Replay: The Problem of Learning from Strangers
Four years ago, back in November 2008, I wrote a post called “Learning from Strangers.” Have you noticed that when you ask a Christian a question today, they will tend to suggest a book to read on the topic? Or, when you’re talking about something, someone tells you what several of his or her favorite authors wrote about it? Perhaps you’re lucky and that doesn’t happen around you. But, I’ve noticed it happening more and more. I think this illustrates a big problem: we’re primarily learning from strangers, i.e., people we do not actually know. That’s the point of this post.
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Learning from Strangers
As followers of Jesus Christ, we should be ready to learn from anyone – especially other brothers and sisters – even if we do not know them. However, when reading through Scripture, it seems that the authors thought most learning would happen within relationships.
These relationships as described in Scripture are “full life” relationships, meaning that we primarily learn from people that we actually know. We know what they say. We know how that treat their family. We know about their work ethic. We know how they treat other people. Thus, we learn from people that we really, truly, actually know.
But, today, things have changed. Strangers (or acquaintances at best) are the primary source of “information” and learning for most Christians. We read books written by people that we do not know. We watch and listen to sermons given by people that we do not know. We attend conferences where the speakers are people that we do not know. We often listen week after week to teaching from people that we do not know – even if they are part of our church.
Thus, when our favorite author, or a powerful speaker, or a gifted musician “fails” we feel betrayed. But, in reality, we are failing ourselves by putting our trust so heavily in people that we actually do not know.
Now, don’t misunderstand me. Books, and tapes, and CD’s, and lectures, and conferences can be very helpful. But, these things should complement the really, true, actual learning and discipleship that takes place through really, true, actual relationships. These things (books, tapes, cd’s, lectures, conferences) should not take the place of relationships.
In fact, we’re now part of a “Christianity” in which relationships are not only secondary, but they are rare. When talking to others, we would prefer to quote our favorite author than to listen to someone we know, perhaps because we don’t really know them.
Jesus not only spoke the gospel of the kingdom, but he also demonstrated it. Paul told people to consider his words and his manner of living. John said that our fellowship with one another is actually fellowship with the Father and the Son. We’ve replaced learning through relationship (knowing someone and their manner of life) with learning from strangers (people we do not know – including their manner of life).
Your favorite author may be able to wax eloquently concerning the theological implications of the love of God. But, you will learn more about the love of God from the person that you actually know – the person who is struggling with his boss, but continues to love her – the person who gives to others while going without himself – the person who would walk into a low income neighborhood because of her concern for the neighbors there.
Relationships are more than pastimes or good ideas. God worked in Scripture primarily through relationships. Discipleship occurs primarily through relationships. Spiritual growth occurs through relationships. Its time to spend less time with our favorite authors and more time with the people that God has placed in our lives.
What does it mean to admonish?
In yesterday’s post, “The Unmentionable One Anothers,” I listed several “one another” instructions that we prefer not to think about, that we prefer to shift off to others, that we would rather not have as our own responsibilities toward one another.
In this post, I’d like for think about the instruction “admonish one another.” According to the dictionary, “admonish” means “1) Warn or reprimand someone firmly or 2) Advise or urge (someone) earnestly.”
We find this instruction in a couple passages of Scripture. In Colossians, Paul says that “admonishing” is one of the things that he does to help the church, and he says that it’s one of the ways all believers should respond when “the word of Christ dwells in [them]”:
Him we proclaim, warning [admonishing] everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. (Colossians 1:28 ESV)
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16 ESV)
The two verbs highlighted above (one translated “warning” and the other translated “admonishing”) are actually the same verb – the one that is often translated “admonish.”
Similarly, when Paul wrote to the believers in Rome, he said that he knew that they had all they needed to admonish one another:
I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct [admonish] one another. (Romans 15:14 ESV)
Again, the highlighted verb above is the one normally translated “admonish,” and is a different verb from the one normally translated “teach” or “instruct.”
