Lessons #439 and 440
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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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Treatment of parts of the body (1 Cor 12: 20-26)
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.
We are fast coming to the close of our study of the section of 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 as far as it analysis is concerned but application is still some time away. This being the case, let me review what we have studied up to this point. The overall message of the section is that Unity and diversity are essential in the body of Christ, that is, the church of Christ. This message places three responsibilities on you as a believer in Christ. The first responsibility, based on the subsection of 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, is that You should recognize the unity and diversity in the church of Christ. The second responsibility, derived from the subsection of 1 Corinthians 12:14-19, is that You should focus on facts stated about members of the church of Christ that we indicated are five. The first fact is that the church of Christ consists of several members. The second is that no believer can be separated from the body of Christ. The third is that each member is necessary for the functioning of the local church of Christ or the universal church of Christ. The fourth is that it is God who places each member of the church to function as He wants. The fifth fact is that there would have been no church of Christ as we know it if it consists of only one member. The third responsibility, based on the subsection of 1 Corinthians 12:20-26, is that You should be careful how you treat members of the body of Christ. We indicated that there are reasons or positions that are necessary to bear in mind to help each believer carry out the third responsibility. A first reason You should be careful how you treat members of the body of Christ is because of the importance of unity and diversity in the church of Christ. A second reason is because each member depends on the other. A third reason is because even those considered weak are indispensable or are necessary members of the body of Christ. A fourth is that there are certain members of the body of Christ that require special attention. This brings us to the fifth reason.
A fifth and final reason You should be careful how you treat members of the body of Christ is that God has His purpose for constituting the church in certain ways. This fifth reason is based on what the apostle wrote beginning in the last sentence of 1 Corinthians 12:24 and ending in verse 26. The last sentence of verse 24 begins with a Greek particle (alla) that primarily is used to indicate a difference with or contrast to what precedes. In effect, it is used to express contrast between an immediate clause and the one preceding it so it may be translated “but, rather, on the contrary.” The word may be translated “indeed, certainly” when it is used as a marker of contrastive emphasis as it is done in the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) in our verse. When the word is used in connection with a command, it may mean “now, then” as the word is translated in the instruction given to the wife regarding her husband in Ephesians 5:24:
Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Some English versions began verse 24 of Ephesians 5 with the conjunction “but.” Interestingly, the translators of the ISV began with the word “indeed” which is a permissible translation of the Greek word when a contrast is to be made in an emphatic manner or a strong alternative is being suggested. That aside, the meaning “but” may indicate a transition to something different or contrasted. When the word is translated “but” before independent clauses, it may indicate that what preceded it is to be regarded as a settled matter, thus forming a transition to something new implying sometimes that other matter for additional consideration is being introduce. Some of our English versions such as the CEV and the TEV, among others, did not translate it probably conveying a sense of transition to something new. Nonetheless, in our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:24, the word is used not only to indicate a contrast between what follows in the second half of verse 24 and the first half of the verse but it is used to indicate that an additional fact is introduced that should be considered as one deals with the subject of unity in diversity in the church of Christ.
The additional fact to consider as one deals with subject of unity in diversity in the church of Christ is that God constituted or composed the church the way He wants and for His purpose. The fact God constituted the church the way He wants is introduced in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 12:24 God has combined the members of the body.
The mention of God in the sentence we are considering should remind us of at least two things about God that are relevant to the subject of unity and diversity in the body of Christ. It should first remind us of the wisdom of God as we think of the members of the body Christ. His wisdom is beyond human comprehension and beyond measure as Apostle Paul declared as he contemplated God’s work in election as we read in Romans 11:33:
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
It is as we think of the wisdom of God that we will have respect for the way He has constituted the church of Christ as in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 12:24 God has combined the members of the body that we are considering. The second thing about God that the mention of Him in the verse we are considering is the unity of God as we may note from the unity of the work of God in our salvation where each member is specifically concerned with a specific aspect of it as the Holy Spirit conveyed through Apostle Peter as we read in 1 Peter 1:2:
who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
I am saying that as we contemplate on the constitution of the church of Christ by God we should think of His wisdom and the unity of God to help us appreciate what is stated in 1 Corinthians 12:24 God has combined the members of the body.
