1 Corinthians 12:3 - Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
The word accursed is the word ANATHEMA and it means to devote someone to the Lord for destruction. A sacrifice on the altar would be an ANATHEMA. So, he says nobody under the influence of the Holy Spirit can say that Jesus is cursed. On the other hand, and that no man can say that Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit, or the Holy Ghost.
Now literally, it does not say Jesus is Lord in any Greek text. It says Lord Jesus. That's all it says in the Greek text! There's no word "is." It's literally Lord Jesus. Paul did not mean for these words to be a systematic sentence that you can recite and that proves that you're saved.
Anybody can say "Jesus is Lord." Even the unsaved, and even demons have said that in the gospels and confessed who Jesus was. What Paul is saying is that no one can call upon Jesus as their Lord. No one can say personally "Lord Jesus." That's personal between me and Him, and no one can call upon Him as their personal Lord without the Holy Spirit!
Please look at the word "though" used here and in the next couple of verses. You might even want to circle that word in your bible. This is where many believers get off track. In Verse 1, it says "though" I speak with the tongues of men. Verse 2 is the second word "though," and then a little farther in Verse two it says and "though" I have all faith. There's your third "though." And in Verse 3, we have two of them.
There are five of them. The first verse reads, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels," and there are some people that use that verse to say, "You see, Paul spoke with these mystical languages!" They use this to justify speaking in tongues.
There are some who say that the bible teaches that there's an "angelic language" that we can speak, because Paul says, "even though I speak."
No, he didn't say that! That's why I told you to notice the word "though" and circle it. In the Greek, these are all words that are called EAN, which mean "if." It is called EAN with the Subjunctive. In other words, Paul is presenting five phrases that are hypothetical. He's not saying, "though I do speak," he's saying "if" I did!
I wanted to point this out because that is very important in the original language. Some think that just because of the English, Paul is saying though I do speak with the language of angels, but he's not saying that at all. This is all hypothetical.
1 Corinthians 12:30 - Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
The answer to all these is no! There are groups today that teach that speaking in tongues is confirmation that you're saved. And when you relate to them that it says here that not everybody speaks in tongues, we must ask how does that work?
They have no idea that the answer is included right in the actual question itself! Their answer is yes. But no, they are wrong because the text says no! Do all interpret, that is, explain languages? Nope! Not everybody has everything. We are all various parts.
1 Corinthians 13:1 - Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
He starts out by saying "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity," The word charity in the King James text is the word AGAPE in Greek. And there are different words in Greek for different kinds of love. Over the years, the church has relegated Agape to be something special. But not that special, because we think we can produce it!
Agape is the fruit of God's Spirit according to Galatians 5:22, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love." And that word love is Agape. God's Spirit produces Agape. 1 John 4:8 tells us that God is Agape. It's His nature. Agape love includes sacrifice. Agape is the concern for someone's spiritual welfare. God exhibited that toward us in that "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son."
1 Corinthians 12:11 - But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
But all these work that one and the selfsame Spirit, and you can see what the emphasis is. It is one Spirit of God that does everything, dividing to every man severally, or individually, as he wills. You have no choice!
Believe it or not, there are services out there that encourage people to come up to the altar and pray to God and you tell Him what "gift" you want. It kind of sounds like Christmas up in Santa Claus' lap or something! The bible says that it's sovereign. It's the sovereignty of God, according to His will as He plans. That is how His Spirit works!
Again, these are not things that are given to us. These are capacities and abilities of the Holy Spirit. These are His expressions to us from the Lord and through us to other people. It has nothing to do with human ability!
1 Corinthians 12:13 - For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Gentiles, whether bond or free;
The word baptize is the name of what God's Spirit does in a person's life when they are saved. It is a Spiritual baptism which water baptism symbolizes. When God's Spirit comes into your life, it's a cleansing, and it's an identification. When we baptize someone in water, it is because of their confession that they have experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and have identified in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
That is why we baptize the way we do in water. Water baptism can't save anybody. It's just water. It's the baptism of the Spirit that saves, whether it's Jew or Gentile, bond or free.
1 Corinthians 12:5 - And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
The word administrations has to do with the steersmen, or the helmsmen of a ship, somebody who is steering the ship.
1 Corinthians 12:9 - To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
I have shared this before, but I wanted to touch on this word faith. It says, "To another faith by the same Spirit;" and again, he's emphasizing the one Spirit does all of these things and notice that faith is given to people by the Holy Spirit.
