1 Corinthians | Chapter 12 – Scripture Supply

1 Corinthians 12:1-7

“All in All”

I. Intro

In the 12th chapter, Paul takes up a new question that will be addressed for the next three chapters: “spiritual matters.” He had spoken to them concerning fleshly matters (practical matters); here he moves to deal with things of more the supernatural realm. In this chapter, we will look at gifts of the Spirit in the body of Christ. Then in the 13th chapter, Paul will address what the exercise of the Gifts of the Spirit ought to produce in the individual believer’s life—“love” or the fruit of the Spirit. Then in the 14th chapter, Paul will conclude with order by the Spirit in the Christian service.

In the first 11 verses of this chapter, Paul will outline for us three important truths concerning the gifts:

Vs. 1-3: The purpose of the gifts
Vs. 4-6: The power in the gifts
Vs. 7-11: The point in the gifts

I suppose that any discussion on this subject would not be appropriate without first examining what the purpose of the Church is. There are three views that tend to dominate most of society’s opinion of what the purpose of the Church is:

A great many think the purpose of the Church is to hold once-a-week meetings, and everything is geared towards that meeting.
Some think that it is a social welfare agency designed to meet the needs of the community it has been placed in.
Others view it as a religious country club in which like-minded people gather together to enjoy each other’s company.

I suppose that in some form, all of those activities could be seen in the Church, but that is not what the purpose of the Church is. The Church is not a religious organization; it is a living organism, which has been created and empowered by the Lord who is its head and who indwells all who have been born by His Spirit. In Luke 4:18-19, Jesus outlined what the purpose of the Church is when He told a synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth:

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”

Do you see those six things?

Preach the gospel to the poor
To heal the brokenhearted
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind
To set at liberty those who are oppressed
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD

In 2 Corinthians 2:16, Paul asked a valid question: “Who is sufficient for these things?” Who indeed? You may be wondering what this discussion of the purpose of the Church has to do with the gifts of the Spirit. Well, in that same chapter in 2 Corinthians, Paul answers his own question by saying, “Our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” It is for the purpose of the Church that the gifts of the Spirit have been given. It has been well said that Jesus’ Church ought to all adopt this statement:

Our motive is only for the glory of God
Our message is only the gospel of God
Our manpower is all the Church of God
Our might is only by the Spirit of God

II. Vs. 1-3 The Purpose in the Gifts

Vs. 1: You will notice the word “gifts” is italicized, which means that it is not in the Greek. Literally, this reads “Now concerning spirituals,” and it refers to spiritual matters in general and gifts specifically. Then also notice that no matter what might be said of these Corinthians and their ignorance concerning the gifts, Paul still identifies them as fellow believers in Christ. They were not acting as such, but they nonetheless still belonged to Jesus. I’m personally thankful for this truth, as there are times I don’t much resemble Jesus either, but my lack does not take away from His calling, and in fact, it is the truth of this that will enable me to look more like who has called me and less like the old me!

The word “ignorant” here is the Greek word where we get our English word “agnostic” or “without knowledge,” thus this suggests that they were without knowledge as it related to spiritual matters, specifically the gifts. When it came to the gifts of the Spirit, these Corinthians acted more like children with toys instead of adults with tools, and Paul sought to correct that ignorance.

Vs. 2: Apparently, part of the problem with their practice of the gifts stemmed from their background prior to becoming believers. The way they had practiced their worship of idols had carried over into their practice of the gifts of the Spirit, and Paul reminds them that they “were Gentiles carried away,” not that they still were. As unbelievers, they were being controlled by the powers that lie behind mute idols and were subject to being led by that deception. The confusion for the Corinthian believers lay in misunderstanding the difference between:

Being “carried away” by idols: The words mean to be taken under armed guard to prison or execution. In this state, they would lose their emotion and intellect, becoming forced to go and act as dictated.
Being “led by the” Spirit: The idea here is that the Holy Spirit guides us in harmony with our new nature, leading us into that which glorifies God.

Vs. 3: How would you be able to determine whether or not the way in which the gifts were being exercised was “carried away” or “Spirit-led”? Well, Paul offers a twofold test:

Negatively: “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed.” The word “accursed” is a word of great condemnation that means to be cut off. It is hard to imagine a Christian uttering such a blasphemous statement, let alone saying that it was the Spirit of God who was directing such speech. So what is Paul’s point? Well, hear the words of Jesus concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit in John 14:26: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” The sole work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is to magnify Jesus to us. Thus, any said exercise of the gift of the Spirit that demeans or diminishes the person, work, or need for Jesus in any way cannot be from the Holy Spirit. No matter how much emotion or enthusiasm was demonstrated in the gift, if it draws away attention from Jesus and our dependence upon Him, then you can tell that it was not the Holy Spirit’s involvement that was doing so!
Positively: “And no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” Thus, the opposite would be true as well. Any work of the Spirit that seeks to exalt and magnify the person, work, and need for Jesus can only come from the Holy Spirit. Notice that Paul carefully chooses his words for that which the Holy Spirit will magnify. He does not say that all who say that “Christ is Lord,” neither does he say that all who say that “Jesus is Savior,” but rather that “Jesus is Lord!” Jesus is His human name—“Jehovah is salvation”—and it is He who is in charge of all things that pertain to my life. He is not just in charge of my salvation; He is in charge no matter what. Jesus is not just good when things go our way; He is good all the time. He cannot be anything other than good!

