1 Corinthians 14:11
“If then I don’t know the meaning of the sound, I would be to him who speaks a foreigner, and he who speaks would be a foreigner to me.”
What does 1 Corinthians 14:11 mean?
Paul is using a simple everyday image to make his point about speaking in church without interpretation. When two people don't share a common language, they're essentially useless to each other, no matter how much either one speaks. He's saying the same thing happens when someone speaks in spiritual languages during worship without anyone understanding what's being said, the speaker and listeners become strangers to one another instead of a united community growing together. The whole point of gathering as God's people is to build each other up, and that can't happen if no one grasps what's being communicated. Paul isn't saying spiritual gifts are bad, just that they need to serve the actual people in the room, not replace connection with them.