The Source and Testing
of Counterfeit Spiritual Gifts
12: 1-3
The source and testing of counterfeit spiritual gifts DIG: Why is the content rather than the experience of the speech the most important? How is the diversity of gifts related to the unity of the Father, Son and Spirit? How can you tell if a teaching or practice is from God or a counterfeit? Why is there no new revelation for believers today?
REFLECT: As far as being “led astray” by idols, what are some modern-day idols? Can a man’s job be an idol? Can a woman’s family be an idol? What other seemingly innocent idols lead people astray today? Sports? Money? Hobbies? How is your ability to discern between what is of God and what is of Satan? Have you ever been fooled? What is the remedy?
Satan will try to counterfeit the Spirit’s gifts, and he will try to induce believers to ignore, neglect, misunderstand, abuse, and pervert them, so Paul’s teaching here is critical.
Paul begins with the importance of a clear recognition of the lordship of Messiah. There are many spiritual gifts and they all bring glory to Messiah. They never oppose Him. Paul wanted to make sure the Corinthians had a clear and complete understanding of their spiritual gifts, the special ministry that the Spirit gives in some measure to all believers. The Church, made up of Jewish and Gentile believers, cannot function, and certainly not mature, without properly and faithfully using the gifts the Spirit gives to His people for ministry.
The importance of spiritual gifts: Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand there are also counterfeit gifts, so he wrote to them saying: Now concerning spiritual [gifts], brothers, I do not want you to go on being ignorant (12:1). With the phrase now concerning (Greek: peri de), Paul again cues his readers that he is taking up a new topic. In this case, it signals that the topic comes from the Corinthians’ letter to him (7:1 and 25, 8:1).349 Notice the affectionate address of brothers, introducing a section where there would be much rebuke.350 The Corinthians were not acting very spiritual, but they still belonged to Messiah.
The source of counterfeit spiritual gifts: Paul starts his instruction by reminding the Corinthians of their pagan past, before they had experienced the Spirit’s power in their lives, saying: You know that when you were pagans (see the commentary on Romans, to see link click An – The Deprived Mind of the Pagan Gentile). Paul has already called them brothers, so we know that he was addressing Gentile believers. However, they were not acting like believers, they were acting like pagans, and one of the chief characteristics of most pagan religions was, and still is, idolatry. No matter how you felt before being saved, you were being led astray (Greek: apago, often used of prisoners being under armed guard to prison or execution). Therefore, some of the Corinthian believers, like drug addicts who can’t kick the habit, were reverting back to idolatry (12:a).
Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for being our Almighty God! Thank You that You live in Your children. Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:23). What a comfort that You always are with Your children, giving us the ability to win battles against sin, by the power of your Ruach Ha’Kodesh living within us. After you heard the message of truth – the Good News of your salvation – and when you put your trust in Him, you were sealed with the promised Ruach Ha’Kodesh (Eph 1:13). Addictions to sin are strong, but You are always stronger!
Thank you for Your powerful Ruach Ha’Kodesh never leaving me but always being the strength needed to win any battle. Thank you that the Ruach Ha’Kodesh cannot be bought with money or with good deeds but You give Him to all who love You. You chose us in the Messiah. . . You predestined us for adoption as sons and daughters through Messiah Yeshua, in Whom we have redemption (Ephesians 1:4a, 5a, 7a). It is all about You dear Father God. We cannot begin to comprehend Your great power to create the world in the beginning and at the end your awesome power to win the battle against all the evil kings and satanic powers in this world (Revelation 19). Just as Yeshua will come riding in victoriously on a white horse at the last battle – so Your children can be victorious over any sin as long as we rely on Your Ruach Ha’Kodesh to fight the battle. We love You for being such a wonderful Father! In Your holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen
One of the most common misconceptions about the ungodly lifestyle – a misconception held by many immature believers – is that it is free of boundaries, in contrast to a godly lifestyle, which they believe is hemmed in by rigid restrictions. However, as Paul teaches in this passage, just the opposite is true. It is the unbeliever, or the carnal believer, who is held captive by sin and by Satan. Before conversion, when the Corinthian believers were pagans, they had no choice. But here, Paul skillfully reminds them that now they do have a choice, and he pleads with them to allow the Spirit to lead them rather than their old sin nature (see the commentary on Romans Bm – The Consequences of Adam).
