Connect 1 Corinthians 14:22 with Acts 2:4-11 regarding tongues and their purpose. Tongues as a Divine Signpost • 1 Corinthians 14:22: “Therefore, tongues are a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.” • A “sign” (Greek: sēmeion) points to something God is doing; it grabs attention and authenticates His work. • Paul is echoing Isaiah 28:11-12, where God warned Israel that foreign lips would speak judgment because they ignored His clear word. Pentecost: The Prototype of the Sign • Acts 2:4-11 shows tongues in action as that very sign. – v. 4: “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” – vv. 6-8: Foreign crowds “each one heard them speaking his own language… How is it then that each of us hears them in his own native language?” – v. 11: “We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” • The miracle validated that the risen Jesus had poured out the Spirit (Acts 2:33). • Unbelieving Jews were stirred: some asked, “What does this mean?” (v. 12); others mocked (v. 13). Either way, the sign compelled a response. Linking the Two Passages • Paul’s statement presumes the Pentecost model: tongues arrest the attention of outsiders, demonstrating God’s new covenant work. • In Corinth, uninterpreted tongues in the gathered church fail that purpose; no unbeliever understands the message, so the sign becomes confusing (1 Colossians 14:23). • With interpretation, tongues edify believers (1 Colossians 14:5, 13), but their primary design remains evangelistic authentication. Additional Scriptural Threads • Mark 16:17: “These signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues.” • Acts 10:45-46; 19:6: Gentiles speak in tongues as visible evidence that the Spirit has come upon them—again, a sign to onlookers. • 1 Corinthians 14:21 cites Isaiah 28:11-12 to ground the sign concept: foreign tongues highlight covenantal shift and call to repentance. Practical Takeaways • Tongues, when intelligible to outsiders or interpreted within the church, spotlight the gospel’s power and authenticity. • Prophecy, by contrast, directly builds up believers through clear, comprehensible revelation (1 Colossians 14:3-4). • Pursue love first (1 Colossians 14:1), then spiritual gifts in a way that displays God’s truth to both the church and the watching world. |
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