Frank

It was certainly not my intention to cause confusion. And I’m sorry if I took us all down a bunny trail, away from the things Cheryl wanted to share with us on this task. And I won’t be able to answer all your questions tonight. So let me begin with those things in 1 Corinthians 12 I think we can agree on, then go on either to correct some of my previous comments, or further clarify them as need be.

1. I think we would agree that Chapter 12 begins with Paul’s instruction of the erring Corinthians as to the true nature and purpose of the various gifts given by the Holy Spirit (vv.1-11), followed by his analogy of the human body with the Body of Christ (vv.12-26), and then after giving an exemplary list of gifted people who form the Body of Christ (vv.27-28), Paul concludes with an appeal that his readers to “earnestly desire the most helpful gifts” (1 Cor 12:31, NLT).

2. In the head-body analogy Paul is making here, the focus is on both the unity and diversity of the body parts and on their interdependency for healthy growth and productive activity together. But it is still an analogy between the human body and the Body of Christ. So even though not specifically mentioned in this text, the implication of this text is, as I see it, this: That just as without its head or source of life, wisdom and power, the human could not function or continue to live, even so the Body of Christ, were it separate from the Lord Jesus Christ, who is its head or source of life, wisdom and power–it could not function or live fully either. I think we would all agree on this, yes?

3. Though there are some similarities to the analogy Paul makes in 1 Cor 11:3-16 and the analogy he makes here in 12:12-26, in terms of diversity and interdependency, true. But it’s the differences that show they are not identical, and are not to be confused with each other. To put it plainly, Paul, in 1 Cor 11:3-16, does not speak of man as the head of woman and God as the head of Christ in terms of “the head and body.” Though he does seem to make such an analogy in Eph. 5:21-33 (which has been discussed elsewhere on this blog), Paul does not do so here in 1 Corinthians.

Well, it’s midnight and I must rise early for work. So I’ll try finish up my reply tomorrow night. God bless and keep you all in his favor. Amen.