Paul continues his instruction to the Corinthians about spiritual gifts by calling them to maturity in understanding while remaining innocent in malice. The church struggled with childish behavior, still needing milk instead of solid food due to divisions and selfishness. Paul now applies this principle to their use of spiritual gifts, particularly tongues and prophecy.The apostle makes a crucial distinction about how these gifts affect unbelievers. Drawing from Isaiah 28, he explains that tongues serve as a sign of judgment for unbelievers, often leaving them confused and excluded when everyone speaks in tongues during corporate worship. This pushes people away rather than drawing them to God. Prophecy, however, has the opposite effect - it convicts unbelievers, reveals the secrets of their hearts, and leads them to recognize that God is truly present.Paul provides practical guidelines for corporate worship, emphasizing that everyone has something to contribute for the edification of the body. He establishes clear boundaries for tongues (only two or three speakers, in turn, with interpretation required) and prophecy (two or three prophets, with others judging the words). All spiritual experiences must be tested against Scripture, and church leadership bears responsibility for confirming prophetic utterances. The ultimate standard remains God's written Word, which spiritual gifts should confirm and illuminate, never contradict.