1Cor 12:25 | KingComments | STEP | . Division in the body is one of the worst things that can happen. You have learnt that this can be caused by laziness, also by jealousy, and also by pride. It is as if God has taken that into consideration. He gives more honor to the members of the body who do not attract attention than the members who do. God operates differently than we often do. We often look on the outward appearance and what is impressive, but with God that is not the case. Therefore we ought to look at the gifts with the eyes of God. When God gives more honor to those who (in our eyes) have smaller gifts it would be good if we do that too. That is not to belittle the greater gifts, but that there should be no division in the body. By giving the greater gifts more honor – and how easily that happens – the balance in the body gets lost. You find that explicitly in many parts of professing Christianity, where all gifts seem to be concentrated in one person. He is the one who prays, the one who addresses the ‘church’, who leads the service of the Supper, who proclaims the gospel, who gives pastoral care to the flock. But even within denominations where there is not a ‘one-man-service’, where there is freedom in practicing the gifts, there is a great danger that the believers put their trust in the ones who have ‘greater’ gifts. God’s purpose is that all members have the same care for one another. So it is about what you can do for another. . How much the members are connected with one another, is shown in this verse. What is written here is not an order for the members to suffer with one another or to rejoice with one another. It is not something they should do, but it is something that happens. What is written here is a fact. Just compare it to your own body. If someone gives you a big kick to the shin, your whole body suffers from it. Therefore when one member of the church cannot function, it affects the whole church. The reason why a member is not able to function can be very different. A member who is involved with a church where all the gifts are assumed to be present in only one person, the clergyman or the pastor, has no room to develop in his function because of the church doctrine. Neither a church member, who had to be disciplined because of sin, can practice his function. In both cases all other members of the church are affected because they lack the practical effect of that function. Conversely the fact is that if a member of a church takes the right place and functions rightly, all members rejoice in that. If you exercise your function, despite your feelings of weakness, then that is truly a joy for all members of the body. You see how closely the members of the church are connected with one another. Keep that in mind in everything you do. Everything you do, affects the other members of the body. The good things you do, edifies the church. The wrong things you do, has a negative impact on the church. . Then something important follows. To all the members of the church at Corinth Paul says: ”Now you are Christ’s body.” Before I clarify the importance of this verse to you, I need to tell you some other things about the body of Christ first. The body of Christ can be examined from different angles. First, through the ages. The body of Christ came into existence on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out. This event is described in Acts 2. In our chapter, , this event is referred to. Everyone who has converted to God and has accepted the Lord Jesus since the day of Pentecost belongs to the church. In this light the church is not complete yet, for happily it happens that daily people convert to God and are added to the church. The church is only complete when the Lord Jesus comes to take the believers to Himself. You can read about that event in 1 Thessalonians 4 ( ). Second, you can see the church as it is at this moment on earth. In that way the church comprises all the believers who are still alive at this moment and who are, so to speak, actively a part of the church. This way of describing the church you can read in Ephesians 4 ( ). Third, the body of Christ is also used to indicate the church as a whole of all believers in a certain city. That is the way it is used in our verse. The church at Corinth is addressed like that, in spite of many things that were not good. What is meant here by the expression “Christ’s body”, is, as it is sometimes said, the local reflection of the worldwide or universal church. A local church is a kind of miniature of the whole. What applies to the whole church on earth becomes visible in the local church. The division, at the moment that Paul wrote this, was not that great as we are dealing with today. Nevertheless this verse gives an important indication which applies for our time as well. It actually indicates that there is a church in every place where believers live. Unfortunately, due to divisions that is often not visible at all on the outside. Yet, just as at Corinth, nowadays it can become visible too. Even if there are only two or three believers at a certain place who do want to gather as nothing more and nothing less than as members of the body, they form the ‘miniature’ body. It is not their purpose to be a new denomination next to the other denominations, but they simply take what Paul says here as a starting point for their gatherings. If all Christians would do that, then division would soon be finished. . Do the believers, who gather like that, have all the gifts that are mentioned in this ? No, certainly not. Due to divisions the gifts are also scattered. But God surely gives what’s needed, even when there are only two or three believers who truly want to express what the body of Christ is. I say this consciously: ‘want to express’, to prevent the misconception that all other believers would not belong to the body of Christ. They are certainly included, but the point is that it ought to be expressed also. The gifts mentioned, are gifts that God has given to the whole church. If you look carefully at the order in which the gifts are summarized, it seems to me that they are summarized according to the measure of importance that they have for the edification of the church. . The questions that Paul is asking about the gifts emphasize once more that the gifts are not all united in one member or that all members have the same gift. In this case the questions give the answers at the same time. Of course not all are apostles, not all are prophets, etcetera. Each member has his own gift, but each is encouraged to strive using the gift optimally. To possess the gift is one thing, to really practice the gift and that in the best way, is another thing. . If you look at your gift like that and you want to practice it with all your strength, you will discover in the next chapter “a still more excellent way”, namely, the way of love. Now read 1 Corinthians 12:24-31 again. Reflection: How do you experience the suffering and the joy of ?

