chapter, have jumped to the conclusion that this too must refer to the one Body of Ephesians and by so doing

confuse that which Scripture keeps apart. The opening statement of 1 Corinthians 12 makes it clear that the apostle

is speaking, not of the Church which is the Body of Christ, but of "spiritual gifts", which are enumerated in verses

4-11 and again in verse 28. These are not "words which man's wisdom teacheth, but the words which the Holy

Ghost teacheth" (1 Cor. 2:13); against which there is no appeal. It was the apostle's intention that the Corinthians

should learn something about "spiritual gifts". We have no warrant to revise that intention. The first thing that the

apostle does is to divide his subject into two categories, the TRUE and the FALSE (1 Cor. 12:2,3) even as John does in

his first epistle (1 John 4:1-3) but he is not thinking of true or false "bodies" but spiritual gifts. Having settled that

important matter, he treats of TRUE spiritual gifts in the remainder of the chapter, his theme and treatment being

easily exhibited thus:

A 4-11.

Diversity in unity.

B 12-27.

This diversity in unity illustrated by the human body.

Diversity in unity.

While all the true gifts possessed by the Church were of God, they differed in degree, in manifestation, and in

usefulness. Nevertheless the apostle is at pains to insist:

"Now there are DIVERSITIES of gifts, but the SAME spirit" (1 Cor. 12:4).

These he enlarges in the next few verses:

A 4-.

There are diversities of gifts

B -4.

But the SAME Spirit.

A 5-.

There are diversities of administrations

B -5.

But the SAME Lord.

A 6-.

There are diversities of operations

B -6.

But the SAME God.

Then follow nine diverse manifestations of the Spirit - The word of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles,

prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues.

"But all these worketh that

and the

Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will" (1 Cor.

The illustration of the human body, with its many members all working harmoniously together now follows,

introduced with the word kathaper "just as", "so also is the Christ" (1 Cor. 12:12). If these words mean "the

church" we should be able to substitute them for the actual words employed by the apostle, and still make sense. Let

us try:

"For as the CHURCH is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that CHURCH, being many, are One

CHURCH, so also is the CHRIST".

This is not very illuminating certainly, but all is clear if the "body" is seen as an illustration of the sovereign

distribution of miraculous gifts.

"The Christ" here, is a title of the church which had received this "anointing". "Ye have an anointing" (1 John

"Now He that confirmeth us (i.e. by miraculous gifts 1 Cor. 1:6,7; Heb. 2:3,4) with you in the

ANOINTED

hath ANOINTED US, is God" (2 Cor. 1:21)

This is what the apostle was teaching in 1 Corinthians 12:12. The disposition of the subject matter is therefore as

follows:

A The Body. Illustration - One, yet many members.

B The Anointed