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.