Lessons #431 and 432
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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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Focus on members of the church of Christ (1 Cor 12:14-19)
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?
Recall 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, we stated, places some responsibilities on you as a believer in Christ. We have considered the first responsibility as given in the subsection of 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 which is that You should recognize the unity and diversity in the church of Christ. In keeping with this responsibility, we stated that you should not expect uniformity in the body of Christ whether you measure people by their ethnicity or by their social standing. God has created diversity in the body of Christ because each believer has been uniquely placed in the church of Christ to carry out a unique function that helps in the church fulfilling its function on the earth. Therefore, do not try to eradicate diversity. Cherish it with focus on the unity that exists in the body of Christ. So, we proceed to consider the second responsibility of the believer based on the subsection of 1 Corinthians 12:14-19.
The second responsibility you have regarding the message Unity and diversity are essential in the body of Christ, that is, the church of Christ is that You should focus on facts stated about members of the church of Christ. To this end, there are at least five facts you should consider, to help you recognize the importance of diversity and unity in the body of Christ.
A first fact to help you understand the importance of unity and diversity in the body of Christ is that the church of Christ consists of several members. This fact is derived from the analogy of Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:14 that reads Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.
Verse 14 is an emphatic explanation of the fact that there is unity and diversity in the church of Christ although the apostle used the analogy of human body when he presented the first fact. It may not be easy to recognize that verse 14 is an emphatic explanation of the unity in diversity of the church of Christ because the NIV and a handful of our English versions began the verse with the word now. Others began the verse either with the word “for” as in the ESV or “indeed” as in the NRSV. But the Greek begins with two Greek conjunctions. The first is a Greek conjunction (kai) that is often translated “and” in our English versions as reflected in this verse in the NJB that began the verse with the conjunction “and.” However, the Greek conjunction has several other usages. For example, it may be used to introduce a result that comes from what precedes and so may be translated “and then, and so.” It may be used to emphasize a fact as surprising or unexpected or noteworthy with the meaning “and yet” or “and in spite of that” or “nevertheless.” Of course, it could be used simply for emphasis with the meaning “even.” It may be used to mark an explanation so that what follows explains what goes before it, leading to the translation “that is, namely, and so.” The second Greek conjunction that is used in the Greek in the beginning of verse 14 is 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.” It can be used as a marker of clarification or explanation so that it may be translated “for” or “you see.” The problem we face is how to interpret the combination of the two conjunctions that begin 1 Corinthians 12:14.
The combination of the two conjunctions either at the beginning of a verse in the Greek or in the beginning of a clause within a verse is used seventy-six times in Greek NT. The combination of the two Greek conjunctions have been handled in the NIV in four general ways. First, the combination is translated only as if the focus of the verse or sentence that they are associated is on explanation so that it is translated “for” as it is used in the translation of the combined conjunctions where the centurion that requested healing of his servant did not want Jesus to come to his house but to speak His word since he understood the concept of authority and believes that Jesus has authority over sickness and demons as stated in Matthew 8:9:
For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
Literally, the combination of the Greek conjunctions used in the beginning of this verse should read for also. It is this same translation of rendering the combined conjunctions as if the focus is on explanation of what follows or what preceded that is reflected where Apostle Paul provides the explanation for the basis of the unity in the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12:13:
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.
Second, the combination of the two Greek conjunctions is translated as if the focus is only on emphasis as the combination is translated where Apostle Paul described the health status of Epaphroditus as we read in Philippians 2:27:
Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.
The literal Greek could begin with “for indeed” but that was not the case in this verse in the NIV. It seems that the Greek conjunction that is often translated “and” is translated “indeed” while the one that may mean “for” is not translated. It is in the same sense of emphasis that the combination is translated “in fact” in a passage where Apostle Paul reminded the Thessalonians one of the things he taught them regarding persecution that believers face as we read in 1 Thessalonians 3:4:
In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.
Literally, from the Greek the beginning of this passage should read “for indeed.” Third, the combination of the two Greek conjunctions is untranslated. This is the way the translators of the NIV handled the combination in Hebrews 10:34:
You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.
