1 Corinthians 12:3
“Therefore I make known to you that no man speaking by God’s Spirit says, “Jesus is accursed.” No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” but by the Holy Spirit.”
What does 1 Corinthians 12:3 mean?
Paul is drawing a clear line between two kinds of speech, and he's really talking about what's in a person's heart. When someone genuinely calls Jesus "Lord" and means it, that's the work of God's Spirit within them. Conversely, no one who truly speaks for God would curse Jesus or reject him. This matters because in Paul's time, people sometimes questioned whether spiritual experiences were real or fake. He's saying: watch what someone actually says about Jesus. If they're willing to honor him as Lord, that's evidence of the Spirit's presence. It's a simple test, but it cuts to the heart of what it means to follow Jesus at all. The Spirit changes how we speak about him, moving us from indifference or hostility toward genuine recognition of who he is.