An Exposition of 1Cor. 12-14 - Study 2: The Unity and Diversity in the One Body (12:12-31)

An Exposition of 1Cor. 12-14
Study 2: The Unity and Diversity in the One Body (12:12-31)

a. Recapitulation of 12:1-11: after giving us some necessary reminders (v1-3), the apostle instructs us concerning the diversity (v4-10), the source (v4-7,11), and the purpose (v7) of all spiritual gifts in the church

- These set the issue of the spiritual gifts in their proper and broader context.

- Spiritual gifts are intimately related to the nature of the church. Apostle Paul proceeds to instruct us concerning the nature of the church - with the powerful and familiar metaphor of a human body.

- The human body is a dynamic picture of each local church, the household of God (1Tim 3:15).
- There is unity in diversity; this principle of 'unity in diversity' is most relevant to the issue of spiritual gifts.

## Ignorance of the nature of the NT church is the root cause of many spiritual problems among believers.

1. The One Body
a. Consider this very familiar metaphor - a living and gifted being created by God in His own image.
- See Ps 139:13ff. '... for I am fearfully and wonderfully made...' A human body speaks of the profound truths concerning the church of God as manifested in the local churches. God created man in His image for His own glory. So also for the church – for His own glory through the redemptive work of His Son Jesus Christ.

- A human body is made up of many diverse and living members. The infinitely wise God has formed and composed the human body and set all the members, each one of them, in their proper place in the body.

- None of them can be substituted with dead members. A church must be made up of living members only.

- All its members are alive and actively fulfilling the various functions allotted to them. The body will no longer function normally or at its optimum if any member is not fulfilling its function or is missing.

b. Not a single member is redundant in the body. All have their specific role to play. All are formed and placed in precisely where they are to contribute to the proper and optimal functioning and development and the usefulness of the body. So also the church with believers from all sorts of backgrounds and graces! Eph 4.16.

- A healthy human body always functions in a willing and spontaneous unity. All the diverse parts of the body work together in harmony for the preservation and strengthening of the body and fulfilling the purpose of its existence, to the glory and honour of its Creator. 

- A body whose members do not function in unity will very soon harm and destroys itself, eg. your mouth refusing to eat, or eyes refusing to see, etc. So also with members in a church! What place does it have in your life?

## What condescension of our God and Creator - that He should use something so familiar to instruct us of the basic yet profound truth concerning the church of which believers are members.
## Are you a member of the body, the church? Are you fulfilling your role in the body? How do you view the church - with affection, care, and loyalty, or with indifference and apathy?

2. The Unity of the One Body
a. The basis of this spiritual unity:
- '... for by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body...': It is all by the same gracious work of the one and the same sovereign Spirit upon the diverse individual sinners. The church is made up of such only!

- It is the one and the same Spirit who has regenerated them (Jn 3:3-8), who has applied the benefits of Christ's redemption to ill-deserving sinners, those whom God has given to Christ.

- The Holy Spirit freely applies to them the gift of eternal salvation and works all spiritual fruit in them, including faith. It is the one and the same Holy Spirit who was given to dwell in them to sanctify them, who works in them all spiritual gifts/graces for the edification of the whole body.

- '... for by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body...': The Scripture distinguishes clearly the baptism with the Spirit and the baptism with water, see Mt 3:11, Jn 1:33. 

- Believers are made one body because of the baptism with the Spirit. Without regeneration, no one will ever repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as He is revealed in the Scripture.

- It is not by water baptism as an external rite, but through the baptism with the Holy Spirit that sinners are made true members of the body of Christ - which expresses itself as local churches.

- No matter how diverse they were, by this baptism of the Spirit, all who are baptized with the Spirit are joined into one body, they are intimately and organically united as partaking of the same spiritual life in Christ.

- All those whom God effectually calls, God justifies, regenerates and adopts. For all those whom God justifies, regenerates, and adopts, God also gives the supreme gift, the gift of the promised Holy Spirit to dwell in His adopted children.

- '... For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body...': the Spirit worked in all the diverse individuals so as to constitute all of them into one body. This is the expressed result of the Spirit's activity. The one and the same Spirit dwells in this one body and gives it spiritual life.

- This 'one body of Christ' may refer to the entire invisible church of God's elect in general, or to each local church in particular. Membership with the invisible church through the sovereign activities of God manifests itself with membership in a local (visible) church. ALL individual believers are descr- 'The members should have the same care for one another', v25. Caring for one another is really caring for yourself because you are intimately related to the body. cp Eph 5:28f.