Faith comes from God's Spirit, not from man. There is a religious human faith. But the faith that the bible talks about is Spiritual and it comes from the Spirit of God. The word faith means persuasion in Greek. It is the word that describes the interaction between the Lord and one of His people.
That's what faith is, persuasion. You see, I can't see Him, nor can I feel Him. That would be something that would appeal to my human senses. I can't feel the Spirit of God. Nobody can! If you're into mystical religious experiences you can, but it won't be the Spirit of God.
We can't see Him. We can't feel Him. But we have an invisible relationship, that is, invisible to everyone else but we have a spiritual relationship with Christ. And there is interaction between ourselves and the Lord through His Holy Spirit that lives in us. And that interaction is called faith.
1 Corinthians 12:4 - Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
The word diversity means different. And this is the first place in this chapter where the word "gift," or "gifts" is used. There is one verb (DIDOMI) in the Greek language that means to give. And there at least three nouns that have to do with a gift that is given. None of those words are used here in this verse.
This is the word CHARISMA. It doesn't mean a gift that is given to somebody. In fact, in and of itself doesn't mean gift. It comes from the Greek word CHARIS which means grace. CHARISMA means expression of grace. That's what it means. There are different, or varieties of expressions of grace.
The translators translated it "gift" because it is not of man. That is their explanation. But it makes it very confusing because all of the other words that have to do with gift is translated gift. This one is translated gift and that got a whole bunch of people off on a totally different road seeking after these "gifts."
A gift is something that is given to you. And so, they say "God gives you these things." He doesn't give it to you! As a matter of fact, there's only one thing in the New Testament that is given to us as a gift, and that's the Holy Spirit. We are given the Holy Spirit. He Himself has the abilities and the capacities to do all of the things of God. We don't, and that's the emphasis here. There are varieties of expressions of grace.
So, it's not something that is given to us. It is something that is done to us and through us. To us personally, and through us to others. And that's what makes it a gift because it's not of us!
There are diversities of expressions of grace, but the same Spirit. So, there are various ways in which the Holy Spirit expresses God's grace and His ministry to people. But it's still just one Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:3 - Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
The word accursed is the word ANATHEMA and it means to devote someone to the Lord for destruction. A sacrifice on the altar would be an ANATHEMA. So, he says nobody under the influence of the Holy Spirit can say that Jesus is cursed. On the other hand, and that no man can say that Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit, or the Holy Ghost.
Now literally, it does not say Jesus is Lord in any Greek text. It says Lord Jesus. That's all it says in the Greek text! There's no word "is." It's literally Lord Jesus. Paul did not mean for these words to be a systematic sentence that you can recite and that proves that you're saved.
Anybody can say "Jesus is Lord." Even the unsaved, and even demons have said that in the gospels and confessed who Jesus was. What Paul is saying is that no one can call upon Jesus as their Lord. No one can say personally "Lord Jesus." That's personal between me and Him, and no one can call upon Him as their personal Lord without the Holy Spirit!
1 Corinthians 12:30 Continued...
Please look at the word "though" used here and in the next couple of verses. You might even want to circle that word in your bible. This is where many believers get off track. In Verse 1, it says "though" I speak with the tongues of men. Verse 2 is the second word "though," and then a little farther in Verse two it says and "though" I have all faith. There's your third "though." And in Verse 3, we have two of them.
There are five of them. The first verse reads, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels," and there are some people that use that verse to say, "You see, Paul spoke with these mystical languages!" They use this to justify speaking in tongues.
There are some who say that the bible teaches that there's an "angelic language" that we can speak, because Paul says, "even though I speak."
No, he didn't say that! That's why I told you to notice the word "though" and circle it. In the Greek, these are all words that are called EAN, which mean "if." It is called EAN with the Subjunctive. In other words, Paul is presenting five phrases that are hypothetical. He's not saying, "though I do speak," he's saying "if" I did!
I wanted to point this out because that is very important in the original language. Some think that just because of the English, Paul is saying though I do speak with the language of angels, but he's not saying that at all. This is all hypothetical.
1 Corinthians 12:30 - Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
The answer to all these is no! There are groups today that teach that speaking in tongues is confirmation that you're saved. And when you relate to them that it says here that not everybody speaks in tongues, we must ask how does that work?
