Lessons #427 and 428
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Unity in diversity (1 Cor 12:12-26)
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
This section of 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 is, without doubt, concerned with body and its many parts and how they function or related to each other. Thus, we can say that there are three subsections that the apostle dealt with the subject of body and its many parts. He begins the section by indicating that there is unity and diversity in the body in verses 12 to 13 that forms the first subsection. In verses 14-19, the second subsection, the apostle focused on parts of the body, and in the third subsection of verses 20-26, he considered the matter of treatment of body parts. We can say that the apostle had a simple theme in this section, which is that unity and diversity are important components of a body. So, one can spend time examining the passage in light of these subsections we have identified but that would not really convey the purpose of the apostle in introducing the subject of body and its many parts in this section soon after mentioning the diverse spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit sovereignly gives each believer. For this reason, we approach our study of this section of 1 Corinthians differently. This means that we will consider it as concerned with a universal message to the church of Christ with individual responsibilities required of each believer in Christ. To this end, we state first the overall message of the major section of 1 Corinthians 12:12-26, and as we consider each subsection, we will deal with a believer’s responsibility that emanates from a given subsection. So, we state the overall message of this section which is that Unity and diversity are essential in the body of Christ, that is, the church of Christ. It is this message that we will expound by focusing on the responsibilities you have as a believer as we consider the subsections that we have identified as covering the section of 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 before us.
There are at least three reasons we present the message as being concerned with unity and diversity in the church of Christ although the passage is focused on the parts of the human body. A first reason for this approach is how the apostle began the first sentence of the section in the Greek. Although the translators of the 1984 edition of the NIV did not translate the Greek conjunction that should begin verse 12 in the English, but the Greek begins with a Greek conjunction (gar) that has several usages. For example, it can be used as a marker of inference with the meaning “so, then, by all means” or it can be used as a marker of cause or reason for something in which case it may be translated “for, because.” In our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:12, it is used as a marker of clarification or explanation, implying that it is used for the explanation of the importance of different spiritual gifts in the church of Christ through analogy of the body with its many parts. In effect, the apostle is about to explain using analogy of the human body with its many parts the necessity of God giving the various spiritual gifts to various individuals in the church of Christ as He sovereignly determines that the apostle taught in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. It is for this reason that we know that the apostle is concerned with the concept of unity and diversity in the church of Christ. By the way most of our English versions begin verse 12 with the conjunction “for” but the 2011 edition of the NIV begins the verse with the phrase just as which is the translation of the first word in the Greek of this verse, but the translators still did not translate the Greek conjunction that should read “for.”
A second reason for stating the message of this section as Unity and diversity are essential in the body of Christ, that is, the church of Christ is because of the comparative clause in the last clause of 1 Corinthians 12:12. So it is with Christ. We will deal with this clause at the appropriate time, but we cited it to indicate that although the apostle focused on body parts in the section we are about to consider, his concern was the unity and diversity in the church of Christ.
A third reason for stating the message of this section as Unity and diversity are essential in the body of Christ, that is, the church of Christ is the apostle later indicated that he is concerned with believers as members of the church of Christ since he plainly stated that the Corinthians and so believers in general are the body of Christ and each believer is part of it, according to a passage we will get to at the right time, that is, 1 Corinthians 12:27:
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
These three reasons we have given justify our presentation of the message of 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 as we did. With this justification, we proceed to consider the first subsection of the section that is verses 12 and 13, where we will use a title that reflects the overall message as we will do for each subsection that we are about study.
Unity and diversity in the church of Christ (1 Cor 12:12-13) {#427,28}
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Recall we stated that the overall message of the section of 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 is Unity and diversity are essential in the body of Christ, that is, the church of Christ. This message places some responsibilities on you as a believer in Christ. Therefore, your first responsibility based on this subsection of 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 is that You should recognize the unity and diversity in the church of Christ. There are two reasons given in this subsection that you should carry out this responsibility. The first reason is that the Holy Spirit stated this truth through Apostle Paul in the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 12:12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts. The second reason is because of the two examples of unity and diversity in Christ provided in verse 13. We begin with focusing on the first reason in verse 12.
