Note 22 at 1 Cor. 14:18: Some people have taken Paul's statements about speaking in tongues in this chapter and misinterpreted them to say that Paul was against this gift, but this verse makes it very clear that was not his intent. He spoke in tongues more than all the Corinthians put together. What a statement!

Paul was not against the gift of tongues. He apparently spoke in tongues a lot, but it was in his private prayer life. In the church, he did what he was instructing these Corinthians to do--he refrained himself from speaking in tongues and instead used the other gifts that would edify the church (vv. 12, 26). The example of Paul's life shows that speaking in tongues is a powerful gift that believers should utilize often.