I had a glorious experience this week during some of the darkest times I’ve gone through. A fellow pastor called me who knew nothing of my recent circumstance; in fact, we are not that well acquainted. He called me to tell me that during his devotion that morning while reading a particular Psalm, he was greatly encouraged by what it had to say to him personally. While praising the Lord for ministering to him, the Lord spoke to him that the Psalm was not meant for him, but rather it was meant for me. He had never been so directed to call a fellow pastor but was impressed by the Spirit to do so. The verse is Psalm 112:4: “Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.” As encouraged as I am by the words that state the promise to the upright that “light will arise in the darkness,” I’m even more blessed by the words that affirm His character being “gracious, full of compassion, and righteous.” The work of the Holy Spirit affirmed Jesus as Lord in His character towards me.

So in this twofold test, stated negatively and positively, we see a universal law that is impossible to undo: The Holy Spirit will always operate in a way that exalts Jesus! Thus, whatever the gift or manifestation, no matter how great the enthusiasm or emotion, if it does not result in the exaltation of Jesus, it is not a work of the Holy Spirit.

III. Vs. 4-6 The Power in the Gifts

Having given this test, which reveals the purpose of the gifts to exalt Jesus, Paul now moves to reveal the Power behind the gifts.

Vs. 4-6: We are introduced to yet another great truth concerning the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and that has to do with “diversity through unity.” Differing kinds but the same Spirit, Lord, and God. Paul peels back the veneer of the gifts to reveal to us who it is that is behind them.

Vs. 4 The Spirit gives the gifts: It is important to recognize here that these allotments of gifts are not of our making but rather, according to verse 11 and here, based upon how the Spirit wills. Soon we will be celebrating Christmas where we are all wondering what it is that we will have under the tree. When we were younger, we would try to sneak a peek or at least rattle the gifts. But when it comes to the gifts that the Spirit of God has for us, we are afraid to look or ask. Here is what we know about His gifts to us: they are for the purpose of:
1. Glorifying the Lord Jesus
2. For the profit of all (verse 7)
To exercise them, you will need to come to the tree of Jesus and open them there, but you don’t need to be afraid as what He has for you may differ from someone else who has even the same gift, but it will always be the Holy Spirit behind the giving. Now we are not talking about natural abilities, such as the ability to be athletic or to sing well. Those are gifts as well, but clearly Paul wants to make a distinction as he calls these gifts “manifestations of the Spirit”—more on that in verse 7.
Vs. 5 The Lord assigns the opportunities: There are many ways in which these gifts will find service within the body of Christ, but we are told that it is none other than Jesus who assigns the opportunities. It is interesting to me that Jesus spoke to this matter in giving the parable in Luke 19, saying that the good servant was told, “Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.” In John 21:16-17, it was Jesus who assigned Peter the task of tending and feeding His sheep! In Acts 22, as Paul argued with the Lord in the temple about being the right man to preach to his countrymen, the Jews, it was Jesus who assigned him the opportunity, saying, “Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.” The word for ministry here is the same word for “deacon” and it means service, and it reminds me that Jesus assigns the opportunities. They are not about my self-service or promotion; instead, they are about promoting His kingdom and serving Him and His people.
Vs. 6 The Father empowers the result: Finally, we see that it is always the Father that produces the results. He is the One that makes sure that the gifts the Holy Spirit has given and that the Son has assigned opportunities for will produce the results He has ordained. Paul, writing to the Corinthians in 2:16, says that those results will be “death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.” You can look throughout scripture and you will always see the Father involved with the results. In the beginning of the Church, as the Spirit gifted the disciples and the Lord gave the opportunity, it was God who “added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

Finally, notice the words “all in all.” The results are guaranteed, as it is the Holy Spirit who has given the gifts and Jesus who has placed us in the opportunity. Is that not great? God is going to work as we are told in Philippians 2:13 that it is “God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” We can just allow the Holy Spirit to gift us and be open to whatever gift He wants to give us. Then we can allow the Lord Jesus to assign us the opportunity to serve for His kingdom, and we can be certain that God will secure the desired outcome for His glory. In the 31st verse of this chapter, Paul is going to say, “But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.” What are the best gifts, you ask? Well, the one that is needed at that moment and the one that is exercised in love! So let’s pray to the Holy Spirit right now and ask Him to give us the gifts that He wants us to have. Then let us ask our Lord Jesus to assign us the opportunity to use the Gifts the Holy Spirit has given us. Finally, let us ask the Father for the results that would best glorify Him and further His kingdom!