The word “combined” is translated from a Greek verb (sygkerannymi) that appears only twice in the Greek NT. In both passages where the word is used, the translators of the NIV consistently rendered it with the English word “combined”, as in the other passage the word appears in describing some of the Israelites that did not exercise faith in the word of God that was delivered to them, that is, in Hebrews 4:2:
For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:24, the word has the meaning of “to compose, to put together” or “to compound,” that is, “to assemble a unified whole by mixing or combining different parts.” Hence, God in His wisdom formed one organism by unifying or fitting together the members of the body of Christ.
The human body consists of different parts that together form a functioning body. If any part of the body is missing, that will cause problem in the function of the body. Consequently, all the parts have been carefully placed by God to support the overall function of the body. That said, we should recognize that the analogy the apostle used is applied to the body of Christ and so we will focus on the body of Christ as the concern of the sentence we are considering.
The sentence of 1 Corinthians 12:24 God has combined the members of the body work should remind us of at least three things. First, that the work of God in composing the body of Christ results in a unified body unlike another work of God that involves the political alliance that Prophet Daniel wrote that would not stay united or that will not last as we read in Daniel 2:43:
And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
We reference this prophecy because it is God’s work and the Greek word used in the passage of 1 Corinthians 12:24 that is used to describe this prophecy of Daniel in the Septuagint. So, we can see that God can bring about unity as part of His work and disunity as well.
Second, the unity in the body of Christ is the work of the all-powerful and all wise God and not of humans. You see, the word “combined” of the NIV or “composed” we used to describe what God did with members of the body of Christ is translated from an aorist tense in the Greek implying that the action of composing of the body of Christ from its members is an action that took place in eternity. This is not difficult to accept if we remember that Christ’s work that led to the composing of His body is considered something that happened before creation as we read in Revelation 13:8:
All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.
Although some commentators associate the phrase from the creation of the world with the verbal phrase been written but because the phrase from the creation of the world is at the end of the verse in the Greek, it is probably better to read the verse as given in the NIV. This would imply that Christ’s death was regarded as “a done deal” with God since His election to come to the world was done before creation as we read in 1 Peter 1:20:
He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
Thus, the work of Christ on the cross that is the basis of composing of the church is seen from eternity as a done deal along with the election of those who would be members of His body. The point is that the unity that results from God composing of the church with various members is His work and not that of humans as it is impossible for humans to bring about such a feat. As believers, we are not called to create the unity in the body of Christ, but our responsibility is to maintain it as required of us as stated in Ephesians 4:3:
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
The NIV of this verses reads as a command, but the Greek indicates that the apostle is concerned with the means of maintaining unity since the expression Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit of the NIV is better rendered by making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit. Thus, the means of maintaining unity or cohesiveness among believers requires that each believer should eagerly determine to do something that is described in the verbal phrase to keep the unity of the Spirit. Willingness or eagerness is an important attitude that should exist in order to carry out anything successfully. We are required to maintain among us what God has already brought about. Unity of the body of Christ is already accomplished by God; we are only required to maintain it or to make it a reality while on this planet. We do so by having the attitude that we want to see the unity God has accomplished be evident in the church of Christ. Anyway, the second thing we have stated is that the unity in the body of Christ is the work of the all-powerful and all wise God and not of humans.
Third, God composed the church from people of different ethnic backgrounds to form a new humanity. Humanity began as composed of one group of people with one language until humanity rebelled against God’s instruction to spread out and occupy the planet earth. When people refused to do so, God forced them to act by creating diversity of language so that people for the most part first grouped themselves based on language and eventually based on ethnicity. The point is that it is God that composed the church of Christ with people of different ethnicity. But that is not all. He composed the church with believers who have different spiritual gifts. Each member is placed in the body in such a way that the person fits into the body of Christ as God has determined. It is like putting puzzles together. Each believer is chosen and gifted in a way to fit in composing the body of Christ as the Holy Spirit implies through Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2:5:
you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
A house built of bricks requires bricks of different sizes or even shapes. Thus, we maintain that God has uniquely placed each believer in the body of Christ in such a way that a unified body of Christ is the result. In His wisdom, God not only composed the body of Christ with people of different ethnic backgrounds but also of different social standing although the latter is not always easily recognized. I mean that in some geographical areas, there are not many of those with high social standing that are members of the church of Christ but that does not mean there are no other places where God has composed the church of Christ with people of high social standing and low social standing. In this country, we find examples where local churches are composed of the rich, the powerful, the highly educated and less powerful and poor. God in His wisdom knows how to mix the members of the body of Christ both according to social standing and spiritual gifts to accomplish His purpose. We have an example of this mix in the local church in Antioch as we read in Acts 13:1
In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.
