"In the Law it is written: "Through men of strange tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me," says the Lord. Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.
Yes, the emphasis was on prophecy, not tongues throughout the entire chapter. Paul discouraged the use of tongues. That is easy to see.
So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?
That is the conclusion that they came to in that day.
That is the conclusion that people come to today.
Things haven't changed have they?
But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!"" (1 Corinthians 14:21-25)
That is because people that prophecy could be understood. Prophesying, like preaching, was done in the language of the common person.
Paul seems to contradict himself in this passage. First he says that tongues are a "sign" for unbelievers, but then he says that if unbelievers see people speaking in tongues, the unbelievers will think that the believers are out of their minds.
And for good reason. It is total chaos.
It turns out that "uninterpreted tongues" have been used in Israel's history as a sign to the unbelieving Israelites that God's judgment had come upon them. Paul was quoting a prophecy from Isaiah 28:11-12:
In the Corinthian church the tongues were not being interpreted. Thus the instruction and the rebuke. Your interpretation of that passage is wrong.
"Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people, to whom he said, "This is the resting place, let the weary rest"; and, "This is the place of repose"-- but they would not listen." (Isaiah 28:11-12)
This prophecy was fulfilled when the Assyrian army swooped down upon Israel speaking a foreign language (an uninterpreted tongue), carrying Israel off into captivity. Paul used an example from Israel's history to show that uninterpreted tongues are sometimes used as a "sign" for unbelievers that judgment has come upon them.
Paul is referring to his time otherwise the passage is irrelevant and has no meaning whatsoever. He is not rambling on for the good of his health.
Look at the verse:
1 Corinthians 14:21 In the law it is written, With
men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
"In the law it is written" It refers to an OT passage.
"With men of other tongues and other lips WILL I speak unto THIS PEOPLE."
It is referring to the present time. He is speaking to THIS PEOPLE, the people of the present time. They would hear men of different nations speak the message of God.
"And yet for all that they will not hear me." Even though they had been warned about this 700 years ago, and now it is taking place they still will not listen. They will remain in their unbelief.
This is speaking to the unbelieving Jew. This had never happened before.
1 Corinthians 14:22 Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying
serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.
--The "wherefore" connects verse 22 to verse 21. The unbelieving continues the thought of the Jews. He is not speaking of unbelieving people in general. He is speaking of the unbelieving Jew. That is the context.
Tongues are a sign for the unbelieving Jew.
Go back to Acts 2, 10 and 19, the three places where tongues are mentioned in Acts. In all three places where tongues are spoken Jews are present.
Then Paul pointed out that if an unbeliever enters a church where Christians seem to have lost their minds, the unbeliever wouldn't see this as a sign of impending judgment. This is why Paul said that prophecy is much more beneficial during a church service.
The Jew knew by context, by the OT, that this was a sign of impending judgment. They had refused the Messiah. Judgment was about to come.
Anyone else would see it as simply chaos. There was no benefit for anyone.
Paul told them prophecy was beneficial and tongues were not. Your argument is defeated in that alone.