1 Corinthians 12:7-11

“Spirit Life”

I. Intro

Last week, we began to look at Paul’s teaching concerning spiritual matters, specifically the “gifts of the Spirit.” First, we discovered the purpose of the gifts, and we saw that the Holy Spirit will always operate in a way that exalts Jesus! Paul even offered a twofold test to see if this was so, as the Holy Spirit will never operate in a way that makes the person and work of Jesus less important in the believer’s life. The opposite is true as well, as every gift that the Spirit gives will magnify our need for and dependence upon our Lord. Furthermore, Paul opened our eyes to the “Power behind the gifts” as we saw the trinity at work:

Vs. 4: The Spirit gives the gifts
Vs. 5: The Lord assigns the opportunities
Vs. 6: The Father empowers the result

A simple word study in this chapter will reveal Paul’s topic in an interesting way: the word “Spirit” appears 11 times in this chapter, eight of those times in the verses we are studying. Then the word “body” appears 18 times, four of those in the verses we will look at today. It is in those two words that we will best come to understand the Holy Spirit’s work in and through the believer. And just what is that work? Well, the Spirit gives life to the body! How so, you ask? Well, we know according to John 20:31 that “life” is in believing in Jesus, so it stands to reason that the Holy Spirit will continue to cause us to trust in His name! So, in these verses, Paul will point us to the point of the gifts, as well as a sample of nine of those gifts, and finally show us how unity is possible through diversity.

II. Vs. 7, 11 The Point of the Gifts

Vs. 7: Here in this verse, Paul makes three statements concerning the “point” of the gifts:

“But the manifestation of the Spirit”: The word “manifestation” is a word that means to “make clear or visible.” So, we take note concerning the gifts that their design is to make clear or visible, not to be hidden or confusing. But what are they to make visible? Well, look again—these gifts are manifestations of the Spirit, not of us. The manifestations of the Spirit are not to be making us visible but rather Him (the Spirit). As such, we know that these manifestations are not based upon our abilities or talents; albeit God does uniquely create us with certain abilities and talents, that is not what Paul is speaking of here. These gifts are making visible the Holy Spirit, who in turn is making Jesus more visible, which makes them “supernatural” in nature. Now, remember that these gifts have been given by the Holy Spirit, then the opportunities to use them have been assigned by the Lord, where finally the Father has empowered the result. These gifts are given only to Christians to enhance and strengthen the ability to operate in the Spirit and not in the flesh.
“Is given to each one”: You will see Paul repeat this point in verse 11. Paul points out the truth that the Holy Spirit leaves no one out when it concerns the giving of His gifts. There is not a Christian who would be able to say, “When it came to the Gifts of the Spirit, they were left out in the cold.” No, He gives to “each one” individually. Yes, it is as He wills, but nonetheless, each one is given gifts. The Holy Spirit is always present in believers, but at times, through the gifts, we are able to see Him even better. There are, as we shall see, nine gifts that Paul lists here in verses 8-10, but this is not an exhaustive list. In fact, Paul has several lists in his letters (Romans 12:6-8, Ephesians 4:11), then Peter has a brief list in 1 Peter 4:9-11, and depending upon how you count, you can come up with 16 to 20 gifts that Paul lists. Now think of the many different combinations that the Holy Spirit could give a person. Then stop and think about the unique way each of these gifts would be made visible through the person He has gifted them with. Yet with that said, in each situation, it will always be the Holy Spirit that will be seen. And how is it we will know that we have seen the Holy Spirit’s image? Well, He will always be pointing to Jesus! So again, we see unity with diversity!
“For the profit of all”: Finally, Paul brings us to the very point of these supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit that He gives as He wills. The words “profit of all” is one word in the Greek, which means “to bring together,” and it carries with it the idea of bringing something that is beneficial for another. The point of the gifts of the Spirit is for the life of the body of Christ—they are for others’ benefit, not our reputation or personal glory! If the gift that is being manifested serves me, my ego, my reputation, you can rest assured that what you witnessed is not of the Holy Spirit’s giving. I’m not sure that these words of Paul will clear up all of the confusion and reluctance of the Gifts of the Spirit, but I’m sure that they would go a long way in helping the matter. Like so much of the problem in my walk with God, if I just realized that it is not about me, then much of what others object to would no longer exist, amen!

Vs. 11: Having just listed nine of the gifts, Paul again brings his readers back to the proper focus. Three other truths are pointed out in this verse indirectly:

We are told that it is the same Spirit that works all these diverse gifts in individuals that He has chosen. Yeh so? Well, that is the interesting thing—the gifts are to unify the body, bringing about in each believer, through the manifestation of the gifts in others, the fruit of the Spirit that Paul speaks about to the Galatians. The Holy Spirit’s gifting is not to amaze or confuse; in fact, they are the exact opposite. Well, what about on the day of Pentecost? Well, it was unbelievers that heard the wonderful works of God who were amazed and confused, not the believers, as Peter preached just what had happened.
Since the distribution of these gifts is according to His will, then we can see that an individual’s gifting does not necessarily mean they are mature in their walk. In fact, that was the problem in Corinth, as Paul said in chapter 1:7 that they came short in no gift, yet in chapter 3:1, he calls them “fleshly” and babes in Christ. How unfortunate it is that some in the body of Christ have said that certain gifts are evidence of a maturity level. This kind of attitude would reveal not maturity but rather immaturity. Paul will further address this point in the 13th chapter as he speaks of the gifts of the Spirit apart from what they are meant to produce in us—the fruit of the Spirit.
Finally, these gifts are distributed as He wills, which means that though we ought to seek Him and desire the gifts He wants to give us for the need to build up others, making Jesus more visible, we will need to do so, trusting Him to do so as He wills. My point is that, like every other area of our life in Christ, “Faith” will play a part in reception. That is not to say that if you have been asking for a certain gift and you have not yet received it, it is because you don’t have faith; perhaps it is not His will? In the last verse of this chapter, Paul is going to exhort them to earnestly desire the greater gifts. But just what are these “greater gifts”? Well, the one that is needed at that moment! Lately, I have been asking for the gift of faith, as that is what I have felt is the most needed. At different times and seasons, the Holy Spirit chooses to energize the Church with certain gifts needed to unify the body around the person and work of Jesus, and we need to be open in faith to His leading!

