1 Corinthians 14-1 thru 20 -Corps 19
Publication Date: February 9, 1983
Walter J. Cummins graduated from the Power for Abundant Class in 1962.
He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Ohio State University in 1968 and his Master of Education degree in Secondary School Administration in 1978 from Wright State University.
He was ordained to the Christian by The Way International in 1968. He has studied at The Way International under Victor Paul Wierwille and K.C.Pillai. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he was director of the Research department of the Way International and served as assistant to the president.
February 9, 1983
Twentieth Corps Night
I Corinthians 14 - follows I Corinthians 13, which deals with how the manifestations are to
be used, and that is with the love of God in the renewed mind, in manifestation.
UI Cor. 14:1
"follow after," - both in Greek and Aramaic have the idea of eagerly pursuing, or running
after - like your are in a race.
You are to eagerly pursue the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation and desire
spiritual matters.
"desire," = zēloō = used in I Cor. 12:31 - covet earnestly.
In I Cor. 14:1, he brings the earnestly desiring and pursuing after the love of God in the
renewed mind together. You are to do both.
zēloō, has two meanings and usages in the New Testament.
1) negative - to be heated or to boil with envy.
2) positive - to burn with zeal or to earnestly desire or yearningly desire.
Dr. Wierwille defines it - to be joyously zealous.
Acts 17:5 - used in the first negative sense - "envy," = noun form of zēloō.
II Cor. 11:2 - "jealous," - second meaning - not envious in the negative sense but earnestly
desiring over you - with a godly burning zeal or desire. It is a very intense desire.
Galatians 4:17 - "zealously effect," - they are heated or are boiling over with envy;
"affect," = zēloō.
Galatians 4:18 - good to be zealously affected or earnestly desiring; always in good.
I Cor. 13:4 - love of God envieth not - zēloō; envy in the negative sense. Love of God
does not get heated or boiling in the negative sense.
I Cor. 14:1 used in the good sense.
I Cor. 3:3 - "envying," - form of this word in the negative sense. They were heated or
boiling with envy In the negative sense, and he was trying to redirect it in the positive
sense.
I Cor 14:39 -"covet" - earnestly or yearningly desire, burn with zeal to prophesy and forbid
not to speak in tongues.
I Cor. 14:12 - "zealous," - ye are zealous! Seek that ye may excel to the edification of the
church! Interpret & prophesy!!!
UI Cor. 14:1
Pursue the love of God in the renewed mind and earnestly desire spiritual things.
Cannot be "but rather," because prophesy is a part of spiritual things, "but rather," = Greek
- mallon de = literally means "and more." And more what? It depends upon context, and
here it would be, "and more specifically," or "and more properly; more fully."
Properly, is the best, because it is dealing in the context of that which is in the church, and
in the church, more specifically or properly we're dealing with prophesy. In the church we
are not listening to speaking in tongues, but prophesy because it is in English.
Literal in the 7th edition of RHST, page 178.
UI Cor. 14:2
Delete, "unknown" and "him." On the day of Pentecost, we know that people understood.
The person speaking did not understand what he was saying, but someone else did - which
would always be a miracle.
"speak," - all the way through this verse is laleō, = to use voice without reference to the
words spoken. Everyplace speaking in tongues comes up in the Word, it uses this word,
laleō. This includes Mark 16:17; Acts 2:4 & 11; Acts 10:46; Acts 19:6; and all of I Cor.
12-14. I Cor. 14:9, - "utter," = give (but it is not the phrase, speaking in tongues.)
When you speak in tongues, your mind is not involved; speaking in tongues bypasses your
thinking. What is spoken is God's business and not yours. This is the only manifestation
that does not employ the great principle. Your mind is not taught in speaking in tongues,
only the spirit. It is speaking - not to men as prophesy is, but it is speaking to God, which
is a two-way conversation.
Murdock translates it, "understandeth what is said" (the person speaking).
