1 Corinthians 12:12-31
About the Text
(12) Why is Christ compared to a "body"? Because God mysteriously calls the gathering of believers the "body of Christ," the church. See v. 27, Eph. 5:23, and Rom. 12:5. Therefore, the writer, Paul, sets up the physical human body as an analogy to describe the church, the "body of Christ."
(13) What does it mean to be "baptized by the Spirit"? It means to be given the Holy Spirit when one becomes a true believer. In Acts 19:1-7 and 10:44-46, God gave the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who believed. In 1 Cor. 2:12-14, people in fact cannot understand the gospel of Jesus Christ unless they have been first enabled by the Spirit. Some Christians today believe that the "baptism of the Holy Spirit" is an event in a Christian's life that is separate and distinct from the time he first becomes a believer. In other words, a person first becomes a believer and is baptized in water, then perhaps months or years later, he reaches the next level in his Christian growth by being "baptized with the Spirit." At this level, he speaks in tongues and his ability to serve God and live a Christ-like life is suddenly boosted. But according to this verse, true Christians have already been baptized with the Spirit at the time they became believers. Note how Paul refers to all of the Corinthians as having been baptized by the Spirit. Of course, the view that all Christians have already been baptized by the Spirit does not eliminate our need to seek more of the Spirit. Although all believers have started with the Spirit, we should continually seek a greater "filling of the Spirit," longing for God to empower us to do extraordinary works for Him.
(22) What "weaker" parts of the body is Paul referring to? He is probably referring to internal bodily organs such as the liver, gall bladder, and the intestines. These parts of the body do not exert strength as a leg muscle would, but they are more vital to the body than the muscle. Without these internal organs, the body cannot live. In the same way, there are people in the church who work in the background, away from the spotlight, and receive little or no recognition. Yet they are often the most indispensable to the church.
(23) What are the "unpresentable" parts? Paul is referring to the genitals. While some cover these organs out of shame, Paul says we should cover them out of honor for them. Because God created the human body, all body parts are "good," even our sex organs.
(28) What does it mean that God appointed apostles "first," and prophets "second"? In establishing the early church, Christ first sent out His apostles, who preached the message of salvation until a gathering of believers could be formed. An example of this is Paul, who won many converts, and started churches for them, but never stayed in any church for more than a couple of years. He even mentions in the first chapter of this letter that he rarely ever baptized others. He left that job up to Apollos. Secondly, Christ established prophets. Apollos could be an example of such a prophet. Ephesians 2:20 says that Christ's church is built on this "foundation of the apostles and prophets." The list goes on, where Paul describes the order in which God established the ministries of the early church. Churches today are established in a similar order. First, the gospel must be spread (e.g. knocking on doors), then the Word must be taught on a regular basis (e.g. a Bible study), then people begin to help each other (e.g. miracles, healing, helps), then when the group grows someone must organize it (e.g. an administrator), and then God gives rise to other manifestations of the Spirit, some for personal benefit such as the gift of "tongues."
(31) Why does Paul say that some gifts are greater than others, when he just finished saying that all members are needed? Some gifts edify the whole church more than other gifts. Although God encourages all Christians to use their gifts for the benefit of the church, some gifts such as teaching have the ability to benefit the entire church, while other gifts such as "tongues" often benefit only the person who is praying.
Insights
The Bottom Line
Use your gift. Jesus Christ died on a cross not only to earn for us the forgiveness of sins, but also the many blessings of salvation. God gives all these blessings to all those who believe in the story of Jesus Christ. Those blessings include spiritual gifts, i.e. the special abilities given by the Holy Spirit to each and every believer so that he can serve others. These gifts are sometimes not immediately recognized as useful by others, yet God encourages us to use them for His glory. Also, the church as a whole needs to create more opportunities for Christians to exercise their gifts.