Here we see a mixture of spiritual gifts of prophecy and teaching. There is also a mixture in ethnicity although if based only in this passage we cannot be absolutely certain but thankfully there is more in the book of Acts that help us be certain of what we stated. The phrase Simeon called Niger implies that Simeon is a dark-skinned person since the word Niger is a Latinism, meaning “black.” Because the name Simeon is a popular name among the Jews, he was probably one of the dark-skinned Jews that lived in Africa. Lucius was certainly from North Africa so that he also could be a Hebrew person or a Gentile. It is because of the uncertainty of who Lucius was that we could say that there is possibility that there was a mixture of ethnicity in the local church although we are certain of the mixture of ethnicity in the local church in Antioch as we will demonstrate later. The mixture of social standing of people in the local church in Antioch is implied by the fact that Manaen was brought up with Herod the tetrarch so that he was probably a privileged man before he became a Christian. Anyway, there should be no doubt that there was a mixture of people of different ethnicity and social standing in the local church of Christ in Antioch since it was this mixture that was one of the reasons believers in Antioch were described as “Christians” as we read in Acts 11:25–26:
25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Those Barnabas and Saul taught the word of God included Gentiles who believed in Christ as indicated in Acts 11:20–21:
20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
The Greeks who believed were Gentiles and so we are certain that the local church in Antioch composed of Jews and Gentiles among other classification.
It is not only that God composed the body of Christ, that is, the church with different believers of different ethnic background and spiritual gifts but He also values even members that other believers may have the tendency to ignore or to look down for any of the several reasons humans do such a thing. It is this action of God that is given in the clause of 1 Corinthians 12:24 and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it.
The thing given to parts of the body that God is concerned with is described with the word “honor.” The word “honor” is translated from a Greek word (timē) that may mean “price” as in what it costs to redeem the believer by Christ as we read in 1 Corinthians 6:20:
you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
The word may mean “value” as it is used to describe the estimation given to the books that were burned by those who were involved in magical arts in Ephesus once they believed in the Lord Jesus as we read in Acts 19:19:
A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.
The Greek word may mean “compensation” such as that that should be given to teaching elders of a local church as stated in 1 Timothy 5:17:
The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.
The word may refer to the act of showing of honor, reverence, or respect and so it is translated “respect” in the instruction given to believing slaves regarding their masters in 1 Timothy 6:1:
All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:24, it has the sense of “value,” that is, the quality that renders something desirable or valuable.
The value or honor is given to parts that are described as not having it as in 1 Corinthians 12:24 has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it. Literally, the Greek reads having given greater honor to the lacking. The word “lacked” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (hystereō) that may mean “to lack” in the sense of being in short supply hence also means “to fail, to give out” as the word is used in Jesus’ answer to the question of the rich young man that asked Him about what to do to inherit eternal life, as we read in Mark 10:21:
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
The Greek word may mean “to lack” in the sense of to be in need of something, as it is used in Jesus’ question to the disciples if they were in need of anything when He sent them out on a mission work, as recorded in Luke 22:35:
Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered.
The word may mean to be lower in status hence “to be less, to be inferior to”, as Apostle Paul used it to describe himself to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 12:11:
I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing.
The Greek word may mean “to lack” in the sense of to experience deficiency in something advantageous or desirable; thus, with the additional meaning of “to go without, come short of” as Apostle Paul used it to describe his orientation to things of this life that are necessities in Philippians 4:12:
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
The Greek word may mean to miss out on something through one’s fault hence means “to miss, to fail to reach” as it is used in Hebrews 12:15:
See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
Of the various meanings of the Greek word, it is the meaning of “to lack” in the sense of to experience deficiency in something advantageous or desirable that the apostle used it in our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:24.