- The love shown is mutual and reciprocal. It does good to all the members of the body. This is so obvious from every activity of the human body. So also in the church. Ignore the body and you end up harming yourself!

- What incentive to love and cherish the body, the church of Christ! You harm one member… you harm the body, etc…

- Beware of the sin of partiality: it is so easy to give undue attention to the prominent parts of our body, eg. face! and ignore the parts that are less prominent. This partiality is then carried into the church!

- Service to any individual member of the body is profitable to the whole body. Don't despise the less prominent members of the body, cp v22.     

- "There should be no division in the body' v25. Spiritual unity in the truth must be maintained at all times. Avoid all causes and causers of division in the body.

- 'One member suffers, all the members suffer with it': don't say it is your own business whatever you do with your life! Your conduct has immediate effects upon all the members of the body. Don't say it is not your business when fellow members suffer spiritual decline... it will affect you who belong to the body.ibed as members of that one church body.

b. The implications of this spiritual unity, positively and negatively:

- Don't say, 'Because I am not a hand...': it is not for a believer to decide what he wants to be in the body. It is God who 'has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.' All can't be eyes - just imagine the monstrosity of such attitude. All crave to possess prominent gifts.

- Don't say, 'I have no need of you...' : each member is in need of all the other members in the church. Only someone not of the body can be so arrogant. Every member is his fellow members' brothers' keeper.

- There must be no unlawful individualism - when self is exalted above the body. Yet there is a lawful individualism. The body is not the member and the member is not the body, v19.

3. The Diversity in the One Body

a. The basis of this diversity in the body: 'But now God has set the members, each of them, in the body just as He pleased... God composed the body...'

- Each member occupies its place in the body as God has seen fit to assign it, and which is most conducive to the good of the whole body. So also the makeup of the membership in the church is entirely determined by the Lord. Nothing is by accident or chance. It is the Lord who saves & adds His people to the church. Imagine a church made entirely of apostles, etc! cp v30 or a body made up entirely of an eye, v19.

## Every member in the body has its place and calling. Each is placed in the church by God's infinite wisdom to make the body complete. Every member in the body is needed - that is why God has put it there!

- The very existence of the body as a living and powerful organism depends on the unity of all its diverse members. So also the church - it requires her diverse members to be united in their respective callings and gifts as members of the one body. The diversity of members and gifts are the manifestations of God's wisdom. Carnal wisdom would want the church to be made up of the rich and elite of the society. But man's wisdom is foolishness. See 1Cor 1:26ff.

b. The implications of this diversity in the body: positively and negatively

- The duty of contentment: an eye must remain to be an eye, etc. Are all pastors? Do all speak with tongues? Don't crave to be what the Lord in His wisdom has not given to you.

- The duty of submission: not all are called to teach and to lead. Few are appointed teachers; others are to be taught. So be willing to learn. Few are appointed to lead and to rule.

- The duty of loyalty to the body: loyalty to the body of Christ is vital. The cause of the body should be supreme to the members of the body. The body has priority over the individual members. Individual members are to edify and build up the body. The body has a prior claim upon the members of the body!

- The duty of individual members is to cultivate and strengthen the gifts present in them.

- Desire the best gifts for the building of the body.

- The sin of envy: the foot wants to be an eye! eg a woman wanting to be an elder or pastor-teacher.

- The sin of pride: parading their gifts and looking down on others with lesser gifts.

- The sin of carnal individuality: no sense of belonging to the body, no love for the body, 'no-need-for-the church' attitude/syndrome. Ever heard of a hand that says that it does not need the body?

An Exposition of 1Cor. 12-14 - Study 1: The Spiritual Gifts (12:1-11)

An Exposition of 1Cor. 12-14
Study 1: The Spiritual Gifts (12:1-11) 

Introduction
a. The church at Corinth: - Corinth was a very idolatrous and pagan city-port :
- a church blessed with spiritual gifts:
- a church with many spiritual problems :
- Apostle Paul wrote to deal with these spiritual problems: 

b. In chapters 12-14, the apostle Paul deals with the matter of spiritual gifts and their exercises in the church.
- a general ignorance of the purpose of the spiritual gifts:
- the abuse of spiritual gifts has caused many problems in the church :