This first sentence of verse 12 enables us to be certain that we are correct in relating the message of 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 to the church of Christ and so the responsibility of each of us as members of the church of Christ. We say this because although the 1984 edition of the NIV, unlike the 2011 edition, did not translate the first Greek word in the verse, the Greek used a word that tells us that the apostle intended for us to apply the analogy he gave here to the church of Christ. You see, the Greek actually begins with a Greek word (kathaper) that is used as an emphatic marker of comparison between events and states. In our passage, the comparison is made between the human body that the apostle used in his analogy and the church of Christ although it is not explicitly stated.
The word “body” in the sentence The body is a unit is translated from a Greek word (sōma) that is used both literally and figuratively. Literally, it is used for the body of a human being or an animal as in the instruction of the Lord Jesus not to be afraid of those who can only kill the body but of God who can destroy both body and soul as stated in Matthew 10:28:
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
The body may refer to a dead body or corpse as it is used to describe Jesus’ declaration recorded in Luke 17:37:
“Where, Lord?” they asked. He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”
The body may refer to a living body such as one that is involved in sexual immorality as stated in Romans 1:24:
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
Figuratively, the apostle uses the word “body” to refer to the Christian community. Hence, Apostle Paul tells the believers in Rome that they form one body in Christ in Romans 12:5:
so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
To the Corinthians, the apostle indicated they are the body of Christ in a passage we cited previously, that is, 1 Corinthians 12:27:
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
The phrase body of Christ here in 1 Corinthians 12:27 refers to the church of Christ, as Apostle Paul used it in Ephesians 1:22–23:
22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
The word may mean “nature” as in Colossians 2:11:
In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ,
The word may mean “the thing itself, the reality” in imagery of a body that casts a shadow as the word is used in Colossians 2:17:
These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
The clause the reality, however, is found in Christ is literally and the body is of the Christ. The word may mean “physical” as it is used to describe the needs of a destitute believer that may go unmet in James 2:16:
If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?
The phrase his physical needs is literally the things needful for the body. The word may refer to an “entire person” as it is used to describe the corrupting activity of the tongue in James 3:6:
The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
The sentence It corrupts the whole person is literally defiling the whole body. It is clear that the corrupting influence of the tongue is on the entire person that includes body and soul and not merely the physical body. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:12, it is used in the sense of the entire structure of an organism, animal, or human being, that is, “body.” The body is described in the NIV in the sentence The body is a unit.
The word “unit” is translated from a Greek word (heis) that is a numerical term with the meaning “one.” However, there are several senses associated with the basic meaning. The word may mean “one” with focus on the quantitative aspect of person or thing. Thus, it may mean “one in contrast to many” as Apostle Paul used the word to indicate that one person, Adam, was responsible for entrance of sin into the world in Romans 5:12:
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—
The word may mean “one” with focus on uniformity or quality of a single entity and so in some passages may mean “one and the same” as it is used to describe the God that justifies both Jews and Gentiles in the same way, that is, by faith in Christ Jesus in Romans 3:30:
since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.
The phrase only one God may be translated one and the same God. The Greek word may mean “one” in referring to an unspecified entity so may mean “someone” as it is used in the instruction regarding the practice of speaking in tongues in public worship as stated in 1 Corinthians 14:27:
If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret.
Our Greek word may be used as a marker of something that is first, as it is used for the first day of the week when Apostle Paul encouraged the Corinthians to make their contributions that were to be given to believers in Jerusalem as we read in 1 Corinthians 16:2:
On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:12, the Greek word is used in sense of “one” or “single unit,” in contrast to more than one. Thus, the body of a human being consists of a single unit in contrast to many units. The fact remains that the apostle in the analogy of the body wants to convey the unity in the church but not uniformity as that will imply lack of diversity.
A body is unique in that although it is a single unit it contains many parts as in the in clause of 1 Corinthians 12:12 though it is made up of many parts. Literally, the Greek reads and has many parts.
The word “parts” is translated from a Greek word (melos) that literally refers to a part of the human body so may mean “body part, limb” as Apostle Paul used it in instructing believers about ensuring that no physical part of their bodies is an instrument of sin as we read in Romans 6:13:
Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
Figuratively, the word may mean “member,” that is, a part as member of a whole as it is used to describe individual believers as part of the body of Christ or the church to whom another believer should not lie to as we read in Ephesians 4:25:
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:12, it is used in the literal sense of “body part,” however, in application of the verse we are considering it refers to individual believers in Christ that constitute His body or the church. Thus, when the apostle wrote though it is made up of many parts or literally and has many parts we should apply the clause to convey that the body of Christ, that is, the church consists of many members, that is, believers.