It is the individual who does not understand. But others could - like at Pentecost and at
other times. But the person speaking never understands.
"mysteries," = divine secrets (Romans 8:26, 27)
When speaking in tongues your understanding is unfruitful. But by you lifting someone in
perfect prayer and staying your mind, something happens in that situation.
If you really want to manifest all nine you have got to speak in tongues much. It opens the
doors for you to receive more from God.
Literal - see RHST, page 180.
I Cor. 2 — Parallels this section - it is the Great Mystery that is the wisdom of God that He
made known and spiritually or via the spirit you are able to examine all things by
investigation. But, without that spirit, natural man cannot know them, but by the spirit, we
can. When you SIT, you are speaking divine secrets, things pertaining to the Great
Mystery even, and it opens doors to understand and comprehend more.
UI Cor. 14:3
"prophesy," - speaks unto men.
"edify," - build up, and you are built up by exhortation and comfort.
Many places in the Word, it will give either at the beginning or at the close, a word or a
term which summarizes the other, which is more general.
"edification," - two ways you are edified: 1) exhortation, and 2) comfort. Edify, is a more
general term.
Same in II Timothy 3:16 - "instruction in righteousness," is the broader term which
encompasses the other three.
Exhort is to encourage toward a more worthy endeavor. Comfort is to speak tenderly with
a soft voice in order to heal the hurts and wounds. You UneedU these manifestations.
Literal - See RHST, page 181.
UI Cor. 14:4
Reiterates what is said in verses 2 and 3.
Edify yourself because you are speaking to yourself and God. It is a two-way conversation.
Doesn't edify your mind when you SIT, because your mind does not understand what you
are speaking.
But — you are spiritually edified !!!
Jude 20 - "holy faith," = faith of Jesus Christ. It is an inside job.
Eph. 3:16 - "strengthened with might by His spirit in the Uinner manU.
II Cor. 4:16 - "inward man is renewed day-by-day, by speaking in tongues. You've got to
SIT day-by-day if you are going to build up the inner man.
"church," - body of believers - in their minds.
Literal - See RHST, page 181.
UI Cor. 14:5
"I would that ye all spake with tongues." God's will is perfectly stated. Very clear!
Better to prophesy in church, unless he interpret.
"receive," = lambanō = receive into manifestation.
Aramaic makes it very clear that these two (prophesy and interpretation) are equal.
"and if he interprets, he edifieth the church." There is a time for tongues and interpretation,
and a time for prophesy, but they are both for edification.
"but rather," - same as in verse 1, mallon de = more properly.
It is therefore NOT "but" which sets in contrast. It is, "more properly."
Prophesy and tongues with interpretation are for edification and edification is in two ways:
1) encouragement and 2) comfort.
Always a message from God or for God to the believers. It is not a message TO God — it
is TO the believers.
"from," - is in the first person . . ." I am the Lord thy God . . ."
"for," - is in the third person . . ." the Lord your God, He says unto you . . ."
If you utter something that puts God in the second person, it is a prayer. It is a message
from the believer to God.
Prayer is verse 14 - two kinds.
1) prayer in spirit - speaking in tongues
2) prayer in understanding
I Cor. 14:15, 16, 17, "bless with the spirit," would include both singing and praying in the
spirit.
The only way tongues with interpretation and prophesy differ is that tongues with
interpretation serves as a sign to the believer. Acts 2:11, Rom. 8:16. It is a witness for our
sonship.
I Cor. 14:21, 22, - tongues are for a sign for those born again but who have not heard
enough to believe and really act on the power of God.
See RHST, page 195 - "tongues are a sign . . . power of God."
SIT is our over-looked power base that all of us need to be constantly reminded of.
UI Cor. 14:5
"except," = unless
Literal - See RHST, page 183.
UI Cor. 14:6
Manifestations are always for profit. In the church, the profit is for edification. In private
prayer-life, you are built up.
Literal - See RHST, page 184.
