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1 Corinthians 12:19
19If they were all one part, where would the body be?
19If they were all one part, where would the body be?
The answer is obvious -- we would have a very ugly body made up of one giant rolling eye, or, more practically, we would have a bunch of people doing their own little spiritual quests, trying to discern God's will and please Him. Because of the darkness of our situation, this just doesn't work. We should pray for and aspire to live in community such that people outside can begin to see the Spirit-led harmony and beauty of a people living under Jesus' reign through His love and power! It is not hard to dismiss the truth of Christ when only a few individuals follow Him well and yell at the rest to shape up. However, when a gathering of believers lives together in peace, building each other up and witnessing to the grace of God -- an outsider cannot easily deny the power of such a faith.
Bookmarked 25 days ago.
1 Corinthians 12:15-18
15If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.
15If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.
We all may go through times where our usefulness to the Master may seem pathetic compared to others, especially those who look very gifted. The truth is that God will judge us not by our gifting but by our faithfulness. The gifts are His alone; how we will use what we have is our responsibility (Matthew 25:14-30). Then it is no business of ours to declare that we have no place in the Church and in Christ's Kingdom. If we come to despair and are gripped by this lack of faith, we may end up as the man who buried his talent. We must hold a steady faith in God's goodness and the reward laid up for those who live for him, even if we sometimes believe that we do not have the ability or resources to follow Him. False humility leaves us at "I am nothing; I have nothing to offer God." But the meekness that comes from Christ says, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). God has arranged the Body in such a way that all may be weak in themselves but fully supplied and built up as we walk together in the Spirit and under the shadow of the Cross, using our gifts to encourage and bless one another through every test and trial.
Bookmarked 29 days ago.
1 Corinthians 12:11
11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
Paul both opened up and closed this thought with the unity of God and His faithfulness to watch over and provide for the Church. What a comfort, and a great encouragement for every believer! But before moving on to the big picture of the body of Christ, Paul makes sure to remind them that it is the Spirit within them all that is one Christ and one God. God is dwelling in the new hearts and lives of all those who were baptized into Christ Jesus, who have been crucified alongside Him in his death and raised with Him in His resurrection (Romans 6:1-14). All Christians are walking in the same plan of salvation -- even the apostle entrusted with the mystery of the Gospel hidden for ages (Ephesians 3:1-13). For "we all," Paul says, "with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image [of Christ]..." (see all of 2 Corinthians 3). The building up of the Church into the image of Christ (to the glory of God) is the purpose of the spiritual gifts, and this is the goal that we labor for together as one body of Christ blessed with one Spirit, one Lord, and one God who watches over and arranges all things for His purpose and our joy.
Bookmarked about 1 month ago.
1 Corinthians 12:12
12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
What makes sense of Paul's teaching here is the truth that believers are spiritually united with Christ. Paul teaches that "...as many of you as were baptized into Christ have *put on* Christ." We are all wearing the same clothes after all, for "all are one in Christ." No distinction can be made because of race or class, or any external thing for that matter; the presence of Jesus in the heart marks every true Christian (Galatians 3:26-29). More so, we identify with only one 'body' that is maintained by the unifying power of the Holy Spirit. When Paul says that there is one body he isn't just speaking figuratively -- Christ is present among us and lives within us, and indeed is displayed through us as the Church. Christians have a deeper bond than blood relation, which is a truth that few of us really appreciate; we are all members of a new family and share citizenship in the Kingdom of God. Paul makes this clear in v.26 of this chapter: why else would the suffering of another Christian cause us to suffer? Do we suffer for the suffering of the countless martyrs of our day or for those who are going without food or clothes while we have plenty? We are perhaps too busy and concerned with things other than the well-being of the body of Christ. Open our eyes, LORD!
Bookmarked 5 months ago.
1 Corinthians 12:1
Chapter 12
Spiritual Gifts
1Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. The message of the previous chapters has been that we must live for the glory of God and for the good of others. But we must not think that these are merely ethical demands. Paul clearly taught that the work of the Holy Spirit is the only foundation for life in Christ (see especially Romans 8). Knowing that life in the Spirit *is* the Christian life, we must not be ignorant of spiritual gifts. We must seek to fan them into flame within each believer around us and within ourselves, always striving to be used by God to bless, uplift, teach, exhort, or rebuke. We must also be wise in regards to the spiritual gifts, always remembering the purpose of God in giving them -- to unify and build up the body of Christ, that she might glorify her Savior. The Corinthians were mostly ignorant in this regard; some of the members knew of the gifts but did not have any real knowledge of Christ (see Paul's harsh rebuke at 1 Corinthians 15:34). The simple phrase remains the clearest command we have in regards to these things -- let us not be ignorant! We must pray for insight and discernment so that we are not led astray and can be useful for Christ and His Church.
Bookmarked 6 months ago.
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