1. Some Necessary Reminders (12:1-3)
a. 'I would not have you ignorant…” I do not want you to remain ignorant...'
- the Corinthian believers are ignorant concerning spiritual gifts; it’s humbling to be reminded of this fact!     
- ignorance of truths is the root cause of many problems in the church, e.g. the abuse of gifts, disorder in worship, etc. The apostle deals with these later. cp. 2Tim 3:16-17
* Knowledge of spiritual matters (gifts) is indispensable... Apostle Paul goes on to instruct them.
* Even believers can be ignorant of many spiritual things. We certainly need to be instructed too.

 b. 'Ye know that ye were Gentiles...'
- their pagan background only makes the situation worse.
- their present spiritual problems are closely related to their pagan past.
- their present conduct (which causes the spiritual chaos in the church in Corinth) is compared to their past conduct when they were led by unclean spiritual forces... which they could not understand nor resist.
* Remember your pagan past... see Rm 12:2. 
* Live as a transformed and informed Christian, with a renewed and sound mind. Be guided by the Scriptures, not our imaginations.

 c. 'Wherefore I give you to understand…”  I want to dispel your ignorance.
- 'to understand' and 'ignorant' are opposites but come from the same root word.
- the criterion for distinguishing the work of the Holy Spirit from that of the unknown unclean spirits of idols:
- Apostle Paul recognizes the need to distinguish the work of the Holy Spirit from the devil's imitation:
* Spiritual activities per se are no real evidence of the Holy Spirit's work. They may be demonic. see 1Jn 4:1.

 d. 'No man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed...'
- 'accursed': this is a rejection of the claims and teachings of Jesus as Lord and Saviour. see. Jn 16:8-15.
- Jesus describes the believers 'My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.'

 e. ' No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost.'
- this is an absolute statement of fact without exception. See Jn 3:1-8
- to say 'Jesus is the Lord' is to acknowledge and believe that He is indeed what and who He claimed Himself to be; the eternal Word made flesh, Son of God who came to save His people from their sins, and make them citizens of His kingdom, and to rule over them as His people. It is to submit to His lordship over us. see Jn 10:27.
* True spirituality is the fruit of the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit in regenerating sinners dead in their sins.
* The genuine work of the Holy Spirit always exalts the Lord Jesus Christ. see Jn 16:13-15.  
*Loyalty n submission to Christ in doctrine and conduct are evidence of true spirituality, not the gifts one may have.

 2. The Diversity of Gifts (12:4-6, 8-10)
a. Many spiritual gifts were given to the church at Corinth
- the diversities of gifts are repeatedly emphasized in v4-6.
- this most basic truth about the spiritual gifts is forgotten by the Corinthian believers. Many became obsessed with one or two spiritual gifts on the one hand and neglecting and despising all the other gifts.
- the gift of tongues is just one among a whole host of spiritual gifts given to the church in Corinth.
* Obsession with the spectacular and 'showy' gifts is common - in some churches as well as in the world!

b. Examples of the rich diversities of spiritual gifts to the church
- nine spiritual gifts are mentioned to prove the point:
- the list is obviously not exhaustive. Many other spiritual gifts are not mentioned. see Rm 12:4-8; 1Cor 12:28.

 c. Apostle Paul is not dividing all the spiritual gifts into three neat categories of charismatoon, diskonioon, and energematoon; but presenting them each and all under three different aspects.
- viewed in relation to the Holy Spirit, they are gifts bestowed by Him; charismatoon.
- viewed in relation to the Lord Jesus Christ, they are ministries for the service of Christ and His church; diskonioon.
- viewed in relation to God the Father, they are operations because of the power of God; energematoon.
* There is that perfect unity in the midst of rich diversities; unity in the source and the purpose of gifts.

3. The Source of the Gifts (12:4-7,11)
a. 'same Spirit... same Lord... same God...'
- All the three persons of the Triune God are actively involved. But why did apostle Paul remind the Corinthian believers of this basic and fundamental truth about the spiritual gifts?  Obsession with spiritual gifts causes a heretical emphasis upon the Holy Spirit. They practically end up worshipping the Holy Spirit only - another form of Unitarianism! see Jn 16:13-15.
- 'it is the same God which worketh all in all...' (v6)
- 'one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will” (v11) The emphasis is upon the Spirit, not the gifts. But the Corinthian believers are carried away by the gifts.
* The doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation to the whole scheme of redemption - in its execution and application as well as in its conception.

b. 'given to every man...', 'through the Spirit...', 'by the same Spirit...', etc
- all these manifolds spiritual gifts are from the same divine source, the Triune God.
- they are all gifts, bestowed by the sovereign grace of God; not earned or merited. To each one who is sovereignly born of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit sovereignly endows with spiritual gifts (and graces too.)
* Therefore, there is no ground for boasting at all. see 1Cor 1:26-31; 4:7.

