“Prophecy” in 1 Corinthians 12-14

“Prophecy” can have a wider and narrower definition. The narrower definition describes the role of Old Testament prophets: men who received messages from God, sometimes concerning the revelation of future events, and then relayed them to people. The wider definition speaks of followers of God in general communicating the messages of God’s law and gospel to others. It is that wider definition of prophecy that we see in 1 Corinthians 12-14.

In 1 Corinthians 12-14 the apostle Paul contrasts prophecy with speaking in tongues/speaking in other languages. Because the Corinthian Christians placed such a high value on speaking in tongues/speaking in other languages, the apostle Paul demonstrated the greater benefit of communicating the messages of God’s word in a language that people can understand (1 Corinthians 14:3, 24-25).