Why are four different words used? It is four ways of saying the same thing. I speak to
you by revelation, which is word of knowledge, as a prophet gives a message, a specific
teaching on how to speak in tongues and properly use it.
All four are tied together. It really makes an impact.
What would I profit you unless I am in a specific teaching situation, walking by revelation
- just like a prophet does - word of knowledge, word of wisdom.
UI Cor. 14:7
"pipe," - wind instrument
"harp," - plucked instrument
UI Cor. 14:8
"uncertain sound," - it might be a certain sound to somebody, but you are not acquainted
with the sound.
UI Cor. 14:9-11
Barbarian means somebody who does not understand the language. Anyone who did not
speak Greek was a barbarian to the Greeks. Does not imply a lack or refinement or culture.
UI Cor. 14:12
"zealous," - burning desire or yearningly desiring
"excel," - to super abound
"to," - pros, = with a view to the end of.
Super abound with a view to the end result of edifying the church. There are only two
ways to do it. One is by prophesy and the other is by tongues with interpretation.
I Cor. 14:12, - Literal - See RHST, page 186.
I Cor. 14:13, - Literal - See RHST, page 187. All prayer is believing.
I Cor. 14: 14-16, - Literals - See RHST, pages 188 and following.
The Psalms were an example of how people made a melody to God with their understanding.
I Cor. 14:17-19 - manifestations are not for teaching. "I, God, tell you to sell everything
and give your money to me."
"teach," - katēcheō - simply means to make yourself understood to others, or to make
yourself clear to others.
I Cor. 14:20 - first word, "children," = paidion, = a young child.
second, "children," = nēpiazō, = to be babies, unable to speak. They do not have ability to
speak yet.
We are not to be any kind of children in understanding, but in malice, (destructive evil) we
are to be children.
"understanding," = phrēn, a diaphragm or midriff = represents faculties of perceiving and
judging.
It is more figurative than just the word, "mind."
Where you are able to spiritually discern what is going on.
The natural man cannot receive the things of the spirit of God, they are foolishness to him
but he that is spiritual is able to examine all things by investigation because spiritually he
is able to perceive and judge accordingly.
In your faculty of perceiving and judging you're not to be children.
"men," - teleios, one who is mature, fully instructed, fully initiated
Aramaic = UGMIR
I Cor. 2:6 "perfect," = teleios !
I Cor. 3:1
He starts out Corinthians with the wisdom of the world. In I Cor. 2, he says there is a
bigger wisdom — the wisdom of God. I Cor. 3, he flashes back to — but I could not tell
you about it — you were still babies who could not speak. So he tells them all about the
problems of Corinth. The areas where they were causing division, getting off the Word,
following wrong leadership, doing practices associated with idolatry, the sex and food
trips. Then he gets to this great section where he now gets back to what he laid the
groundwork for in I Cor 2. I Cor. 12-14, that is how you do it spiritually - here are the
manifestations — you have the spirit and you have access to the knowledge of the Great
Mystery.
I Cor. 14:20, is really a culminating verse in the chapter. It is a summary verse, because
we are not to be young children in our understanding, our faculty of perceiving and
judging. But we are to utilize the manifestations with the love of God in the renewed
mind. We are to be fully mature ones in that type of understanding — to have our loins
gird about with truth.
Eph. 4:13 - a teleios man.
Eph. 4:14 - children that cannot speak.
Eph. 4:15 - in love.
fully mature when using the manifestations in love.
Phil. 3:15 - fully mature - perfect.
Col. 1:27, 28 - "wisdom," - not worldly wisdom, but the wisdom regarding the mystery —
Perfect !!!
Col 4:12 - perfect and filled to capacity.
That is why we work in the body; why the ministries are there; so we can become mature
and not be babies.
Heb. 5:13, 14 - criteria for being fully mature? Those who by reason of use have their
senses (spiritual senses) exercised to discern good and evil.
I John 4:18 - perfect mature love casts out fear.
I Cor. 14:20 - be fully mature in understanding.
End of Teaching