III. Vs. 8-10 Description of the Gifts

Here, Paul gives us nine gifts, which are for the purpose of unifying the whole Church as they magnify the person and work of Christ. Alan Redpath has a statement concerning the gifts that just made sense to me as he wrote, “The thing that matters now is whether or not we have the needed equipment for the rest of the journey!” I look to these gifts in you to help me on my journey of faith!

Vs. 8a WORD OF WISDOM: One who is empowered to say the right thing at the right time, so that a person can apply God’s truth to their life. The Holy Spirit’s direct insight into truth. And just who is truth? Well, Jesus is truth, and His word is truth! It is not enough to say the right thing but to do so at the right time—that is the work of the Spirit! Wisdom is the application of truth, whereas knowledge is the accumulation of truth. The gift of wisdom—saying the right thing at the right time—will cause a person to apply the wisdom given by the Spirit.
Vs. 8b WORD OF KNOWLEDGE: One who is called to speak “specific facts,” past, present, or future, not obtained through the natural mind, to others. Here, the idea is communicating insight into God’s truths with understanding or enlightenment being the outcome.
Vs. 9a FAITH: One who is gifted to exercise special confidence in God’s ability for a specific circumstance. This is the Spirit’s gift of making visible that which is invisible! In Hebrews 11:27, we can see this gift in the life of Moses as it enabled him to “endure as seeing Him who is invisible.” The gift of faith enables us to supernaturally see Him who is invisible or as we also read in Hebrews 11:1, “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Vs. 9b HEALINGS: One who has the gift of curing illnesses or injuries without the aid of natural means or human skill. Literally, the word here means “cure” and thus refers to the gift of making sick people well. I find it interesting that this gift is in the plural, as Paul writes “healings” and not healing? Perhaps he does so because we can be fractured on different levels, can’t we? There are times we need to be restored to health on the physical realm, but there are also times that we need to be restored to health on the emotional and spiritual levels as well.
Vs. 10a MIRACLES: One who has the gift of achieving something that is humanly impossible by working outside the known natural laws of nature. The word here is “powers,” and it deals with the Spirit’s gifting to do that which in any other realm would be impossible. How many times have you and I faced that which is impossible and cried out that we need a miracle? Have you ever had that which was impossible manifest itself? Have you ever gone through the miracles of the N.T.? If you do, you will find that Jesus did such things in the most mundane circumstances. I mean, at a wedding when the wine ran out, He turned water into wine; when there was a need to pay a tax, He pulled a coin out of a fish. Yeh so? Well, isn’t that great? These were no big deals—I mean, who cares if they ran out of wine at a wedding? This speaks to me that no matter what it is, the Spirit desires to reveal that He is above our need, no matter how mundane or hopeless!
Vs. 10b PROPHECY: One who is called to speak edification, exhortation, or comfort to the Church from the Lord, prompted by the Holy Spirit (foretelling or forth-telling). Here, the idea is to make known the will of God to His people, to see what God sees going on in the world, and then communicate it in a way that understands God’s purpose through it! No wonder Paul would write that he wished all the body would be able to do so. We live in such a confusing world, don’t we? Oh, how we need God’s Spirit to give us His understanding of what we are facing!
Vs. 10c DISCERNING OF SPIRITS: One who has the gift of seeing through a person’s words, teaching, or actions to what is motivating them. This gift deals with the Spirit’s ability to examine that which we would be unable to see apart from Him.
Vs. 10d TONGUES: One who is able to communicate with God and express their inner heart in a language never learned, which is beyond the limits of human intellect and vocabulary. Look for this gift in scripture, and you will see it not for preaching but rather for “praise” and worship. Also, you will see it as a prayer language with groans too deep for utterance.
Vs. 10e INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES: One who is able to understand and communicate that which was expressed beyond the limits of human intellect and vocabulary. Here, we see the companion gift of understanding so that the whole Church might be edified and built up. Paul will say more on this as he sets the gifts in order in the 14th chapter.

But all these gifts work by the same Spirit, working these things in each person as He wills—diversity with unity, all for God’s glory!

1 Corinthians 12:12-20

“Body Function”

I. Intro

I started this section dealing with the gifts of the Spirit by looking at what the work of the Church is. The reason I did so is that there are a great many who believe that the work of the Church is what happens right here on Sunday mornings. But Jesus told us what the work of the Church is in Luke 4:18-19 when He expressed that we are to encourage, strengthen, and help people become delivered from guilt, loneliness, and the rot and ruin of sin. We are to help set them free from their bondage to their destructive habits and lifestyles that have captivated and ruined their lives. If this all sounds familiar to you, it is because it is what we can all read in the Gospels of Jesus doing in the world while He walked this earth. Sundays or midweek Bible studies are not the work of the Church; instead, they are nothing more than training sessions for the work. In fact, that is what Paul told the Ephesians in 4:12—that God gifted certain folks specifically for the training in order that the “equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” might be completed. Why do I mention this fact again? Well, because Paul is going to deal with the feeling that we all have at times—the feeling that we are insignificant to the work of the Church because we can’t teach or sing. But that is not the work of the Church; that is just where you go to get training!

