"But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way."
The higher gifts! How can there be higher gifts for us to desire when the whole point of the passage seems to be indicating that we are all important and that there are no higher gifts? I believe that today's reader naturally assumes something about this verse that is misleading. There is nothing wrong with the verse, but our understanding of it is flawed.
Here are two other translations/paraphrases that seem to fit the context better. The first says "And yet some of you keep competing for so-called 'important' parts. But now I want to lay out a far better way for you" (The Message). The second says "So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all" (New Living Translation).
Both of these translations reflect the fact that spiritual gifts are not to be desired for selfish reasons. The Message interprets the statement as a rebuke for those who were selfishly desiring the gift(s) that they had erroneously viewed as more important, presumably because the exercising of the gift was more public. The New Living Translation takes the position that "higher" means most helpful. Therefore, you should desire gifts that will allow you to be the most help to the church that you can be.
I think that The Message's interpretation fits the context most naturally. This is what you have been doing, but there is a better way. Then we enter chapter 13, showing us that better way.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
1 Corinthians 12:27-30
"Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?"
The members of the church don’t just make up some nebulous cooperative body. They make up the body of Christ. This knowledge puts a new level of importance on our individually being unified members of the church. And the way that this chapter admonishes us to be unified is by recognizing that though the church is one body, it is made up of many different parts. God has given the church many different gifts, but He doesn’t give one particular gift to all people.
The members of the church don’t just make up some nebulous cooperative body. They make up the body of Christ. This knowledge puts a new level of importance on our individually being unified members of the church. And the way that this chapter admonishes us to be unified is by recognizing that though the church is one body, it is made up of many different parts. God has given the church many different gifts, but He doesn’t give one particular gift to all people.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
1 Corinthians 12:24b-26
"But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together."
I don’t believe that the church today attains this level of unity. Do I suffer when another suffers? Do I rejoice at the advancement of others? Or have I so misunderstood my role in the church, that I (and others with the same mindset) am so fractured that I am not acting like part of a body at all. When I stub my toe, my whole body is unhappy, and when I am given a good massage, my whole body relaxes. But when one in the church is blessed, do I have to fight jealousy? When one is suffering, am I disinterested? If I'm not unified with the other members of the church, then this is not what God intended.
God wants us to be such a part of each other’s lives that we are looked at and seem as one. Our care and involvement goes to such levels, that we are actually a single body. This is accomplished by the more gifted/honored parts of the body reaching out to those who lack, in order to lift them up. This may involve financial assistance, but I believe that it goes far deeper than that. You don’t just want their physical needs to be met, you want to see them elevated to a place of spiritual maturity, and you are so involved in seeing that happen that when they succeed, you rejoice as if you have succeeded; when they are hurt, you weep as if you have been wounded; and when they fail, you lament as if you have failed.
I don’t believe that the church today attains this level of unity. Do I suffer when another suffers? Do I rejoice at the advancement of others? Or have I so misunderstood my role in the church, that I (and others with the same mindset) am so fractured that I am not acting like part of a body at all. When I stub my toe, my whole body is unhappy, and when I am given a good massage, my whole body relaxes. But when one in the church is blessed, do I have to fight jealousy? When one is suffering, am I disinterested? If I'm not unified with the other members of the church, then this is not what God intended.
God wants us to be such a part of each other’s lives that we are looked at and seem as one. Our care and involvement goes to such levels, that we are actually a single body. This is accomplished by the more gifted/honored parts of the body reaching out to those who lack, in order to lift them up. This may involve financial assistance, but I believe that it goes far deeper than that. You don’t just want their physical needs to be met, you want to see them elevated to a place of spiritual maturity, and you are so involved in seeing that happen that when they succeed, you rejoice as if you have succeeded; when they are hurt, you weep as if you have been wounded; and when they fail, you lament as if you have failed.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
1 Corinthians 12:23-24
"And on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it."
Our weaker or less honorable body parts are given greater care. Late last month, I strained my right knee. The pain is mostly gone, but I still favor the knee. The day it happened, I put almost no weight on the knee at all. My knee was hurt and temporarily unable to perform like the rest of my body, but I did not get rid of it. I gave it a special place of honor, allowing it time to recover from the stress of my accident.
Also, we honor parts of our body that work fine but are not to be displayed by carefully concealing them. Why go through the trouble? Why not get rid of these areas or at least throw off this sense of modesty and treat all of our body the same? Because there are certain parts that are indispensable (as the former post explored) and yet deserving of special care.
The solution is not dismemberment but special attention and greater honor for these less honorable parts. God made the church this way too. There are people in the church who lack honor. They deserve greater honor. They may take more time to help. They may need things that others can go without. But we should not push these less honorable individuals to the side, to help or work exclusively with those we believe have greater potential. Everyone in the church is important, and everyone needs to be cared for regardless of how much care they need.
Our weaker or less honorable body parts are given greater care. Late last month, I strained my right knee. The pain is mostly gone, but I still favor the knee. The day it happened, I put almost no weight on the knee at all. My knee was hurt and temporarily unable to perform like the rest of my body, but I did not get rid of it. I gave it a special place of honor, allowing it time to recover from the stress of my accident.
Also, we honor parts of our body that work fine but are not to be displayed by carefully concealing them. Why go through the trouble? Why not get rid of these areas or at least throw off this sense of modesty and treat all of our body the same? Because there are certain parts that are indispensable (as the former post explored) and yet deserving of special care.
The solution is not dismemberment but special attention and greater honor for these less honorable parts. God made the church this way too. There are people in the church who lack honor. They deserve greater honor. They may take more time to help. They may need things that others can go without. But we should not push these less honorable individuals to the side, to help or work exclusively with those we believe have greater potential. Everyone in the church is important, and everyone needs to be cared for regardless of how much care they need.
Friday, April 25, 2008
1 Corinthians 12:21-22
"The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you,' nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you.' On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable."
If you are part of the church, the church needs you. Other people may not think this, and you may not even think that you are needed, but you are. Just as you are needed so are all other people in the church. This includes physically or mentally handicapped people and people you might secretly (or not so secretly) view as beneath yourself in some way. The church would not be better off without such people.
Perhaps you have had similar thoughts. "His physical/social awkwardness is embarrassing. I wish he weren’t here." But the idea that a weak believer is disposable is grossly unbiblical. The church needs everyone God incorporates into the body. Perhaps God put someone in your church simply to shape the character of other members. If you think ill of others in the church body, you need to readjust your thinking. Those that seem less important are truly indispensable members. If you were to get rid of them, you would seriously injure or even destroy the church.
If you are part of the church, the church needs you. Other people may not think this, and you may not even think that you are needed, but you are. Just as you are needed so are all other people in the church. This includes physically or mentally handicapped people and people you might secretly (or not so secretly) view as beneath yourself in some way. The church would not be better off without such people.
Perhaps you have had similar thoughts. "His physical/social awkwardness is embarrassing. I wish he weren’t here." But the idea that a weak believer is disposable is grossly unbiblical. The church needs everyone God incorporates into the body. Perhaps God put someone in your church simply to shape the character of other members. If you think ill of others in the church body, you need to readjust your thinking. Those that seem less important are truly indispensable members. If you were to get rid of them, you would seriously injure or even destroy the church.
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