1 Corinthians 12:7-21
v. 7: He says, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good”(1 Corinthians 12:7 a). God gives spiritual gifts to help the whole church, not just for the benefit of the person who receives them. Gifts are for serving others and building up the church (Philippians 4:17 b). v. 8-10: Paul gives examples: “To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith... to another gifts of healing... to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues”(1 Corinthians 12:8-10 c). God gives each believer different gifts. Some have wisdom or knowledge, others have strong faith, some can heal, some can do miracles, some can prophesy, some can tell true from false teachers, and some can speak or interpret different languages. These special gifts helped the early church grow and stay strong. – – v. 11: Paul finishes this section by saying, “All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills”(1 Corinthians 12:11 d). The Holy Spirit chooses who gets which gift. It is not about what we want, but what God knows is best. All gifts are for helping others and serving God’s plan. Union RecommendedIn this section, Paul uses the example of a human body to explain how every Christian is important in the church. Each believer is like a part of the body, with a different role or gift, but all work together as one. Paul wants the Corinthians to see that unity and cooperation are necessary, even though everyone is different and has different gifts.v. 12-13: Paul says, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit”(1 Corinthians 12:12-13 e). He explains that the church is like a body with many parts, but all the parts belong to one body. It does not matter where someone comes from or their background; all are part of Christ’s body by the Holy Spirit. Baptism shows this new unity, and the Spirit gives life to all believers. – v. 14-16: He continues, “For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body”(1 Corinthians 12:14-16 f). Paul reminds them that even if some members feel less important, everyone is still needed. Every part has its own role, and even those with less obvious gifts still belong to the body of Christ. – – v. 17-20: Paul asks, “If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?... But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body”(1 Corinthians 12:17-20 g). Paul shows that God made each part different on purpose. If everyone was the same, the body would not work. Diversity is important for the health and beauty of the church. – – – v. 21-22: He adds, “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.’ On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable”(1 Corinthians 12:21-22 h). No one should think they are better than others or that others are not needed. Even members who seem weak or unimportant are necessary for the whole body.
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