Daily Scripture Reading 1Corinthians 11:23 - 12:17
We humans are naturally inclined to compare ourselves to our fellow humans. We can tell when another person has more wealth, fame, beauty, or talent. Unfortunately, this natural inclination means we also tend to become jealous of other people when we perceive that they have an advantage over us.
It is quite natural for this competition to percolate into the church. Within the local body of Christ, different people have different statuses in our culture. Furthermore, each believer has a different skillset to be used within the church. It is commonplace for envy and bitterness to arise because of that. We will see in today’s passage that the variety of skillsets is by design and is decreed by the Spirit. Since the Spirit decides on the distribution, we should not allow ourselves to become jealous of our fellow believers.
In the first part of chapter 11, Paul praised the Christians in Corinth because they were holding firmly to the traditions he had delivered to them regarding head coverings. But starting in verse 17, he criticized them because, when they came together as a church, there was much division. Then he reminded them how to properly eat the Lord’s Supper.
1Cor. 11:23 ¶ For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was being betrayed took bread,
1Cor. 11:24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”
1Cor. 11:25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
1Cor. 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.
The purpose of the Lord’s Supper is to proclaim the death of the Lord. This is an essential fact of human history, and it is important that we Christians constantly remind of of this importance.
1Cor. 11:27 ¶ Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
This verse is clear that it is wrong to partake of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner, but it does not define worthiness.
1Cor. 11:28 But a man must test himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
This verse indicates we need to test ourselves in order to be worthy to partake of the Lord’s Supper. Testing is the idea of examining ourselves.
1Cor. 11:29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.
In this verse we see the phrase “judge the body rightly”. Testing ourselves means rightly judging ourselves. In order to eat and drink the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner we need to rightly judge ourselves. We need to be honest with ourselves about our abilities, our lots in life, and our sin.
1Cor. 11:30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.
Some of the Corinthian believers did not judge themselves rightly and ended up weak, sick, or dead. If this happened to them, it could also happen to us.
1Cor. 11:31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.
1Cor. 11:32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
1Cor. 11:33 ¶ So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
1Cor. 11:34 If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment. The remaining matters I will direct when I come.
The purpose of the Lord’s Supper is not to satisfy hunger. Instead, it is to commemorate the death of the Lord. In verse 21, Paul had criticized the Corinthians because hunger and drunkenness were causing divisions when they came together as a church. A solution to that was to eat before they came together so that hunger was not driving the Lord’s Supper.
In the following verse, Paul changed topics again.
1Cor. 12:1 ¶ Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.
1Cor. 12:2 You know that when you were pagans, you were being led astray to the mute idols, however you were led.
1Cor. 12:3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
If any man was speaking prophetically under the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit, it was not possible for him to say “Jesus is accursed.” Meanwhile, we Christians believe Jesus is Lord because the Bible tells us that. The only way that declaration gained scriptural authority is because men prophetically spoke that statement while under the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit.
1Cor. 12:4 ¶ Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.
1Cor. 12:5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.
1Cor. 12:6 And there are varieties of workings, but the same God who works everything in everyone.
1Cor. 12:7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for what is profitable.
1Cor. 12:8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit;
1Cor. 12:9 to someone else faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
1Cor. 12:10 and to another the workings of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to someone else various kinds of tongues, and to another the translation of tongues.
Humans want life to be fair and equal. If we perceive that someone else has an advantage over us, then we begin to be jealous.
This can happen in the church. If a Christian perceives that another Christian has a talent that is more valued than his, he can easily become envious.
Paul made it clear in verse 4-10 that the Christian life is not fair and equal. We do not all have the same abilities and roles in life. The Spirit is the One who determines who will have which ability. Meanwhile, some talents given by the Spirit are more visible or valued. It was God’s decision to create the church in that manner.
It is important that each Christian accept that his talent and role was given to him by the Spirit. Therefore, we should not be filled with jealousy and envy. We should simply fill the role God assigned to us.
1Cor. 12:11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
1Cor. 12:12 ¶ For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.
1Cor. 12:13 For also by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
1Cor. 12:14 ¶ For also the body is not one member, but many.
1Cor. 12:15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.
1Cor. 12:16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.
1Cor. 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
Each Christian is an individual person, and yet we are all part of the same body of Christ. Just as the hand is not envious of the eye or vice versa, so too one Christian should not be jealous of another believer based on who has what talents.
What abilities do you have that you can use in your local body of believers?
What talents or statuses do other Christians possess that cause you to be jealous?
What talents or statuses do you enjoy that may cause other believers to be envious of you?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”