INTRODUCTION TO 1 CORINTHIANS 12 In this chapter the apostle discourses concerning spiritual gifts, showing the author, nature, use, and excellency of them; compares the church to an human body, and in a beautiful manner sets forth the symmetry and subserviency of the members of it to one another,... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW CONCERNING SPIRITUAL GIFTS,.... Though the word "gifts" is not in the original text, it is rightly supplied by our translators, as it is in the Arabic version: for the apostle does not mean spiritual graces, nor spiritual words, or doctrines, nor spiritual meats and drinks, nor spiritual men, ea... [ Continue Reading ]
YE KNOW THAT YE WERE GENTILES,.... That is, by religion; hence the Syriac version renders it חנפא, "profane" persons, given up to wickedness, bigotry, and superstition; for by nation they were Gentiles still; and which must be understood of one part of this church only; for some of them were Jews, a... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE I GIVE YOU TO UNDERSTAND,.... Or "I make known unto you"; what I am about to say are certain truths, and to be depended on, THAT NO MAN SPEAKING BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD CALLETH JESUS ACCURSED; or "anathema", as did the unconverted Gentiles, who knew nothing of Jesus but by report; which repo... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THERE ARE DIVERSITIES OF GIFTS,.... Of spiritual ones, as in 1 Corinthians 12:1 which spring from the free grace, and good will and pleasure of God, and are not owing to the merits of men; and therefore such who have the largest share of them should not boast of them as acquired by themselves, o... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THERE ARE DIFFERENCES OF ADMINISTRATIONS,.... Or ministries; offices in the church, ministered in by different persons, as apostles, prophets, pastors, or teachers and deacons; who were employed in planting and forming of churches, ordaining elders, preaching the word, administering ordinances,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THERE ARE DIVERSITIES OF OPERATIONS, There are some that are ordinary, as the good work of grace, and the several parts of it, the work of faith, the labour of love, and patience of hope, which the Spirit of God begins, carries on, and finishes in all the elect of God, and members of Christ; and... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE MANIFESTATION OF THE SPIRIT,.... Not that which the Spirit manifests, as the grace and love of God, an interest in Christ, the doctrines of the Gospel, and the things of another world; for he is a spirit of revelation, more or less, in the knowledge of these things; but that which manifests... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR TO ONE IS GIVEN BY THE SPIRIT,.... Now follows a distinct and particular enumeration of the operations of the Spirit, though not all of them, yet as many as the apostle thought necessary; and which are called the manifestation of him, and which most clearly show him to be the author of them to d... [ Continue Reading ]
TO ANOTHER FAITH BY THE SAME SPIRIT,.... Not the grace of faith, which is common to all believers, though given by the same Spirit: but rather the doctrine of faith, and ability to preach it, and boldness and intrepidity of spirit to assert and defend it in the face of all opposition; all which are... [ Continue Reading ]
TO ANOTHER THE WORKING OF MIRACLES,.... Or "powers": mighty deeds, wonderful works, such as are apparently above, and out of the reach of nature, and beyond the compass of human power and skill; such as raising the dead, causing the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, the lame to walk... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT ALL THESE WORKETH THAT ONE AND THE SELFSAME SPIRIT,.... Though these gifts, ministrations, and operations, are so different in themselves, and are bestowed upon different persons, yet they are all wrought by one and the same Spirit of God, who is the true Jehovah, and properly God, as these his... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR AS THE BODY IS ONE,.... That is, an human body; for of this the apostle speaks, and takes a simile, and forms a comparison from, showing the union among saints, and their mutual participation of the various gifts of the Spirit; for an human body is but one body, and not more. AND HATH MANY MEMB... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR BY ONE SPIRIT ARE WE ALL BAPTIZED,.... This is to be understood not of water baptism; for the apostle says not in one, and the same water, but "by", or "in" one Spirit, are we all baptized; the baptism of water, and of the Spirit, are two different things; see Matthew 3:11. Besides, all that are... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE BODY IS NOT ONE MEMBER,.... Not only one; nor is anyone member the body, though ever so eminent, as the head or eye: thus the church of Christ is not one person only, or does not consist of one sort of persons; as only of Jews, or only of Gentiles, or only of rich and freemen, or only of men... [ Continue Reading ]
IF THE FOOT SHALL SAY,.... The lowest member of the body, which is nearest the earth, treads upon it, sustains the whole weight of the body, and performs the more drudging and fatiguing exercises of standing and walking; and may represent one that is in the lowest station in the church, a doorkeeper... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IF THE EAR SHALL SAY,.... The organ that receives sounds, and can distinguish them, and in which member is placed the sense of hearing; and may design such as are hearers of the word of God, not merely externally, but internally; who hear so as to love, savour, and relish it; so as to understand... [ Continue Reading ]