c. 'dividing to every man severally as he will…'
- All spiritual gifts are distributed sovereignly to each believer (each church too - the church in Corinth were endowed with more spiritual gifts, not because of any merit, but entirely but the sovereign will of God.)
- The Spirit of God sovereignly determines the distribution of spiritual gifts.
* There are presumptuous believers who have the cheeks to demand to be given certain gifts... who insist that every believer must have a certain spiritual gift, e.g. the gift of tongues. Such impudent folks repudiate the Spirit's sovereignty!!
* Therefore, there is no ground for complaint nor ground for boasting. No ground for carelessness or negligence.
* There is neither ground for fatalism because each believer is commanded to 'earnestly desire the best gifts' (12:31) - gifts which are able to build up the whole church.

4. The Purpose of the Spiritual Gifts (12:7)
a. '… to profit withal” - for the profit of all in the church body:
- spiritual gifts, though so rich in diversities and sovereignly distributed, yet they have one common purpose. They are distributed to each believer individually for the profit of all, all the believers in the body, the church.
- this truth of the spiritual gifts is so contrary to the common and popular worldly view of gifts... basically individualistic and selfish to the core, like the ways of the godless unbelievers.
- a popular worldly view of gifts: exclusively for the benefit and gratification of those who possess them.   
- but spiritual gifts are graciously given & sovereignly distributed to the believers by the Holy Spirit are for the profit of all; they are for the edification (literally building up the house) of the spiritual body, the church.
- this must be the guiding principle for the believers, for those who are led and guided by the Holy Spirit.
* Beware of selfishness - abusing the gracious gifts for self-gratification - an unmistakable mark of worldliness!
* The priority is upon the community - individual believers made up the church, the body of Christ.

b. Apostle Paul will elaborate on this central point - 'for the profit of all' - in the rest of chapters 12-14.
- this is the context to understand many other statements in the rest of the chapter. eg 14:2,4,14.
- When Paul says, 'He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself', (14:4a), the apostle is rebuking the selfishness and the lovelessness of such conduct – “thou selfish swine!”
- A gift meant for the profit of all has been abused and squandered for personal edification! It is sin against the Giver of the gift, it is also a sin against the fellow believers for whose benefit the gift was intended. 
- How important it is to interpret Scriptures in their context. Amen.

For he shall save his people from their sins.

For he shall save his people from their sins.

#He_Shall_Save_His_People_From_Their_Sins
https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10219448173730497

Matthew 1
20 ... Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Some observations:

1. That which is conceived:

- That which is conceived DID NOT EXIST before the conception; conception brings into existence that which is conceived; this is plain and obvious; only some somersaults can obfuscate the obvious. 

- what is that which is conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit? It is the Son of God. Before the eternal Word was made flesh (John 1:1,14), there was no Son of God (the dual-natured Divine-human Being), there was the eternal Word (the one-natured Divine Being.)

2. Thou shalt call his name JESUS:

- that specific name is divinely given, aptly descriptive of the office and works of the person named.

- "Jesus" means "Jehovah is salvation." Jesus, the Son of God, the promised Saviour of His people, the God incarnate, the Word made flesh, the God-man, the only Mediator between God and man.

3. He shall save His people:

- His people are those that belong to Him, they are His possession; they were chosen and given to Him by the Father, entrusted to Him to save them.

- His people needed to be saved; they can't save themselves; He shall save all them to the uttermost, all by Himself, without the aid of those needed to be saved; they are completely impotent, and worst, they are in enmity against God.

4. From their sins

- From their sins... not from their poverty, sickness, etc; nevertheless, Christ's religion is capable of elevating the social wellbeing of believers wherever it takes root. Christ's religion inspires industry that delivers His people from poverty, and healthy living that inevitably improve that health.

- the wages of sin is death, the eternal separation from God, the very fountain of all blessings, temporal and eternal.

- To save them from their sins, Jesus stood in their place as their perfect substitute, living the sinless life of perfect obedience to God, and dying in their stead to suffer the wrath of God due to ALL their sins.

- By His righteousness (life of perfect obedience) and blood (atoning death), His people are made accepted in Christ.

- He saves His people to the uttermost, all by Himself; the salvation He has secured, all by Himself, is freely applied to each of His people when they are still dead in trespasses and sins, completely incapable of aiding or assisting in their own salvation.

5. Only after the eternal salvation has been freely applied to them when they were still dead in trespasses and sins, they are capable of obeying the call to believe the gospel of their salvation in Christ Jesus.

