1 Coríntios 12

1 Coríntios 12

Barber has an interesting illustration of unity among diversity in the realm of spiritual gifts - "Remember in chapter 2 (sermon series on Ephesians) we are told we are of God’s household and also His Temple. We are living stones being fitted into His Temple, each one of us with different sizes, shapes, gifts, personalities and individualities, but every one of us under the control of the Spirit of God. If someone played a middle C on the piano for a while, it is a pretty note. If he played it for a long time, you would say, "Will you quit? You are driving me crazy!" Isn’t it great that unity doesn’t mean uniformity? It doesn’t mean we are all alike. Wouldn’t that make church the most boring place you have ever been in your life? If that fellow added an E and a G and a high C, all of a sudden you would say, "Whew, that sounds good! Now that blends." You’ve got more than just one. You’ve got other diversified notes. But when you put them together played by the same hand, you have unity amongst the diversity. That is what Paul wants you to see. This is the body. This is how it functions. When we are each functioning under the Spirit’s power, letting His ability be ours, then our gifts begin to function. Even though our gifts are different, we are still preserving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We are different. Folks, you need to grasp that and stop coveting somebody else’s gift and somebody else’s ministry and simply say, "God, anything short of hell is grace. I accept what you have given to me. I receive what you have given to me. Let me just be who I am in your power. When you do that, the unity of the body is being preserved....The word for grace, charis, means that which you don’t deserve. It is Christ who is the source of every bit of it. Again, unity is not uniformity. We are all diversified in our gifts as to the amount and as to the gifts themselves. " (bolding added) Are You a Good Steward of the Spiritual Gift God has Entrusted to Your Care? The following story by an unknown author gives an interesting illustration of how one believer not exercising their gift in the Body can affect the message produced by the entire Body. A Brokxn Kxy Evxn though my typxwritxr is an old modxl, it works quitx wxll xxcxpt for onx of the kxys. I havx many timxs wishxd that is workxd pxrfxctly. It is trux that thxrx arx forty-onx kxys that function wxll xnough, but just onx kxy not working makxs thx diffxrxncx. Somxtimxs it sxxms to mx that our church is somxthing likx my typxwritxr -- not all thx kxy pxoplx arx working propxrly. As onx of thxm, you may say to yoursxlf, "Wxll, I am only onx pxrson, I don't makx or brxak thx church." But it doxs makx a big diffxrxncx, bxcasx a church, to bx xffxctivx, nxxds thx activx participation of xvxry pxrson. So, thx nxxt timx your xfforts arx not nxxdxd vxry much, rxmxmbxr my typxwritxr and say to yoursxlf, "I am a kxy pxrson in thx congrxgation and I am nxxdxd vxry much." This is what happxns to thx wholx church, and multiply this by many timxs -- thx whole thing just doxs not makx sxnsx! "Belovxd don't bx like a broken kxy." You must utilize your spiritual gift. The local body of Christ where you worship needs you and cannot be the same without you! Do you really believe that? Use Your Gift! Do not neglect the gift that is in you. —1 Timothy 4:14 Today's Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 God never gives a person a task without also providing him with what’s necessary to perform the responsibility. W. W. Dawley, referring to this truth, says, “God gave Moses a rod, David a sling, Samson the jawbone of a donkey, Shamgar an oxgoad, Esther the beauty of person, Deborah the talent for poetry, Dorcas a needle, and Apollos an eloquent tongue—and to each the ability to use that gift. In so doing, every one of them did most effective works for the Lord.” Our heavenly Father has given at least one spiritual gift to each of us as believers, and He provides all we need to carry out our individual responsibilities (1 Cor. 12:6-7). We are all essential in the body of Christ (vv.14-27). Acknowledging these truths is not only a source of comfort and encouragement, but it is also a sobering reality, for it places before us an important obligation. God’s gifts to us must not be squandered! They must be fully used, because someday “each of us shall give account of himself to God” (Rom. 14:12). Lord God, I humbly ask of You The strength to do Your will; I give to You my talents now Your purpose to fulfill. —Bierema God's call to a task includes His strength to complete it. 1 Corinthians 12:12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. ICC - While all the members of the