The Application of the Body of Christ #8
“So also the Christ” I Corinthians 12:12-31
Remember: I Corinthians 12:1-11 focuses on “the spirituals”, those manifestations of the Holy Spirit, the Speaking Spirit, given to former worshipers of mute idols. Paul is showing the Primacy of the Speaking Spirit in any expression or definition of “gifts for ministry”. This is body truth for in Vs 7 we read that “the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.”
I. I Corinthians 12:12-31 Paul is here stressing the body context of the spiritual gifts. His teaching is so plain and repetitive that it is hard to understand how anyone could co-opt any understanding of Spiritual gifts for personal gain and importance. But then give the flesh and inch and the rest is horrible history!
A. Vs 12 This verse is pivotal in our understanding of what the “spirituals” are to do, and the real nature of the body of Christ.
1. First, Paul moves into the “body metaphor” that is, the function of the parts of the physical body which we find developed to tedious repetition in Vs 14-17, & 21. He briefly mentions the same metaphor in the parallel passage of Romans 12:4-5. The repetitious nature his illustration surely speaks to the self centered nature of his hearers, in this case, US.
2. But most importantly notice, as the physical body “has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, SO ALSO THE CHRIST.”!!!!!!
The “is” is in italics–it is not in the original Greek text. But the article “the” is!! So also “o kristos”–the Christ. J.I. Packer in his book , “Keep in Step with the Spirit” says that the Holy Spirit’s role is to “enflesh Christ in His People.” These “Spirituals” are the Manifestation of the Holy Spirit of Christ, they never leave His Person or Possession. And in that Manifestation in the members, The Christ is to be seen! “HE WILL GLORIFY ME”. John 16:14
B. Vs 13 Being born of the Spirit, the new birth, is being baptized into ONE BODY.
1. No national distinctions, the first blow to fleshly pride, or even possibly also a blow to fleshly humiliation. Our natural birth contributes only one thing--sin, and therefore, our need for the birthing of the Spirit!
2. “All been made to drink into ONE SPIRIT.” This is puzzling. Perhaps Paul is thinking of John 7:37-39 in which Jesus invites the thirsty to come to Him and drink and the result being “out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John goes on to say that Jesus was speaking of the Promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Another possibility comes to my mind, and this is just that–my thought. The members, being born into One Body find nourishment from the same source–the Holy Spirit, just as newborns of the same family find nourishment from their mother’s breast.
Whatever the meaning, the point is, the Body is completely dependant upon the Life Giving and Life Sustaining Holy Spirit and whatever the “Spirituals” in that Body are doing, The Christ is to be seen!! The Body and The Christ are ONE!!! This is the answer to our Lord’s Prayer to the Father in John 17:20-23.
Think on this: Our union with Christ Jesus, He in us and we in Him, is so complete by God’s working, that to see us is to see Christ! From the Father’s perspective, to see the Christ is to see us!!! I cannot comprehend how this can be, and yet this is the Biblical teaching!!!
Philippians 1:19-21 Vs 21 “For me to live IS CHRIST, and to die is gain.”
Ephesians 1:22b-23 “and gave Him to be Head over the church, which is HIS BODY, THE FULLNESS OF HIM who fills all in all.”
C. Vs 14-30 Paul stresses the absurdity of “mutiny” in the physical body which brings a glaring indictment upon “gift worshipers”.
1. Vs 14-19 His key message verse 18, “but now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body JUST AS HE PLEASED.” It is His Body and He “distributes to each one individually As He Wills.” Vs 11
2. Vs 20-24 This is a bit mysterious to me. But I wonder if Paul isn’t dealing with the desire for the “flashy gifts”. We see that in our day, supposed tongues and “prophecy” become magnified so readily, and where that occurs, teaching of the Word takes a back seat. I wonder if the supposed “weaker” members, the “unpresentable” parts (Vs 23) is not referring to those to whom the Spirit is manifested in the spiritual gift of teaching the Word. Please understand that I do not mean the modern concept of preacher worship. I am speaking of the simple proclamation of the Word of God, line upon line that is to produce Christ likeness!
Vs 24 is key here. “But Good composed the body, having given greater honor to the part that lacks it.” Remember, Paul is speaking to the Corinthians where they are! He is constantly reminding them that it is God alone who is in charge of His Body, Gifts and everything else.
