1 Corinthians 14:20-22
1Co 14:20 Brothers, stop being children in your way of thinking, instead, be minors when it comes to evil, but in your way of thinking, start being mature.
1Co 14:21 Scripture says (in the Law) “By people with strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, yet they will not even listen to me in this way,” says the Lord.
1Co 14:22 So then, foreign languages are a sign indicating not believers but unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is not a sign indicating unbelievers but believers.
baby talk revisited
Isaiah’s experience with Judah’s nobility provides a striking parallel to the situation in Corinth. Isaiah delivered God’s word with clarity, simplicity, and persistence, yet the leaders dismissed his message as childish and beneath their sophistication. They claimed it was too simple, too repetitive, too basic. In reality, the problem was not the message but their unwillingness to hear it. Confusion became a convenient excuse for rejecting the prophet. If the message could be labeled simplistic or unclear, the messenger could be safely ignored.
Paul draws directly from Isaiah 28 when addressing the Corinthians’ misuse of languages. The Corinthians were creating the very situation Isaiah faced: a spiritual environment where confusion allowed people—especially unbelievers—to dismiss the message. When foreign languages were used without interpretation, the result was not edification but bewilderment. Believers gained nothing, and unbelievers gained an excuse to walk away untouched by the gospel. Instead of opening doors for the message, the practice closed them.
Paul’s concern was not the existence of the linguistic gift but the immaturity governing its use. Immaturity insisted, “This ability belongs to me, and it will be exercised whenever I choose.” Immaturity treated the gift as a personal possession, a badge of spiritual status, or a performance to be admired. Immaturity placed the individual above the community and the display above the mission.
Maturity, however, spoke differently. Maturity recognized the gift as a tool entrusted by God for a specific purpose. Maturity said, “This ability is valuable, but it will be used only when it advances the gospel and strengthens the church.” Maturity understood that a gift misused becomes a barrier rather than a blessing. Maturity placed the mission above personal expression and the edification of others above the desire to impress.
Paul’s appeal is pastoral and missional. The Spirit’s gifts are never ends in themselves. They are instruments for building up the body and extending the gospel. When used in ways that create confusion, they lose their purpose. When used in ways that promote clarity, unity, and understanding, they fulfill the intention of the God who gave them.
Isaiah’s audience used confusion to avoid God’s word. Paul warned the Corinthians not to give unbelievers the same excuse. True spirituality seeks clarity, builds up the church, and removes every obstacle that might hinder the gospel.
LORD, make us mature in the way we utilise your gifts.
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