body, though they be many, are one body, so also is the Christ,’ in whose Nature they share, in whom they all form one body Amplified For just as the body is a unity and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so it is with Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). NET 1 Corinthians 12:12 For just as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body– though many– are one body, so too is Christ. NLT 1 Corinthians 12:12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. ESV 1 Corinthians 12:12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. NIV 1 Corinthians 12:12 The 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. GNT 1 Corinthians 12:12 Καθάπερ γὰρ τὸ σῶμα ἕν ἐστιν καὶ μέλη πολλὰ ἔχει, πάντα δὲ τὰ μέλη τοῦ σώματος πολλὰ ὄντα ἕν ἐστιν σῶμα, οὕτως καὶ ὁ Χριστός· KJV 1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. YLT 1 Corinthians 12:12 For, even as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of the one body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ, ASV 1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. CSB 1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body-- so also is Christ. MIT 1 Corinthians 12:12 There is a parallel between one body with many components and the one body of Christ, of which many components constitute his one body. NKJ 1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. NRS 1 Corinthians 12:12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. NAB 1 Corinthians 12:12 As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. NJB 1 Corinthians 12:12 For as with the human body which is a unity although it has many parts -- all the parts of the body, though many, still making up one single body -- so it is with Christ. GWN 1 Corinthians 12:12 For example, the body is one unit and yet has many parts. As all the parts form one body, so it is with Christ. BBE 1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one, and has a number of parts, and all the parts make one body, so is Christ. as: 1Co 10:17 Ro 12:4-5 Eph 1:22-23 4:4,12,15,16 5:23,30 Col 1:18,24 Col 2:19 Col 3:15 so: 1Co 12:27 Ga 3:16 1 Corinthians 12 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Ephesians 1:22-23 And He (GOD THE FATHER) put all things in subjection under His (CHRIST'S) feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Colossians 1:18 He (CHRIST) is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. Colossians 1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions. Colossians 2:18-19 Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head (CHRIST), from Whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God. THE UNITY OF THE BODY Paul compares the spiritual body, the Body of Christ, that is, the human body, which is a well-know and unique illustration of unity in diversity For (gar) Term of explanation. Paul elaborates on the previous teaching which discussed the variety of gifts to individual members, but now explains that despite the diversity there is still a basic unity. Paul's analogy implies that the saints at Corinth serve the same Head, the Christ and thus must be united not divided (recall that divisions were rampant in Corinth - 1 Cor 1:9-11). Paul had alluded to the spiritual unity of the church in Corinth earlier writing "Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread." (1Co 10:17+) Even as the body (soma) is one and yet has many members (melos), and all the members (melos) of the body (soma), though they are many, are one body (soma), so also is Christ (Christos) - Note the key words here are "body" and one which emphasizes the unity of the individual parts of the one body. The body refers to the human body that has many parts (each with its own distinct function - a true he will elaborate on below), but all then for added emphasis says essentially the same thing in reverse (stating that the individual parts still compose only one body. Christ (literally "the Christ") in this context clearly refers to the Body of Christ the church, of whom Christ is the Head. (Eph 1:22-23) As Kistemaker says "Paul uses a figure of speech, called metonymy, in which a part represents the whole unit. In other words, Christ represents the entire church. He identifies himself completely with the church, as is evident from Jesus’ question to Paul on the way to Damascus: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4). Jesus taught that he and his people are one (Mt 10:40; Mt 25:45)....In this body, the employment of each gift is designed to serve not the individual member but the entire church." (1 Corinthians Commentary) Paul taught a similar truth to the saints in Rome writing "For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.