II. Vs. 12-13 One Body, One Spirit

Vs. 12: I’m old enough to remember seeing the signs encouraging young men to sign up for the draft: “Uncle Sam Wants You!” the sign read. This sign played upon two of the most basic human needs:

The need to belong
The need to be needed

I find that Paul now deals with these same two issues within the body as he shares the truth that all belong and all are needed. Paul will share that the spiritual body of Christ is to function in a similar manner as our human bodies—just as our physical bodies have many members, so too the spiritual body. Our bodies are incredibly designed and are made up of two main components:

The body or the torso
The head, which is the control center for the body

The amazing statement here is that Paul uses the phrase “so also is Christ.” The illustration dealt with the Church being like the physical body, being made up of many different parts and yet still being one body. But instead of saying the many members make up the Church, Paul says that the many members make up Christ. Don’t get it? Well, we—the many—are not called the Church here, but all of us together with our head, Jesus, make up Him. I think of the unity that Jesus spoke of in John 14:20, where He said, “I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” We are so equated with Jesus that our oneness is the means by which He now manifests Himself to the world. As the song goes, “They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love”! There are not many bodies, only one body. Yes, it is true that you can go around the world or around the corner and find many different churches, but no matter what our differences, as born-again Christians, we are truly only one in Christ, made up of many members. We are tied together by the same life, and it is Christ Jesus. How did we get into that body? Well, John tells us in his Gospel (1:12-13): “to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Just so we are not confused on this subject, John reveals three ways in which you cannot become a part of His body:

“Not of blood”: That is to say, it is not a birthright because your parents or ancestors were believers. You cannot be born a Christian; you can only be “born again” a Christian!
“Nor of the will of the flesh”: That is, you cannot become a part of the body of Christ by religious practice. Attending or becoming a member of a church does not make a person a Christian. Is it a bad thing to attend a Church? No, but attending a church every day and partaking of all the religious ceremonies they may offer will not make you a member of Christ’s body.
“Nor of the will of man”: Finally, it cannot be gained through self-effort or improvement. Neither can you become a part of Christ’s body through “good works.” You will never be good enough or sacrifice enough to enter in. “Good works” may show that you have entered into His body, but they are not the means of entrance!

So then, how do we become members of Christ’s body? Well, John tells us: it is to those who believe in His name by the work of God! In theological terms, we are all “catholic” inasmuch as we believe in the “universal church” or as Peter referred to it in 1 Peter 2:9, the priesthood of all believers.

Vs. 13: Now, this phrase “baptized into one body” needs to be put into the context of what constitutes the body of Christ. Paul is speaking of the “baptism with the Spirit” and not the “baptism of the Spirit”! What is the difference? Well, here Paul makes mention of the work of the Holy Spirit by which He immerses us into one body, which is Christ. This is the baptism every born-again Christian has experienced the moment they received Jesus as Lord and Savior. It is by this that we have all become temples of the Holy Spirit. Now, the Bible does speak of yet another experience with the Holy Spirit, and it is called the baptism of the Spirit. It is interesting to follow these two works of the Spirit of God in the Bible:

In John 14:16-17: Jesus said that He would “pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” Notice Jesus’ prayer for His church as the Holy Spirit’s relationship with each individual is said to be personal (abide means to make permanent residence with another). Furthermore, Jesus links the “dwelling with” us to be “in us.”
Then in John 20:22: We are told that “He breathed on them, and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.” So that which He spoke of in the 14th chapter was realized in the 20th chapter after Jesus’ resurrection, as the Holy Spirit was with them and in them. It is this WITH and IN experience of the Holy Spirit that Paul refers to here to the Corinthians in terms of Baptism into the body of Christ.
How do we know this? Well, in Acts 1:4-8, Jesus told those indwelt WITH the Holy Spirit when He “breathed upon” them to do something. He said, “not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, and that by this baptism they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and this power would cause them to be witnesses of Him in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Why would He tell them to tarry and wait for that which they already had, unless it was yet another encounter of the Holy Spirit that they needed? What was this “baptism” Jesus spoke of here? Well, Jesus describes it for us in terms of the Holy Spirit coming “upon” the believer, empowering them to be witnesses! That “upon” is a different verb in the Greek than the John passages, which speak of indwelling. In Acts, the word is “epi,” whereas it is “en” in the Gospel.
In Acts 19:1-6: When Paul was in Ephesus, he ran into some disciples whom apparently he questioned their understanding of the work and person of the Holy Spirit. So he literally asked them, “Believing, did you receive the Holy Spirit?” There was lacking the power to be witnesses of Christ, and we are told that the Holy Spirit came upon them. These believers were indwelt but not empowered, and Paul prayed over them for that empowering.
You can trace these two works of the Spirit’s baptism “with” and “of,” and you will find that in scripture, sometimes they happen at the same moment: such as in the case of Acts 10:43-47 with Cornelius. Then there are other times, such as in Acts 8:12, 14-15 in Philip’s preaching in Samaria, that these two works of the Spirit happen at different times.