3. Vs 25–26 The important lesson is that the Body is One, no schism! The Body is to care for itself, that is, one another, and in such an intimate way that suffering and burdens of one member are shared by the whole body. Likewise, any honors received by one member are shared by the whole. I think included in this thought is the encouragement of the member that suffers by the whole body, but also the cautioning of the honored member lest the Glory of The Christ be diminished!
4. Vs 27-30 Before returning to the absurdity of everyone clamoring for the same gift, (Vs 29-30), Paul again stresses that “you are the body of Christ and members individually.” That “One body” truth governs all individual aspirations! And “God has appointed these in the church”. And the listing of those appointments leads us back to Ephesians 4 for our next study.
D. Vs 31-13:13 I am not going to expound on chapter 13, but I must give emphasis to Paul’s somewhat subtle yet powerful introduction to it in Vs 31b. “And yet I show you a more excellent way.”
“More excellent”–#5236 huperbole– a throwing beyond others, super-eminence, pre-eminant, abundance, exceeding, excellency, beyond measure.
Paul isn’t just giving the Corinthians another alternative. No, no, he is stating that the true operating center of The Christ, the body of Christ on the earth is the Love of God that the Holy Spirit sheds abroad in our hearts.(Rom. 5:5) He is not giving Love as a better alternative, but the actual way the Body of Christ is to work. In Romans 12 which parallels I Cor. 12, Paul describes the renewed mind and mentions gifts in this context. In 12:9-10 he establishes Love as the governing factor in the function of the church by setting it before a list of behaviors that must grow out of it. “Let love be with out hypocrisy”, Vs 10–“be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.”
In Ephesians, we find the same emphasis, but in a different order. In Eph. 3:14-21 Paul’s prayer is for their “rooting and grounding in Love” (vs 17), and that they might “know the Love of Christ which passes knowledge.” (Vs 19) This prayer precedes his discussion of gifts in the edification of the Body of Christ and then in Chapter 5:1-2 he exhorts them to “be followers of God as dear children. And walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us.”
The Sacrificial Love of Christ for us is the operating Heart of the Body of Christ. This is what the Holy Spirit births in His People. Beloved, let us love one another. (I John 4:7-8)
“So also the Christ” I Corinthians 12:12-31
Remember: I Corinthians 12:1-11 focuses on “the spirituals”, those manifestations of the Holy Spirit, the Speaking Spirit, given to former worshipers of mute idols. Paul is showing the Primacy of the Speaking Spirit in any expression or definition of “gifts for ministry”. This is body truth for in Vs 7 we read that “the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.”
I. I Corinthians 12:12-31 Paul is here stressing the body context of the spiritual gifts. His teaching is so plain and repetitive that it is hard to understand how anyone could co-opt any understanding of Spiritual gifts for personal gain and importance. But then give the flesh and inch and the rest is horrible history!
A. Vs 12 This verse is pivotal in our understanding of what the “spirituals” are to do, and the real nature of the body of Christ.
1. First, Paul moves into the “body metaphor” that is, the function of the parts of the physical body which we find developed to tedious repetition in Vs 14-17, & 21. He briefly mentions the same metaphor in the parallel passage of Romans 12:4-5. The repetitious nature his illustration surely speaks to the self centered nature of his hearers, in this case, US.
2. But most importantly notice, as the physical body “has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, SO ALSO THE CHRIST.”!!!!!!
The “is” is in italics–it is not in the original Greek text. But the article “the” is!! So also “o kristos”–the Christ. J.I. Packer in his book , “Keep in Step with the Spirit” says that the Holy Spirit’s role is to “enflesh Christ in His People.” These “Spirituals” are the Manifestation of the Holy Spirit of Christ, they never leave His Person or Possession. And in that Manifestation in the members, The Christ is to be seen! “HE WILL GLORIFY ME”. John 16:14
B. Vs 13 Being born of the Spirit, the new birth, is being baptized into ONE BODY.
1. No national distinctions, the first blow to fleshly pride, or even possibly also a blow to fleshly humiliation. Our natural birth contributes only one thing--sin, and therefore, our need for the birthing of the Spirit!
