Good morning. Finishing Paul’s commentary about communion: but if we judge ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world. Now concerning spiritual gifts, I do not want you to be unaware. (FYI the word “gifts“ is in italics, which means it’s not really in the Greek text; it was placed there by the translators to help us understand what it meant. It literally says “spirituals”, which would not make any sense to us.) Paul starting this section with “now concerning…“ Suggests that they had written to him asking about these. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the dumb (as in mute) idols, however you were led. Corinth was a place full of idols. Many of the people there who became Christians had been worshipers of idols. While we do not have people in America today led astray by physical idols, many Americans are led astray by other types of idols. 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. The prevailing thought many years ago was that this meant if you were a Christian, it was impossible for you to say that Jesus was accursed; and if you were not a Christian you could not say that Jesus was Lord. In the context of spiritual gifts, it probably means that no one supposedly prophesying could say that “Jesus is accursed”. Father help us to not have idols in our hearts; but to wholly make You Lord of our lives

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