Study Desk

I may be able to speak the languages of human beings and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell.

I may have the gift of inspired preaching; I may have all knowledge and understand all secrets; I may have all the faith needed to move mountains—but if I have no love, I am nothing.

I may give away everything I have, and even give up my body to be burned—but if I have no love, this does me no good.

love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth.

Love is eternal. There are inspired messages, but they are temporary; there are gifts of speaking in strange tongues, but they will cease; there is knowledge, but it will pass.

but when what is perfect comes, then what is partial will disappear.

Those who speak in strange tongues do not speak to others but to God, because no one understands them. They are speaking secret truths by the power of the Spirit.

But those who proclaim God's message speak to people and give them help, encouragement, and comfort.

Those who speak in strange tongues help only themselves, but those who proclaim God's message help the whole church.

I would like for all of you to speak in strange tongues; but I would rather that you had the gift of proclaiming God's message. For the person who proclaims God's message is of greater value than the one who speaks in strange tongues—unless there is someone present who can explain what is said, so that the whole church may be helped.

But if I do not know the language being spoken, those who use it will be foreigners to me and I will be a foreigner to them.

For if I pray in this way, my spirit prays indeed, but my mind has no part in it.

What should I do, then? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray also with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will sing also with my mind.

But in church worship I would rather speak five words that can be understood, in order to teach others, than speak thousands of words in strange tongues.

Do not be like children in your thinking, my friends; be children so far as evil is concerned, but be grown up in your thinking.

In the Scriptures it is written, "By means of people speaking strange languages I will speak to my people, says the Lord. I will speak through lips of foreigners, but even then my people will not listen to me."

But if everyone is proclaiming God's message when some unbelievers or ordinary people come in, they will be convinced of their sin by what they hear. They will be judged by all they hear,

But if no one is there who can explain, then the one who speaks in strange tongues must be quiet and speak only to himself and to God.

But if someone sitting in the meeting receives a message from God, the one who is speaking should stop.

because God does not want us to be in disorder but in harmony and peace. As in all the churches of God's people,