Finally, we see that Paul includes “admonishing” in the work of leaders among the church and in the work of all “brothers and sisters”:
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over [lead] you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers [and sisters], admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-14 ESV)
There are a few others passages in which one or more people are said to admonish others.
But, what does it mean to admonish? How do we admonish someone while still loving them? How do we admonish someone without “lording it over them”? How do we admonish someone without taking the place of Jesus Christ in their life?
The Unmentionable One Anothers
This post is part of a “chain blog” on the topic of “one another.” You’ll find more information about “chain blogs” at the bottom of this post along with links to other link posts in this chain blog.
Love one another. Be kind of one another. Honor one another. Do not judge one another. Accept one another. Care for one another. Be in harmony with one another. Serve one another. Forgive one another. Submit to one another. Comfort one another. Encourage one another. Be hospitable to one another.
We like these “one another” statements. Oh, we admit that they are difficult to carry out, and we admit that we often fall short of treating one another like the instructions listed above. But, these are good “one anothers”… nice… kind… happy.
But, there are other “one another” statements as well. These are the ones that we don’t like to talk about as much. We keep them locked away in the closet and only take them out for special occasions – only handing them over to certain people and keeping them out of the hands of the normal Christian.
Which “one another” instructions am I talking about? Well, statements like this:
I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct [admonish] one another. (Romans 15:14 ESV)
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16 ESV)
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works… (Hebrews 10:24 ESV)
Teach? Instruct? Admonish? Stir up (provoke)? One another? Can we pass? Perhaps we can shuffle these “one anothers” off to someone else who likes getting their hands dirty?
And, while the term “one another” is not used, the following passage conveys similar instructions:
And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. (1 Thessalonians 5:14 ESV)
Ummm… seriously? All of us? “One another”? Surely Paul intended those instructions for our leaders, our elders, someone else, right?
And, this passage?
See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled… (Hebrews 12:15 ESV)
It’s certainly not my responsibility to “see to it” (the verb “oversee” actually) that other people don’t fail to obtain the grace of God, is it?
Yeah… let’s don’t talk about these “one anothers”… they’re too messy for me. Let’s stick with “love one another.” Surely we can love one another without teaching and admonishing one another, right? Surely we can be kind to one another without looking closely into one another’s lives in order to correct them, right?
Nice one anothers… That’s all we need.
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Chain blog rules:
1) If you would like to write the next blog post (link) in this chain, leave a comment stating that you would like to do so. If someone else has already requested to write the next link, then please wait for that blog post and leave a comment there requesting to write the following link.
2) Feel free to leave comments here and discuss items in this blog post without taking part in the actual “chain.” Your comments and discussion are very important in this chain blog (both this post and the other link posts in the chain).
3) When you write a link in this chain, please reply in the comments of the previous post to let everyone know that your link is ready. Also, please try to keep an updated list of links in the chain at the bottom of your post, and please include these rules at the bottom of your post.
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“Links” in the “One Another” chain blog:
1. “Chain Blog: One Another” by Alan
2. “Linking One Another” by Swanny
3. “What Does It Mean to Love One Another? by Chuck
4. “The treasure of “One Another” by Jim
5. “This is how the world shall recognise you…” by Kathleen
6. “Accepting one another in love” by Chris
7. “One Another-ing: A meta-narrative for the church” – Part One and Part Two by Greg
8. “Individualism and ‘one another’” by Pieter
9. “All Alone with One Another” by Jeremy
10. “When it’s OK for Christians to compete” by Joshua
11. “Jesus Christ, the Corner Stone for One Another” by Peter
12. “Be Superficial with One Another” by Jon
13. “The Unmentionable One Anothers” by Alan
14. “Loving More Fully and Widely” by Chris
15. “The One Another Weapon” by Dan
16. “Corporate One-Anothering” (Part 1 and Part 2) by David
17. “The Last Revival” by Tobie
18. “Love: A one another comic” by Dan
19. “I Can Only Love You If…” by Rob
20. “It Was Lost in Translation” by Nelson
21. Who will write the 21st link post in the chain?
The Body of Christ Metaphor: Conclusion
As I explained in the “Introduction” of this series, I am stepping through the passages in the New Testament in which the authors (primarily Paul – perhaps only Paul) use the term “body” in a metaphorical sense. As I read through these passages, I’m going to be asking these kinds of questions: What is Paul comparing to a “body”? What comparison is he making? At what point does it seem the comparison ends? How is this usage similar to or different from other usages?
