Good morning. In 1 Corinthians 12 the apostle Paul deals with a thorny issue in the relatively young church at Corinth. Several difficult issues are dealt with by Paul in the 1st letter to the Corinthians, but the 12 chapter is devoted to questions about spiritual gifts.
It seems that the immature Christians of Corinth had decided that the gifts of the Spirit were not so much poured out to serve and bless the Kingdom of God as they were given to individuals in accordance with what they felt they deserved. Spiritual gifts had become something of an ongoing contest among them, and rather than bringing the Body of Christ together they were just one more thing driving people apart.
To correct the problem, Paul used an interesting metaphor, pointing out that the Body of Christ is connected within itself much as the human body is connected.
He begins his words of correction with the basics: There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7
The gifts are all manifestations, clear revelations of the Holy Spirit. Gifts are poured out by the Spirit for the good of all, to lift up and encourage the entire Body of Christ.
To make this point clearer Paul uses the metaphor that every person in our Lord’s church is like a part of a human body. Like parts of the body, we are never independent of one another. We all need each other, and to be at our best we need every portion and part of the Body of Christ to be at its best. All are valued and all are equally loved.
Paul spells this idea out in some detail: Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be?As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
We all belong to God through Jesus. God has a vision of how each of us fits in, relating to each other as He has decided we should. There is no part or portion that is more important than another. All are vital, all are cared for, all are rejoiced over, all are loved.
In verse 26 Paul shares a truth we all need to consider: If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Yep, we are in it together! We need each other, and praise God who in His wisdom provides for our needs by blessing our friends and loved ones.
Vern