1 Corinthians 12 — Now Ye Are the Body of Christ, and Members In Particular
Concerning spiritual gifts, I would not have you ignorant. No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For as the body is one, and hath many members... so also is Christ. By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body. If one member suffer, all the members suffer with it. God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers. Covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
“Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
— 1 Corinthians 12:27
- v.1-11 Diversities of gifts; the same Spirit
- v.12-27 One body, many members
- v.28-31 Offices and gifts in the church
Baptized into one body. The Spirit places every believer in Christ's body at conversion. Membership in the body is not optional.
A check on individualistic Christianity. The Spirit's work makes you part of the church, not just a private believer.
The body's shared experience. The believer's pain is the body's pain; the believer's honor is the body's rejoicing.
A test of authentic membership. If others' suffering does not register, and others' joy does not lift, the integration is not complete.
The body of Christ. Definitional. The church is not like a body; it is His body, the present-day instrument of His action.
Members in particular. Each one has a specific role. No anonymous or interchangeable parts in His body.
Verse 26 measures your integration into the body. When a fellow believer suffers, does it register on you? When one is honored, do you rejoice? If the body's pain or pleasure passes you by, your connection is shallow. Step closer; feel what your members feel.
The church is the body of Christ. Every gift, every member, every diversity, every joy or sorrow flows through Him. The chapter is not abstract sociology; it is Christology — the present-day body through which the risen Lord acts in the world.
A simple test for spiritual claims. Genuine work of the Holy Spirit produces confession of Jesus as Lord.
No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. The confession itself is evidence of the Spirit's work.