1 Corinthians 12

Sunday, 21 December 2014

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 1 Corinthians 12:21

The eye is an important part of the body. It receives the light and discerns between various objects and what the distance between those objects is. It allows for the body to know where it is going, where the food is, who different people are, etc. Some might say that without the eye, the body would be in a bad way. But if the eye decided it was the most important part of the body, even to the point of the exclusion of other parts, it would be overreaching its importance.

The eye might say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” However, the hand is the member that is able to grasp the food that feeds the body. The eye can’t do that. The hand is the one that defends against attacks against the body. The eye can’t do that either. If the hand wasn’t there, the eye would quickly perish.

Likewise, the head may say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” Yes, the head is important. Without the head, we would be dead. But without the feet, the body wouldn’t be complete. The feet take us where we need to go. Without them, the head would be left stuck in one place, unable to get to the pool of water to drink. It wouldn’t be able to climb the mountain or enjoy a day by the beach. The head would be silly to think it could do without the feet.

And the same is true with the members within the church. Each has a purpose and each provides a necessary function which complements the whole. Just because one member thinks it is pretty great stuff doesn’t mean that it is more important than any other.

Life application: It is certain that you need the other members of the body, so try to recognize their importance. Don’t be fooled into believing that they are without value. If the Lord has saved them and the Spirit has given them a gift, they are valued by the Creator Himself!

Wondrous God! How wise You are in all that You do. Everything has a purpose and even the things which seem out of place for a moment always fit into a perfectly executed plan. When I see trials and troubles in my life, I just need to remember this. What may seem evil is certainly being used by You for good. Help me to trust that this is true. I know You have it all under control! Amen.

Saturday, 20 December 2014

But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. 1 Corinthians 12:20

This verse condenses and reiterates what he had previously said in verse 12 which was, “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.”

Now speaking specifically of the body of Christ, he notes the similarity of it to the natural body. And in the natural body he made his argument, even to the point of absurdity, that the parts were interdependent upon one another. As this is true, the same is true with the spiritual body. He will continue to demonstrate this in the verses ahead.

The reason for all of this detail is probably because there were individuals in the church at Corinth that felt that their greater spiritual gift meant that they didn’t need to rely on those with lesser gifts. But as Paul has shown this to be false with the human body, he will also show it to be false with the spiritual body.

Life application: Too often, Christians will put a figure on a pedestal. Pastors and preachers are elevated to unhealthy levels of esteem when they are simply fulfilling a particular role within the body as it was appointed by the Spirit. They are completely dependent on the other members for their continued success; they are not independent of the body. While giving them due honor, we still need to make sure they aren’t turned into idols.

Oh Lord, there are those days where I get up and don’t feel like doing anything but crawling back into bed. The Bible sits there in front of me, waiting to be opened and yet I resist picking it up. But then I think, “This is when I need it most.” Obedience and discipline are easy when everything is going right, but when tough times hem me in, that’s when I need to double down and show that I will be obedient and disciplined through them. And so strengthen me for the battle and I will pursue You through the storm. Thank You for Your encouraging hand. Amen.

Friday, 19 December 2014

And if they were all one member, where would the body be? 1 Corinthians 12:19

A point that must have been on Paul’s mind when he wrote out this verse is that no one member’s interests, gifts, or ministry can be allowed to take overall precedence within the church. If the heart were to claim that it was somehow equal to the sum total of all the other members because of its unique makeup, then there would be no need for a body. If there was no need for a body, then there would be no body because that which is superfluous is unneeded and would eventually be cast off (like the shedding of unnecessary skin).

If this were the case, the heart would find out very quickly how lonely being heart without a body would actually be. The things that makes us feel unique and indispensable are actually the those things around us which we rely on, and which rely on us, in a harmonious and mutually-benefiting way.

Life application: No matter how much you do for the church, and no matter how important you feel your position in the body is, you cannot survive in that capacity without others. If the pastor of a church did every single thing in the church and yet there was no one to sit in the pews, then he wouldn’t be a pastor of a church. Paul says in Romans 12:3 that we should not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. Let us ponder that as our life application for the day!

Lord, You have used me in certain ways to help others. You have allowed me to be ministered to as well. In both of these tasks, I feel unworthy of the honor. When I see someone’s path get straightened out by something I say, it reminds me of the wayward path I once walked. But You straightened it out. And when someone helps me out with a difficult issue of life, it reminds me how far I still need to go in my faith and in my growth. In both, I see just how great You are. Thank You for the interactions I have with others that show me this. Amen.

Wednesday, 17 December 2014

If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? 1 Corinthians 12:17

This verse is evident in and of itself. After discussing various body parts and how they relate to the whole, he turns the concept around. For example, what if there were just an eye and nothing else? He asks the obvious – “Where would be the hearing?” There would be none.

But further, if an organism were only an eye, it would actually serve no purpose at all. Without a brain, there would be no processing of the signal which passes through the eye. Without feet, there would be nothing to allow the eye to move in order to see in various directions. Likewise, there would be nothing to move the eye when a predator came along. The list could go on forever at the huge lack there would be in the existence of any eye with nothing attached to it.

And the same is true with any other body part. Paul asks about the ear (hearing). If the whole body was an ear, “where would be the smelling?” There would be none. His comments here are known as Reductio ad absurdum, or the “reduction to absurdity.” This is an argument where the use of the assertion would have a ridiculous or untenable result. He is not attempting to be silly in his words, but rather to get those in Corinth (and thus us!) to consider the importance of each person, and the use of that person’s gift, for the benefit of the whole body.

If a pastor (say, an eye) has no one to accomplish the multitudes of other tasks within the church, then he would actually have no purpose at all. A pastor without a church of people (ears, noses, feet, hands, etc.) is not a church.

Life application: Nobody’s gift is so important that it can stand alone. Without a body to receive and compliment the gift, the gift is wasted.

Lord God, thank You for all the people I worship and serve with. I know that without each of us helping one another and receiving the fruit of one another’s labors, there would be nothing to enjoy. Certainly a hand without a body is a worthless body part. An eye without a head actually sees nothing. And a heart without a body to pump blood to and through is a heart lacking any purpose at all. But together, we make a wonderfully lovely body. Thank You Lord God for all the people I worship and serve with. Amen.