Now, the term “body” is found often in Scripture. It usually refers to an actual body… that is, a person physical body. But, there are a few times when the term “body” does not refer to a person’s physical body, but is used in a metaphorical sense. I’ve already discussed the usages of “body” in Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 10-11, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians, Colossians and Hebrews 13:3.
Here are few observations based on my study of the metaphorical use of the term “body”:
1. The metaphorical use of “body” is primarily a Pauline metaphor (perhaps only a Pauline metaphor).
2. “Body” primarily refers to a group of believers as a community or corporate unity.
3. Typically, the “body” metaphor is used to emphasize the unity of the group in spite of the diversity.
4. The “body” metaphor is often used during a discussion of spiritual gifts, which is related to the diversity/unity aspects of the group.
5. The heady/body relationship (i.e. “Christ is head of the body”) is only used in a couple of instances when the author is illustrating Christ’s rule or source for the body. (In the “body” metaphor, “head” does not always refer to Jesus Christ.)
6. In a couple of instances, the “body” metaphor is used to focus on close association and the sharing of suffering, joy, etc.
7. Also, in a couple of instances, the “body” metaphor illustrates how different people rely on one another (like parts of a body rely on the other parts).
8. As with other metaphors (such as “yeast” or “lion”), it appears that the meaning if the “body” metaphor changes based on what the author is trying to communicate, illustrate, or emphasize. (Although the idea of a “community” seems to be consistent through each usage of the term “body.”)
So, in conclusion, in the New Testament the term “body” is used metaphorically to refer to several different aspects of the Christian community, with the aspects changing based on the author’s focus in that particular passage.
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“Body of Christ” Metaphor Series
The Body of Christ Metaphor: Hebrews 13:3
As I explained in the “Introduction” of this series, I am stepping through the passages in the New Testament in which the authors (primarily Paul – perhaps only Paul) use the term “body” in a metaphorical sense. As I read through these passages, I’m going to be asking these kinds of questions: What is Paul comparing to a “body”? What comparison is he making? At what point does it seem the comparison ends? How is this usage similar to or different from other usages?
Now, the term “body” is found often in Scripture. It usually refers to an actual body… that is, a person physical body. But, there are a few times when the term “body” does not refer to a person’s physical body, but is used in a metaphorical sense. I’ve already discussed the usages of “body” in Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 10-11, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians, and Colossians and in this post I’ll look at the use of the term body in Hebrews 13:3.
Here is the passage in its context:
Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have… (Hebrews 13:1-5 ESV)
There is very little explanation about the use of “body” in this particular passage. The author wants his readers to “Remember those who are in prison… and those who are mistreated,” because the readers are also “in the body.” The connection with the phrase “as though in prison with them” is important, I think. It shows what it means to be “in the body” – it means that you are still connected with one another even though they are physically separated by prison bars.
While “body” here certainly points to a community or corporate unity as we’ve before, this usage is not really the “unity in diversity” illustration that we’ve seen in other letters. Similarly, there’s no indication that the “body/head” connection is in view in this particular metaphor, and the “body” is not specifically described as either belonging to Christ or resulting from being “in Christ” as we’ve seen before.
The “body” connections pointed to in Hebrews 13:3 is closest to the connections illustrated in 1 Corinthians 12:26 –
If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. (1 Corinthians 12:26 ESV)
As far as I can tell, these two uses of the term “body” (1 Corinthians 12:26 and Hebrews 13:3) are unique among the various uses of the metaphor. Only in these two instances do the authors use the “body” metaphor to indicate a close emotional association between the parts of the community.