By the way, the NIV is not the only English version that left this combination untranslated so did the NCV and the TEV. The literal Greek should read “and because.” Fourth, the combination of the Greek conjunctions is translated to reflect that what follows the combination is as an emphatic explanation of a concept. Thus, the combination is translated “for even” in a passage where the Lord Jesus corrected the response of the ten apostles to the request of James and John about being in a special position with Him when He returns in glory. The Lord wanted them to understand that the greatest among them is one that serves others. To emphasize this explanation, the Lord then spoke of His sacrifice on our behalf so that the combination is translated “for even” in Mark 10:45:
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The emphatic explanation of the combined two Greek conjunctions may be translated “for to be sure” so there is no doubt that the explanation is emphatic as it is translated where Apostle Paul gives an emphatic explanation of the death of Christ on the cross in 2 Corinthians 13:4:
For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him to serve you.
We have noted the various ways, at least in the NIV, that the combination of the Greek conjunctions that begin 1 Corinthians 12:14 is used. So, our concern is how they are used in our passage. They are used for an emphatic explanation. This means that 1 Corinthians 12:14 should begin with an expression that reflects emphatic explanation for what follows instead of the word “now” of the NIV or the Revised edition of the NAB. To me, at least, two English versions reflect the emphatic explanation the apostle intended, that is, the NET and NKJV that began verse 14 with the expression “for in fact.” It is the same interpretation that is reflected in the CJB (Complete Jewish Bible) that began the verse with “for indeed.” Anyway, we contend that verse 14 that we are considering is an emphatic explanation of the fact that there is unity and diversity in the church of Christ although the apostle used the analogy of human body when he presented the first fact. If the verse begins with “for” as done in many of our English versions, one will not recognize that the verse is concerned not only with explanation but with emphasis of what the apostle conveyed. Likewise, if the verse begins with “indeed” that reflects emphasis one will not realize that what follows is an emphatic explanation of the fact that there is unity and diversity in the church of Christ although the apostle used the analogy of human body when he presented the first fact. Because of the emphatic explanation of the apostle, we should recognize, as we have previously stated, the importance of diversity and unity in the church of Christ. Of course, an implication of the emphatic explanation of the apostle to the Corinthians and so to all of us is that we should be careful not to think that diversity is a bad thing in the body of Christ for after all there should be diversity of gifts for the functioning of the church of Christ.
We indicated that the apostle used the analogy of human body to convey the unity and diversity in the church of Christ because 1 Corinthians 12:14 in the NIV reads the body is not made up of one part but of many.
The word “body” is translated from a Greek word (sōma) that we have considered previously but for completeness and comprehension of the point we are advancing, we will review what we said about it. The Greek word is used both literally and in figuratively. Literally, it is used for the body of a human being or an animal as in the instruction of the Lord Jesus to His disciples 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’ explanation to His disciples’ question about the place of judgement He spoke about as stated 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, Apostle Paul uses the word “body” to refer to the Christian community. Hence, he 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 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 12:14, it is used in the sense of the entire structure of an organism, animal, or human being, that is, “body.” Although the apostle used the Greek word in the literal sense of the body but because of the context of his explanation is the church of Christ then we should recognize the “body” here as ultimately a reference to the body of Christ, that is, the church since the apostle views the body of Christ as the church as we read, for example, in a passage we cited previously, that is, 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.
That the “body” in the analogy of the apostle in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 12:14 the body is not made up of one part but of many refers to the church implies that the church is made of many members or believers. The word “part” here 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 12:14, 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 as confirmed by what Apostle Paul wrote 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.
The various parts or members form the church of Christ; that is what is conveyed in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 12:14 the body is not made up of one part but of many. Anyway, the first fact, Apostle Paul conveyed to us in the passage we are considering is that the Church of Christ consists of several members that are different from each other in different ways.
A second fact to help you understand the importance of unity and diversity in the body of Christ is that no believer can be separated from the body of Christ. This fact is derived from the analogies the apostle makes based on references to four body parts. The first two body parts that are involved in the analogy are the foot and the hand as introduced in the first clause of 1 Corinthians 12:15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,”.
