1 Corinthians 12:1-3 says...
Today's verses are 1 Corinthians 12:1-3, which read,
v.1 - Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware.
Paul is introducing another issue in the church in Corinth that will take up three chapters. As with the other issues of the church, this will also be relevant to us today as the church continues to struggle with the issue of spiritual gifts or literally "pertaining to the Spirit." I really like John MacArthur summary of what spiritual gifts are.
"Spiritual gifts are divine enablements for ministry that the Holy Spirit gives in some measure to all believers and that are to be completely under His control and used for the building of the church to God's glory."
This must be another issue that Paul will have to define for the Christians in Corinth again who had many pagan religions and practices around them that focused on the supernatural and "out of body" experiences. He did not want them to be unaware of the Holy Spirit and His activity and involvement in their lives and the life of the church. You would assume that some of the outside religious practices had crept into the church to mask themselves as of the Spirit when they were actually being used by Satan to cause more divisions and factions in the church.
v.2 - You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.
Paul first states where they were. They used to worship idols that are just that mute, can't speak, idols. They were led to follow religious practices of those mute idols that included drunkenness and sexual sins. We once followed mute idols also. We were led to follow religious practices of whatever we had placed before an all-powerful speaking God.
v.3 - Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
This is another way of saying that you can't worship a false god and the true God at the same time. You can't say that "Jesus is Lord" and mean everything that phrase contains and then also say, "Jesus is accursed" in the next breath. They cancel out each other. Paul says you were pagans but now you are Christians. You have went from saying "Jesus is accursed" to saying "Jesus is Lord."
A first red flag is given to the Christians in Corinth to be aware of the Spirit that if someone is saying both, then they are not of the Spirit of God. Many want to play both sides of the fence with their words and eventually their actions but it is not possible. You may fool some of the people you are around but you are not fooling God and it will be exposed eventually that your true god is not the true God if you are saying both.
The first red flag for the issue of spiritual gifts is the saving faith of the individual. Who is Jesus to them? Is He Lord? Is He master of their lives and to be followed in word and deed in all things? Is He bowed to in all matters in submission? Is He the only God and all others are not even gods, they are just things created by man? The spiritual gifts discussed in these three chapters are always attached to the Lordship of Jesus in the life of the Christian through the direction of the Holy Spirit.
"Lord, help us as we go through these passages to see them in the context that they are given but also with the eyes of the principles given for all time. Your Holy Spirit has equipped the church to proclaim that Jesus is Lord and You will give us what we need to make that message known. May our church have this central and single message to our community and to the world. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.1 - Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware.
Paul is introducing another issue in the church in Corinth that will take up three chapters. As with the other issues of the church, this will also be relevant to us today as the church continues to struggle with the issue of spiritual gifts or literally "pertaining to the Spirit." I really like John MacArthur summary of what spiritual gifts are.
"Spiritual gifts are divine enablements for ministry that the Holy Spirit gives in some measure to all believers and that are to be completely under His control and used for the building of the church to God's glory."
This must be another issue that Paul will have to define for the Christians in Corinth again who had many pagan religions and practices around them that focused on the supernatural and "out of body" experiences. He did not want them to be unaware of the Holy Spirit and His activity and involvement in their lives and the life of the church. You would assume that some of the outside religious practices had crept into the church to mask themselves as of the Spirit when they were actually being used by Satan to cause more divisions and factions in the church.
v.2 - You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.
Paul first states where they were. They used to worship idols that are just that mute, can't speak, idols. They were led to follow religious practices of those mute idols that included drunkenness and sexual sins. We once followed mute idols also. We were led to follow religious practices of whatever we had placed before an all-powerful speaking God.
v.3 - Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
This is another way of saying that you can't worship a false god and the true God at the same time. You can't say that "Jesus is Lord" and mean everything that phrase contains and then also say, "Jesus is accursed" in the next breath. They cancel out each other. Paul says you were pagans but now you are Christians. You have went from saying "Jesus is accursed" to saying "Jesus is Lord."
A first red flag is given to the Christians in Corinth to be aware of the Spirit that if someone is saying both, then they are not of the Spirit of God. Many want to play both sides of the fence with their words and eventually their actions but it is not possible. You may fool some of the people you are around but you are not fooling God and it will be exposed eventually that your true god is not the true God if you are saying both.
The first red flag for the issue of spiritual gifts is the saving faith of the individual. Who is Jesus to them? Is He Lord? Is He master of their lives and to be followed in word and deed in all things? Is He bowed to in all matters in submission? Is He the only God and all others are not even gods, they are just things created by man? The spiritual gifts discussed in these three chapters are always attached to the Lordship of Jesus in the life of the Christian through the direction of the Holy Spirit.
"Lord, help us as we go through these passages to see them in the context that they are given but also with the eyes of the principles given for all time. Your Holy Spirit has equipped the church to proclaim that Jesus is Lord and You will give us what we need to make that message known. May our church have this central and single message to our community and to the world. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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