The Apostle Paul's correspondence with the church in Corinth in ancient Greece in the first century is especially meaningful to us as Christians today similar to the situation of the Christians then they were like us in a sense that they lived in a community that struggled to Define its identity as the Church of God in a complex and urban sophisticated setting the Christians in ancient Corinth faced questions of how to live in Holiness and freedom within the structure of a social World whose cultural social moral ideologies values practice say were challengingly different from those of Torah as taught by the Apostle Paul and his co-workers so as a result of their cultural environment and Society the church members in Corinth had class issues they had issues of the rich and the poor the aristocrats and the commoners the educated and the non-educated the free and the slaves men and women Jew and Greek and these social divisions and factions were so powerful in their culture that they even showed enthusiasm for the powers of the spirit which infected some in the community with a form of spiritual elitism which played into their class issues this led to judging one another as to the value of different spiritual gifts and some believing because of the particular spiritual gift they received that they were somehow more spiritually mature more spiritual and better than others in the congregation and some even believe they had already entered into the life of Glory now and needed nothing in the future thank you very much now Paul sought to remedy this situation in Corinth and this is going to lead us into the prayer that we're going to be discussing today from the book of First Corinthians but as we read Paul's teaching and instructions to the church congregation Corinth we should keep in mind that he is speaking to a particular congregation with a particular problem at a particular location at a particular time in history however Paul's instructions do have a General application to all Christians at all times including us today that's one important reason that the church has canonized and preserved this writing down through the centuries it speaks to all of us in all times in all places in all cultures.
1 Corinthians 12:12-31 in the Body of Christ Unity and diversity in the Body of Christ
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts forms one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.
And yet I will show you the most excellent way.
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