Alba 9-21-2025
ONE SPIRIT, ONE BODY, MANY GIFTS
I Corinthians 12:1-31
Bonnie Brechill tells a story about her five year old daughter Crystal, who recently met an Amish girl her age. Within minutes they were off, hand-in-hand, to play. “I caught glimpses of them chattering and giggling,” Bonnie says. “Even though Sylvia, the Amish girl, spoke a Pennsylvania Dutch dialect, she and Crystal got along well. Later I asked Crystal, ‘Could you understand anything Sylvia said to you?’
‘No,’ she replied. ‘But you played so nicely together. How?’
‘Oh, Mommy. We understood each other’s giggles.’”
We have to remember that in the church at Corinth, they indeed were quite different. They came from different backgrounds, they had worshiped many different false gods. Some of them even worshiped more than one god. In spite of these differences, the apostle Paul called on these believers to have no divisions among them. So in I Corinthians 1:10 the apostle Paul called on the congregation to, “be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment”
Paul could see their problems. Such things as: divisiveness, disorder, abuse at the Lord’s Supper, factions, disrespect for apostolic authority, disregard for weaker brothers or sisters, marital problems, lawsuits among believers, immorality ... just to name a few. In simple terms they needed some help to live out the Christian life in a better way than what they were doing.
Apparently they had questions for Paul that he answered in this letter of First Corinthians. In chapter twelve it is obvious that they didn't fully understand the use and purpose of spiritual gifts. Because in I Corinthians 12:1-3 Paul writes, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
In this chapter we are told that there is one body and many gifts. But a main thing Paul wants us to know is that there is...
One Spirit
Verse 13 says, “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.” That corresponds to Acts 2:38 which tells us, “Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'”
In becoming a Christian we are immersed in water and filled with the Spirit to be empowered to live in this world. Back in chapter six we are told that God lives in us through His Spirit, and that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. In Christ we become members of God's family. And we are given the task to pursue a common goal of oneness and deep unity in Christ. When people have different backgrounds they can be tempted to blend their beliefs from the past with the new found truth. But verse two says that doesn't work. It refers to “dumb” idols (NKJV). That is a pretty good description, but it actually means “mute”, unable to speak. The false gods could not give anything back, even though the people had given them much and worshiped them. Our Lord God is indeed, different than any other god in this world because He is a living, giving, forgiving God. So isn't it amazing to think that the Holy Spirit of God dwells in us?
So again in verse three, Paul says, “Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, 'Jesus be cursed.' And no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.' Now it does not say, “You can’t physically do this.” It is saying that the Holy Spirit doesn’t send mixed messages. And be aware of this, the Holy Spirit’s message will never go against the Word of God. And He will never tell you sin is OK (no matter how you “feel” about it).
So no longer can we say “Jesus be cursed”, because that would stick in our throats as believers. Nor should we who claim to be Christians take God’s name in vain. The “OMG” that is so common in today's language is not connected with the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, we can say, and should say, that Jesus is Lord. And we can say, and should say, Jesus is blessed. We do so by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The same Holy Spirit that guided and mentored the early church is the same Holy Spirit we have today. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to work in and among us. In spite of whatever differences that were in existence then, or now, we need to remember that verse 13 says, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.” There is one Spirit and...
One Body
Verse 12 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.” Note how diverse is the group of people in the Corinthian church. Their diversity comes from their race (Jew or Non-Jew) and their social-economic position (slave or free). But their strength wasn't in their diversity. It came from being many parts of one body, the church, the body of Christ. They were alike in their Christian faith by the virtue of being baptized into the same Christian faith. Yet, as in any body, there are many parts.
The Apostle Paul uses some pretty strong humor in this chapter along with some sarcasm as well. He gives the ability to argue with each other to feet, hands, ears, eyes, noses and mouth, and pretends they revolt…there’s a mutiny. Hands are slapping other parts around, feet are running in different directions…ears are going “Huh? huh? I can’t hear you!” Noses are telling everyone “You stink!” Mouths are saying “Listen to me you all…Listen up.” This mutiny exists because the different parts don’t think they need the other parts.
Years ago, Snoopy (in the Peanuts comic strip) broke his leg. Believe it or not, hundreds of “get well cards” came in from fans across the world. In one of the frames of the comic strip, Snoopy (with his leg in cast) says this: “My body blames my foot for not being able to go places. My foot says it was my head’s fault, and my head blamed my eyes. My eyes say my feet are clumsy, and my right foot says not to blame him for what my left foot did....”
And then Snoopy looks out at his audience and confesses, “I don’t say anything because I don’t want to get involved.” Now, why is that funny? It’s funny because Snoopy WAS involved. It was his foot, his head, his eyes, his feet! He was already involved because he was part the body. And we’re part of the Body of Christ and the BODY needs all of us.
