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BODY (which is characterized by the absence of all signs and evidential miracles), but
that Church which was composed of supernaturally-gifted believers. The argument of the
apostle is, therefore, that the gifts are to be looked upon as so many different members of
one body, each gift is necessary to the perfect functioning of the whole, the more
ostentatious gifts, such as speaking with tongues, being no more important than the less
obtrusive ones. Whatever gift had been given to any individual was to be held and used
for the edifying of the whole company.
This unity is the baptism of the one Spirit, Who baptized all these believers into one
body (verse 13), and the remaining verses take up the thought of the diversity of gifts and
the unity of their origin by a more detailed reference to a human body. Following on
therefore from the teaching of verse 12 the apostle says:--
"For by one Spirit are we all baptized in one body, whether we be Jews or Greeks,
whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit, for the body
is not one member, but many."
Many seize upon these words as though they were a revelation of the mystery of the
One Body, which had been hidden since the ages. Such have only to read chapter 10: 1-4
to see the reference back to Exodus:--
"All our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all
baptized unto Moses, in the cloud and in the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual meat,
and did all drink the same spiritual drink."
Returning to I Cor. 12: let us notice the "one body" as the apostle details it. "If the
foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the
body?" Here is clearly a resumption of the argument of verses 7-12, "if the ear shall say,
Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it not therefore of the body?" Here,
members of the head are introduced, which cannot possibly be true of the Church of the
One Body, for the Head of that Body is Christ Himself. The next verse is directed
against the spiritual pride of those who possessed some more apparent gift than others,
"If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing?" "but now God hath set the
members every one of them in the body as it hath pleased Him." With this verse read
verses 27, 28:--
"Now ye are a body of Christ, and members in part, and God hath set some in the
Church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers (these are the members like
the eye or the ear), after that miracles, the gift of healings, helps, governments, diversity
of tongues."
Coming back to verse 18 we observe the continuation of the argument, "and if they
were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet one
body". The argument is pursued even to speaking of "uncomely parts", which certainly
can find no place in "the Church which is His Body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in
all". Chapter 13: is the more excellent way, and chapter 14: resumes the theme of the
gifts. Here the apostle dwells upon the useful gifts, and "edifying" is a key word,
"forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of
the Church" (verse 12).