1 CorinthiansNäide

One can read between the lines and guess the reason why Paul speaks so extensively about the gift of speaking in tongues (see explanation below). He himself considers this gift very beautiful and good, and he wished that everyone could speak in tongues. For him, however, it is self-evident that not everyone receives this gift, but that it is a gift which Jesus distributes according to His own free will. Since the Corinthians are apparently making value judgments, Paul now offers a ranking of his own: if a hierarchy is to be established, then it must be by the standard of love. For what is of greater benefit to my brothers and sisters in the faith?

As good and useful as Paul finds speaking in tongues for one's personal faith life, his primary focus is on love for fellow believers and for unbelievers. His main concern is that the body of Christ be built up. Once again, love is at the center.

--> The gift of speaking in tongues—also called glossolalia (from Greek glossa = "tongue, language" and lalia = "speaking")—is a spiritual gift in which a person, through the Holy Spirit, speaks or prays in a language they have never learned. This language can be either an existing foreign language or a "heavenly language" that is incomprehensible to humans (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:2).