Big Idea: Although the Spirit’s gifts do not grant status to their recipients, the gifts that benefit and build up Christ’s community are of greater significance and value than those used only for the personal benefit of the individual.

Understanding the Text

Paul now returns to his discussion of spiritual gifts begun in chapter 12. To fully appreciate chapter 14, however, chapter 13 cannot be dismissed as a digression or a simple aside. Although 14:1–25 seems to focus primarily on tongue speaking and the perils thereof, Paul’s real point is the character of Christian worship. In this way, chapter 14 connects directly to the extended exposition beginning in chapter 10 and guided by chapter 13. For Paul, love encapsulates the ethics of the life in the Spirit: it fulfills the law (Rom. 13:…