I do not want you to be ignorant of spiritual things.

 

I do not want you to be ignorant of spiritual things.

 

1 Corinthians 12:1-3: “Brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be ignorant of spiritual things. You know that when you were Gentiles, you were led astray to mute idols. Therefore I tell you that no one who speaks by the Spirit of God (Pneumati Theou) will say, ‘Jesus is cursed,’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord (Kyrios),’ except by the Holy Spirit (Pneumati Hagio).”

 

Spiritual things refer to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The spiritual things are contrasted with idols. The spiritual things come from God, whereas idols are nothing. God is the One who speaks. The believers in the Corinthian church sought spiritual gifts, but they had not heard the voice of the Lord. This means that those who cannot hear the voice of God are like being led astray to mute idols.

 

The meaning of "speaking" is that the Ho Logos, who dwells within the hearts of the saints, speaks. It does not mean that God spoke because one read the Bible and was moved by its contents, but rather that there is a direct conversation within the heart. Therefore, the standard of the true God is whether or not He speaks directly.

 

"Pneumati hagio" (πνεύματι ἁγίῳ) is the holy spirit, signifying the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of God ("Pneumati theou" (πνεύματι θεοῦ)). Based on this word, churches today claim that because a person calls Jesus "Lord," he is one who has received the Holy Spirit. The very act of calling Jesus "Lord" is considered proof of having received the Holy Spirit. However, only those who have received the Holy Spirit can call Jesus "Lord."

 

"Kyrios" was translated as "Lord"; in the English New Testament, it is rendered as "the Lord," while in the Old Testament, it is translated as "The LORD." In the Hebrew Old Testament, it is Yahweh, and in the New Testament, it is Kyrios. In the Hebrew Old Testament, before being called Yahweh (Jehovah), He was called Adonai. The Hebrew Adonai is the Greek Kyrius. The translation "Lord" in the Revised Korean Version is based on the English phrase "The Lord." The Korean Revised Version translates the Old Testament as Jehovah and the New Testament as Lord.

 

What is the meaning of "Lord"? Most believers accept it as meaning "master," but based on the Greek text, it is Jehovah. It means that Jesus is Jehovah. The name of Jehovah is Jesus, and the meaning of Jehovah is "He who is." In Revelation 21:6, "And He said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. I will give the water of life to the thirsty without cost.'"

 

"And He said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last.'" If we look at this part in the Greek Bible, it is καὶ εἶπέν μοι γέγοναν. ἐγώ [εἰμι] τὸ ἄλφα καὶ τὸ ὦ

 

Re-translating this Greek Bible passage, it reads, “He said to me, ‘I am the One who exists, the Alpha and the Omega.’” However, *genonan* (base form: *ginomai*), which was translated as “done” in the Revised Korean Version, carries the meaning of “becoming” or “having become” (similar to the English word “become”).

 

In conclusion, if we re-translate the passage that reads, “And no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit,” it becomes, “And no one can say that Jesus is Jehovah except by the Holy Spirit.” In other words, it means that the name of Jehovah is Jesus.

 

Philippians 2:6-8: "But being in the form of God, He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped; rather, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on the cross."

 

Although Jesus was Jehovah in the Kingdom of God, He came into the world of His own accord as the Son of God. The reason for this is to save those who enter into Christ through His death on the cross and His resurrection. Those who call Him God attempt to speak of the fundamental nature of God, but they are those who do not know God's will. God came in the form of the Son to save those who have turned away from Him, not to come as God as a judge. The one who died on the cross is not God. It contains God's will to save those who become the Son of God, die on the cross, and are united with Him.

 

1 Corinthians 12:4-7: “There are different kinds of gifts (charismaton, χαρισμάτων), but the Spirit is the same. There are different kinds of ministry, but the Lord is the same. There are different kinds of work, but God, who accomplishes all things in all people, is the same. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good (sympheron).”

 

This means that gifts are the work of the same Holy Spirit. Likewise, ministries are the work of the same Lord. It means there is no distinction between gifts and ministries. Symperon (συμφέρον) is a compound word of shim (together) and peron (to carry). It means that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are gifts intended to be with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Lord, and the one who has received the gift works together in an auxiliary capacity.

 

Nine gifts are listed.

 

First is the word of wisdom. This means that the word of God (logos) is manifested as wisdom to a certain person (alos). Allos means "slightly different." This implies that the words of wisdom or knowledge are qualitatively similar. However, Hetero signifies something completely different.

 

Second is the word of knowledge (gnoseos). Knowledge also manifests through hearing the Word. Knowledge means hearing the Word from God and becoming aware of a certain event.

 

Third, for others (Hetero), faith is spoken of through the same Holy Spirit. The faith referred to as a spiritual gift is faith that performs miracles.

 

Fourth, for certain people (Allos), it is the gift of healing through the one Holy Spirit. The gift of divine healing is the one most frequently manifested among ministers.

 

Fifth is the ministry of power. When a believer prays, the minister lays hands on the head of the one praying, and at that time, mysterious reactions sometimes occur. Thus, the believer who experiences this power comes to experience the presence of God.

 

Sixth is the gift of prophecy for certain people. While this is also one of the important gifts in ministry, caution is required as there are many cases where prophecies lack sincerity. Seventh is discerning the spirit in a person. It is discerning whether it is the work of the Holy Spirit or the work of an evil spirit.

 

The eighth and ninth speak of speaking in tongues and the gift of interpreting those tongues. The act of speaking in tongues and the person interpreting it occur simultaneously. It is not a matter of listening to the speaker and interpreting; rather, the speaker speaks in unknowable words, while the interpreter speaks in understandable words.

 

Although all of this manifests through one Holy Spirit, it means that the gifts of the Holy Spirit appear differently in each believer. These gifts are grace given by God for the propagation of the Gospel. Therefore, just as each person has their own characteristics, gifts are given in accordance with them. We must be wary of charismatic movements today. If we are not careful, we can fall into mysticism. We must listen to the voice of the Lord and exercise the gifts accordingly.