1 Corinthians 14:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Do you see his constant aim? How constantly and in everything he has one thing in view: the need of the many and the benefit of the Church. He sets this up almost as a rule. And he did not say, “that you may receive gifts,” but “that you may be enriched,” that is, that you may have them in great abundance. I am not only far, he says, from wishing you not to have them. On the contrary, I desire that you have them in abundance, provided only that you use them for the common good.

Some place a full stop after the words, “so also you,” and explain it thus: so also you, who speak unintelligibly in tongues, appear to your hearers as foreigners. Then they begin again and read, “since you are zealous for spiritual gifts.” But Saint John Chrysostom reads it without a division. Since, he says, you are zealous for spiritual gifts, I also desire this and accept it, as I said before. Only strive to abound in them for edification, that is, for the benefit of the Church. For I not only do not hinder you from speaking in tongues, but I desire that you be enriched with this gift, provided only that you use it for the common good.

Since the explanation of Scripture is profitable, he teaches them to apply zeal to this work. For the soul is awakened and rejoices when it understands from Scripture. And the more discerning it becomes in this respect, the more it avoids sins.

The Apostle called the Corinthians “zealous for spirits” by way of reproach. He commands them to do everything for the benefit of the Church.

The prophetic gift serves as a good and living bond between the speaker and the Church. But the gift of tongues, when abused, only separates its possessor from the faithful. "For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful" (1 Cor 14:14). By "spirit" the Apostle means the gift, and by "mind" the explanation of what is said (Theodoret). "For if you bless with the spirit, how will the one who occupies the place of the layman say Amen at your thanksgiving?" (1 Cor 14:16). That is, he neither hears nor understands the final words, "unto ages of ages." This suggests that those guilty of the irrational use of the gift of tongues were the presidents themselves. They had been entrusted with edifying and guarding the faithful.

Persuading the Corinthians who possessed the gift of tongues to care also for the gift of interpretation, the Apostle Paul commands them to pray for this to the Lord, the one Distributor of all gifts. At the same time, he teaches them to pray not in a foreign tongue, but in one intelligible to all. Otherwise, the one praying does not take part in the prayer with his whole soul, but only in part. Others, the less instructed laypeople, cannot take part at all. They cannot even respond to the exclamation of the prayer with the brief prayerful word, Amen, that is, truly, so be it. It is evident that some of the church presidents were using the gift of tongues without profit, even in public prayer.

“Zealous for spirits,” that is, for spiritual gifts. The second half of the text should be understood thus: seek to abound in what serves the building up of the Church. Are you zealous, he says, for spiritual gifts of grace? Good, be zealous. But seek such gifts as will edify the Church. “Do you see his constant aim? How always and in everything he has one thing in view: the need of the many and the benefit of the Church. He sets this up almost as a rule. And he did not say, ‘seek that you may receive gifts,’ but, ‘that you may abound’” (Saint Chrysostom).