Speak in the Spirit out of your identity in Christ

What does it mean to speak “by” or “in” the Spirit?

 καὶ οὐδεὶς δύναται εἰπεῖν· Κύριος Ἰησοῦς, εἰ μὴ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ. And no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by (or in) the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor 12:3)

While the context alludes to a confusion of spiritual gifts relating to speaking “in” or “by” the Spirit, Paul is clear in helping the Corinthians understand that only the Holy Spirit can testify to the Lordship of Christ. They could only speak "in the Spirit" through their relationship to the Spirit that is based on their identity in Christ.

The tiny prep. “en” when attached to the dative case is used here to mark “a close association within a limit" and helps translate the preposition as; "in" or "by". It  “designates a close personal relation in which the referent of the ἐν-term is viewed as the controlling influence: under the control of, under the influence of, in close association with.” (BDAG lexicon)

Paul uses the prep.  ἐν to make clear that those who speak “by” or “in” the “Spirit of God”  refer to those who see their association with Jesus Christ as the controlling influence in their lives. In other words, those who consider Jesus as their Lord.

For those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ, we share a personal relationship with Him that radically transforms our lives and identity. We are now “in Christ” and we live and speak on behalf of Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We live for Him and serve Him as our King. Our heart motivates us to spend time and money differently. We willingly release any rights to earthly possessions to see the gospel treasure go forth among the nations! The Spirit of God physically resides in us. To speak  “in” or “by” the Spirit,  is to speak out of our close association with the Spirit, as if He was speaking the same words through us. This is inspired speaking, where the words are Spirit breathed into us as we speak! This could be described as nothing less than a spiritual gift!

…. or is it that simple? Note Paul’s warning to the Corinthians; “I do not want you to be unaware…when you were pagans, you were led astray. (1Co 12:1-2 NAS)

Like the Corinthian church, we too come out of a specific cultural and spiritual context that can lead us astray. The adversary subtly shifts our focus and desires that make wrong seem… not so wrong, and what is right and true restrictive and narrow. Soon it appears to be fanatical to identify with God and Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Sinful patterns of behavior call us deeper and deeper into the desires of the flesh and our identity in Christ can blur into doctrinal debates and a search for significance in the gifts, rather than the giver. Such fruit is identified with division, conflict, and a quest for spiritual power centered on the flesh.

God in his mercy has allowed us to suffer to remind us that the gospel treasure we share is centered on the person of Jesus Christ. When we grasp this, we will begin to seek to know him deeply in the fellowship of His sufferings (Phil. 3:10). We will desire to crucify our flesh (Gal 2:20) and be filled with His Spirit (Eph 5:18). We will want to base our identity in Christ. We will offer our bodies as living sacrifices and ask the Spirit to transform our minds anew (Rom 12:1-2! When we get to this realization, we will be able to  “speak by the Spirit”  in testimony to the Lordship of Christ in our lives. This would truly be a “spiritual gift” that is fit for worship.

Will a man rob God? How one's giving betrays their heart!

⁸ "Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, 'How have we robbed Thee?' In tithes and offerings. ⁹ "You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! (Mal 3:8-9 NAS)

 הֲ    (h¦) Interrogative particle. h¦ is prefixed to the first word of a sentence or a clause, mostly involving direct questions. When h¦ appears in a question that question is not asking primarily for information but rather is a rhetorical question to which usually a negative answer is expected. “Will a man rob God?” The implied answer would be “no” however the writer continues with “yet you do!”  Malachi is warning the priest and leaders of Judah that their tithes and offerings were not considered a voluntary contribution to God’s work. The tithe was a contractual agreement that dated back to the Passover in Exodus. On the night of the Passover, God sanctified the first born of every Hebrew family when the angel of death swooped down to kill the first born of all of Egypt in the final pleague before the Exodus.  When the angel of death came to a house that had the blood of the lamb painted over the door post it passed over and spared the son from death (Ex. 12:7,12-13). From that day forward every first born male was considered to be God’s possession. God had set them apart with the blood of the Passover lamb and they were now His (Ex 13:1)! Later God “called out” the tribe of Levi to take the place of the first born (Num 3:12-13).  In exchange every family was to give God a tithe (Num 18:21) to support those who took the place of their sons. By withholding the tithe, Israel was indeed “robbing God”. In response to this betrayal, God was about to judge Israel through famine 3:11, invasion, and captivity 4:1.

In relation to the word קבע that is translated “rob” the Halot lexicon has an interesting observation.

קֹבְעֵיהֶם congegated as a verb participle plural absolute has a disputed meaning. It either means “1. to walk behind one another (KBL); or 2. to rob, steal; The Sept. πτερυίζειν  (to betray) supports the first suggestion, in which case קבע would be an intentional alteration of עקב  . For Mal 3:8 the decision is difficult; within the context, ‘to betray’ is more acceptable than ‘to rob’”,  (HALOT Lexicon)

 The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) helps clarify the disputed Hebrew meaning, by conveying the first hebrew meaning to “walk behind.”  Perhaps today one might say to go behind someone’s back… to betray.

 The context of the passage supports the idea of going behind God’s back, or disobeying him.  If this is correct, the verse might read “Will a man betray God?” The nuance of betrayal in ones understanding of disobedience brings a relational aspect to the sin. Betrayal implies the breaking of relationship, which seems to be more personal than breaking a law. The robbery noted in Malachi 3:8 is not just financial, and while the corruption of the priests and leaders of Israel may have yielded a short term gain, God was aware of the betrayal, and sent Malachi to warn them!