Finally, if you haven’t noticed before, this final use of the term “body” is found in the Book of Hebrews. The authorship of Hebrews is contested. So, since “body” is only used metaphorically here and in the letters of Paul, this would be a stylistic or linguistic indicator in favor of Pauline authorship of Hebrews. (Of course, you can’t build an entire argument for Pauline authorship of Hebrews on the metaphorical use of the term “body,” but it could be one part of an extended argument.)
So, in Hebrews 13:3, the author uses the “body” metaphor to point to the close personal connection between parts of the community, even if they are physically separated from one another (because one or more are in prison).
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“Body of Christ” Metaphor Series
The Body of Christ Metaphor: Colossians
As I explained in the “Introduction” of this series, I am stepping through the passages in the New Testament in which the authors (primarily Paul – perhaps only Paul) use the term “body” in a metaphorical sense. As I read through these passages, I’m going to be asking these kinds of questions: What is Paul comparing to a “body”? What comparison is he making? At what point does it seem the comparison ends? How is this usage similar to or different from other usages?
Now, the term “body” is found often in Scripture. It usually refers to an actual body… that is, a person physical body. But, there are a few times when the term “body” does not refer to a person’s physical body, but is used in a metaphorical sense. I’ve already discussed the usages of “body” in Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 10-11, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians and in this post I’ll look at the uses of the term body in Colossians.
The uses of the term “body” in Colossians are very similar to the uses that we found in Ephesians, but with less detail:
And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. (Colossians 1:18 ESV)
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church… (Colossians 1:24 ESV)
Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. (Colossians 2:18-19 ESV)
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body… (Colossians 3:15 ESV)
In the passages above, as we saw in Romans, 1 Corinthians, and Ephesians, the “body” metaphorical refers to a community of people. When it comes to the community, the metaphorical “body” illustrates how the individuals members relate to one another (both in unity and in interdependence).
Plus, as in Ephesians, 1) the metaphorical “body” is associated directly with the “church,” and 2) the metaphor is expanded to include Jesus Christ in relationship to others as the physical head is related to the physical body. We’ve seen these last 2 items (#1 and #2 in the previous sentence) in Ephesians and now Colossians, but not in Romans and 1 Corinthians.
There is an added aspect of the head/body relationship (in the body metaphor) in Colossians 2:18-19. While the relationship of believers to Jesus Christ is emphasized in Ephesians, Paul goes further in Colossians by stating that those who are “insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind” are also “not holding fast to the head.”
Interestingly, Paul does not connect the “body” metaphor to the diversity/unity of spiritual gifts in Colossians as he did in Romans, 1 Corinthians, and Ephesians. But, then, Paul does not discuss spiritual gifts in Colossians.
So, while the “body” metaphor in Colossians is very similar to the metaphorical use in Ephesians, there is some difference. And, as we saw in Ephesians, the use of the “body” metaphor in Colossians is quite different than Paul’s use in Romans and 1 Corinthians.
In Colossians, the “body” metaphor continues to emphasize the community aspect of the church (a corporate unity) although the diversity aspect is not as emphasized in Colossians. Similarly, Paul also utilizes the “body” metahpor in Colossians to emphasize the necessity of remaining connected to Jesus Christ (as the body must remain connected to the head).
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“Body of Christ” Metaphor Series
The Body of Christ Metaphor: Ephesians
As I explained in the “Introduction” of this series, I am stepping through the passages in the New Testament in which the authors (primarily Paul – perhaps only Paul) use the term “body” in a metaphorical sense. As I read through these passages, I’m going to be asking these kinds of questions: What is Paul comparing to a “body”? What comparison is he making? At what point does it seem the comparison ends? How is this usage similar to or different from other usages?
Now, the term “body” is found often in Scripture. It usually refers to an actual body… that is, a person physical body. But, there are a few times when the term “body” does not refer to a person’s physical body, but is used in a metaphorical sense. I’ve already discussed the usages of “body” in Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 10-11, and 1 Corinthians 12, and in this post I’ll look at the uses of the term body in Ephesians.