It is not possible to be a Christian apart from the baptism “with” the Holy Spirit, and I believe that it is not possible to be effective in His power apart from the baptism “of” the Spirit. Now, it matters not as far as salvation, neither does it matter as far as the oneness of the body, yet it does matter as far as making the Holy Spirit and Jesus more visible to each other! How unfortunate that this unity of the Spirit has been often used to cause disunity, and the gifts of the Spirit have been used to make Jesus less visible. So what are we to do if we have been baptized with the Holy Spirit but not of the Holy Spirit? Well, I think Jesus’ words in Matt. 7:7-11 are a great guide as He said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

III. Vs. 14-20 It’s a Small World After All

Before we look at Paul’s humorous illustrations specifically, let’s look at them generally:

Insecurity: In verses 15-16, notice that it is the “foot and ear” that look at others and feel less important. That is the issue. In these verses, Paul deals with one of the two major reasons for the gifts of the Spirit not operating in the body as they ought to—the feeling of the one so gifted by the Spirit that they do not measure up when compared to others.
Superiority: In verses 21-25, you see that it is the “eye” that looks at the hand and says that it has no need of him. In other words, the second problem with the gifts not operating as they ought to in the body is that of the attitude of some who have been so gifted by the Spirit, feeling superior to others who also have been gifted by the Spirit.

Vs. 14: Why mention this now? Well, because Paul’s words in verse 14 set the tone for both problems. All Christians belong to His body, regardless of their gifting; that is why he just spoke on the baptism “with” the Spirit into the body of Christ. Look out at the landscape of the Church today, and you will see the same two problems as not all in the body are functioning as they ought to. Some don’t function because of insecurity; others don’t function because of superiority—and either way, it is a tragedy when God’s people:

Gifted by the Spirit
Placed to serve by Jesus
Results empowered by the Father

Sit and do nothing! When this problem manifests itself within Christ’s Church, often we respond with cold organization and mobilization, hoping to produce the “work of the Spirit in the energy of the flesh.” Trace Church history, and you will discover what Dr. Vance Havner described concerning the Church: “First there is a man, then a movement, then a machine, and finally a monument!” Those ministries that began as a protest against the dead orthodoxy in time became dead themselves. Why does this happen?

Unity without diversity produces uniformity, and uniformity produces death, not life!
Diversity without unity produces anarchy, and anarchy produces death, not life!

It is only when unity with diversity in the body of Christ is maintained that life is produced. The problem has always been trying to balance unity and diversity, as they are opposites. That is where the 13th chapter comes in, as “love” is what balances unity with diversity. Without love, the Church of Christ will always be doing the wrong thing:

Dividing when they should unite
Uniform when they should be diverse

The interesting thing is that it is “uniformity” that divides, and it is our “diverseness” that unites!

Vs. 15-20: In using the illustration of the human body for that of the Spiritual body of Christ, Paul picks a great one. You see, our bodies have many different members; we have much diversity in our human bodies, don’t we? Eyes that see, hands that grasp, feet that walk, and so on. Yet, with all our bodies’ diversity, there is no competition. Can you imagine what our human bodies would look like if they mimicked what the Church often looks like? Why, we would see some very strange and dysfunctional beings, wouldn’t we? The truth is, every part of our human bodies is essential for the whole’s well-being! What if our human parts could communicate verbally with the other parts of the body and treated them as we often do the other members of Christ’s Church? Suppose they were out there working, building something, when a hammer slammed into the thumb on the hand, and here was the conversation they had:

“The Mouth spoke, ‘Hey stupid, I told you to get out of the way, so quit making your mistake my problem!’”

“Well, it’s not my fault,” said the thumb. “If the eye would have been watching, this would never have happened!”

“Now don’t you go and blame me, you worthless appendage. Why, your uselessness is only matched by your ugliness!”

In these verses, I see four attitudes that Paul corrects in dealing with our diversity:

Vs. 15: The attitude that just because you are different, you are not needed. Again, this attitude comes from the person who feels less significant and separates himself or herself from fellowship. The “foot” is no less needed than the “hand” within the body, and I’m so thankful that we have feet as well as hands here at Calvary.
Vs. 16-17: The attitude that differences are any indication of importance. As important as seeing is, an eye cannot hear, and as important as hearing is, an ear cannot smell. We are so conditioned to rating our differences based on our feelings of importance. As far as I’m concerned, there is only One that none of us can do without, and that is our Head. Who is our head? Well, Jesus— the rest of us are all on the same level.
Vs. 18: Not realizing that it is God who has created the differences. Isn’t this a great verse? God in His wisdom has placed each of us with the gifts the Spirit has given us and the opportunities the Son has opened for His glory! The diversity with unity is a hallmark of God’s creativity, don’t you realize that?
Vs. 19-20: Everybody has something to contribute, and nobody has everything to contribute. We are interdependent by the design of God to function together in unity with our diversity, all for His glory!

Next week, we will take up the second of the problems—the feeling of superiority!

