The BODY Of CHRIST-IV—1Corinthians 12:12-31
Attention:
For the past three weeks we’ve been looking at God’s design for Unity within the Body of Christ, which is the Church.
All the local-to-global manifestations of the Body of Christ are built upon a God-sourced Unity of ‘individual’ Christians. A successful unity of the Body of Christ is seen particularly thru our cooperative successes.
*Remember that the global Church, along with it’s smaller manifestations are the embodiment of Christ Jesus(Col. 1:24).
*Lily Tomlin is credited with saying, “I always wanted to be somebody”...“But I should’ve been more specific!”...
...In the same vein, the apostle Paul maintained the significance of the Church's being the Body of Christ ‘specifically.’
What is exhibited by that entity known as the Body of Christ?
So far we’ve found that ‘The Body Of Christ Exhibits...’
1. An IDENTIFIABLE COMPOSITION(:12)
2. A WILLINGLY EMPOWERED INVITATION(:13)
3. BELONGING(:14-17)
4—A DIVINE PLACEMENT(:18)
5—A REASONABLE UNITY(:19-20)
6—A NECESSITY For DIVERSITY(:21-22)
The Body Of Christ Exhibits...
7—A REASONABLE DIVERSITY(:23-24)
Background—:22—“No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.”
:23—“And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; & our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,”
:24—“but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,”
:23a—“And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable,...”
To the worldly thinking/suppositions of humanity—thinking that is unsurrendered to the Holy Spirit—there are “members of the body” which are considered by some to “be less honorable” or less ‘valuable’ than others.
•To that kind of aberrant flesh-driven thinking, the UNSEEN “members” are sidelined as “weaker” & thus ‘wrongly’ considered as less important(:22) than others.
“Think/Deem”(See :22)—dokew—Present Active Indicative 1st Plural—1) To be of opinion, think, suppose; 2) To seem, to be accounted, reputed; 3) It seems to me—3a) I think, judge: thus in question. 3b) It seems good to, pleased me, I determined. Dokew refers to the subjective judgment, which may or may not conform to the fact. Oiomai is a subjective judgment which has feeling rather than thought(dokew) for its ground. Strong—a prolonged form of a primary verb, dokw(used only in an alternate in certain tenses; compare the base of deiknuw) of the same meaning; To think; by implication--To seem(truthfully or uncertainly).
“To Be/Are”—einai—Present -X- Infinitive—1) To be, to exist, to happen, to be present. Strong—present infinitive from eimi; To exist.
“Less Honorable/Void of Honor”—atimov—Adj. Accusative Plural Neuter—1) Without honor, unhonored, dishonored; 2) Base, of less esteem. Strong—negatively--Unhonored or positively--Dishonored. Used 4X--Mat. 13:57; Mk. 6:4; 1Cor. 4:10; 1Cor. 12:24; .?From—A(as a negative particle)—&—timh—A value, i.e. Money paid, or Valuables; by analogy—Esteem(especially of the highest degree), or the dignity itself.
:23b—“...on these we bestow greater honor;...”
•However, on those very unseen & “weaker” members(:22) Paul “bestows”(place around) a more abundant “honor”(value)...
Which means that those ‘less desirable’ members are in actuality “necessary”(:22).
*Paul’s discussions & arguments here are simultaneously & intentionally, exhortations against personal pride!
“Bestow/Treat/Put About”—peritiyhmi—Present Active Indicative 1st Plural—1) To place around, set about; 2) To put on a garment; 3) To put or bind a thing around another; 4) To present, to bestow, confer, a thing upon one. Strong—To place around; by implication--To present. Used 8X.?From—peri—1) About, concerning, on account of, because of, around, near. Strong— properly, Through(all over), i.e. Around; figuratively--With respect to; used in various applications, of place, cause or time.—&—tiyhmi—To place(in the widest application, literally & figuratively; properly--in a passive or horizontal posture, & thus different from isthmi, which properly denotes an upright & active position, while keimai is properly reflexive & utterly prostrate).
“Greater/More Abundant”2X(See :24)—perissov—Adj. Accusative Sing. Fem.—1)Exceeding some number or measure or rank or need—1a) Over & above, more than is necessary, superadded—1a1) Exceeding abundantly, supremely, 1a2) Something further, more, much more than all, more plainly, 1b) Superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon—1b1) Pre-eminence, superiority, advantage, more eminent, more remarkable, more excellent. Strong—Superabundant(in quantity) or Superior(in quality); by implication--Excessive; adverbially (with ek/ex)--Violently; neuter(as noun)--Preeminence. Used 10X.?From—peri—in the sense of beyond—1) About, concerning, on account of, because of, around, near. Strong— properly, Through(all over), i.e. Around; figuratively--With respect to; used in various applications, of place, cause or time.
“Honor”(See :24)—timh—Noun Accusative Sing. Fem.—1) A valuing by which the price is fixed—1a) Of the price itself, 1b) Of the price paid or received for a person or thing bought or sold; 2) Honor which belongs or is shown to one—2a) Of the honor which one has by reason of rank & state of office which he holds, 2b) Deference, reverence. Strong—A value, i.e. Money paid, or concretely & collectively--Valuables; by analogy--Esteem(especially of the highest degree), or the dignity itself.?From—tinw—strengthened for a primary tiw(which is only used as an alternate in certain tenses); To pay a price, i.e. as a penalty.
:23c—“...& our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,...”
Those “parts” which are deemed by most to be “unpresentable” or “uncomely”, these “have greater modesty”/comeliness.