Paul reminded them: “You were led astray by idols, which can’t speak at all” (see the commentary on Isaiah Hy – Worship the LORD, Not Idols). Paul is not referring to unintelligent speech, but speechless, literally without voice (12:2b). No idol, primitive or sophisticated, can answer a person’s questions, give any revelation, assure anyone of their faith, forgive sin, or give anyone dignity, meaning, or peace. Whether or not a demon is behind it (see Bs – The Truth About Idolatry), an idol is totally helpless to benefit anyone who worships it. Tragically, many of the Corinthian believers had fallen back into some of their old idolatrous practices. They could no longer distinguish the work of God’s Spirit from that of demonic spirits; God’s true spiritual gifts from Satan’s counterfeits, or the true worship of God from the perverted false worship of idols.351
The test of spiritual gifts: Satan spends a lot of time in church. Nowhere is he more anxious to pervert God’s people than where they are worshiping. Some immature, baby believers, apparently became so fleshly and confused, and their worship so trance-like and frenzied, that in a state of ecstasy (see Ce – The Pagan Backgrounds of Counterfeit Spiritual Gifts), they even allowed themselves to curse the Lord during public worship. In that hysterical atmosphere anything might happen and be claimed to be the work of the Spirit. Therefore, Paul rebuked the entire congregation for allowing such ungodliness, and for being so confused about what was spiritual and what was demonic. Before Paul begins his discussion of the various spiritual gifts and their use, he gives two principles, one negative and one positive to help the Corinthians and us determine what comes from God and what does not. These are the first of several tests the apostle mentions in Chapters 12-14.
The negative test: The first test of a spiritual gift is doctrinal. If a person holds a derogatory view of Jesus Christ, then what he or she says or does is not of God. Therefore, I want to make it clear to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says, “Jesus is cursed (Greek: anathema)!” The word anathema is similar to the Hebrew word cherem, meaning devoted to destruction. Those who were babbling: Jesus is cursed, claimed to be speaking by the Spirit of God, demonstrating the gift of prophecy or teaching. But Paul told the Corinthians that no such blasphemy could possibly be uttered by the Holy Spirit. Nothing should have been more logical or obvious, but the Corinthians had come to judge that nature and use of spiritual gifts on the basis of experience and feelings of ecstasy. Nowhere in Scripture do we see real gifts of the Spirit operating when someone is out of control or under some sort of supernatural seizure. Nowhere does the B’rit Chadashah teach that the Spirit of God causes believers to fall into a trance, faint, or lapse into ecstatic behavior. On the contrary, the fruit of the Spirit is self-control (see the commentary on Galatians Ce – The Fruit of the Ruach is Self-Control). Therefore, get your minds ready for work, keep yourselves under control, and fix your hopes fully on the gift you will receive when Jesus Christ is revealed (First Peter 1:13).352
Even today, new immature believers, coming out of the world (First John 2:15-17), far too often fall back into worldly behaviors we cannot fathom. They sin up a storm. They ask questions like, “Is it OK if I am living with my girlfriend?” What? Of course not! But babies make messes don’t they. And that is what baby believers do when they fall back into the world from which they came. Sanctification takes a lifetime (Romans (8:29b).
The positive test: The second test is also doctrinal, but is simply the reverse side of the negative. Paul declares that the Holy Spirit empowers those who say, “Jesus is Lord” (12:3). Of course, Paul is speaking of a sincere confession. A sneering unbeliever may easily mouth the words, but he is not sincere. Paul reminds the Corinthians that since the confession of our faith is Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9), anything contrary to this could not possibly be motivated by the Spirit of God, and thus, counterfeit. Paul is simply using this dramatic example of cursing Jesus to emphasize that those who are inspired by the Spirit will speak and act in ways that glorify the lordship of Jesus.
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