1 Corinthians 12:21-31

“Solidarity Not Solitary”

I. Intro

On October 31, 1904, a 26-year-old pastor named Evan Roberts encouraged a handful of youth to stay with him late at the church and pray that the Father and Jesus would be revealed more to them through the Holy Spirit. The outcome is what is known as the Welsh revival, and just eight days later, the local newspaper reported that 10,000 people had given their hearts to Jesus. By the end of 1904, the “Welsh Evening Express” reported that the local judge sat alone in his usually packed courtroom, looking around at the empty room with no cases to bring to judgment. He was heard asking the court clerk the reason for the situation, to which the clerk replied, “Revival, Sir!” By May of 1905, 91,508 had given their lives to Christ, bars and sporting events were shut down for lack of interest, and the revival had spread from tiny Moriah Chapel in Loughor, Wales, to around the world!

What prompted Evan to pray was Isaiah 64:1: “Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence.” In light of this verse, he and those students simply prayed, “Bend me, bend us, O Lord!”

Why do I mention this story? Well, it is to show two things from two angles:

What God can do by His Spirit when two or three are gathered in His name with the sole desire to glorify Him! This view is solely from heaven, with all of its unlimited resources. Why, we are told in 2 Chronicles 16:9 that “The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”
Secondly, from our earthly perspective, what to ask for strikes me, or perhaps should I say what not to ask for? The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to make Jesus more visible to us. His gifts are designed for the benefit of others’ view of Him. So? Well, Evan Roberts and that small group of youth simply asked the Holy Spirit to make Jesus and the Father more visible to them personally as well as corporately. The prayer, “Bend me, bend us!” is right on the money as the problem is not God not being visible because He is hidden, rather we need the Holy Spirit’s gifts to bend us to see Him more clearly!

II. Vs. 21-26 Greater Honor

Vs. 21: In the physical realm, the “Eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’” There is within our bodies a marvelous interdependence between our differing body parts. Yet, as Paul mentions within the spiritual body of Christ, this interdependence is often replaced with independence! We all seem to suffer from time to time from two very different extremes, both of which come from our insecurities:

Vs. 15-17 Pity: “They don’t need me.” It was the “foot and ear’s” own evaluation of themselves in light of others that caused them to think of themselves as less important. And what was the antidote to such “self-pity”? Well, Paul told them in verse 18, “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.” Our importance is not based upon human evaluation but rather upon God who has placed us just as He pleased!
Vs. 21-27 Pride: “I don’t need them.” Here it is the “eye and the head” that look out at others and feel superior. And what is the antidote to such an attitude? Well, Paul says in verse 24, “But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it.” There is within our physical bodies a mutual dependence upon the varying parts of our bodies. Our eyes are very thankful for the skull that holds them; otherwise, they would just roll around on the floor and soon become worthless.

There is an amazing thing within many churches and Christians that I must confess that at times I have seen within my own heart—the attitude that I can function without the need of anybody else. This “maverick individualism” is what founded America, from the pioneer explorer to the captains of industry, but I’m afraid that this same self-sufficient attitude has been the ruin of many individuals and churches. The reason for this is that this very attitude is the exact opposite of God’s Word and plan for us and His Church. It is Satan that pushes the attitude that we are “captains of our own fate and masters of our own souls,” not God. It is Satan’s philosophy that says, “God helps those that help themselves!” This maverick individualism that we prize and honor as Americans has led to competitiveness and rivalry within the body of Christ! John Wesley once said, “There is no such thing as a solitary Christian!” No, instead Christians are to function in solidarity, not solitary!

Vs. 22-24: Paul makes two observations about the physical body that the Corinthian Church needed to apply concerning the spiritual body of Christ. Notice the comparison with the above verse as Paul says, “No, much rather.” The physical body would never say to another part of the body, “I have no need of you!”

Vs. 22: “Those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.” Think of this in terms of your “vital organs.” Are they not the most necessary to sustain life? The amazing thing in the physical body is that all the visible parts of our bodies are designed to be protectors of the invisible parts of our bodies. It would be a tragic loss to lose a hand or a toe, but not near as much a loss as losing a lung, kidney, or heart. Have you ever seen what these parts look like? Let’s just say that no one would say, “Wow, good-looking lung!” Yet, if you have trouble breathing, you sure are thankful when your lungs work as God has designed them to. I think that the most vital ministries within the Church are the ones no one sees—they are not visible to everyone else. Those who pray daily for me and my family, those who make sure that everything is clean and ready so that everyone else can enjoy it. The truth is, in some ways, I’m just window dressing protecting what true ministry is at Calvary. Can you ever think of the tongue boasting of its importance apart from recognizing its dependence upon the vocal cords and the lungs for speech?
Vs. 23: “Those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty.” We all have become masters at making our “unpresentable parts” have greater modesty. If this were not so, then the cosmetic manufacturers would be out of business. Men suck in their bellies and puff out their chests all in the attempt to make our less honorable parts have greater honor. The clothing and fashion industry also are a way that we do so, at the same time we realize that our more presentable parts need no help. But when you stop to think about the amount of time and money we spend on our hair compared with that of our hearts, perhaps our vanity has spread to our physical bodies as well.

Vs. 24: God has placed a far different value upon greatness than we have in the world. He in His wisdom has placed (just as in our physical bodies) greater honor upon that which lacks it than the one that seems to get all the notice. Our faces are seen all the time, but not so our hearts. But medical science has shown the value of the unseen heart is far greater than the seen face. Brothers and sisters, when we stand before the reward seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10), there will be some surprises for all of us, as we shall see that God rewards based on faithfulness and obedience and not position and achievements. In our world, we tend to think that success is the reward of our labor, but in the spiritual realm, it is no more an indicator than suffering is, and many times far less!