The apostle states something that is less likely to happen. We say this because of the conditional word “if” used in the verse we are considering is translated from a Greek conjunction (ean) that may be used as a maker of condition of a reduced likelihood of occurrence of an activity referenced. It is less likely for the foot to speak since it has a different function in the body that does not include communication. The foot is used for walking although it may be used in the imagery of defeat of someone or subduing someone where the defeated lies under the feet of the conqueror as it is used for the conquest of God’s enemies by Jesus Christ before handing over reign to God the Father as we read in 1 Corinthians 15:25:
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
That aside, the foot does not have the function of speaking, that is the reason we stated that the apostle in his analogy used something that is less likely to occur. The thing that could remotely occur is for the foot to utter what is stated in the clause of 1 Corinthian 12:15 Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body.
The sentence I am not a hand is not merely to convey that one part of the body is not another but to refer to different function that is attributed to the hand. The word “hand” is translated from a Greek word (cheir) that no doubt refers to a hand or any relevant portion of the hand, including, for example, the fingers. This is the reason the Greek word is translated “finger” as the place ring is placed on a person as in the parable of the Compassionate Father that is more often described as the parable of the Prodigal Son that the father instructed ring to be placed on the finger of the prodigal son as we read in Luke 15:22:
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
The phrase ring on his finger is literally ring on his hand but since ring is worn on a finger, the appropriate meaning of the Greek word that literally means “hand” is finger. The word may mean “wrists” as the place a handcuff or chains are placed on someone arrested as that was the location chains fell off Peter when an angel released him from jail as we read in Acts 12:7:
Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.
The sentence the chains fell off Peter’s wrists is literally his chains fell from off his hands. The word may mean “control” as that is the sense that Peter used it to describe the Lord’s deliverance from prison as we read in Acts 12:11:
Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”
The phrase Herod’s clutches may alternatively be translated Herod’s control/grasp although literally we have Herod’s hand. The word “hand” is used figuratively for “power” especially of God as it used in the prayer of the early church as they acknowledged God’s working in Acts 4:28:
They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
The phrase your power is literally your hand.
Anyway, the reason we mentioned the figurative usages of the word “hand” is to convey that although the apostle used literal hand in the conditional statement he presented, but the focus is really on the members of the body of Christ. Thus, the implication of what he said is that just because one member does not have miraculous power, for example, as the other that does not mean that the person is not in the body of Christ as that is what we can draw from the clause of 1 Corinthians 12:15 I do not belong to the body. By the way, this clause although used in connection with the analogy the apostle used, implies that no believer should think the person does not belong to the body of Christ because of having a different spiritual gift than another believer.
The apostle indicates that the foot could claim not to be a part of the body but that does not make it to be true as the last clause of 1 Corinthians 12:15 it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. There is a question as to how this clause is to be punctuated in the Greek. Some of our Greek texts punctuate it as an affirmation. This approach is reflected in the translation of the NIV and many of our English versions. Other Greek texts punctuate the clause as involving rhetorical question that literally translates not because of this is it not of the body? Some of our English versions such as the CEB follow the Greek texts that punctuate the clause as a rhetorical question so reads does that mean it’s not part of the body? Nonetheless, the question of how to punctuate the Greek text does not affect the intended meaning of what the apostle wanted to convey. Thus, it really does not matter how it is punctuated in the Greek and consequently in the English. The rhetorical question when answered properly yields the same affirmative statement found in those Greek texts that punctuate the sentence to reflect an affirmation. By the way, the apostle used a strong negative in the Greek to convey that the claim of the foot could never be true since the word “not” used once in the translation of the NIV or twice in the literal translation is translated from a Greek word (ou) that is an objective negative, denying the reality of alleged fact fully and absolutely in contrast to another Greek negative (mē) that is a subjective negative, implying a conditional and hypothetical negation. Thus, the apostle states strongly what the foot could potentially claim as not being a part of the body is impossible. In effect, the foot is already a part of the body and there is no way of undoing that reality.
