Be The Body
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Throughout this letter, Paul responds to issues that divide the Corinthians. He hopes to bring some order to the chaotic and self-centered worship practices of the church so that the whole community can be made stronger. In this chapter, he addresses issues around which some in the church claim superiority over other members of the congregation. Evidently some Corinthian Christians had a tendency to flashy displays of spirituality.
Before their conversion, the Corinthian Christians could get swept up in the trendiest pagan temple ceremonies. The spirit of the moment would lead them to get carried away. Paul reminds them that all actions of the Holy Spirit lead to the confession that Jesus is Lord. He carries this further using the analogy between the body of Christ and the church. It was a common theme in the ancient world to compare human society to the body. It was used to encourage subordinate classes “to stay in their place” in the social order.
Paul takes it in a different direction. He emphasizes that diversity strengthens the body and highlights the interdependence among all members. Paul is trying to remind the more privileged members of the community to value the contributions of all members of the community. Paul’s teaching seems to rely on Jesus’ teaching that the last will become first and the first will be last. The privileged of Corinth diminish the contributions of others at their own peril.
The church at Corinth was formed around the year 50, about 20 years after Jesus’ crucifixion and perhaps about 17 years after Paul’s experience of transformation on the road to Damascus. The congregation was apparently quite diverse consisting of people of mostly Gentile (non-Jewish) backgrounds but coming from a variety of religious traditions, ethnicities, genders, and economic status. The Corinthian church is a divided community. It is divided along religious, ethnic, gender, and economic lines.
Paul, along with Priscilla and Aquila, founded the church in Corinth. He remained with the Christians there for about 18 months. Sometime between 53 and 54 of the Common Era, Paul wrote what we call 1 Corinthians. He offers practical, theological responses to a series of questions asked by the Corinthian Christians (Cf. 1 Cor 7:1). In this letter among the 4 that Paul may have written to the community (Cf. 1 Cor 5:9), he lifts up the proper life lived according to the gospel in the first 4 chapters, then defines the nature of the Christian community in chapters 5 and 6. In the remaining chapters (7-14), Paul addresses the particular questions asked by the Corinthians.
He responds to issues that divide the Corinthians. In particular, he addresses issues around which some in the church claim superiority over other members of the congregation.
Questions for Further Reflection:
When you think of yourself as a member of Christ himself, what comes to mind?
How does thinking of other Christians as members of Christ himself affect the way you see them?
What sorts of "body parts" in the church do Christians tend to regard as more important than others? What roles or services in the church do I consider “more important” than others?
How can Christians be connected not only with members of their local fellowship but with Christians around the globe?
Why has God combined the members of the body to function together?