The fable of gospel regeneration

 

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10214508823289823

September 4, 2019

#Gospel_Regenerationists
#Lacking_Common_Sense
#NoPreaching_NoNewBirth 

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD..."
This invitation/summon from the LORD assumes that you are capable of reasoning since He has created man in His image, with a rational faculty. Though this rational faculty has been severely darkened by the fall, yet man has not ceased to be a rational being.

Moreover, in the effectual calling of His elect out of their native state of sin and death to that state of grace and salvation in Jesus Christ, He has renewed their mind. This enables God's children to discern the things of the Spirit of God.

1Cor 2:14 "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

Sadly, God's children can be very woolly because they are too lazy to gird up the loin of their minds. Only foolish folks think that there is virtue in being woolly.

1Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

mind - διάνοια (dianoia) [G1271] a faculty of understanding, way of thinking, and feeling

Now, let's consider this passage where Christ SOLEMNLY (that's why the repeated "verily, verily" are there for!) about the new birth and seeing the kingdom of God.

John 3: 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 
The purpose of preaching the gospel is to bring the hearers to see/perceive the kingdom of God, and to CONVERT him to the truth, is it not?

Christ said, categorically and without any exception, except a man has been born again, all your preaching will fail in its purpose, to bring a man to see the kingdom of God in Jesus Christ. The preaching of the gospel will only serve and attain its purpose, i.e. to bring a man to see the kingdom of God, with those whom the Spirit of God has freely and sovereignly born again, i.e. prior to your preaching of the word.

And it is common sense, is it not, that seeing the kingdom of God, i.e. perceiving the truth concerning the kingdom of God IS PRIOR TO and a PREREQUISITE to entering the kingdom of God? Perceiving the gospel truth concerning the kingdom of God is NECESSARY to believing and receiving the gospel truth, i.e. entering the kingdom of God.

Still don't understand? Let me make it even simpler.
Your kindest act of bringing a jug of nutritious milk is useless and irrelevant to a dead man; in fact, it is an injurious insult and cruel mockery to the dead; besides, it shows that you are just plain stupid, i.e. lacking common sense, woolly.

However, your bringing a jug of nutritious milk becomes useful and relevant if the dead man has been made alive (i.e. made alive WITHOUT your aid whatsoever, but many are stupid (lacking common sense) enough to insist otherwise, i.e. they actually helped and assisted in bringing the dead to life.

A man who has been made alive has the ability to perceive the jug of nutritious milk brought by you, and because his renewed mind is able to process the information, he would drink the milk.

- 1Pe 2:2 "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby."

Supposing you don't agree that the purpose of evangelism is to bring someone whom the Spirit of God has born again to see the kingdom of God, then what's is the purpose of your preaching the gospel?

Many insist that their preaching is THE CATALYST to help the Spirit to regenerate those who are still dead in trespasses and sin. These are called gospel regenerationists, i.e. they teach that the sovereign almighty Spirit of God requires the cooperation of man's work of preaching in His work of regenerating the spiritually dead sinners.

If that be the case, then you better alter the words of Christ to reflect your opinion accurately, i.e., "Except there be preaching of the gospel, a man cannot be born again."

Then I say, "God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar." There have always been teachers of falsehood and fables in the churches in every generation. They are teachers but teachers of falsehood and fables.

(just finished nibbling my one dried fig!)

The work of a gospel preacher beautifully stated

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people...
To give light to them that sit in darkness...
To guide their feet into the way of peace. 

The work of a gospel preacher beautifully stated... 

 76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us.
79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. --- Luke 1

1. To give knowledge of salvation unto His people... not the information of how to get saved, but informing them the truth of their salvation by God's grace. 
- Knowledge of salvation can only be given to those already spiritually alive! Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. 
- Such knowledge is foolishness to the spiritually dead!

2. To give light to them that sit in darkness... light to expel the darkness of ignorance, and superstition and bondage to errors. 
- Only the living can be enlightened with the truth. The dead needs to be quickened!
- No one gives light to the dead... the dead needs no light!

3. To guide their feet into the way of peace... to know that God has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and to believe it is to enter into the way of peace with rut Father. 
- Again, only the living can be guided into the way of peace. The dead can't be guided; they need to be born by God. 

Their salvation is by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us.

And please note, "HATH VISITED US" ... not "will visit us" if or when we believe! The good news is what God HAS DONE to save us... it is not an offer of what God will do if/when we meet some conditions.