In any case, the apostle continued with his analogy that involves the parts of the human body that are smaller than the ones he used in verse 15. The foot and the hand as parts of the body are larger in size than the two body parts the apostle used in verse 16. Before we get to the smaller parts of the body the apostle used in verse 16, it is worth noting that since the apostle was concerned about members of the body of Christ that his choice of going from larger parts of the body to smaller parts is intended in the overall scheme of his teaching to deal with the sense of insecurity that believers may face. There are those who may be considered important in the local church represented by the foot and hand as well as those who think they are unimportant represented by the smaller parts of the body the apostle mentioned in verse 16. Both groups are prone to a sense of insecurity. You can observe this phenomenon of feeling of insecurity in the world we live in with those who are highly placed in life. Some of us think that only the poor and those who are less fortunate in terms of the things of this world have a sense of insecurity but that is not true. The powerful and wealthy have a sense of insecurity probably worse than those who are less placed in society. This accounts for the behavior of some of the powerful. It is because of this sense of insecurity that many dictators are very brutal in that they do everything they can to ensure they remain in power. In fact, at the very hint of a rivalry, they would kill such a person. Thus, Herod tried to kill baby Jesus. I am saying to you that the feeling of insecurity is not limited to the less privileged in society. Hence, it is probably the case that even those who are looked upon as important in a local church may also have their struggles with insecurity of their position in the church of Christ. Thus, the apostle probably was thinking of the sense of feeling of insecurity believers feel regardless of how others view them in the local church that he used in his analogy of larger parts of the body first and then proceeded to the smaller parts of the body.
The first small part of the body the apostle used is the ear. The ear, no doubt, is smaller than the foot the apostle used in verse 15. However, the apostle is still concerned with indicating that even the smaller part of the body could not be separated from it that he again used a claim of an event that is unlikely to occur as in the first conditional clause of 1 Corinthians 12:16 And if the ear should say. The apostle states what in reality cannot happen. The ear is an auditory organ of the body, so it is incapable of speaking, but the apostle used it to convey what is unlikely to happen. Anyway, the apostle states what the ear could claim that would not happen as we read in the next clause of 1 Corinthians 12:16 Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body. The eye is the second small organ of the body the apostle mentioned although it is concerned with sense of perception or sight. The ear cannot carry out the function of the eye just as the eye could not carry out the function of the ear. Thus, it would not make sense for the ear to claim not to be a part of the body because of its inability to carry out the function of the eye. That aside, the apostle continued to make the point that the claim of not being part of the body by the ear because it could not function as the eye is not true. It is this claim that is stated in the last part of 1 Corinthians 12:16 it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.
The comment we made about the last sentence of 1 Corinthians 12:15 is applicable to the last sentence of verse 16. Some Greek texts punctuate the last sentence as a rhetorical question so that literally the Greek translates into the English as is it not by this not of the body? Some English versions, such as the CEB, follow the Greek texts that punctuate it as a question, so it reads does that mean it’s not part of the body? Other Greek texts punctuate the sentence as an affirmation. This approach is reflected in the NIV and many of our English versions that read it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. Again, the anticipated answer to the rhetorical question says essentially the same thing as punctuating the text as an affirmation. Consequently, there is no difference in how the Greek sentence is punctuated. Nonetheless, the intent of the apostle is to convey that the claim of the ear is unattainable since it is impossible for the ear not to be part of the body of a person. Thus, confirming the second fact that should help you understand the importance of unity and diversity in the body of Christ which is that no believer can be separated from the body of Christ.
The sentence of 1 Corinthians 12:15 it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body repeated in verse 16 is indeed the basis for the second fact we stated, that is, that no believer can be separated from the body of Christ. It is true that the sentence is concerned with analogy that the apostle used in dealing with the matter of unity and diversity in the body of Christ, but it has an important application to the believer in Christ. The application is that the second fact is one of assurance of the security of the salvation of the believer in Christ. You see, if a part of the body could never stop being a part of the body because of what it claims then the application is that a believer who is a part of the body of Christ would never cease being part of His body. It is interesting that it is after the apostle had explained how a believer comes to be in Christ through the baptism by the Holy Spirit, we considered in verse 13, that the apostle provided this analogy using parts of the body that cannot stop being a part of the body regardless of what claim that part of the body makes. Thus, the conclusion the apostle makes using the analogy of body parts is the impossibility of a body part not being part of the body that we say imply that your salvation in Christ is secured regardless of whatever you feel or what factors that come to bear on you. We are saying that it is impossible for a person that has been baptized into the body of Christ to ever not be a part of the body of Christ. This in keeping with the assertion of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul of the impossibility of not being in the love of God in Christ or separated from His love as a believer that is stated through the pen of Apostle Paul in Romans 8:35–39:
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This passage in Romans shuts the door to any objection of security of the salvation of believers especially because of the phrase of verse 38 nor demons. Why is that? You may ask. It is because of what demons could do. Demons are capable of deception as they can inspire false teachings as we read in 1 Timothy 4:1–2:
1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.