The parts described as lacking something in the context of the apostle’s analogy refers to those body parts that are less visible and so are less valued. God has placed values on them in such a way that they actually command respect. We have referred to the genitals as the part that are usually hidden because they are not considered something that should be displayed to others because by their very nature, they are unattractive, but God has made them so valuable because of the function they perform. Procreation would not be possible without these hidden parts of the body so God not only gave them such function that is valuable, but He also gave humans that instinct to hide or cover up such body parts thereby giving respect or honor to them. Having said this, we should recognize that the focus is not really on the human parts but on the members of the body of Christ, that is, believers. There are members of the body of Christ that may be disrespected or undervalued and so these individuals have been recognized by God bestowing on them spiritual gifts that should cause other believers to respect them. It is likely that some of the believers with visible gifts such as speaking in tongues were those who were not highly thought of in the society in Corinth. For after all, the apostle had already reminded the Corinthians that not many of them who are saved were considered influential in their society prior to their salvation or even after that as we read in 1 Corinthians 1:26–31:
26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Our assertion that some of those with visible gifts in Corinth were those not of high status in their society is in keeping with the fact that the seventy-two disciples of the Lord Jesus that He sent on mission field were also not considered of high status in their time as we may deduce from what the Lord told them after they returned with excitement of what happened in their mission work reported in Luke 10:21:
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.
That the disciples of the Lord Jesus were considered not individuals of high standing in Israel at that time is confirmed by what the rulers of Israel said as we read in Acts 4:13:
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
We are arguing that probably most of those with visible gifts in church in Corinth must have been those who were of little status in the society since quite often God chooses individuals that are not considered of high standing to demonstrate His power and grace. It is this fact that is also implied in the rhetorical question of James in James 2:5:
Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?
Anyway, the point we are stressing is that the verbal phrase of 1 Corinthians 12:24 has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it conveys that God has given to many members of the church of Christ in Corinth with low societal status visible spiritual gifts. This being the case, those believers who would otherwise not get attention from members of the local church because of their social standing are those God in His wisdom has chosen to bestow gifts that will cause others to respect them or to recognize them, something that would not have happened if God did not bestow visible spiritual gifts on such individuals.
In any case, that Apostle Paul in the last clause of 1 Corinthians 12:24 was concerned not so much with body parts as with members of the body of Christ is clear from what is stated in verse 25. The apostle provides two related purposes in verse 25 that are only intelligible if the members of the body in verse 24 are members of the body of Christ, that is, believers in the church of Christ. We know that the apostle provided two related purposes because of the phrase so that that begins verse 25. The expression “so that” is translated from a Greek conjunction (hina) that may be used as a marker of purpose with the meaning “in order that, that, so that” or it can be used as a marker of result so that it may be translated “that, so that, as a result.” Often, it is difficult to differentiate purpose from result in which case the Greek conjunction is used for the result that follows according to the purpose of the subject. This notwithstanding, the Greek conjunction is used in verse 25 to express the purpose for which God composed the church of Christ the way He did.
A stated purpose for God composing the church the way He did is to ensure there will be no division in the church of Christ. It is this purpose that is stated in the first clause of 1 Corinthians 12:25 so that there should be no division in the body. As we have already stated, this clause implies that the apostle was no longer concerned with human body but the body of Christ, that is, the church since there is no way to conceive of division occurring in our bodies. Division is something that occurs with humans.
The word “division” is translated from a Greek word (schisma) from which we get our English word “schism.” The word may mean “tear, crack” as it is used in the Lord’s declaration when He was asked as to the reason His disciples did not fast. He replied by referring to a proverb that in its usage in the context of the question He answered, probably meant to convey that the new way of life brought through His teaching does not need to be restrained by the old in Matthew 9:16:
“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.
The Greek word may mean “division, dissension, schism” as a condition of being divided because of conflicting aims or objectives or beliefs. Of course, the division often results in two different groups with opposing views. This meaning is reflected among the Pharisees regarding the person of Jesus Christ, as we read, for example, in John 9:16:
Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” So they were divided.
The division among the Pharisees is because they were not united in their view of Jesus Christ. So, division is that which indicates that there is a tear in a group that will not be present if there is unity. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:25, the word has the sense of schism, that is, division of a group into opposing factions.
God’s purpose is that there should be no division in the church of Christ. However, when believers failed to live up to God’s purpose, we have division. Apostle Paul had already rebuked the Corinthians for this failure in that there was division or partisanship among them that should not exist. Therefore, he appealed to them to rectify it as we read in 1 Corinthians 1:10–12:
10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”
Whenever there is division in the local church it is because of failure to attain the purpose of God for the church. The Lord Jesus in His priestly prayer petitioned God the Father to enable believers to maintain unity and so to avoid division among us as we read in John 17:23:
I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
Remember we indicated that the unity in the church in its perfection is God’s work. In other words, God has brought about unity in the body through His work but what is demanded of us is, while on this planet, we should make real what is real with God. You see, we humans have the tendency to segregate based on several human factors. The church of Christ has to guide against it. It is possible that even in a local church people form cliques based on social standing or human ties, but it is necessary to we take steps to avoid forming any kind of cliques that would imply division in the body of Christ. It requires concerted effort to avoid such a thing. Anyway, the fact that we are to strive to avoid division means that the body Apostle Paul had in mind in 1 Corinthians 12:24 is the body of Christ and no longer human body.
