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The topic of spiritual gifts takes up a large portion of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians (ch. 12-14). Paul began the conversation by identifying nine spiritual gifts and then explaining how God distributed different gifts to different believers to edify the entire body of Christ (ch 12). Next, he argued that these gifts must used in love, not with spiritual pride, selfishness, or arrogance (ch 13). Finally, in chapter 14, Paul narrowed his focus to the proper use of just two spiritual gifts (tongues, prophecy).

Paul was focused on the use of tongues and prophecy in public worship, and his primary concern was that these gifts be used in a way that brings edification to the whole assembly rather than individual believers (14:2-30). While he acknowledged the value of tongues in one’s personal devotion (vs 2,4), in the context of the assembly, tongues were of no value unless they were interpreted (vs 2,5-19). That is why Paul urged the Corinthians to seek and use the gift of prophecy instead (vs 5,24-25). Prophesy always edifies everyone (both believers and unbelievers alike). Tongues can only do the same when interpreted (v 5).

In the course of his argument, Paul made a statement that has long baffled readers and commentators alike: “Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers” (v 22) To understand why this is so difficult to understand, we must look at the broader context:

In what sense are tongues a sign for unbelievers if tongues lead unbelievers to think Christians are crazy? And why does Paul say prophesy is a sign for believers – not unbelievers – but then go on to explain how prophecy benefits unbelievers (and never speaks to its value for believers). If prophecy is not a sign for unbelievers, why is it so effective in their conversion? To answer these questions, let’s take a closer look at this passage.

It’s apparent from Paul’s instruction that a significant portion of the Corinthians’ worship services were given over to speaking in uninterpreted tongues (vs 6-19,27-28). They considered this practice to be a mark of their spirituality. Paul, however, saw it as a mark of their spiritual immaturity. He described them as “children in your thinking” (v 20) because children naturally seek their own benefit rather than the benefit of others. Paul called on the Corinthians to grow up spiritually, preferring the edification of others to their own. He already demonstrated how uninterpreted tongues do not benefit other Christians (vs 6-19). Now, in the passage under investigation (vs 20-25), Paul will show how uninterpreted tongues do not benefit unbelieves either.

Paul explained that unbelievers’ reaction to hearing uninterpreted tongues is negative, not positive. They will think the Corinthians are mad (v 23)! The fact that Paul had to explain how tongues do harm rather than good to unbelievers may indicate that the Corinthians held to a contrary view. Perhaps they believed speaking in tongues was a mark of God’s presence with them, and reasoned that unbelievers would come to believe this as well by hearing them speak in tongues. To demonstrate the fallacy in this thinking, Paul quoted loosely from Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah 28:11-12, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” Isaiah was not prophesying about glossolalia under the New Covenant, but about the Israelites’ future captivity in Assyria. Every time the Israelites would hear their foreign captors speaking in their foreign tongue, it would be a sign to them that God had judged them. And yet, despite this sign, Israel would still not repent of her sins. Paul did not claim glossolalia is the fulfillment of this prophecy, but he did see a parallel between Isaiah’s prophecy for Israel’s captivity and the situation at Corinth. In the same way the Israelites did not repent when hearing the unintelligible language of the Assyrians, unbelievers will not be led to repentance by hearing Christians speaking in an unknown language. Tongues, then, do not benefit unbelievers. Tongues only serve to judge unbelievers – not bring them to salvation.

It’s at this point that Paul articulates the phrase in question: “Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers” (v 23).1 The word “sign” has a range of meanings, but in this context I think it’s best to understand it as that which points to a truth, or that which confirms some truth. Paul is saying tongues indicate/confirm something about God to unbelievers, while prophecy indicates/confirms something about God to believers. What is the truth about God that tongues and prophecy pointed to, or that is confirmed by tongues and prophecy? I would argue that it’s the truth that “God is really among you” (v 27). Paul will argue that tongues do not point unbelievers to this truth, whereas prophecy does. For Paul, the sign of tongues and the sign of prophecy is evidenced by the effect each gift has on unbelievers.

To help the Corinthians see the effect of each gift on unbelievers, he asks them to imagine a hypothetical situation in which every believer is either speaking in uninterpreted tongues (v 23) or prophesying (v 24). What would the outcome be if they were all speaking in uninterpreted tongues? Paul says the unbelievers present in the assembly would conclude that the Christians were crazy because they weren’t saying anything intelligible (v 23). Tongues would not point them to the truth that God is among the Corinthians (it would point them toward the opposite conclusion), and tongues would not lead to their conversion because tongues do not provide them with any revelatory content through which to believe.

What would the outcome be if all were prophesying (v 25)? The unbelievers present would experience conviction and conversion through the revelatory content of the prophecy. Instead of thinking the church was crazy, they would proclaim that God really is among the Christians. So while tongues cannot convert unbelievers, prophecy can. The Corinthians are wrong, therefore, to think uninterpreted tongues are beneficial to anyone other than the speaker himself (vs 2,4,13). They do not benefit other Christians in the assembly (vs 6-12,16-19), nor unbelievers in the assembly (vs 22-23). Tongues will not cause unbelievers to obey the truth of Christianity, but prophecy can.

Why, then, does Paul say prophecy is a sign to believers – not unbelievers – if prophecy results in the conversion of unbelievers? Wouldn’t prophecy function as a sign to unbelievers as well – a sign that Christianity is true? Perhaps Paul’s point is that the effect prophecy has on the unbeliever is a confirmatory sign to believers that Christianity is true and God is truly in their midst. It’s not that the Corinthians did know this, but it served as a confirmatory sign to remind them of and give them further assurance of this truth. Or, perhaps Paul’s point is that the effect of prophecy on unbelievers is a sign to believers that prophecy is superior to uninterpreted tongues in the context of public worship (the point that Paul was trying to make throughout the chapter). Either way, the “sign” of tongues and the “sign” of prophesy are different. The sign of tongues is negative, while the sign of prophecy is positive. And yet, both signs refer to the effect tongues and prophecy have on unbelievers who are present in the assembly.

1. Paul does not use the word “sign” in association with prophecy, but given the structure of the sentence, most interpreters think it is implied. Indeed, Paul would be contradicting himself by simply saying “prophesy is not for unbelievers, but believers” since he went on to show how prophecy benefits unbelievers. If prophecy were not for unbelievers, why does it benefit them? Surely the point is that prophecy is not a sign for unbelievers. The effect of prophecy on unbelievers is a sign to believers.

1 Corinthians 14:22 - How are Tongues and Prophecy Signs to Unbelievers and Believers?

1 Corinthians 14:22 - How are Tongues and Prophecy
Signs to Unbelievers and Believers?