•Paul here is not presenting an insult to the reality of being “unpresentable.” He is simply stating an acknowledgment of the fact that there are “presentable”(open/unclothed) aspects of the human body & of the Church, as well as “unpresentable”(hidden/clothed) aspects of the human body & of the Church. No divisive humanly-derived value judgments are made here!
That is, there are those who maintain ‘the face’ of the church. And there are those who ‘work behind the scenes’ as it were. It takes great “modesty”/comeliness to ‘FAITHFULLY’ & PROPERLY maintain the face’ without getting huffy & bent out of shape.
•As my brother in Christ, Keith Wallace says, “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape!”
*The Greek word translated as “modesty”/comeliness means—to be in “good scheme with.”
And these are described as having a “greater” “modesty.” That is, those “unpresentables”(which we keep clothed) of the body who match themselves to the perfection of God’s scheme/design, do so in a superabundant or superior manner. It is that manner of agaph love, that is spoken of in chapter 13 of 1Corinthians.
•These “unpresentables” are so given to the plan of God that they find their ultimate satisfaction in being who/what God wants them to be, no matter whether they are openly recognized/glorified or not!
*Believe me you all are very glad that your pastor—though considered a “presentable part” of the church—is not overwhelmed by his “unpresentables” showing themselves. Now you can allow your imagination to take you wherever it will & wherever you end up in ‘“unpresentables”-land’, BUT you must take to heart that:
•Both you & myself are really glad that my intestines remain out of sight.
•Both you & myself are really glad that my skull is hidden within this face of mine(though some may not be so glad).
•Both you & myself are really glad that my blood is contained within my body’s blood vessels...& that my blood vessels modestly follow certain ordered paths thruout my body rather than exiting my body at odd places to the outside & back in again.
I could go on ad nauseum, but this only is to remind you of the fantastic resource which we all continually have before us—OUR BODIES!...So that you will always be reminded that the gathered Church is intended to be the Body of Christ, as it functions together!
“Unpresentable/Uncomely”—aschmwn—Adj.—1) Deformed; 2) Indecent, unseemly. Strong—properly--Shapeless, i.e. figuratively--Inelegant. Used 1X--1Cor. 12:23.?From—A(as a negative particle).—& a presumed derivative of—ecw/scew—in the sense of its congener schma[a figure(as a mode or circumstance), i.e. external condition]—1) To have, i.e. To hold; 2) To have i.e. Own, possess; 3) To hold one's self or find one's self so & so, to be in such or such a condition; 4) To hold one's self to a thing, to lay hold of a thing, to adhere or cling to.
“Have”—ecw OR-- scew—Present Active Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) To have, i.e. To hold—1a) To have(hold) in the hand, in the sense of wearing, to have(hold) possession of the mind (refers to alarm, agitating emotions, etc.), to hold fast keep, to have or comprise or involve, to regard or consider or hold as; 2) To have i.e. Own, possess; 3) To hold one's self or find one's self so & so, to be in such or such a condition; 4) To hold one's self to a thing, to lay hold of a thing, to adhere or cling to. Strong—including an alternate form scew; (used in certain tenses only); a primary verb; To hold(used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remote; such as possessions; ability, continuity, relation, or condition).
“Modesty/Comeliness/Presentable”—euschmosunh—Lit.=‘in good scheme with’—Noun Fem.—1) Charm or elegance of figure, external beauty, decorum, modesty, seemliness—1a) Of external charm, comeliness. Strong—Decorousness. Used 1X--1Cor. 12:23.?From—eu—neuter of a primary euv(good); adverbially--Well.—&—schma—1) The habitus[general constitution], as comprising everything in a person which strikes the senses, the figure, bearing, discourse, actions, manner of life etc., “figure, shape, fashion”, as that which is outward & accidental; schma relates to the external form, or human body in Php 2:8. Strong—A figure(as a mode or circumstance), i.e. by implication--External condition. English = ‘Scheme’—&—sun—1) With. Strong—a primary preposition denoting union; With or together(but much closer than meta or para), i.e. By association, companionship, process, resemblance, possession, instrumentality, addition, etc.
:24a—“But our presentable parts have no need.”...
Due to the faithfulness(“modesty”) of those parts(“members”) which can “seem”, to the eye, to be “weaker” & “unpresentable”, those members which are considered to be more comely/beautiful/desirable—“our presentable parts”, thus “have no need” in doing & being in the Kingdom of God.
:24b—“...But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,”
•Again(:18, 28, 4, 11), God Himself “composed” the Church to be the ‘inter-cooperating’ Body of Christ!
•Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”(Mat. 18:20)
?Why two or three plus? Because it takes many more than one to faithfully fulfill the fullness of the human body & it likewise takes many to faithfully fulfill the fullness of the Body of Christ!
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Lily Tomlin’s statement—“I always wanted to be somebody”...“But I should’ve been more specific!”
Action:
The Body Of Christ Exhibits...
7. A REASONABLE DIVERSITY(:23-24)
1. An IDENTIFIABLE COMPOSITION(:12)
2. A WILLINGLY EMPOWERED INVITATION(:13)
3. BELONGING(:14-17)
4. A DIVINE PLACEMENT(:18)
5. A REASONABLE UNITY(:19-20)
6. A NECESSITY For DIVERSITY(:21-22)
Pt# 7 only! Presented 06/28/2020am to:
First Baptist Church Cbelle
206 SE Ave. A(206 Storrs Ave.)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