In any case, the apostle is concerned with stating the fact of the unity of parts of the body that he emphasized it in the explanation given in the next clause of 1 Corinthians 12:12 and though all its parts are many, they form one body. Literally, the Greek reads and all the parts of the body being many are one body.
We contend that the clause and though all its parts are many, they form one body explains the first clause The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts. This is because the word “and” in the second clause is translated from a Greek conjunction (de) that may be used to connect one clause to another, either to express contrast or simple continuation but in certain occurrences the marker may be left untranslated. Although it is often translated “but” in the English when there is a perceived contrast between two clauses, but it has other meanings such as “now,” “then,” “and,” “so” when it is used to link segments of a narrative. It can also be used to insert an explanation with the meaning “that is,” as that is the sense Apostle Paul used the conjunction to explain what Jesus being obedient to death, means in Philippians 2:8:
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
The NIV and many of our English versions used a dash and the word “even” in their translation of this verse probably to indicate an explanation or emphasis on the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. However, the Greek conjunction has the sense of “that is,” as reflected in the LEB that instead of the verbal phrase of the NIV became obedient to death— even death on a cross! reads becoming obedient to the point of death, that is, death on a cross. It is in this sense of providing explanation that the Greek conjunction (de) is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:12. In effect, we are saying that the word “and” in the clause of 1 Corinthians 12:12 and though all its parts are many, they form one body or literally and all the parts of the body being many are one body should be translated “that is,” to convey that what follows is an explanation. This interpretation if applied to the clause in the NIV and though all its parts are many, they form one body will then read that is, though all its parts are many, they form one body or literally that is, all the parts of the body being many are one body.
That the clause of 1 Corinthians 12:12 and though all its parts are many, they form one body is intended to explain the first clause The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts may be seen from the position of the word “body” in each clause. The word “body” begins the first clause whereas it is what ends the second clause. The apostle ended the first clause with the sentence it is made up of many parts but picks the concept of many parts in the sentence of the second clause its parts are many. Thus, the apostle intended for the reader to recognize that the many parts of the body combine to form one body as a unit he referenced in the first sentence. In application the apostle wants to emphasize that regardless of the diversity in the body of Christ that all believers combine to form the church of Christ or the body of Christ.
To show that the apostle intended to convey that he was concerned with the unity and diversity in the church of Christ, he completes the comparison he introduced in the first sentence of verse 12 in the literal clause just as the body is one by introducing a Greek word that he begins the last clause of the verse that reads in the NIV as, So it is with Christ. The word “so” is translated from a Greek word (houtōs) that is used primarily in two ways in the Greek. It could refer to that which follows in a discourse material and so may be translated “in this way” or “as follows.” Another usage is to refer to what precedes, in which case, it may mean “in this way, in this manner, so, thus.” It is in the second usage that the apostle used the word in our passage to correlate with the Greek word we said is used in the first sentence of the verse with the meaning “just as.” By the way, there is no verb in the Greek despite the reading of the NIV So it is with Christ. Literally, the Greek reads so also the Christ.
How are we to understand the literal phrase so also the Christ in our context? There are two factors that help us to interpret what the apostle meant. The first is the use of the article “the” in the Greek. The apostle used the article not only to convey that Christ is in a class by Himself when it comes to the matter of body but also that he is concerned with what belongs to Christ. The implication would be that the apostle wants us to focus our attention on the body that belongs to Christ. The second factor is the context itself. The apostle has been describing the body and its parts so that he conveyed clearly that the many parts of a body form the body. Based on this context, the apostle wanted to convey to us that there are several members of the body of Christ that together form His body. Thus, the literal phrase so also the Christ or the clause of the NIV So it is with Christ means that the body of Christ consists of many believers but that these many believers together form the body of Christ. This interpretation is supported by what the apostle wrote to the Romans regarding the many members of the body of Christ that constitute the church as we read in a passage we cited previously, that is, Romans 12:5:
so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
We are saying that the clause so in Christ we who are many form one body interprets the literal phrase so also the Christ the apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:12. In effect, the apostle wants us to recognize that we are members of the body of Christ as in the passage we cited previously, that is, 1 Corinthians 12:27:
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
Of course, the body of Christ refers to the church as we learn from Ephesians 5:23:
For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
Hence, the apostle wants us to recognize that the church of Christ consists of all believers in Him, and they are united in Him or form a unit in Him. Hence, the responsibility the Lord assigned to you that we are considering which is that You should recognize the unity and diversity in the church of Christ. Anyway, a first reason for this responsibility is that the Scripture states there is diversity and unity in the body of Christ, that is the church. This brings us to the second reason the Holy Spirit gave us through the apostle that should enable us to recognize the unity and diversity in the church of Christ.