Another stated purpose for God composing the church the way He did is to ensure we care for each other. Caring for each other is antithetical to division so the next clause of 1 Corinthians 12:25 begins with the conjunction but translated from a Greek particle (alla) that we previously considered in verse 24, where we indicated that particle is primarily used to indicate a difference with or contrast to what precedes. The other purpose of God in composing the church the way He did contrasts with the concept of division that may exist in local churches. This other stated purpose is given in the second clause of 1 Corinthians 12:25 but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. This clause implies that the apostle although he used the word “parts” is no longer focusing on parts of the human body but members of the church of Christ since body parts are incapable of what is stated in the verbal phrase have equal concern for each other.
The word “concern” is translated from a Greek word (merimnaō) that may mean “to worry” as in the command of the Lord Jesus against worrying about life’s necessities in Matthew 6:25:
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
The word may mean “to attend to” or “to care for” or “to be concerned about someone” as Apostle Paul used it to describe Timothy’s concern for the Philippians in Philippians 2:20:
I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.
The word may mean “to be anxious” as in the instruction against anxiety about anything of this life in Philippians 4:6:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
It is in the sense of “being concerned about” someone that the word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:25. The apostle used a present tense in the Greek. The implication is that it is expected that believers should form the habit of being concerned with each other. It is not something that we do once or twice. No! We should have the continuously mentality to be concerned about each other.
The concern that believers should have for each other in the body of Christ is qualified in the NIV with the adjective equal in verbal phrase have equal concern for each other. Literally, the Greek reads parts should have care the same for each other. This is because the word “equal” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (autos) that in this verse has the meaning “same” as, pertaining to that which is identical to something. The implication is two folds. We are to have the same concern for each other as we will want them to have for us. Furthermore, our concern for each other should not depend on the individual. You see, there is the tendency for believers in a local church to show concern to an individual based on the person’s status in the society. That is wrong. We are to show the same level of concern for one another as believers regardless of a person status in the society since the local church consists of those who are highly regarded in the society as well as those who are not. This kind of thing is displayed in the way believers may respond to, say, believers who lost a loved one. It is possible that if a person is well known that the family gets more attention from the members of the body of Christ than those who are not well placed in the society. Again, such should be avoided as that is incompatible with God’s purpose in composing the church the way He did. Anyway, it is important that we show the same concern for one another.
The Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul explains further what this concern for each other involves. We use the word “explains” because of the Greek conjunction (kai) that begins verse 26. The Greek conjunction is often translated “and” in our English versions as reflected in this verse in the NASB 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.” Majority of our English versions did not translate it in the verse we are considering, probably implying that the apostle was continuing his teaching concerning the composing of the church by God. That aside, the Greek conjunction is subject to at least two interpretations. A first interpretation is that it is used to express result in which case it may be translated with a conjunction that reflects result such as “thus” or “so” as reflected in such English version as the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) or the HCSB. This interpretation implies that what is stated in verse 26 is that which results from the perfect composing of the church by God or that it is the result of being concerned for each other. A second interpretation is that the Greek conjunction is used in an explanatory sense and so may be translated “that is, and so.” This interpretation implies that verse 26 explains or illustrates what it means for believers to be concerned for each other. Both interpretations make sense since each state what is true in the context. It may be the case that the apostle in verse 26 gives the result of the composing of the church as God has done but does it in such a way that verse 26 explains what it means to be concerned for one another. Without verse 26 explaining what it means to be concerned for each other, the apostle leaves us to guess what it means. But if verse 26 is an explanation, then we understand in a more concrete way what it means to be concerned for each other instead of guessing what it means.
Believers having concern for each other is explained as sharing in negative and positive experiences of a fellow believer given, by using two conditional clauses in 1 Corinthians 12:26. The concept of sharing in the negative experience of a fellow believer is stated in the first conditional clause of 1 Corinthians 12:26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. There is much to this clause so we will examine it in greater detail in our next study. Meanwhile let me end by reminding you that the fifth and final reason You should be careful how you treat members of the body of Christ is that God has His purpose for constituting the church in certain ways.