1 Corinthians 12:1-3 - Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

He begins by distinguishing true gifts of the Spirit from their counterfeit. Unhappily 1 Corinthians 12:2 is far from clear, and the text is perhaps corrupt. Paul may appeal to their experience of ecstasy in their heathen condition. You will remember how completely you were under control of the demon, you were a mere voice through which he spoke. So it is with him who speaks in the Spirit. He has no volition, and we can thus argue from the utterance to the character of the control. If it is Jesus Anathema, the Holy Spirit cannot be the source of inspiration, if Jesus Lord then He must be. Therefore the speaker does not deceive; he has no choice, but is at the mercy of his control. Two difficulties might be raised. The ecstasy might be simulated, or, if not, the demon control might use the true Christian formula. If these objections are not fatal (and Paul would perhaps have refused to admit their validity) the sense is excellent. Otherwise the point may be that since their pagan experience gives them no guidance (1 Corinthians 12:2), he lays down a principle (1 Corinthians 12:3) for them. The question could be raised only about those who professed to be Christians; pagans or Jews, who would naturally say Jesus is Anathema, were obviously not speaking in the Holy Spirit, but if a member of the church said it, was he? That a Christian should pronounce a curse on Jesus would seem unthinkable. But certainly it was necessary quite early to test the spirits (1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 John 4:1 *). The point is not discussed how far one could argue from the character of the control, as disclosed in the utterance, to the genuineness of the man's Christianity; could a sincere Christian be subject to invasion by an evil spirit? It is to be observed that the confession Jesus is Lord is to be traced to the Holy Spirit with certainty only when spoken in ecstasy. In his normal condition a man might say it insincerely.