1 Corinthians 12:3
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.
We would never curse Jesus. The words would stick in our throats, if we even tried. We call him “Lord.” We praise him! This is no accident. It doesn’t just happen this way. It’s the Holy Spirit. Though we might not see him or feel him, make no mistake, this saving faith we have is the work of the Holy Spirit alone.
Why would the Apostle Paul feel it was important to make this point? Well, some of his members in Corinth thought they were a little better than the others. The way they were boasting, it was as if they had brought themselves to faith!
Today, many teach that exact thing. They say, “You have to make your decision for Jesus. You have to pray him into your heart. Do you want to come to faith? It’s all up to you.” It’s false teaching. It robs the Spirit of his glory and empties the cross of Jesus of its power. And it leads to sinful boasting. A Christian who believes he has made his decision to come to faith is taking credit for things he didn’t do.
Even if you don’t promote that teaching, it sneaks in sometimes. It happens when we dwell on our record of service, and compare it to the things other people do, especially the people who don’t seem to be doing as much as we are: the ones you hardly ever see in church; the ones who seem to be lost in life. We feel bad for them, of course, but it also makes the sinner inside us feel all warm and toasty to think that we may be a little bit better than they are. We’re no better. Shame on us sinners for ever taking any credit for our faith! Paul wants to run that sinful pride through the shredder. “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.”
Paul also wants to comfort us through those same words. How marvelous it is that God can tell us, “Jesus is Lord!” Jesus is Lord? That little baby? That weak victim? He was executed! His body was buried! It looked like the end for him. A corpse can’t be Lord! But our heaven-sent substitute rose from the dead. Our Savior lives and rules. What a marvelous message: Jesus is Lord!
It is no less marvelous a miracle that you believe it. Everything in your nature pulled away from this truth. It offended you to think that any old person could go to heaven. It offended you to think that you could play no part in being saved. It offended you to admit that you needed the help. God helped you anyway. Through the Word, the Spirit turned your heart and mind and will completely around. He opened your eyes and ears to truths you would never have believed in a million years. That the Father said it is miracle enough. But he has enabled you to say it, too: “Jesus is Lord!”
It's all the work of the Holy Spirit, and we confess this every time we say the third article of the creed: I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
+++
Author: Pastor Jon Zabell
Copyright (c) 2024, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Green Bay, WI 54301
Bible text, NIV (c) Biblia, 2011
Comments