1 Corinthians 12

1 Corinthians 12
1 Corinthians 7:33-8:4 in Papyrus 15, written in the 3rd century.
Book First Epistle to the Corinthians
Bible part New Testament
Order in the Bible part 7
Category Pauline epistles

1 Corinthians 12 is the twelfth chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle and Sosthenes in Ephesus.[1][2] In this chapter, Paul writes about spiritual gifts and the unity of the members of Christ in one body.

Text

Structure

The New King James Version organises this chapter as follows:

The Pulpit Commentary divides the chapter into verses 1-11, "On spiritual gifts in general" and verses 12-31, "The Church compared to a body and its members".[3]

Unity and Diversity in One Body

New King James Version

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. [4]

Paul refers to this image in several letters: Romans 12:4-5, Ephesians 4:11-16 and Colossians 2:19. "It is probable that he was familiar with the image from the fable of Menenius Agrippa, who had used it as a plea for civil unity":[5]

The senate decided, therefore, to send as their spokesman Menenius Agrippa, an eloquent man, and acceptable to the plebs as being himself of plebeian origin. He was admitted into the camp, and it is reported that he simply told them the following fable in primitive and uncouth fashion.
In the days when all the parts of the human body were not as now agreeing together, but each member took its own course and spoke its own speech, the other members, indignant at seeing that everything acquired by their care and labour and ministry went to the stomach, whilst it, undisturbed in the middle of them all, did nothing but enjoy the pleasures provided for it, entered into a conspiracy; the hands were not to bring food to the mouth, the mouth was not to accept it when offered, the teeth were not to masticate it. Whilst, in their resentment, they were anxious to coerce the stomach by starving it, the members themselves wasted away, and the whole body was reduced to the last stage of exhaustion. Then it became evident that the stomach rendered no idle service, and the nourishment it received was no greater than that which it bestowed by returning to all parts of the body this blood by which we live and are strong, equally distributed into the veins, after being matured by the digestion of the food.
By using this comparison, and showing how the internal disaffection amongst the parts of the body resembled the animosity of the plebeians against the patricians, he succeeded in winning over his audience.[6]
  • For as the body is one

That is, a human body; for of this the apostle speaks, and takes a simile, and forms a comparison from, showing the union among saints, and their mutual participation of the various gifts of the Spirit; for a human body is but one body, and not more.[7]

  • And has many members;

as eyes, ears, hands, feet, etc.[7]

  • And all the members of that one body, being many, are one body;

as numerous as they may be, they all belong to, and make up but one body; performing different offices, for which they are naturally fitted for the good of the whole:[7]

  • so also to Christ;

not personal, but mystical; not the head alone, or the members by themselves, but head and members as constituting one body, the church. The church, in union with Christ, the head, is but one general assembly, and church of the firstborn written in heaven, though consisting of the various persons of God's elect, who are closely united one to another, and their head Christ; and therefore are denominated from him, and called by his name; see (Romans 9:3) (Jeremiah 33:16).[7]

A more excellent way

The final verse in this chapter refers to a "more excellent way", the way of love, which Paul sets out in the next chapter.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Halley, Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook: an Abbreviated Bible Commentary, 23rd edition. Zondervan Publishing House. 1962.
  2. ↑ Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012.
  3. ↑ Pulpit Commentary on 1 Corinthians 12, accessed 7 April 2017
  4. ↑ 1 Corinthians 12:12
  5. ↑ Pulpit Commentary on 1 Corinthians 12, accessed 7 April 2017
  6. ↑ Livy 2:32
  7. 1 2 3 4 John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible, - 1 Corinthians 12:12
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