The second reason you should recognize the unity and diversity in the church of Christ is the Holy Spirit provides examples of unity and diversity in the church. It is our assertion that it is your responsibility as a believer to recognize the unity and diversity in the church of Christ. Again, this is because the Holy Spirit provides us both the reason and explanation for the existence of diversity in the body of Christ. We say this because 1 Corinthians 12:13 begins with the word for that is translated from a Greek conjunction (gar) we encountered in verse 12 that has several usages. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:13, it is used either as a marker of clarification/explanation, implying that it is used for the explanation of how there is both unity and diversity in the body of Christ or it is used as a marker of reason for the unity and diversity of believers in the church of Christ. It is probably that the apostle wanted us to understand the conjunction in both senses of providing explanation of how unity and diversity exist and reason for such.
In any case, in verse 13, the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul gives us two examples of the unity in the church of Christ and two examples of diversity. We will consider first the examples of diversity since they are easier to deal with before we examine the examples of unity among believers. Examples of diversity are presented in terms of ethnicity and social standing in a given society. The matter of ethnicity is given in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 12:13 whether Jews or Greeks.
The word “Jews” is one that we have examined in detail in the first chapter of this epistle but it will be necessary at this point to review what we studied in order to refresh our minds and so we can recall what the word means since many people have problem understanding who a Jew is. The word “Jew” is translated from a Greek word (Ioudaios) translated “Jews” in our passage although strictly means “persons belonging to Judea”, that is, a “Judean” but it has been used in different ways depending on the period of history of Israel that is in view. Prior to exile, the term “Jews” was used to describe Judeans as we can gather from some passages. The term was used to describe Judeans in 2 Kings 16:6:
At that time, Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram by driving out the men of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day.
The phrase the men of Judah is the way the translator of the NIV translated a Hebrew word (yehûḏî) that means “Judean, Jew.” Prophet Jeremiah used the term in the same sense of Judeans in Jeremiah 32:12:
and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.
He also used it to describe all Hebrews prior to the exile, as recorded in Jeremiah 34:9:
Everyone was to free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Jew in bondage.
This usage of the term to describe all Hebrews was applicable in the time of exile. For example, Mordecai, from the tribe of Benjamin, was described as a Jew in Esther 2:5:
Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish,
Of course, it will seem that the term was widely used to describe the other Ten tribes who were scattered all over the vast kingdom of King Xerxes since the attempt to exterminate the Jews was one that was widespread throughout the kingdom of Xerxes. During the period of exile, the term was applied to some Gentiles who allied with the Jews, as implied in Esther 8:17:
In every province and in every city, wherever the edict of the king went, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.
The people of other nationalities became Jews in the general sense of one who identifies with beliefs, rites, and customs of Mosaic tradition. Consequently, after the exile, the term “Jews” was applied not only to those who are from the Southern Kingdom of Israel but to Gentiles who were adherents to the religion of the Judeans.
In the NT time, the term “Jews” was used to describe Judeans as those who adhered to Mosaic tradition. Of course, it is not a term that these Judeans used to describe themselves since they preferred to use the term “Israel”. That Judeans did not generally use the term to address themselves, but the term “Israel” may be seen by comparing the descriptions of Jesus during His crucifixion. On the one hand, the Jews referred to Him as the “King of Israel” in Mark 15:31–32:
31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
On the other hand, the Roman soldiers referred to Him as “King of the Jews” in Mark 15:17–18:
17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!”
That others used the term to refer to Judeans as those who adhere to Mosaic tradition is evident in its use by the Samaritan woman that Jesus spoke with, as recorded in the fourth chapter of John, specifically, John 4:9:
The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
Jews used the term to describe themselves when it is intended to differentiate themselves from Gentiles. Thus, Peter used that term when he preached in Cornelius’ house, as recorded in Acts 10:28:
He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.
It is in the same sense that Apostle Paul used it in his rebuke of Peter, as we read in Galatians 2:14:
When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
Apostle Paul in this usage indicates that a Jew is one who by birth is an Israelite and so practices Mosaic tradition. But that is not all, he also implied that a true Jew is not one who is merely a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as evident in circumcision but one that is regenerated, as that is what we can gather from Romans 2:28–29:
28 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God.