They have no idea that the answer is included right in the actual question itself! Their answer is yes. But no, they are wrong because the text says no! Do all interpret, that is, explain languages? Nope! Not everybody has everything. We are all various parts.
1 Corinthians 13:1 - Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
He starts out by saying "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity," The word charity in the King James text is the word AGAPE in Greek. And there are different words in Greek for different kinds of love. Over the years, the church has relegated Agape to be something special. But not that special, because we think we can produce it!
Agape is the fruit of God's Spirit according to Galatians 5:22, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love." And that word love is Agape. God's Spirit produces Agape. 1 John 4:8 tells us that God is Agape. It's His nature. Agape love includes sacrifice. Agape is the concern for someone's spiritual welfare. God exhibited that toward us in that "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son."
1 Corinthians 12:11 - But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
But all these work that one and the selfsame Spirit, and you can see what the emphasis is. It is one Spirit of God that does everything, dividing to every man severally, or individually, as he wills. You have no choice!
Believe it or not, there are services out there that encourage people to come up to the altar and pray to God and you tell Him what "gift" you want. It kind of sounds like Christmas up in Santa Claus' lap or something! The bible says that it's sovereign. It's the sovereignty of God, according to His will as He plans. That is how His Spirit works!
Again, these are not things that are given to us. These are capacities and abilities of the Holy Spirit. These are His expressions to us from the Lord and through us to other people. It has nothing to do with human ability!
1 Corinthians 12:13 - For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Gentiles, whether bond or free;
The word baptize is the name of what God's Spirit does in a person's life when they are saved. It is a Spiritual baptism which water baptism symbolizes. When God's Spirit comes into your life, it's a cleansing, and it's an identification. When we baptize someone in water, it is because of their confession that they have experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and have identified in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
That is why we baptize the way we do in water. Water baptism can't save anybody. It's just water. It's the baptism of the Spirit that saves, whether it's Jew or Gentile, bond or free.
1 Corinthians 12:5 - And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
The word administrations has to do with the steersmen, or the helmsmen of a ship, somebody who is steering the ship.
1 Corinthians 12:9 - To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
I have shared this before, but I wanted to touch on this word faith. It says, "To another faith by the same Spirit;" and again, he's emphasizing the one Spirit does all of these things and notice that faith is given to people by the Holy Spirit.
Faith comes from God's Spirit, not from man. There is a religious human faith. But the faith that the bible talks about is Spiritual and it comes from the Spirit of God. The word faith means persuasion in Greek. It is the word that describes the interaction between the Lord and one of His people.
That's what faith is, persuasion. You see, I can't see Him, nor can I feel Him. That would be something that would appeal to my human senses. I can't feel the Spirit of God. Nobody can! If you're into mystical religious experiences you can, but it won't be the Spirit of God.
We can't see Him. We can't feel Him. But we have an invisible relationship, that is, invisible to everyone else but we have a spiritual relationship with Christ. And there is interaction between ourselves and the Lord through His Holy Spirit that lives in us. And that interaction is called faith.
1 Corinthians 12:4 - Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
The word diversity means different. And this is the first place in this chapter where the word "gift," or "gifts" is used. There is one verb (DIDOMI) in the Greek language that means to give. And there at least three nouns that have to do with a gift that is given. None of those words are used here in this verse.
This is the word CHARISMA. It doesn't mean a gift that is given to somebody. In fact, in and of itself doesn't mean gift. It comes from the Greek word CHARIS which means grace. CHARISMA means expression of grace. That's what it means. There are different, or varieties of expressions of grace.
The translators translated it "gift" because it is not of man. That is their explanation. But it makes it very confusing because all of the other words that have to do with gift is translated gift. This one is translated gift and that got a whole bunch of people off on a totally different road seeking after these "gifts."
A gift is something that is given to you. And so, they say "God gives you these things." He doesn't give it to you! As a matter of fact, there's only one thing in the New Testament that is given to us as a gift, and that's the Holy Spirit. We are given the Holy Spirit. He Himself has the abilities and the capacities to do all of the things of God. We don't, and that's the emphasis here. There are varieties of expressions of grace.
So, it's not something that is given to us. It is something that is done to us and through us. To us personally, and through us to others. And that's what makes it a gift because it's not of us!
There are diversities of expressions of grace, but the same Spirit. So, there are various ways in which the Holy Spirit expresses God's grace and His ministry to people. But it's still just one Spirit.
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