Deception inspired by demons would lead to sin. It was through Satan’s deception that the fall into sin happened in the first place as the Holy Spirit reminds us in 2 Corinthians 11:3:
But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
Just as Satan could lead believers to sin so would demons. Thus, the thing demons could do with respect to a believer is to cause the believer to sin. However, the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul tells us that demons could not remove the believer from the love of God in Christ that implies that sin cannot permanently remove us from the love of God in Christ. In fact, that sin does not remove us from the love of God is in part the reason the Lord disciplines us as stated Revelation 3:19:
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.
This discipline by the Lord is so that we will not be condemned with the world as the Holy Spirit tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:32:
When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
Sin affects only our fellowship with God on this planet but not beyond it since we are assured that what demons could do would not separate us from the love of God that is in Christ. I think that when a believer supposes that sin would cause the person to lose the individual’s salvation that it reveals a lack of understanding of the work of Christ on the cross. The death of Christ on the cross has settled the sin problem with God as far as eternal state is concerned. The Scripture is clear that Jesus Christ came to this world to take away our sins as we read in 1 John 3:5:
But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.
To take away our sins means that Jesus Christ has taken away the penalty of sin because He atoned for it. To think that what has been taken away will cause a believer not to remain in the love of Christ or in the body of Christ eternally is to deny that the work of Christ was completed and accepted by God Father. It is certainly blasphemous to think that way. The death of Christ is sufficient to deal with the entire matter of sin that His sacrifice took care of the sins of the whole world as stated in 1 John 2:2:
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Of course, someone may state to the effect that if Christ died for the sins of the world, then no one would go to the lake of fire or to eternal suffering. Truly, no one will spend eternity in the lake of fire for sin. The Scripture is clear that it is because a person refused to believe in Christ that such a person would spend eternity in the lake of fire as implied in John 3:18:
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
It is because of lack of faith in Christ that anyone will be eternally lost. No wonder Jesus declared to the Jews who did not believe in Him that they would die in their sins because they refused to believe in Him as we read in John 8:24:
I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.”
You get the point that it is not sin that sends anyone to hell, it is unbelief in the Lord Jesus who paid for our sins. Hence, when demons cause a believer to sin that will not change the person’s eternal relationship with God only the person’s temporal relationship with God. Furthermore, we know that Jesus Christ continues to plead for our sins even when we do not realize it since He is our high priest. It is because He pleads for us that He is able to save us completely as we read in Hebrews 7:25:
Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
The point I am stressing is that in the analogy of Apostle Paul we are considering body parts as part of the body, the apostle conveyed that because a body part makes the claim of not being a part of the body does not make it so. Hence, we contend that the sentence of 1 Corinthians 12:15 it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body repeated in verse 16 is an assurance of the security of believer’s salvation since every believer is part of the body of Christ and cannot be removed from that body. Of course, someone could say that I am pressing the analogy so far for the simple reason that a person could lose a part of the body and the body would still continue to function, implying that a believer could be removed from the body of Christ without affecting the body of Christ. Such a notion is false as will be noted later in the apostle’s analogy. Meanwhile, let me refute such a thought. First, if a person loses a limb that body ceases to be whole, something that cannot happen to the body of Christ. It cannot cease to be whole. This aside, a person would normally lose a body part because of a violent action on the part of a human being or because of a disastrous event. This cannot apply to the body of Christ because of His promise that no one would violently or otherwise remove the believer from His control as He stated in John 10:28:
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
Snatching involves force but the Lord says that no one is capable of applying a force that would remove a believer from His hand or control. The implication is that it is impossible to snatch a member of the body of Christ from His body. Again, that is a way of assuring us that we are secured in Him or in His body. In any event, a second fact to help you understand the importance of unity and diversity in the body of Christ is that no believer can be separated from the body of Christ. This brings us to the third fact that we will consider in our next study but let me end by reminding you that the second responsibility you have regarding the message Unity and diversity are essential in the body of Christ, that is, the church of Christ is that You should focus on facts stated about members of the church of Christ. Two of these we have considered: first, the church consists of several members and second no believer can be separated from the body of Christ. So, meditate on these.
07/08//22