IF THE WHOLE BODY WERE AN EYE,.... And nothing else, WHERE WERE THE HEARING? there would be no ear, and so no sense of hearing: and if the whole were hearing: or only consisted of a member capable of the sense of hearing, WHERE WERE THE SMELLING? there would be no nose, the organ of smelling, and... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT NOW HATH GOD SET THE MEMBERS,.... The members of a natural body, as they are all made and fashioned by God in the form they be, so they are each of them set by him in the place they are: EVERYONE OF THEM IN THE BODY AS IT HATH PLEASED HIM; according to his sovereign will, without consulting any... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IF THEY WERE ALL ONE MEMBER,.... As all eye, or all ear, or all hand, or all foot: WHERE WERE THE BODY? where would be the body? it would not be a body consisting of such proper and suitable members, as now it is: so if the community of the saints were either all ministers, or all hearers, c. t... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT NOW ARE THEY MANY MEMBERS,.... Of different make and shape, in different parts and places, and of different use and service: YET BUT ONE BODY; all are united together, and make up one complete body, and which without each of them would not be perfect: so there are many members in the body of Ch... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE EYE CANNOT SAY UNTO THE HAND,.... Every member of the natural body is useful and necessary. The eye, the seat of the sense of seeing, cannot say to the communicating and working hand, I HAVE NO NEED OF THEE: I can do without thee: so the seers and overseers of the church, the ministers of t... [ Continue Reading ]
NAY, MUCH MORE THOSE MEMBERS OF THE BODY,.... The apostle, in a beautiful gradation, proceeds to take notice of such parts of the body as are more weak, dishonourable, and uncomely, showing the necessity and usefulness of them: WHICH SEEM TO BE MORE FEEBLE; than others, do not consist of a strong b... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THOSE MEMBERS OF THE BODY,.... As the back parts of it: WHICH WE THINK TO BE LESS HONOURABLE; though greatly useful, UPON THESE WE BESTOW MORE ABUNDANT HONOUR; by clothing them, for a man's garments are his honour and glory; Matthew 6:29, so the poor members of Christ's church, who are thought... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR OUR COMELY PARTS HAVE NO NEED,.... As the face, eyes, nose, lips, cheeks, c. which stand in no need of an external covering, of any outward ornament: so such as are blessed with the bounties of nature and providence, with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and are eminent for grace and holiness, and... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO SCHISM IN THE BODY..... No complaint of one member against another, as useless and unnecessary; no murmuring on that account; no tumults and rioting; no rebellion and insurrection of one against another; no dissension, no division. The use Menenius e Agrippa made of this simi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHETHER ONE MEMBER SUFFER,.... Pain; even the meanest, lowest, and most distant, as the foot or hand, toe or finger: ALL THE MEMBERS SUFFER WITH IT; are more or less affected therewith, and bear part of the distress; as is easily discerned, by their different forms and motions on such an occasi... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW YE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST,.... Not his natural body, which his Father prepared for him, in which he bore our sins on the tree, and which was offered up once for all; nor his sacramental body, or the bread in the supper, which is a representation of his body; but his body mystical, the church; no... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GOD HATH SET SOME IN THE CHURCH,.... As before the apostle gives an account of the various different gifts of the Spirit, qualifying men for service in the church of Christ, here he enumerates the several offices and officers: FIRST APOSTLES; as were the twelve disciples, and Paul the apostle;... [ Continue Reading ]
ARE ALL APOSTLES?.... No some are prophets, as distinct from apostles; and some are teachers, as distinct from them both, and some are neither: ARE ALL PROPHETS? no; some are apostles, above them, and some are teachers, inferior to them; and but very few there were who had that peculiar character a... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVE ALL THE GIFTS OF HEALING?.... No; when these gifts were in being, all had them not. When anointing with oil, in order to heal the sick, was in use, it was only performed by the elders of the church, not by the common members of it, who were to be sent for by the sick on this occasion: DO ALL S... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT COVET EARNESTLY THE BEST GIFTS,.... Which may be rendered either indicatively as an assertion, "ye do covet earnestly the best gifts": of prophesying and teaching, of doing miracles, healing diseases, speaking with, and interpreting, different tongues and languages; but I can, and do show you so... [ Continue Reading ]