‏ 1 Corinthians 12:25

God Composed the Body

1Cor 12:24-25. Division in the body is one of the worst things that can happen. You have learnt that this can be caused by laziness, also by jealousy, and also by pride. It is as if God has taken that into consideration. He gives more honor to the members of the body who do not attract attention than the members who do. God operates differently than we often do. We often look on the outward appearance and what is impressive, but with God that is not the case. Therefore we ought to look at the gifts with the eyes of God.

When God gives more honor to those who (in our eyes) have smaller gifts it would be good if we do that too. That is not to belittle the greater gifts, but that there should be no division in the body. By giving the greater gifts more honor – and how easily that happens – the balance in the body gets lost.

You find that explicitly in many parts of professing Christianity, where all gifts seem to be concentrated in one person. He is the one who prays, the one who addresses the ‘church’, who leads the service of the Supper, who proclaims the gospel, who gives pastoral care to the flock. But even within denominations where there is not a ‘one-man-service’, where there is freedom in practicing the gifts, there is a great danger that the believers put their trust in the ones who have ‘greater’ gifts.

God’s purpose is that all members have the same care for one another. So it is about what you can do for another.

1Cor 12:26. How much the members are connected with one another, is shown in this verse. What is written here is not an order for the members to suffer with one another or to rejoice with one another. It is not something they should do, but it is something that happens. What is written here is a fact. Just compare it to your own body. If someone gives you a big kick to the shin, your whole body suffers from it. Therefore when one member of the church cannot function, it affects the whole church.

The reason why a member is not able to function can be very different. A member who is involved with a church where all the gifts are assumed to be present in only one person, the clergyman or the pastor, has no room to develop in his function because of the church doctrine. Neither a church member, who had to be disciplined because of sin, can practice his function. In both cases all other members of the church are affected because they lack the practical effect of that function.

Conversely the fact is that if a member of a church takes the right place and functions rightly, all members rejoice in that. If you exercise your function, despite your feelings of weakness, then that is truly a joy for all members of the body.

You see how closely the members of the church are connected with one another. Keep that in mind in everything you do. Everything you do, affects the other members of the body. The good things you do, edifies the church. The wrong things you do, has a negative impact on the church.

1Cor 12:27. Then something important follows. To all the members of the church at Corinth Paul says: ”Now you are Christ’s body.” Before I clarify the importance of this verse to you, I need to tell you some other things about the body of Christ first. The body of Christ can be examined from different angles.

First, through the ages. The body of Christ came into existence on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out. This event is described in Acts 2. In our chapter, 1Cor 12:13, this event is referred to. Everyone who has converted to God and has accepted the Lord Jesus since the day of Pentecost belongs to the church. In this light the church is not complete yet, for happily it happens that daily people convert to God and are added to the church. The church is only complete when the Lord Jesus comes to take the believers to Himself. You can read about that event in 1 Thessalonians 4 (1Thes 4:15-18).

Second, you can see the church as it is at this moment on earth. In that way the church comprises all the believers who are still alive at this moment and who are, so to speak, actively a part of the church. This way of describing the church you can read in Ephesians 4 (Eph 4:16).

Third, the body of Christ is also used to indicate the church as a whole of all believers in a certain city. That is the way it is used in our verse. The church at Corinth is addressed like that, in spite of many things that were not good. What is meant here by the expression “Christ’s body”, is, as it is sometimes said, the local reflection of the worldwide or universal church. A local church is a kind of miniature of the whole. What applies to the whole church on earth becomes visible in the local church.

The division, at the moment that Paul wrote this, was not that great as we are dealing with today. Nevertheless this verse gives an important indication which applies for our time as well. It actually indicates that there is a church in every place where believers live. Unfortunately, due to divisions that is often not visible at all on the outside. Yet, just as at Corinth, nowadays it can become visible too.

Even if there are only two or three believers at a certain place who do want to gather as nothing more and nothing less than as members of the body, they form the ‘miniature’ body. It is not their purpose to be a new denomination next to the other denominations, but they simply take what Paul says here as a starting point for their gatherings. If all Christians would do that, then division would soon be finished.

1Cor 12:28. Do the believers, who gather like that, have all the gifts that are mentioned in this 1Cor 12:28? No, certainly not. Due to divisions the gifts are also scattered. But God surely gives what’s needed, even when there are only two or three believers who truly want to express what the body of Christ is. I say this consciously: ‘want to express’, to prevent the misconception that all other believers would not belong to the body of Christ. They are certainly included, but the point is that it ought to be expressed also.

The gifts mentioned, are gifts that God has given to the whole church. If you look carefully at the order in which the gifts are summarized, it seems to me that they are summarized according to the measure of importance that they have for the edification of the church.

1Cor 12:29-30. The questions that Paul is asking about the gifts emphasize once more that the gifts are not all united in one member or that all members have the same gift. In this case the questions give the answers at the same time. Of course not all are apostles, not all are prophets, etcetera. Each member has his own gift, but each is encouraged to strive using the gift optimally. To possess the gift is one thing, to really practice the gift and that in the best way, is another thing.

1Cor 12:31. If you look at your gift like that and you want to practice it with all your strength, you will discover in the next chapter “a still more excellent way”, namely, the way of love.

Now read 1 Corinthians 12:24-31 again.

Reflection: How do you experience the suffering and the joy of 1Cor 12:26?