So much ink has been spilled over the subject of speaking in tongues, but what if Paul is really using this worship practice as an example? What if he has a deeper message? Given the argument Paul has been slowly building over the course of several chapters about various worship practices (communion, head coverings, speaking in tongues, etc.), Jessi and I are convinced this chapter isn’t only about speaking in tongues; it’s about hospitality, diversity, and life in community. Think back on what Paul has already said prior to this:

When Paul grilled the Corinthians about their communion practices back in chapter 11, he was not only concerned with proper treatment of communion elements, he was concerned with how the Corinthians were treating one another. Problems in the Body of Christ (the church) were reflected in how they shared in the body of Christ (the communion meal), so Paul uses one issue to speak to the other.

Similarly, in his lengthy exploration of meat sacrificed to idols in chapters 8-10, Paul was not only concerned with the meat and idols themselves, he was concerned with how the Corinthians were (or weren’t) being sensitive to one another’s needs. The dietary laws themselves were less important than the feelings underneath them.

And in his comments on spiritual gifts and on love in chapters 12-14, Paul emphasizes the importance of love and respect for one another over any other point of doctrine. Again and again, Paul utilizes these worship practices like case studies to build on a bigger theme: love for one another. Wouldn’t it make sense for his thoughts on speaking in tongues to reach the same conclusion?

In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul neither demands nor discredits the practice of speaking in tongues; he simply instructs the Corinthians to have an interpreter present so people entering the congregation for the first time will understand what’s going on. So many of Paul’s teachings in these chapters address worship practices and points of theology, but they all boil down to hospitality. Does speaking in tongues have broader implications about our salvation or relationship with God? I’m not sure Paul really cares. He does, however, care about the way the Corinthians have been mistreating one another, and even here, in this controversial conversation about tongues, he seeks to correct the issue.

So, to recap chapters 8-14:
Sure, you may have no issue eating meat sacrificed to idols,
but if it hurts someone else to see you do it, you should abstain.

Women and men alike can prophesy,
but go ahead and abide by social standards of head coverings
so no one gets confused about what you’re all doing together.

Don’t prioritize your wealthy members
by letting them get drunk on communion wine
before others in your fellowship have even arrived;
take the communion meal at the same time
as equals.

Don’t prize one spiritual gift over another;
we are one body with many functions,
and we all need each other.

And, should members of your community display the gift of speaking in tongues,
don’t use this to alienate those with other gifts;
have an interpreter present so all can worship and grow together.

With the diversity in their congregation, the Corinthians struggled to live in community with one another. Treating each other as equals didn’t come naturally to them. And so, Paul writes this whole middle portion of 1 Corinthians to bake the concept of equality directly into the Corinthians’ worship practices. The Corinthians may still hold quiet prejudices against one another —they’re still human after all—, but Paul ensures their worship life will not reflect this, and if the Corinthians follow Paul’s teachings, they may even find the dividing lines between them slowly fading.