Vs. 25-26: The purpose within the physical body and the spiritual body as well is that there ought not to be any division. There is a link between these two verses and verse 24, and it seems to suggest that part of God’s honoring will have to do with how well we have treated other parts of His body! Division always leads to alienation, and God would have us with diversity but never being alienated from each other. What is the standard so we will know? Well, Paul tells us that “the members should have the same care for one another.” The same care as what? Well, as they would for themselves! Sound familiar? Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 22:37-40 when He said, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Now just in case there may be a question in the minds of Paul’s readers about what he meant concerning “care for one another,” he defines it for us here in verse 26 as twofold:

“If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it”: In our physical bodies, if one part is injured or hurt, every other member not only hurts with it but does everything they can to keep it from suffering further. In our bodies, the sensation of pain to one member is common to the whole. Now notice that Paul does not say that they “should” suffer with the suffering member, but rather they are so connected that they all do suffer with it. In fact, the different parts of our bodies actually watch out for one another to prevent suffering. Why does it do so? Because the body, though many different members, is actually one body!
“If one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it”: Likewise, Paul continues, if one part experiences something pleasant, all the rest of the body enjoys it as well. Think of that favorite piece of pie that your taste buds shared with the rest of your body. Your eyes enjoyed the pie; your mouth smiled at it; your nose enjoyed the aroma. I mean, every part of your body delighted in what only your taste buds actually enjoyed. Why, even your waistline celebrated! Is that not what we ought to be like as the body of Christ?

III. Vs. 27-31 Greater Gifts

Vs. 27: Collectively we are the body of Christ, though individually we are many members. Yes, we may have different functions and gifts, each given by the Holy Spirit and placed into service by the same Lord, but nonetheless we are mutually dependent upon each other. Paul did not say that it was the duty for each member to care for each other, but that it ought to be their nature to do so as it is with the physical body.

Thus, the placement of this verse with verse 26 would seem to suggest something very interesting. If you were to lose your hand from the rest of your body, your body would not cease thinking and even feeling for its missing hand. But what about the severed hand? Do you think the severed hand has any feeling for the body it has left behind? The answer would be no, because it is dead. Now here is a way we can check our own hearts towards our fellow Christians. You see, if we have a lack of sympathy towards a member of the body of Christ, what does that say about our health in the body? It would suggest to me that I’m not acting as if I’m a part of Christ’s body!

Vs. 28: To this end, then, God has appointed these to the Church. Do you see that? It is not man that appoints, nor seminaries, but rather God that does. All that man can do is recognize what God is doing. As to the order, some see importance while others see a historic order. Either way, we know that this again is not an exhaustive list, and that the office given also must first have the gifting to go with it. If it is the order of importance, as some think, then it would have to be in the realm of what he has already said in verse 24—that those that would seem to have less honor are the ones of greater honor.

First, apostles: Here, these men were those that set out the truth. In the New Testament sense of the word, we have no more apostles. Yet in the meaning of the word, there is the dual idea of those set apart to be sent out. In the general sense, I suppose that would fit those missionaries who have been set apart to be sent out for the truth.
Second, prophets: There are two types of prophecy: “foretelling” and “forth-telling.” In both cases, the idea is to speak forth the heart of God to His people. It is the office of proclaiming the truth to the world.
Third, teachers: Now, not every teacher is a pastor, but every pastor ought to be a teacher. Their gifting and office center around interpreting and communicating the Word of God in a manner as to instruct others in the truth.
After that, miracles: Those so gifted to work in a manner outside the realm of the natural. I suppose many would have placed this office above the others, but it is just another needed function within the body.
Then, gifts of healings: Here Paul speaks of those who were gifted with the ability to heal different ailments that afflict the body.
Helps: The word here in the Greek means “to give relief in any direction.” Those so gifted by the Holy Spirit and placed by Jesus into the body to take the burden off of someone else and place it upon themselves. I don’t think any work of God would make it off the drawing board without these people who function as they do.
Administrations: This is the gift of leadership and is a nautical term that means to steer or pilot a ship. It speaks of one who is so gifted and placed as to steer God’s Church towards its proper destination. Now, most pastors have this gift, but I’m thankful that it is not limited to pastors.
Varieties of tongues: This was the gift that the Corinthians prized as being the highest, but it was for the praise of God, not of themselves.

Vs. 29-30: This is a rhetorical set of questions, with the answer being no to each one. It is plain that Paul is saying that not all speak in tongues, yet there are still some that insist that tongues is “the evidence” of the baptism of the Spirit. Paul’s point is that of verse 11, where he said, “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”

Vs. 31: Paul’s final two statements dealing with unity and diversity in the body of Christ are:

Seek to be useful: “But earnestly desire the best gifts.” Seek to be useful, as the greater gift is the most useful, so seek to be useful. All too often folks think this to mean to seek the more showy gifts, but the idea is that the Holy Spirit’s gifting is for the benefit of others, not of self.
Seek to be loving: “And yet I show you a more excellent way.” In other words, we ought to not only seek to be more useful towards others, but more loving in the way that we are useful! Paul will go into greater detail about “a more excellent way” next week.