The Test

The Test
Words of Faith 7-11-25
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2025
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

1 Corinthians 12

[1] Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. [2] You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. [3] Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

       "Now, about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant."  Paul now moved on to the operation and use of Spiritual gifts as part of worship.

        Paul had already taught that Christian freedom is bounded by the principle of love, and this area was another application of that principle. There was a self-indulgent spirit in this area that had produced disunity (12:7, 25; 14:4) and apparent chaos in the assembly (14:23, 33, 40).

       Paul laid a primary foundation from the outset. Not everything that looks to be of God is of God. "You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other, you were influenced and led astray to mute idols."  Paul pointed out that the Corinthians had experienced the effects of evil spirits in their former pagan worship.

         Just because a person prophesied was not necessarily a sign of godliness. Pagans prophesied as well. People possessed by pagan gods (demons) would prophesy ecstatically at the shrines of Greek oracles. Paul was warning that ecstatic activity by itself does not constitute proof that a person is obeying God.

        Paul stressed a twofold test of the presence of the Holy Spirit in a Believer's life. Negatively, no person by the Spirit can curse Jesus. Positively, only by the Spirit can a person openly testify that Jesus is Lord.

        Paul's point was that the false teachers claimed that their visions, revelations, and messages were from God, but then they denied the humanity of Christ, as expressed by the words "Jesus be cursed." This may have been a factor in the Corinthians' aversion to Paul's "message of the Cross."

         Paul was clear that Jesus, who had really suffered, was now the Jesus who reigns as Lord. Only Believers, speaking by the Holy Spirit, acknowledge that Jesus is Lord. Nonbelievers-- including false teachers-- deny His sovereign Lordship.

       All this was more than a magical ritual of test questions. It has to do with the proclamation of one's life, which speaks more powerfully than words. Jesus taught a very similar test regarding the fruit that we see in the life of a prophet.

     "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly, they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit, you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them."

       "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'   Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'  (Matthew 7:15-23)

        Two thousand years later, we deal with similar issues and questions. It is easy to get excited about supernatural manifestations that claim to be of the Spirit. We hear a word of knowledge that seems to fit, or a prophecy that sounds powerful, or see a healing that appears fantastic, and suddenly, we can be off in a new direction.

         Or maybe we hear inspiring talk, someone who sounds very "spiritual." But does a spectacular manifestation or ecstatic utterance necessarily prove that a person is led by God? Is the test of God in the "talk"? Paul said no. Jesus said no. The fruit of a person's life declaring the Lordship of Jesus is the witness to the presence of the Spirit.

        What is that fruit? Jesus followed up by saying, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7:24). Lordship is more about the walk than the talk. It is not about rule-keeping legalism. But it is about listening to the Lord and obeying Him.

         Lord God, grant me the discernment I need to distinguish between what is false and what is true. Keep me focused on You. Help me to hear clearly the direction You have for me today and give me the courage to obey. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2025
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an e-mail message addressed to church.office@faithfellowshipweb.com. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an e-mail message to the same address. The daily devotion and archive are posted at https://www.faithfellowshipweb.com/blog
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2025 Jeffrey D. Hoy.