Every person is a part of the body, some are hands, some are feet, some are eyes and others ears. No part has the same job. When Jesus calls out to us, His call is “Come, follow me.” Nobody can make that decision for others, it is an individual decision. But once we make that decision we become part of a body of believers who are all connected to the head, Jesus Christ our Lord. We don't have to go it alone. We have a function to perform and we have a connection to the rest of the body. We serve the rest of the body, and the rest of the body works with us. The hands serve the feet and the feet serve the hands and the eyes are served by both, but hands and feet are limited without eyes.
The hands, feet, ears, and mouths don’t operate on their own. The impulses to move, speak, see and smell all come from the head. In the church, that is Jesus. And no part should look down on any other part because “lesser” parts are important too. In verse 23 it speaks of less presentable parts of the body receiving more honor and they are covered up, they are inside. The church body has parts that correspond to the internal organs of the human body. Sometimes we forget about them because they are not on the list of church officers and teachers. But they are the ones who fulfill their role in the body by working on the inside, often unnoticed. The prayer warriors are the lungs of the church. Those who encourage with a smile, a listening ear or a kind card are the heart of the church. Those who fast for spiritual cleansing in the church are the kidneys of the church. They are indispensable. So, don’t look at yourself and say that you have nothing to contribute to the health of the Body. God put you here to be useful to the Body. It’s His design, and it’s His Body, and He has some point for you to be here! And in this one body there are...
Many Gifts
This chapter tells us that the Holy Spirit is a gift giver. The Holy Spirit grants certain abilities to different Christians in the church. Not everyone has all the gifts (vs. 29-30), but verse seven says, “the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.” The purpose of these individual gifts is to strengthen the body of Christ. These gifts are designed to build up the church.
They are to be used among God’s people to encourage and help them in their faith. This is why Paul gives instructions on how to use the gifts in the assemblies in chapter 14. Other mentions of the gifts of the Spirit are found in Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and I Peter 4. The list in this chapter outlines nine special gifts, all different, but all from the same Spirit.
It includes: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophesy, distinguishing spirits, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. And then verse 29 mentions some roles, like apostle, prophets and teachers. A lot could be said about each one of these gifts. But even Paul’s primary point here is not to give a comprehensive list of the gifts nor to explain them, rather his point is to stress unity, and to encourage the use of the gifts for the common good.
The brethren in Corinth, as far as we know, had all of the gifts present within the church. I Corinthians 1:7 tells us that they came short in no gift. But in spite of this, the church was a mess spiritually. There was division and sin in the group, and many of the gifts which were given to the church were abused and led brethren to lift themselves up proudly above their brethren who they considered as not having as good a gift. They used their gifts for personal benefit instead of using them to encourage each other. The Spirit gave these gifts to be used by those individual Christians who possessed them for the general edification of the church and not for self glory.
The purpose of a spiritual gift is a calling to perform a task within the church. Having an ability for the task is good, but this is not the important issue. The Spirit may call someone with a talent, and then enhance and focus that talent toward the task. Or the Spirit may call someone without a talent, an then bestow the ability if needed. We need a variety of gifts and abilities so that all kinds of ministry can take place. The Holy Spirit has gifted every one of us, and wants to do amazing things through us to expand the kingdom, strengthen the body, and serve the hurting world.
So what gift do you have? The former editor of Christianity Today, Kenneth Kantzer, commented once that he never knew what his gift was. He just served where he saw the need. If a man of this experience and caliber never knew what his gift was but just served where he saw a need, then this should serve as a good example to all of us. (From Kenneth Berding's book, "What are Spiritual Gifts?" pg. 273)
In Matthew 20:25-26 Jesus instructed His disciples and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.” There is no higher calling, no greater gift, than to follow in the footsteps of Jesus who said in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
And that is exactly what He did. He served as our sacrifice and went to that cross to take the punishment we deserve so that we could be forgiven of the sins we have committed. Through that sacrifice we are given the gift of salvation so that we who trust in Him will not have to face judgment.
So, as we serve the One who has served us, we are to use our spiritual gifts to produce unity in the body. Because while the body, the church, is made up of many parts, all parts are needed for the body to function properly.
Now what we learn in this chapter is that the Holy Spirit is the giver of the gifts, and He is the One to determine who gets which gift. Second, we learn that every Christian is given a spiritual gift or gifts. Third, we learn that the gifts are “given” and they cannot be earned or demanded. And fourth, we learn that even though there are many gifts, there is still only one Spirit, one body and one Lord. There is only one purpose for all these gifts that the believers have. They are diverse, but their goal is singular – the common good of the church.
CLOSE:
A lady whose car stalled near Mangum, OK called a road service operator. When he got to her location he checked out the car and informed her that she had run out of gas. Her immediate question was, “Will it hurt the car if I drive with the gas tank empty?”
We laugh at that situation, but it was obvious that she had no idea how an automobile is powered and how an engine operates. In the same way that an engine in the car needs gas, we need to be Holy Spirit-filled to do the Lord's work.
And God gives His Spirit to those who, in faith, repent and are baptized into Jesus Christ. That equips us to serve Him.
