Day By Day - 1 Corinthians 12

By Tom Mitchell

Personal Thoughts:
Chapter 12 begins with Paul expressing his desire for the church at Corinth not to be ignorant about his teachings of the Spiritual gifts. He goes on to describe the different types of gifts from the Holy Spirit.

Paul continues with the analogy of the Church being one body with many parts and how we are all interconnected, and that is to God Himself. Paul concludes the chapter illustrating that every part of the body has a function and is an integral part of the whole unit.

Point 1:
Verse 1 says, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant.”
 I want us to focus for a moment on the word 'ignorant'. It means the lack of knowledge or education in a specific subject or to be unaware of something. I think Paul used the word 'ignorant' to highlight the significance and the importance for the church to be aware and know the different gifts of the spirit.

Paul highlights the importance of not being ignorant of the spiritual gifts from his statement in verse 2, “For as Gentiles they had been misled by dumb idols.”  It is very clear that Paul wanted the church at Corinth to grasp what he was talking about very quickly. What better way to do that by getting them to reflect on how they were easily led by insignificant "dumb idols.”

We still see in today’s society that people are constantly being led astray by 'dumb idols'. This is not only a fact for those who don’t know Jesus but unfortunately we also see it within the body of Christ.
Paul continues his teaching in verses 8-10 with detailing the different spiritual gifts for the benefit of the church.

Point 2:
From verses 12- 26, Paul talks about the church as being one body made up of different or many parts. Out of all the possible illustrations Paul could have used, he chose to talk about the human body.

At a glance when we look at the human body we are instantly aware of the head, feet, legs, arms, eyes, nose, mouth, hands and fingers. The same can be said of what people see when they go to church. They may see the Pastor, musicians and a few other people helping out. But we all know that there is more than that that meets the eye.

Just as a matter of interest there are 78 organs and 11 systems in the human body. Whilst investigating these facts I came across this statement:
“The 11 organ systems of the body are the integumentary, muscular, skeletal, nervous, circulatory, lymphatic, respiratory, endocrine, urinary/excretory, reproductive and digestive. Although each of your 11 organ systems has a unique function, each organ system also depends, directly or indirectly, on all the others.”

Wow! I think they must have modelled this statement on how Paul was describing the importance of each person within the body of Christ. If one part is not functioning as it was made to then the whole body suffers. That small statement encapsulates exactly what Paul is talking about in these verses. Many parts - one body.

Point 3:
The chapter closes with Paul pointing out that not all serve the same function nor have the same gifts. He is encouraging them to earnestly desire the best gifts which are discussed in Chapter 13.  The gifts that Paul has been talking about are: Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, Miracle Workers, Helpers, Healers, Organisers and those who pray in tongues.

It should be noted here that whilst each gift is important in itself, it is no more important than another. As with the illustration of the body, each gift needs the whole body to function alongside it to fulfil its God given potential.

As far as our gifting’s are concerned there is no place for competition within the church. Romans 12:3 makes this very clear, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith."

Supporting and enabling every member of the body of Christ should be our ultimate goal. After all, Jesus said in John 5:19, “I only do what I see the Father do.”

Final Thoughts:
Paul makes it very clear that it is our responsibility to ensure that we are fully aware of the Spiritual Gifts. God has designed the body to be one, and its members to have mutual concern for each other. Paul also makes it very clear that each gift is just as important as another.

Through the grace of God we all have been given different gifts. It is up to us to ensure that we nurture and grow into them. Take this away today and meditate on it. It will encourage you. Verse 27 says,
                          “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”