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Who Is The Greatest - 1Cor. 12
Who Is The Greatest - 1Cor. 12
Like the apostles before us, we continue a ‘bad tradition’ of wanting to be the greatest among the brethren (cp. Matt. 18:1; Mark 9:34; etc.). Like the Pharisees, we often want to be given the chief seats and to be acknowledged as ‘the rabbi’ (Matt. 23:6-7). We still need the repeated lessons of Jesus and the apostles: greatest is he that serves (Matt. 23:11).
Here in 1Cor. 12, the church is compared to ‘a body’. There are many members but ONE body. We are all parts of the one body, but we are each just ONE part.
- Though we be many, we are ONE body (vs. 12).
- By one Spirit we were baptized into one body (vs. 13).
- God has placed the members, each one of them, in THE body (vs. 18).
- Now there are many members, but ONE body (vs. 20).
Paul made application of this illustration by stating that the truth is “that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked” (1 Corinthians 12:22-24).
Again we see that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways! Again we see that God’s perspective is ‘upside down’ and ‘backwards’ when compared to our thinking! (We are the ones that are wrong on this!)
Does 1Cor. 12 really describe you? Do you bestow more abundant honor on the ‘less presentable members’? Do you give more abundant honor to that member which lacked?
Hugh DeLong
