One Body One Spirit - 1 Co 12:12–19
For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? (1 Co 12:12–19).
As you begin reading this text, verses 12 to 19 make it clear that Paul has one thing on his mind, which has resonated throughout his letter. Paul knows the strife and divisions among the Corinthian brethren from the start. By highlighting the diversities of the Spirit’s manifestations, he establishes a simple point: there is one body, the body of Christ, and one Spirit.
While I'm eager to discuss the gifts of the Spirit mentioned in this text, it is important first to discuss the body of Christ and its nature. When Paul refers to the body of Christ, he is not referring to Jesus as an individual. Instead, he speaks of a mystical body created by the Holy Spirit. Jesus is not separate from this body but serves as its head—the head of the church. Paul makes this clear in his epistle to the Colossian church.
Christ is not Jesus' surname! In the first century, Jesus would have been called “Yeshua Ben Joseph” or, more likely, “Yeshua bar Yosef” in Aramaic, the language of first-century Palestine. However, during his ministry, it was revealed that he was “The Christ”—the one who was to come. There is much to say on this topic, but it would take us far from our study text. Therefore, I will make this point: Paul distinguishes between Jesus as an individual—the anointed one whose body was crucified and raised from the dead—and the body of Christ, the collective body of the anointed.
Jesus was the Christ, the anointed one prophesied to come, the one God spoke of to Eve in the garden when mentioning the crushing of the serpent's head. Jesus was the one God spoke of to Abraham, promising a blessing to all nations, and the one God referred to when he told David that his seed would never depart from the throne. Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the promised one. However, when Paul speaks of the body of Christ, he refers to all who, by faith, have embraced Jesus and the redemption he offers. This body is not just one individual but a body of many members. It is not strictly spiritual because anyone alive who has faith in Christ is part of this body, and they are physical people. It is also not purely spiritual because those who have passed away and are with Christ now are part of this body. It is mystical in that there is a mystery, yet it is still a reality. Paul means this when he says,
“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.”
Interestingly, Paul uses the physical body as an analogy to describe the spiritual body of Christ. He explains that the body has many different parts—hands, feet, eyes, and ears. The point here is that although the body of Christ is one, believers in Christ make up the members of this mystical body.
Now, we briefly touch on the point of the manifestations or gifts of the Spirit. The simple fact is that the gifts of the Spirit are meant to serve the body. A healthy body is one where the brain communicates with the entire body, instructing the feet, nose, eyes, and ears. Each organ has a purpose, which is to serve the body. Similarly, Jesus, according to Paul, serves as the brain or head of this mystical body. Just as a physical body cannot function if the head is decapitated, the body of Christ cannot function without its head. The head instructs the ears, eyes, hands, and feet, all serving the entire body.
As we continue our study of the spiritual gifts or manifestations of the Spirit, we must understand that the foundation and purpose of these gifts are to serve the body, not the individual members themselves. Regardless of the spiritual gift that flows through us, its purpose is not to serve ourselves, bring glory, or make a name for ourselves in the Christian community but to humbly serve the church.
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