2. “All been made to drink into ONE SPIRIT.” This is puzzling. Perhaps Paul is thinking of John 7:37-39 in which Jesus invites the thirsty to come to Him and drink and the result being “out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John goes on to say that Jesus was speaking of the Promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Another possibility comes to my mind, and this is just that–my thought. The members, being born into One Body find nourishment from the same source–the Holy Spirit, just as newborns of the same family find nourishment from their mother’s breast.
Whatever the meaning, the point is, the Body is completely dependant upon the Life Giving and Life Sustaining Holy Spirit and whatever the “Spirituals” in that Body are doing, The Christ is to be seen!! The Body and The Christ are ONE!!! This is the answer to our Lord’s Prayer to the Father in John 17:20-23.
Think on this: Our union with Christ Jesus, He in us and we in Him, is so complete by God’s working, that to see us is to see Christ! From the Father’s perspective, to see the Christ is to see us!!! I cannot comprehend how this can be, and yet this is the Biblical teaching!!!
Philippians 1:19-21 Vs 21 “For me to live IS CHRIST, and to die is gain.”
Ephesians 1:22b-23 “and gave Him to be Head over the church, which is HIS BODY, THE FULLNESS OF HIM who fills all in all.”
C. Vs 14-30 Paul stresses the absurdity of “mutiny” in the physical body which brings a glaring indictment upon “gift worshipers”.
1. Vs 14-19 His key message verse 18, “but now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body JUST AS HE PLEASED.” It is His Body and He “distributes to each one individually As He Wills.” Vs 11
2. Vs 20-24 This is a bit mysterious to me. But I wonder if Paul isn’t dealing with the desire for the “flashy gifts”. We see that in our day, supposed tongues and “prophecy” become magnified so readily, and where that occurs, teaching of the Word takes a back seat. I wonder if the supposed “weaker” members, the “unpresentable” parts (Vs 23) is not referring to those to whom the Spirit is manifested in the spiritual gift of teaching the Word. Please understand that I do not mean the modern concept of preacher worship. I am speaking of the simple proclamation of the Word of God, line upon line that is to produce Christ likeness!
Vs 24 is key here. “But Good composed the body, having given greater honor to the part that lacks it.” Remember, Paul is speaking to the Corinthians where they are! He is constantly reminding them that it is God alone who is in charge of His Body, Gifts and everything else.
3. Vs 25–26 The important lesson is that the Body is One, no schism! The Body is to care for itself, that is, one another, and in such an intimate way that suffering and burdens of one member are shared by the whole body. Likewise, any honors received by one member are shared by the whole. I think included in this thought is the encouragement of the member that suffers by the whole body, but also the cautioning of the honored member lest the Glory of The Christ be diminished!
4. Vs 27-30 Before returning to the absurdity of everyone clamoring for the same gift, (Vs 29-30), Paul again stresses that “you are the body of Christ and members individually.” That “One body” truth governs all individual aspirations! And “God has appointed these in the church”. And the listing of those appointments leads us back to Ephesians 4 for our next study.
D. Vs 31-13:13 I am not going to expound on chapter 13, but I must give emphasis to Paul’s somewhat subtle yet powerful introduction to it in Vs 31b. “And yet I show you a more excellent way.”
“More excellent”–#5236 huperbole– a throwing beyond others, super-eminence, pre-eminant, abundance, exceeding, excellency, beyond measure.
Paul isn’t just giving the Corinthians another alternative. No, no, he is stating that the true operating center of The Christ, the body of Christ on the earth is the Love of God that the Holy Spirit sheds abroad in our hearts.(Rom. 5:5) He is not giving Love as a better alternative, but the actual way the Body of Christ is to work. In Romans 12 which parallels I Cor. 12, Paul describes the renewed mind and mentions gifts in this context. In 12:9-10 he establishes Love as the governing factor in the function of the church by setting it before a list of behaviors that must grow out of it. “Let love be with out hypocrisy”, Vs 10–“be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.”
In Ephesians, we find the same emphasis, but in a different order. In Eph. 3:14-21 Paul’s prayer is for their “rooting and grounding in Love” (vs 17), and that they might “know the Love of Christ which passes knowledge.” (Vs 19) This prayer precedes his discussion of gifts in the edification of the Body of Christ and then in Chapter 5:1-2 he exhorts them to “be followers of God as dear children. And walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us.”
The Sacrificial Love of Christ for us is the operating Heart of the Body of Christ. This is what the Holy Spirit births in His People. Beloved, let us love one another. (I John 4:7-8)