaking in a language they understand) can convict them and lead them to repentance. Of course, they can reject it and remain unbelievers. However, they will no longer be uninformed regarding the message of Christ to them.
Starting in verse 26, Paul lays down some rules that will bring proper, godly order to their worship gatherings. The first point is that the assembly of believers is for the purpose of ministering to one another with the spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit distributes. Paul then states that all things in the service should be done for edification. We could insert after edification, “for everyone.”
This is a point that many churches should take to heart. Church is not about everyone gathering to get something from a couple of leaders. Rather, Paul pictures everyone gathering with something to share with all the rest. This doesn’t mean that everyone has vocal gifts. However, every gift will be exercised in order to edify the rest of the group. The average Christian in the West does not come to church with some way to minister to everyone else.
In fact, we must be careful that the way we do church doesn’t squelch God’s work and opportunities to do so through His people. We can have an attitude that the leadership has the Holy Spirit, so nothing is needed from the lowly “receiving class.” A tightly controlled service can quench the Spirit. However, the Corinthians had the opposite problem. Their lack of control was quenching the work that the Spirit was endeavoring to do. We must find a balance between strong leadership that protects us from abuse and a leadership that is so lax that anything goes, i.e., the only thing that matters is that we look spiritual.
Paul gives us a good example of a leader who is calling the church back to cooperation with the Holy Spirit.
We should note that Paul’s conclusion is not that there should be no messages in tongues in the assembly, but that there should be a limit, two or three at the most. Each of these messages in tongues should be done one at a time, and they should be interpreted. He is not getting rid of tongues in the assembly. His concern is not that an unbeliever would hear a message in tongues, only that it should be interpreted.
In all of this, let’s keep in mind that Paul is correcting a particular error in Corinth. He did not teach them these things from the beginning because He believed they would exercise the spiritual gifts properly. Is Paul saying that all churches in all generations should follow these same rules? No, he is not. However, all churches need to process the truths that Paul lays out. We all need to work for the overall vision that Paul has for the use of spiritual gifts in our assemblies. It is possible for a church to have more than three messages, if they are not making the error that the Corinthians did.
We should also notice that Paul does not refer to times within the worship service where people are praying, worshipping, in a private way. It is often the case that people pray and even speak in tongues but to themselves. They are not lifting their voices above the group so as to call attention to what they are saying. Yes, their neighbor could stop praying and listen in on their prayer. Is it possible that praying in tongues, with your spirit, in such a way does not breach the issues Paul raises? I think so.
Paul makes it clear that if you believe you have a message in tongues for the group, but you also know that there is no one there with the gift of interpretation, then you should not give the message. You should keep it to yourself. You should keep silent in the assembly (silent in relation to giving the message in tongues). Instead, you should speak to himself and God. I do not believe Paul is setting up an environment where we are all keeping an eye (an ear) on one another so that no one speaks in tongues in church at all. Rather, we are ensuring that everything that is publicly addressed to the whole body conforms to Paul’s rule of intelligibility. When tongues are interpreted, they fit this bill.
He then gives similar rules to prophecy, two or three at the most. They should be done one at a time, and others should judge the prophecies whether they are from God or not. He even challenges the prophets to work together. If one prophet has been speaking for a while and God moves upon another prophet, the first prophet should stop and allow the second to speak. In other words, jumping up first does not give you the public floor for the rest of the day. Work together.
It is easy with such rules to protest. “When the Spirit moves upon me, I have to move. I must speak what the Spirit is stirring in me!” Yet, Paul reminds them in verse 32 that the spirits of the prophets are “subject to the prophets.” His point is that the Spirit does not take control of our body. Rather, all spiritual gifts are a cooperation between the Spirit of God and the spirit of a person. God moves upon us, but then we wisely and righteously minister that to others (unless He is only speaking to you). Paul is not denying the source of their urge to prophesy and speak in tongues. Rather, he challenges them to work with the overall purpose of the Holy Spirit when feeling the urge to use the vocal, spiritual gifts in the assembly.
The Holy Spirit can be strong and powerful, but you are still in control of yourself and expected to remember all that the Spirit has revealed in Scripture. God doesn’t want to control you. He wants you to speak out in faith as He works by His Spirit within you. Yet, He wants you to respond wisely and in the knowledge of His ways.
You are not squelching the Holy Spirit to refrain from giving a message in tongues when no interpreters are present. You simply understand that there is a proper timing. You are waiting on the Lord for the proper timing and place.
The Corinthian problem is not our problem. We are often afraid of things getting out of control. We are tempted to make our services “safe” from the work of the Holy Spirit, even though we would never say that. In truth, we are more likely to offend the Holy Spirit in order to avoid offending people.
Paul ends this instruction in verse 33 with a statement that God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. Chaotic environments are not His doing. They are the work of our enemy, and people who wittingly or unwittingly do his bidding. People following their flesh can think that they are quite spiritual, whether they are in the error of a Corinthian style or they are in error by shutting down all spiritual gifts.
The Holy Spirit is here working to use us within the church. We need to listen to Him in order to bring peace to such chaotic environments. This starts first in each one’s own heart. When peace rules in my heart, I can then minister the peace of God into my family, and then my church, and then my Republic or nation.
The spiritual gifts are a work of the Holy Spirit for today. However, we must exercise them in keeping with His overall purpose of people being drawn to put their faith in Jesus. May we be filled with the Holy Spirit and His mighty power in all that we do.