The Apostolic Yardstick Text: 1 Corinthians 14:37-38
Introduction: The Test of True Spirituality
We live in an age that is drunk on the subjective. Modern man, and tragically, many modern Christians, have made a god out of their feelings, their experiences, and their personal intuitions. Spirituality has been redefined as an inward, mystical buzz, a warm feeling in the tummy, or a personal "word" that conveniently aligns with one's own desires. The measure of truth is no longer "thus saith the Lord," but rather "this is what I feel the Lord is saying to me." This is a treacherous and slippery foundation upon which to build anything, let alone a church. It is to build your house on the sand of your own fickle heart, and when the rains of reality descend, and they always do, the collapse of that house will be great.
The Corinthian church was, in many ways, a first-century version of this modern malady. They were awash in spiritual gifts, or at least what they thought were spiritual gifts. They were enthusiastic, zealous, and absolutely convinced of their own spiritual status. They had prophets. They had tongue-speakers. They had spiritual people galore. But their worship was chaotic, their doctrine was shaky, and their morality was, in places, scandalous. They had mistaken spiritual phenomena for spiritual maturity. They had confused the fireworks of religious experience with the steady, burning flame of settled obedience.
Into this hot mess of charismatic chaos, the Apostle Paul brings a bucket of cold, clear, apostolic water. After spending a great deal of time correcting their disorderly worship and their misuse of gifts, he brings the entire argument to a sharp, non-negotiable point. He does not appeal to a competing experience. He does not say, "My spiritual intuitions are better than your spiritual intuitions." No, he lays down an objective, external, authoritative yardstick. He provides a test, a clear diagnostic tool by which they can measure their own claims. The test is not how you feel. The test is not what you think you have experienced. The test is what you do with the Word of God delivered through His chosen apostle. Here, Paul draws a line in the sand, and it is a line that every generation of the church must recognize and honor.
The Text
"If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment. But if anyone remains ignorant about this, he is ignored by God."
(1 Corinthians 14:37-38 LSB)
The Infallible Standard (v. 37)
We begin with the apostle's authoritative challenge in verse 37.
"If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment." (1 Corinthians 14:37)
Notice how Paul frames this. He says, "If anyone thinks..." He is addressing the subjective self-assessment of the Corinthians. You think you are a prophet. You consider yourself to be a spiritual person. The word for "spiritual" here is pneumatikos. It means one who is influenced by or filled with the Spirit. These were the folks who were really "in tune" with God, or so they thought. They were the ones having the visions, getting the prophecies, speaking in tongues. They were the spiritual elite.
Paul does not immediately dispute their claim. Instead, he gives them the litmus test. "All right," he says in effect, "You believe you are guided by the Spirit of God? Here is how you can know for sure. Here is the proof. Let him recognize that what I am writing is not my opinion. It is not a helpful suggestion from a concerned church planter. It is the Lord's commandment."
This is a staggering claim. Paul is asserting that his written words, in this letter, carry the full weight and authority of Jesus Christ Himself. This is the doctrine of apostolic authority in its clearest form. An apostle was not simply a religious pioneer; he was a sent one, a commissioned delegate of Christ, authorized to speak for Christ. To hear the apostle was to hear the Lord. To disobey the apostle was to disobey the Lord. Peter says as much when he refers to Paul's letters as being on par with "the other Scriptures" (2 Peter 3:16). This is inspiration, plain and simple.
The test of a true prophet in the Old Testament was whether his prophecies came to pass and whether they accorded with previous revelation (Deut. 13, 18). Paul applies the same principle here. The test of a truly spiritual person, one who is genuinely led by the Holy Spirit, is not the intensity of his experience but the humility of his submission to the apostolic Word. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, and He will never, ever lead someone to contradict the written Word that He Himself inspired. The Spirit and the Word are in perfect agreement. Therefore, if someone claims to be led by the Spirit into a position that disregards, dismisses, or disobeys the apostolic Scriptures, you can be certain that it is not the Holy Spirit leading him. It is a different spirit entirely.
This verse is a foundational pillar for the doctrine of Sola Scriptura. The ultimate authority in the church is not the prophet, not the spiritual guru, not the pastor, not the council, but the written Word of God. All other claims to authority must be tested by it. Any prophecy, any teaching, any "new revelation" must bow before the bar of Scripture. If it aligns, it may be considered. If it contradicts, it must be rejected, no matter how spiritual the source may seem.
The Divine Reciprocity of Ignorance (v. 38)
In verse 38, Paul delivers a chilling and solemn warning to those who would fail the test.
"But if anyone remains ignorant about this, he is ignored by God." (1 Corinthians 14:38)
The language here is stark and severe. The Greek verb for "remains ignorant" is agnoeo, and the verb for "is ignored" is the passive form of the same root, agnoeitai. There is a divine and terrible reciprocity at work here. A more wooden translation would be, "If anyone does not know, let him not be known." Or, "If anyone ignores this, let him be ignored."
This is not talking about simple, innocent ignorance. Paul has just laid out the truth with inescapable clarity. To remain ignorant now is a choice. It is a willful ignorance. It is the act of looking at the Lord's commandment, written down in black and white by His authorized apostle, and saying, "I do not recognize that. My experience tells me otherwise. My spiritual feelings lead me in another direction." It is the sin of preferring the authority of one's own heart over the authority of God's revealed Word.
And what is the consequence? "He is ignored by God." This is one of the most terrifying statements in all of Scripture. It means that if you refuse to recognize God's authority, He will refuse to recognize you. If you will not acknowledge His Word, He will not acknowledge your spiritual claims. You say you are a prophet? God does not know you. You say you are spiritual? God ignores you. This is the very language Jesus uses in the Sermon on the Mount: "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness'" (Matthew 7:22-23). They had all the spiritual phenomena, but they rejected His authority, His law. And so He rejects them.
This is not a game. Church order, submission to apostolic teaching, and the authority of Scripture are not secondary or tertiary issues for theologians to debate in ivory towers. They are matters of spiritual life and death. To set yourself up as an authority over the Word of God is to place yourself in a position where God Himself will disown you. You are playing with fire, and the fire is the righteous judgment of a holy God who will not be mocked.
Conclusion: The Foundation of True Worship
So what is the takeaway for us? The Corinthian error is perennial. The temptation to elevate our experience over God's revelation is ever-present. The desire to be seen as "spiritual" without the hard work of submission and obedience is the native language of our fallen hearts.
Paul's corrective is therefore just as relevant. The foundation of all true spirituality, the bedrock of all true worship, and the source of all true church order is the authoritative, infallible, and sufficient Word of God. Our worship services are not to be platforms for self-expression and subjective experience. They are to be ordered according to the commandments of the Lord. Our lives are not to be guided by the shifting winds of our feelings, but by the fixed star of Holy Scripture.
Do you think you are spiritual? Do you consider yourself a mature Christian? The test is simple. Do you recognize the words of Scripture as the Lord's commandment? Do you receive them, not as suggestions to be considered, but as commands to be obeyed? Do you bring your life, your worship, your family, and your thoughts into glad and willing submission to what is written?
If you do, then you have the Spirit. You are truly pneumatikos. But if you find yourself bristling at the clear commands of Scripture, if you find yourself explaining them away, ignoring them, or reinterpreting them to fit your own preferences, then you must face the terrifying possibility presented in this text. You may think you are spiritual. You may have all sorts of religious experiences. But if you ignore His Word, He ignores you. Let us therefore abandon the sandy ground of our own subjectivity and build our lives and our church on the solid rock of the Lord's commandment. For it is only there that we will find true spiritual life and a recognition that truly matters, which is to be known and owned by Him.