Articles
One Body - 1 Cor 12
One Body - 1 Cor 12
The beginning of the church in Corinth is recorded in Acts 18:8: "many of the Corinthians hearing, believed, and were baptized". They thus were added together to be the body of Christ. As in Acts 2, these believers joined together with each other and were the church of God in Corinth. As Paul writes about them in 1 Cor. 12, he refers to "the body" 19 times. He writes of it as THE body. He writes that there is ONE body (13, 20).
"You (plural) are the body of Christ and individually members of it" (27). As members of this one body, each member should "have the same care for one another" (25). Though there are many members, they are ONE body (20). As members of this one body, if one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together (26).
This oneness of the body is of the Lord. That makes it so tragic when there is division, ill-will, and strife between the members. Such division displays the yet carnal nature of the members (1 Cor. 3:2-3).
Does this describe the congregation you are part of? You cannot control how others think or behave, but you DO control yourself. How do you relate to this body of believers?
Hugh DeLong
