35 What Is the Mark of True Spirituality? (1 Corinthians 12:1-3)

True spirituality is not measured by dramatic experiences, public gifts, or “higher” callings—it is revealed in a heart that says and means, “Jesus is Lord.” In this episode on 1 Corinthians 12:1–3, Krisan Marotta shows how Paul begins his discussion of “spirituals” by correcting the Corinthians’ assumptions about tongues and ecstatic experiences, grounding true spirituality instead in the Spirit-given faith that embraces Jesus as Messiah and Lord. In this week’s episode, we explore:How the phrase “now concerning” in 1 Corinthians 12:1 signals a new topic, and the real question behind chapters 12–14 is: Is speaking in tongues the mark of true spirituality?Why the word Paul uses is simply “spirituals,” not “spiritual gifts,” and how our modern theology of “spiritual gifts” can actually distort what Paul is addressingThe Corinthians’ pagan background: mute idols, ecstatic trances, and worshipers being “led away” into out-of-control speech—and how that past shaped their expectations of Christian “spirituality”Why Paul reminds them of their former life in the temples and how they imported pagan ideas of being “taken over” by a god into their understanding of the Holy SpiritPaul’s foundational claim in 12:3: that the decisive evidence of the Spirit’s work is not ecstatic utterance, but a genuine confession that “Jesus is Lord”What it really means to say “Jesus is Lord”—a shorthand for embracing the gospel: Jesus as Messiah, God’s appointed King and judge, the one who speaks truth, forgives sin, and holds our destinyHow confessing Jesus as Lord involves seeing ourselves as sinners, trusting his death and resurrection for forgiveness, and staking our hope on the coming kingdom rather than this worldThe Spirit’s core work: transforming rebels who dismiss Jesus into repentant people who trust, love, and follow himModern ways we wrongly grade spirituality—“kingdom-oriented” vocations, social justice credentials, radical simplicity, missionary heroics, emotional highs in worship—and why none of these define a spiritual person in Paul’s termsPaul’s alternative: a quiet, specific definition of spirituality rooted not in what we do outwardly, but in whether the Spirit has taught us to see Jesus rightly and bow to him as LordAfter listening, you’ll come away with a sharper, calmer understanding of what Paul says is the true mark of the Spirit’s work—and what he doesn’t. You’ll be invited to reexamine how you assess your own spirituality and that of others, to let go of comparison based on gifts, experiences, or achievements, and to rest in this simple, searching question: Do I truly confess, from the heart, that Jesus is Lord? That, Paul says, is the foundation for everything that follows. Series: 1 Corinthians: Pride & Prejudice in the ChurchMost people fail at Bible study because no one ever taught them how. Bible Study Boot Camp fixes that: one short email a day for a week, plus a worksheet you can use on any passage for the rest of your life.Sign up for Bible Study Boot Camp