I Corinthians 14:13-17 says “…For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. 16 Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say? 17 For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified.”
Now I say this facetiously, do evangelical churches believe in singing in tongues? Well, obviously, the current center of the evangelical church does not hold to a current application of I Cor 12 as the supernatural gifts of the Spirit of the days of the apostles. Putting this discussion aside, let us look more closely at the passage and its purpose. Among many points of dissension, the use of tongues specifically was a practical issue. The particular that arose was the speaking in a “tongue” without an interpretation. One may clearly see that this issue revolved around understanding and edification. If a major part of the purpose of a service (besides the worship of God as we have been discussing) was the edification of the Christian body, what was the purpose of speaking in a tongue if there was no one to interpret? Paul states “Let all things be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.” Again the issue is addressed when discussing prayer. “How”, Paul writes, “will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say ‘Amen’ at your giving of thanks”, (and here is the kicker) “since he does not understand what you say?” This concerns particularly a worship service but, I dare say, does not exclude Christian prayer where two or more are present. Certainly, we are edified by the prayers of the saints and by standing in agreement with them. But, if we do not understand them, in a worship service or otherwise, where does the edification come from. We can neither give a hearty “amen” at the conclusion nor a nod of the head in agreement.
You may be asking, how does this apply to us since we certainly are not a charismatic/Pentecostal church, and don’t face the same issues that the acceptance of these gifts in this sense brings. Well, I propose that we do face a similar problem in regard to understanding and therefore edification. With a large elderly population, the need for some type of hearing assistance has been acknowledged and therefore provided for those in need. Imagine hearing a sermon (but not really because of hearing loss), and just nodding because others are. Not only would it be disingenuous but it also would lack edification to the hearer. Can we not make the same argument regarding the music? It is all well and wonderful how we can sing together as a body with words and music in hymns and spiritual songs. But what of the music sung by soloists or by choirs that cannot be understood because of the virtuosic nature of an operatically trained voice or because of the sheer number of people singing. Though I am an appreciator of both types of music and a supporter of having special music (the music lover that I am), I do recognize that for a worship service, this type of ensemble can be a poor medium through which God may choose to communicate grace. Though the music may indeed be a beautifully uplifting melody by Schubert or Brahms, what edification does it provide if one cannot understand the words that the music is set to? Now I am prepared not just to make an observation but also to provide a solution. If our aim is to focus our attention on worshiping our King and hearing from Him (being edified) and not focusing on just the music or the “performance of an ensemble” why not make it a practice (instead of the exception) to have the words in the bulletin. God has called us to be not just observers but participants in His worship whether we take the leading role or not. I am reminded of Handel’s Messiah, which has been played for the Sunday evening service of the first Sunday in December for many years. A bulletin was provided which encapsulated the libretto for all of the songs sung that evening. Though there was no sermon, what a wonderful service that was to have the beautiful music of Handel supporting the most wonderful of texts, Scripture and its redemptive story!!
A discussion of truth, spiritual issues, and how they play out in our lives.