 Unlike Israel, the church today is not obligated by the Jewish law to tithe. Yet I wonder if, when we withhold our giving to God, there could be a nuance of betrayal?   The answer is both yes and no. For it is not the act of our giving that wins favor with God, but the motivation in why we give that pleases Him (2 Cor 9:7). There is a common thread that is woven throughout the Old and New Testament that is deeper than the law.  The law was given to Israel to bring a consciousness of their sin. (Rom 3:20; Heb 10:1-2), not salvation.  Ones relationship with God has always been measured through faith! (Gen 15:6, Rom 1:17, Hebrew 11). The seat of betrayal lies in the heart, not the wallet. Without God, the heart of man is deceitful and wicked! (Jer 17:9). God searches our hearts and tests us through our deeds (Jer 17:10)!  The Law was given as a measurement to Israel to enable them to see what God already has seen in their hearts! It is easy to miss the point and fall to the misperception that one's relatrionship to God is based on how one can or cannot keep the law. Even today some carry the misconception that their salvatoin is based on their works. When tempted to think this way, it is healthy remeber the wonderful truth that we are saved by grace, not by works! (Eph 2:8-9). Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart (1 Sam 16:7).

 "As in water face reflects face, So the heart of man reflects man." (Pro 27:19 NAS). How one gives to the Lord, (motivation of heart, not the amount) reflects the heart of Man.

 Because the O.T. law was broken;

*Israel’s leaders sacrificed rotten food, blind and diseased animals to a holy God, ! (Mal 1:7-8,)
*Priests teaching did not teach word of God , but caused people to stumble in their walk( 2:7-8)
*Israel divorced their Jewish wives of the same faith, to marry women who worshiped other Gods (2:11-16)
*they withheld their tithes

Israel had betrayed God.

 

Taken in context, the withholding of tithes, was just one of several problems that reflected the heart of the leaders of Israel.

 Jesus said to those seeking to follow him;  “where your treasure is there your heart will be also” (Lk 12:34).

 God loves a cheerful giver because it reflects his/her heart and He will bless that person to enable him give generously (2 Cor 9:6-11).

 In answer to my above reflection; Yet I wonder if, when we withhold our giving to God, there could be a nuance of betrayal? My answer was both yes and no. No because we are not obligated under the law to tithe. And yes, becasue our heart betrays our motivation.  When one gives out of anxiety and fear, one may withold their giving, or even give extra in attempt to earn favor with God or men. When one gives to the Lord out of thankfulness, contentment, or even out of a healthy fear and reverence of who God is; he will give with a cheerful heart. God will know our heart and motivation in giving and promises is to bless those who give from a heart that reflects their love for Him. For God loves a cheerful giver! (2 Cor 9:7).

the extraordinary quality of the power of God tranforms the whole person

⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness (ὑπερβολὴ) of the power may be of God and not from ourselves; (2Co 4:7 NAS)

ὑπερβολὴ (surpassing greatness)

 

*excess, extraordinary quality or character 2 Cor 4:7 Gingrich

* the extraordinary (quality of the) power 2 Cor 4:7 BDAG

*… metaphorically, superiority, excellence, preeminence (R. V. exceeding greatness): with a genitive of the thing, 2 Cor. 4:7; (Thayer)

If the abstract noun ὑπερβολὴ is rendered adjectivally, several appropriate words could “qualify ‘power’: 'transcendent,' 'extraordinary,' 'overwhelming,' 'preeminent,' 'incomparable.'" (Harris 341) The context implies  an emphasis on “quality” or “character” of  δυνάμεως (power) and creates a contrast to the earthenware containers. “Such vessels were regarded as fragile and expendable because they were cheap and unattractive. So the paradox Paul is expressing is that although the container is relatively worthless, the contents are priceless.” (Harris 340).

Not only does ὑπερβολὴ connote an idea of excellence, the superior quality of the power in contrast to the frail earthen vessel, elevates the character of the power to an even greater degree.

Unlike other passages that talk about the treasure in reference to the heart, Paul’s looks at the whole person as the receptacle for the soul, in which the treasure is housed (Harris 340). A couple principles that come out of the use of ὑπερβολὴ  include:

 *When the treasure of the gospel is housed in the soul, it affects the whole person!

*The quality or character of the power of God is so incomparable, preeminent, overwhelming, extraordinary and transcendent, in contrast to the power of man, that when one stands firm in his brokenness, his testimony will present a living gospel to those around him.

…the power may be of God and not from (ἐξ) ourselves; (2Cor 4:7)

…the power may be of God and not from (ἐξ) ourselves; (2Co 4:7 NAS)

 The little genitive preposition, ἐξ, translated as “out of” or “from” has several different nuances.  The context marks a very clear the distinction that the power of the gospel is foreign to natural man and originates from a different source or person.

3. marker denoting origin, cause, motive, reason, from, of

    c. to denote derivation  come, derive from someone or someth. 2 Cor 4:7 (BDAG)

The heart that possesses this gospel treasure will be drawn into a spiritual battle with the flesh that will take him or her to the edge of being crushed, the point of despair, the thought of being forsaken, and the peril of being destroyed (2 Cor 4:8-9)! The key to the manifestation of God’s truth is found through the renouncement of the flesh (2 Cor 4:2)! The Christian who suffers from a lack of God’s power may be struggling with their inability to deny their flesh in their own power. The power of the flesh is so strong that the treasure bearer must not only deny his flesh, he must die to it daily to be successful in his quest to follow Jesus (Lk 9:23)! 
 

^“always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (2 Cor 4:10).

This ongoing process of dying to self  is the “Calvary road” of sanctification that gives life in our mortal flesh, and is what enabled Paul to say "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain". (Phil.1:21)

 ¹¹ For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake  that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (2 Cor 4:10-11).