(Ro 12:4-5) Here in Romans he emphasized their interdependence or interconnectivity of one with the another. Question: How is the church the Body of Christ? Answer: The phrase “the Body of Christ” is a common New Testament metaphor for the Church (all those who are truly saved). The Church is called “one body in Christ” in Romans 12:5, “one body” in 1 Corinthians 10:17, “the body of Christ” in 1 Corinthians 12:27 and Ephesians 4:12, and “the body” in Hebrews 13:3. The Church is clearly equated with “the body” of Christ in Ephesians 5:23 and Colossians 1:24. When Christ entered our world, He took on a physical body “prepared” for Him (Hebrews 10:5; Philippians 2:7). Through His physical body, Jesus demonstrated the love of God clearly, tangibly, and boldly—especially through His sacrificial death on the cross (Romans 5:8). After His bodily ascension, Christ continues His work in the world through those He has redeemed—the Church now demonstrates the love of God clearly, tangibly, and boldly. In this way, the Church functions as “the Body of Christ.” The Church may be called the Body of Christ because of these facts: 1) Members of the Body of Christ are joined to Christ in salvation (Ephesians 4:15-16). 2) Members of the Body of Christ follow Christ as their Head (Ephesians 1:22-23). 3) Members of the Body of Christ are the physical representation of Christ in this world. The Church is the organism through which Christ manifests His life to the world today. 4) Members of the Body of Christ are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9). 5) Members of the Body of Christ possess a diversity of gifts suited to particular functions (1 Corinthians 12:4-31). “The 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” (1 Cor 12:12). 6) Members of the Body of Christ share a common bond with all other Christians, regardless of background, race, or ministry. “There should be no division in the body, but . . . its parts should have equal concern for each other” (1 Corinthians 12:25). 7) Members of the Body of Christ are secure in their salvation (John 10:28-30). For a Christian to lose his salvation, God would have to perform an “amputation” on the Body of Christ! 8) Members of the Body of Christ partake of Christ’s death and resurrection (Colossians 2:12). 9) Members of the Body of Christ share Christ’s inheritance (Romans 8:17). 10) Members of the Body of Christ receive the gift of Christ’s righteousness (Romans 5:17). GotQuestions.org Related Resources: What is unity in Christ? | GotQuestions.org What is the importance of Christian unity? | GotQuestions.org How can a church achieve a true, biblical unity? | GotQuestions.org 1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. by: 1Co 10:2 Isa 44:3-5 Eze 36:25-27 Mt 3:11 Lu 3:16 Joh 1:16,33 3:5 Ac 1:5 Ro 6:3-6 8:9-11 Eph 4:5 5:26 Col 2:11,12 Tit 3:4-6 1Pe 3:21 whether Jews: Ro 3:29 4:11 Ga 3:23,28 Eph 2:11-16,19-22 3:6 Col 1:27 3:11 slaves: 1Co 7:21,22 Eph 6:8 to drink: Song 5:1 Isa 41:17-18 Isa 55:1 Zec 9:15-17 Joh 4:10,14 John 6:63 John 7:37-39 1 Corinthians 12 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Romans 6:3-6 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; Isaiah 55:1 “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. John 4:10; 14 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” (4:14) but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” John 7:37-39 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. BAPTIZED BY ONE SPIRIT The key point in that since they are all baptized with one Spirit, the church at Corinth are all one Body. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body (soma) - Note the repeated word one which speaks of unity. Paul continues emphasizing unity in the midst of the diversity of spiritual gifts. Paul is referring to what transpired to each individual when they accepted Christ as Savior. Is this water baptism? Why or why not? Notice Who "performs" (so to speak) the baptism. Is this a pastor, an elder, etc? Paul plainly stated they were all (not some) baptized by one Spirit. This not water baptism but Spirit baptism, when the Spirit brought each believer into the New Covenant and the living, eternal union and oneness with Jesus Christ. So the idea is that each of these believers were identified with one body, the body of Christ (cf Israel identified with Moses - 1 Cor 10:2+). This miracle transpired the moment they accepted Christ. They may have been converted at different times, but they all end up in the same place, in one body. Paul keeps emphasizing the unity of the believers as a supernatural work of the Spirit. It is not true that speaking in tongues is the invariable sign of being baptized by the Spirit (cf 1 Cor 12:30) -- William MacDonald