"For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many." I Cor. 12:12-14
The church at Corinth was plagued with internal strife, contention and division. (See Ch. 1:10-13, e.g.) This kind of thing, so prevalent in the church from that day to this, and playing into the hands of our adversary the devil, ought not so to be, and churches so characterized are defined in scripture as "carnal," or fleshly as opposed to spiritual. "For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men (Ch. 3:3)?" To how many churches today this tragic charge applies!
In this chapter the Holy Spirit sets before us an illustration designed to correct our thinking and, if taken seriously as the word of God and applied diligently, may correct the error. It is the familiar figure of the uni-versity of the human body. Two basic principles are involved: unity and diversity, harmoniously coexisting in a single entity. That is what God intends for the church, and the church's failure to exhibit it accounts for much of the church's lack of spiritual power and impact in the world from then until now. What the scripture professes the church to be is denied by what the church appears to be to the watching world. The indictment is the same whether applied to the church at large, or to a warring local assembly.
There is but one way to be saved, one way to become a Christian, one way to obtain eternal life, one way to get to heaven; that is through the exercise of personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. When that saving faith is exercised, the Spirit of God unites the believer to Jesus Christ. To follow the terminology of scripture, he is "baptized into one body," the church, which is described as "the body of Christ." Thus all true believers share a common origin, and a common life, just as the various members of our individual human bodies are but diverse elements of our being, together making up the body. A man may have an injured hand, a crooked nose or some other deformity, but they are all still part of the body and and share in it s common life.
The unity of the church is emphasized in various ways in a number of places in the New Testament. The figure here is one of the most graphic, and another occurs in Ephesians, where we read, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, and longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling: One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (Eph. 4:1-6)." Whether we like it or not, there is only one body, and only one true church. Strife and division in the church contradict this truth and stand at odds with the word of God and its authority.
The counterpoint here is that within the one body there is a diversity of members. In the human body there are hands and feet, arms and legs, eyes, nose, ears, tongue, etc. The diversity is essential to the fulfillment of the overall purpose of the body. So in the body of Christ. We are not all alike, and that is in keeping with the divine purpose. Paul illustrates it by remarking on the "diversities of gifts" (v.2, ff.). Differences of spiritual gifts, administration and methods are part of the design for the full function of the body, the church, and must never be the basis for contention within the body of Christ.
To be sure, given the nature of the church in its temporal state, there are occasions when separation is inevitable, if not essential. Not all doctrinal issues can wisely be ignored, when the truth itself is at stake. But, that is not what this epistle, chapter and text are addressing. Here the issues are of a much more carnal nature, and afford no justification for the strife and contention that marred the testimony and masked the true nature of the church. And that is the case with many a church conflict and ultimate division in this present time.
There is a pressing need for believers to turn from 'biting and devouring' one another, to define their issues and then to take them to the word itself with the question, "Do we have a scriptural basis for maintaining our conflict, and if so, what is it?" If the issue is one of mere difference of opinion, or personality conflict, or a matter of pride or historical precedent ("we've always done it this way"), then it might well be buried so that there can be unity and harmony to the glory of God.
Unity and diversity. The body is one (Christ) and has many members, who share alike the birth, life and heavenly destiny won at the cross for all who believe on Him. Both are essential to the realization of the will of God in the church. If we will, we can learn a great deal from the church at Corinth!
Jealous for His glory,
"Pastor" Frasier
The church at Corinth was plagued with internal strife, contention and division. (See Ch. 1:10-13, e.g.) This kind of thing, so prevalent in the church from that day to this, and playing into the hands of our adversary the devil, ought not so to be, and churches so characterized are defined in scripture as "carnal," or fleshly as opposed to spiritual. "For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men (Ch. 3:3)?" To how many churches today this tragic charge applies!
In this chapter the Holy Spirit sets before us an illustration designed to correct our thinking and, if taken seriously as the word of God and applied diligently, may correct the error. It is the familiar figure of the uni-versity of the human body. Two basic principles are involved: unity and diversity, harmoniously coexisting in a single entity. That is what God intends for the church, and the church's failure to exhibit it accounts for much of the church's lack of spiritual power and impact in the world from then until now. What the scripture professes the church to be is denied by what the church appears to be to the watching world. The indictment is the same whether applied to the church at large, or to a warring local assembly.
There is but one way to be saved, one way to become a Christian, one way to obtain eternal life, one way to get to heaven; that is through the exercise of personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. When that saving faith is exercised, the Spirit of God unites the believer to Jesus Christ. To follow the terminology of scripture, he is "baptized into one body," the church, which is described as "the body of Christ." Thus all true believers share a common origin, and a common life, just as the various members of our individual human bodies are but diverse elements of our being, together making up the body. A man may have an injured hand, a crooked nose or some other deformity, but they are all still part of the body and and share in it s common life.
The unity of the church is emphasized in various ways in a number of places in the New Testament. The figure here is one of the most graphic, and another occurs in Ephesians, where we read, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, and longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling: One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (Eph. 4:1-6)." Whether we like it or not, there is only one body, and only one true church. Strife and division in the church contradict this truth and stand at odds with the word of God and its authority.
The counterpoint here is that within the one body there is a diversity of members. In the human body there are hands and feet, arms and legs, eyes, nose, ears, tongue, etc. The diversity is essential to the fulfillment of the overall purpose of the body. So in the body of Christ. We are not all alike, and that is in keeping with the divine purpose. Paul illustrates it by remarking on the "diversities of gifts" (v.2, ff.). Differences of spiritual gifts, administration and methods are part of the design for the full function of the body, the church, and must never be the basis for contention within the body of Christ.
To be sure, given the nature of the church in its temporal state, there are occasions when separation is inevitable, if not essential. Not all doctrinal issues can wisely be ignored, when the truth itself is at stake. But, that is not what this epistle, chapter and text are addressing. Here the issues are of a much more carnal nature, and afford no justification for the strife and contention that marred the testimony and masked the true nature of the church. And that is the case with many a church conflict and ultimate division in this present time.
There is a pressing need for believers to turn from 'biting and devouring' one another, to define their issues and then to take them to the word itself with the question, "Do we have a scriptural basis for maintaining our conflict, and if so, what is it?" If the issue is one of mere difference of opinion, or personality conflict, or a matter of pride or historical precedent ("we've always done it this way"), then it might well be buried so that there can be unity and harmony to the glory of God.
Unity and diversity. The body is one (Christ) and has many members, who share alike the birth, life and heavenly destiny won at the cross for all who believe on Him. Both are essential to the realization of the will of God in the church. If we will, we can learn a great deal from the church at Corinth!
Jealous for His glory,
"Pastor" Frasier
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