In any case, the term “Jew” refers originally to those who are Judeans, but it extended to those who are Hebrew people. Of course, today Hebrew people are found in every nation in the world although some of them do not even know they are Hebrews. However, current research to locate the lost tribes of Israel have led to few discoveries. The tribe of Gad has been traced to the Ibos in Nigeria, the Yinglings of Sweden, among others. The tribe of Dan to Sudan, some Levites in Lemba tribe of Ethiopia. Other Hebrew people have been found in other parts of the world. This should not surprise anyone because of what Prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 11:11:
In that day the LORD will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea.
By the way, proper identification of the Jews/Hebrews is important because of the promise of the Lord to Abraham in Genesis 12:3:
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Many Christians in this country, for example, support present Israel because of this promise but present Israel consists primarily of a tiny fraction of the Hebrew people. Thus, for consistency they ought to know who the rest are to avoid bringing curse on them through opposing other Hebrew people in other parts of the world or not coming to their defense.
Be that as it may, the question of who a Jew is, should be understood primarily as Apostle Paul would have used the term in the epistle we are considering. You see, in modern time, the word is used in different ways because of the existence of modern state of Israel. A person is accepted as a Jew by Orthodox Judaism if the person has been born to a Jewish mother and who has not apostatized in the sense of being a Christian or converted to any religion. Others would include a Jew as one who has a Jewish father or who has converted to Judaism. Of course, Jewish leaders prefer the term “Israel” to describe the Hebrew people. That aside, it is in the sense of a Hebrew person who practices the Mosaic tradition that the apostle used it in 1 Corinthians 12:13. We say this because when the apostle identified himself as a Jew, he meant one who was born a Hebrew that practiced the Mosaic tradition. He referred himself as a Jew in Acts 22:3:
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.
Here he associated being a Jew to the law, but he also associated being a Jew as that which one is born, as in Galatians 2:15:
“We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’
To him, it is probably inconceivable that one would be a Jew without being a Hebrew, as we can gather from his description of himself as a Hebrew in Philippians 3:5:
circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee;
The point is while the term “Jew” may be used to include those who are not born as Jews but have converted to Judaism that is not what the apostle would have had in mind. He would mean naturally born Hebrews who are considered different from Gentiles as implied in the use of the word Greeks in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 12:13 whether Jews or Greeks.
The word “Greeks” is translated from a Greek word (Hellēn) that may refer to a person of Greek language and culture as the word is used in Romans 1:14:
I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.
In this context of Romans 1:14, a Greek is considered as being civilized or cultured in contrast to the non-Greek or literally a “barbarian”, that is, one who is not civilized or uneducated. The Greek word translated “Greek” may mean in a broader sense all persons who came under the influence of Greek, as distinguished from Israel’s culture so that the word may even mean “Gentile.” It is in this sense that the word is used in Acts 14:1:
At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed.
The phrase Jews and Gentiles is literally Jews and Greeks. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:13, the word refers to those who are non-Jews. Thus, the phrase Jews or Greeks refers to the classification of humanity into two ethnicities where a person is either a Jew or a Gentile. Hence, the diversity in the church of Christ is seen in the sense that the church consists of Jews and Gentiles. However, we should not think of the church in terms of ethnicity but as consisting of the new humanity the apostle referenced in Ephesians 2:15:
by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace.
Be that as it may, the next example of diversity in the church of Christ involves the different social standings of those in the body of Christ. It is this that is given in the phrase slave or free. The word “slave” is translated from a Greek word (doulos) that the Greek English lexicons give the meaning of “slave.” The word “slave” refers to a legal status where someone is owned by another as a property. The church in Corinth had such individuals since the apostle in this epistle that we are considering informed such individuals not to be trouble by their status although if they could gain their freedom to do so as we read in 1 Corinthians 7:21:
Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so.
The word “free” in 1 Corinthians 12:13 is translated from a Greek word (eleutheros) that in our verse refers to someone not under the servitude of another or not under the ownership of another. The church in Corinth had such individuals. Thus, the church of Christ consists of people with diverse social background. Consequently, you have the responsibility to recognize this truth so that you should be sensitive to fellow bellows in not doing anything that implies you ignore the unity in the body of Christ.
06/24//22