1 Corinthians 14:6 kjv
Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?
1 Corinthians 14:6 nkjv
But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching?
1 Corinthians 14:6 niv
Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?
1 Corinthians 14:6 esv
Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?
1 Corinthians 14:6 nlt
Dear brothers and sisters, if I should come to you speaking in an unknown language, how would that help you? But if I bring you a revelation or some special knowledge or prophecy or teaching, that will be helpful.
1 Corinthians 14 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Galatians 1:8 | But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. | Reinforces the anathema for deviating from the gospel |
| Galatians 1:9 | As we have said before, so I say again now, if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. | Repeats the strong condemnation |
| 2 Corinthians 11:4 | For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. | Warns against false apostles preaching a different Jesus/gospel |
| 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 | And if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. | Highlights the veiled nature of the gospel to the lost |
| Romans 1:16 | For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. | Declares the power of the true gospel |
| 1 Timothy 6:3-5 | If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up, with no understanding. He only, and has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil-surmising. | Exhorts against those who teach differently |
| 2 Peter 2:1-3 | But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, by reason of whom the way of truth will be spoken of evil. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from of old is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. | Warns of destructive heresies and false teachers |
| Jude 1:3 | Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write and exhort you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. | Urges believers to contend for the faith delivered |
| Acts 15:1-2 | But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." And when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and questioning with them, they decided that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. | Example of doctrinal dispute requiring apostolic decision |
| Acts 17:11 | Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica, because they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. | Commends the Bereans for examining teachings against Scripture |
| Matthew 18:17 | If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be as a Gentile and a tax collector to you. | Discipline within the church for unrepentance |
| John 14:6 | Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." | Establishes Jesus as the sole source of truth |
| John 8:31-32 | So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." | Connects abiding in Jesus' word with knowing truth |
| Philippians 1:16 | the latter proclamation of the gospel is out of rivalry, not sincerely, supposing that they can afflict me in my imprisonment. | Mentions those preaching the gospel with wrong motives |
| 1 Corinthians 1:10 | I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfect in the same mind and the same judgment. | Call for unity in the church |
| 1 Corinthians 1:23-24 | but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and a foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. | The core message of the gospel |
| Ephesians 4:4-6 | There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called in one hope of your calling—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. | Unity based on core tenets of faith |
| Colossians 1:23 | as indeed you have been hearers of it and now are believers in it, provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. | Encourages steadfastness in the faith received |
| 1 Corinthians 15:2 | And by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to what I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. | Stresses the importance of holding to the preached word |
1 Corinthians 14 verses
1 Corinthians 14 6 Meaning
This verse states that if Paul, or any other apostle, preached a gospel different from the one they initially proclaimed, they should be accursed. It emphasizes the unchangeable nature of the true gospel and the absolute authority of Christ's message.
1 Corinthians 14 6 Context
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul is addressing the denial of the resurrection of the dead within the Corinthian church. He meticulously outlines the core message of the gospel, including the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, presenting himself as a witness and affirming the testimony of other apostles. This verse serves as a strong assertion of the foundational truth of the gospel that he, and all genuine apostles, had preached. Any deviation from this foundational message is considered a corruption and a spiritual perversion, leading to a severe spiritual consequence for the messenger. The context emphasizes the gravity of the gospel's truth and the need for unwavering adherence to it.
1 Corinthians 14 6 Word Analysis
- εἰ (ei): "if" - Conditional particle, introducing a hypothetical situation.
- δὲ (de): "but" or "and" - A common conjunction, here it contrasts the preceding affirmations with a potential counter-scenario.
- ἐν (en): "in" - Preposition indicating within the realm of.
- Εὐαγγελιζόμεθα (Euangelizometha): "we preach the gospel" - Present passive indicative of εὐαγγελίζω (euangelizō), meaning "to announce good news." It signifies the ongoing act of proclaiming the gospel.
- ἄλλο (allo): "another" or "different" - Pronoun indicating a dissimilar kind or quantity.
