1 Corinthians Commentary Chapter 12 (2)

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1 Corinthians 12 (2)

You cannot say you are a Christian without becoming one body with Christ and becoming one spirit.

Otherwise, how can you eat the bread that the Lord gave you and remember the words, “This is my body”?

Therefore, those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells have a sense of members as one body in Christ.

Verse 12 “For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.”

The body is singular.

But the members are plural and many.

Various results come from one principle.

“So also is Christ.” Christ refers to the whole.

His body is the universal church.

In Christ, the members are in organic harmony, in harmony with God and nature.

That is why it is said that when special revelation is opened, natural revelation is opened.

And the saints are in harmony with each other. If not, they are cast out into darkness like Judas Iscariot.

Light blends in harmony with each other. Those who do not are fallen humans.

These people tend to tear each other apart through strife.

This is not the work of the Holy Spirit.

In the body, the parts do not have their own opinions, but exist and work only for the sake of the whole body.

It's like not trying to jump twice just because your right foot is strong and you walk well.

Verse 13 “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”

The purpose of the baptism of the one Spirit is to make one body.

Romans 6 explains this well regarding baptism.

If you are not one body, you should hear the word about the baptism of the Holy Spirit and receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

You should understand what it means to hear the word of Christ and receive him.

You should understand what it means to eat and drink his flesh and blood.

And if you have become one body with Christ, you should now continue to preserve your born again being according to the knowledge of the truth.

You should eat and drink of the one Spirit.

All the trunks, branches, and leaves of the tree are one and drink the sap supplied from the one root.

Verse 14 “For the body is not one member, but many.”

It refers to one body and many members, that is, the original church and the church as a model of a gathering or community.

The churches are built on the Rock, Christ.

So it says, You are the body of Christ, and members in particular. (verse 27).

Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation are examples and types of the original church.

And after chapter 4, the heavenly original church is shown.

In particular chapter 5, the book opens.

And if we look at the events of chapter 7, the throne, the four living creatures, the 24 elders, the 144,000 sealed, and the great multitude dressed in white are the composition of the heavenly original church.

If you do not enter it, even if you are in the model church, you are subject to judgment.

You will become the wicked among the righteous.

Paul is advising the saints of the Corinthian church not to be obsessed with the local church, which is the model, but to become saints of this original church.

In particular, 2 Corinthians describes the appearance of the original church.

The Lord's workers who receive the mission and harvest separate the wheat from the chaff.

Verse 15 “If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of he body; is it therefore not of the body?”

What would happen if the hand and the foot asserted themselves against each other?

If the hand and the foot were not under the control of the head and were each doing their own thing, wouldn’t they be paralyzed?

Verse 16 “And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body.”

It is a very difficult situation when the ear and the eye assert themselves.

This is impossible, but it happens in the imperfect model church where humans gather.

In fact, in Christ, there is no you and me, and there is no distinction between honor and lowliness.

We should not be conscious of these things, but God is patient until the church matures.

God sees each of us as an individual within the whole.

It is an earthly church that belongs to the heavenly church.

However, heretics ignore this and insist on only their own.

The tabernacle is a shadow of the true temple in heaven.

It is a model, not the original.

If there is a conflict among the members, it should be considered that they are not members.

It is whether you are identified as a member of the church or whether you are a parasite on the church.

Among the members, there are visible and invisible ones, precious and weak ones.

However, they all have God's value. It is like the instruments of an orchestra.

However, they all have God's value. It is like the instruments of an orchestra.

It is said that the claws on the toes are essential to maintain the strength of the feet.

Therefore, it is said that a foot without toes has no balance and cannot exert strength.

From the perspective of God the Creator, each member of the body is equally precious.

In the true sense, one member shares joys and sorrows and are is one in body and mind[.

Verse 25 is the expression‎ of that relationship and state.

“There should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.”

They become one with each other, have no division, and care for and worry about each other.

Even if they don’t express it, they feel the pain together.

And the problem is solved before long.

Because they become intercessory prayers for each other.

They are one spirit and one nervous system in Christ.

However, even in humanly intimate relationships, there are many cases where this communion does not work well.

Verse 27 “You are the body of Christ, and members  in particular.”

Romans 6:1 and below, we are united with Christ, we are dead and alive together.

Christ and his members share a common destiny.

The effectiveness of Jesus Christ's death, resurrection, and life is eternal.

The event is a single event, but its meaning and power are eternal.

This is the word of verse 27, which is premised on verses 25-26.

“There should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.”

This is the word that you are the body of Christ and each member is a being that has no division as one body, is concerned with the same things, and shares the pain and honor of the members.

The Bible was written by about 40 people over 1,600 years, but it became one book because the authors were all members of the original church in heaven.

Therefore, only biblical faith is salvation.

Angels ascend and descend to God, proclaiming salvation and helping to form one body for this. However, the devil divides.

Like Job 1, he goes around the whole earth for this. Wherever the devil goes, he causes accusations and judgment.

Verse 28 “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, goverments, diversities of tongues.”

And God hath set some in the church...namely, apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, gifts of healing, help, administration, and varieties of tongues.

Whether these are all or some of the church may vary from church to church.

Verse 29 says that not all receive such positions or gifts, but only some.

“Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all  workers of miracle?”

Just as a country has officials and people, it is a limited majority.

Verse 30 “Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?”

It is given to special people.

However, the universal gift given to those in Christ is the love in chapter 13. This gift of love must be received by all.

Verse 31 “But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.” 

The best gifts are plural.

And 1 Corinthians 14:1 says, “Follow after charity,” which means to pursue love.

The words to seek love are mandatory, while the words to seek the gifts are universal.

Desire gifts, but desire greater gifts, such as apostles, prophets, and teachers. In other words, it means to be a minister of the word rather than of power.

The word of Christ becomes the life of people and makes them think spiritually (Rom 10:8-10)

On the other hand, power has the benefit of being evidence of God's power.

The best way is not a matter of quality, but a way to transcend dimensions and reach perfection.

The word best also means overflowing. With that power, you can do everything.

The same goes for evangelism and relief.

There is nothing that God has given that is not powerful.

Verse 31 “But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.”

We can see that there is a time for gifts and a time for love in the journey of personal faith.

Faith must develop.

When we look at the progress of most faiths, they first start with a faith of signs, then go through the stage of receiving grace and longing, and then develop into a faith that enjoys eternal life in the truth and has fellowship with God.

There is a risk of falling into a faith of legalistic morality in the middle, but we must always progress to the next stage.

Gifts are essential as an auxiliary part of the way to love.

But Paul fears that they will remain there.

We need the gift, but he is worried that we will be caught up in them.

Gifts themselves are not salvation.

Perfect love is the guarantee of salvation.

Truth is the way to have that love.

It comes as an awakening, and through repeated application, we live in that love.

Humans have a tendency to get lost in something.

The question is, will we fall into the narrow path or the wide path?

Are we thinking about my last days today?

It is the last days, the time of death, when we leave the world through the cross of Christ.

Are we gaining and tasting the glorious blessings of the kingdom of God that are realized through the faith of the last days that abandons me, abandons the world, and abandons self and greed every day?

However, it is regrettable that many people postpone all salvation and blessings until after death.

Written by Ptr. Yohan Kim.

Translated by  Nancy Chung

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