- οἷον (oion): "than" or "which" - A comparative particle introducing a comparison or description.
- καὶ (kai): "and" or "even" - A conjunction.
- παρέλαβετε (parelabete): "you received" - Second person plural aorist indicative active of παραλαμβάνω (paralambanō), meaning "to take, receive, welcome." It signifies the active reception of the gospel message.
- εἰτ (eit'): contraction of "either" - Introducing an alternative.
- οὐκ (ouk): "not" - Negating particle.
- ἐὰν (ean): "if" - Conjunction introducing a condition.
- καὶ (kai): "and" or "also" - Conjunction.
- ἐάν (ean): "if" - Conjunction introducing a condition.
- ἀποστελλόμεθα (apostellometha): "we are sent" - Present passive indicative of ἀποστέλλω (apostellō), "to send forth, dispatch."
- οὐράνωθεν (ouranothen): "from heaven" - Adverb indicating origin from the sky or divine realm.
- ἀνίστανται (anistantai): "rise" - Present indicative passive of ἀνίστημι (anistēmi), "to cause to stand up, raise up." (This word isn't in the verse, showing a common misreading or contextual error.)
- καταρώμεθα (katarōmetha): "we curse" - Present subjunctive active of κατάρωμαι (katarōmai), "to curse, devote to destruction." The subjunctive mood suggests a resultant condition or an accepted truth in the hypothetical.
Word Group Analysis
- "If we preach to you another gospel": This phrase establishes a direct challenge to any altered or distorted message that purports to be the gospel. It implies that the gospel is a specific, unalterable body of truth.
- "or we, or an angel from heaven": This emphatically includes the highest spiritual beings and the apostles themselves in the potential to fall into heresy, underscoring the gravity of maintaining the purity of the gospel message.
- "than what we have preached to you": This links the validity of any gospel message to its adherence to the original proclamation by Paul and the other apostles.
- "let him be accursed" (anathema): This is a strong declaration of spiritual exclusion and condemnation for anyone who perverts the gospel. The Greek word anathema signifies something devoted to destruction or under a curse.
1 Corinthians 14 6 Bonus Section
The severity of the term "anathema" (ἀνάθεμα) is crucial here. It's not simply a suggestion of disagreement but a declaration of spiritual separation, a total "devotion to destruction." In the Old Testament, such a pronouncement was typically reserved for things or people irrevocably given over to God's judgment, such as cities or forbidden spoils (Leviticus 27:28-29; Joshua 6:17). Paul employs it here with the utmost gravity to signal that the purity of the gospel message is non-negotiable and that those who tamper with it place themselves outside the sphere of God's saving grace, effectively severing themselves from it. This was a potent statement for the Corinthians, who were prone to being swayed by eloquent or persuasive speakers, warning them against being led astray by anyone, regardless of their status or purported spiritual authority.
1 Corinthians 14 6 Commentary
Paul’s resolute declaration in 1 Corinthians 15:6, “If we ourselves also or an angel from heaven preach to you any other gospel than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed,” powerfully underscores the unalterable nature of the gospel message. It's not about variations in style or minor theological nuances; it's about the core truth of Christ’s person and work, particularly His resurrection. The inclusion of "an angel from heaven" emphasizes that even the highest created beings must conform to God's revealed truth. The gravity of the word "accursed" (anathema) signifies a complete severance from God’s blessing and favor due to a fundamental rejection of the salvific truth. This isn't a threat but a solemn affirmation of spiritual law: deviating from the divinely established gospel results in spiritual exclusion. It’s a call to guard the integrity of the message and to judge any teaching by its conformity to the foundational gospel preached by the apostles, which itself is rooted in Christ's death and resurrection.
Practical Usage Examples
- When encountering teachings that diminish Christ's deity or the necessity of His atonement.
- In assessing claims of new revelations that contradict established apostolic doctrine.
- For believers to firmly hold to the gospel in the face of cultural shifts that compromise its truth.