Many of the metaphorical occurrences of the term “body” in Ephesians are one liners, with very little explanation. However, even these one-liners tell us something important about Paul’s use of the term “body” in this letter:
And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:22-23 ESV)
This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (Ephesians 3:6 ESV)
There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call… (Ephesians 4:4 ESV)
For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. (Ephesians 5:23 ESV)
For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. (Ephesians 5:29-30 ESV)
In these passages, while we continue to see the community / corporate unity of believers in the metaphorical use of “body,” a few new aspects of the term are found in this metaphor: 1) Christ is represented as the “head” of the “body” in this letter, and 2) the “body” is specifically identified with “the church.”
These two new aspects are also found in the longer passage in Ephesians 4 in which Paul examines this metaphor in more detail:
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16 ESV)
In this passage, Paul ties together the concept of Jesus as “head of the body” with the relationships and interactions of the various members of the “body.” There remains a focus on the community / corporate unity that we’ve seen before, and there remains a focus on the interrelations between the various parts of the body, here illustrated as holding one another together as well as helping one another grow.
However, in this passage, with the addition of the “head of the body” to the metaphor, Paul explains that the individual members are able to hold together and help one another grow specifically because Jesus Christ is the head of the body. This new focus explains the need for an addition to the usual “body” metaphor. This does not mean that neither the Romans nor the Corinthians were able to interact with one another apart from Christ. It means that Paul desired to stress that relationship in this letter, and, thus, he added to his usual “body” metaphor.
(The “head” part of the metaphor is very important in this letter as a contrast to all other “rule and authority and power and dominion,” which is also a focus in this letter. For example, see Ephesians 1:21, Ephesians 2:1-2, Ephesians 3:10, and Ephesians 6:12.)
Interestingly, given the connection with Jesus Christ as “head,” Paul is able to say that (removing other modifiers to get to the basic sentence structure), “The body makes/does the growth of the body (causes the body to grow).”
So, while Paul still uses the “body” metaphor in Ephesians to indicate how individuals should relate to one another as a community, he also adds in the “head of the body” metaphor to point to Jesus Christ as source and ruler of the community. These two aspects together (the body working from the head) causes the community to grow together.
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“Body of Christ” Metaphor Series
Checking in on One Another
The “One Another” chain blog is still going strong. Another new link post was just added to the chain yesterday!
As I’m writing this, it’s been 17 days since I started the chain blog back on October 1, 2012 with a post called “Chain Blog: One Another.” That post has been updated with all the latest link posts.
About a week later, I wrote an update/summary post called “Blog with One Another: A Chain Blog Update.” That post also had all the updated link posts as well as a short “teaser” from each post.
While we’ve covered many topics related to the topic “one another,” I think there are still many topics to cover. In fact, I have an idea for another topic. So, I may jump in again in a few days.
The more voices involved and the more topics covered, the better this chain blog will be. Do you want to take part in our chain blog? Then jump over the last link post in the chain and leave a comment that you want to write the next post. (See the two posts above for the links.)
The Body of Christ Metaphor: 1 Corinthians 12
As I explained in the “Introduction” of this series, I am stepping through the passages in the New Testament in which the authors (primarily Paul – perhaps only Paul) use the term “body” in a metaphorical sense. As I read through these passages, I’m going to be asking these kinds of questions: What is Paul comparing to a “body”? What comparison is he making? At what point does it seem the comparison ends? How is this usage similar to or different from other usages?
Now, the term “body” is found often in Scripture. It usually refers to an actual body… that is, a person physical body. But, there are a few times when the term “body” does not refer to a person’s physical body, but is used in a metaphorical sense. I’ve already discussed the usages of “body” in Romans 12:4-5 and 1 Corinthians 10-11, and in this post I’ll look at the uses of the term body in 1 Corinthians 12.
This passage contains the most extensive and most descriptive use of the “body” metaphor yet:
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. (1 Corinthians 12:12-27 ESV)
This passage is very interesting, jumping back and forth between referring to a physical body and a metaphorical body.
First, in the previous section, Paul had been talking about the diversity of spiritual gifts and the unity of purpose in God. He begins the body references in 1 Corinthians 12:12 to illustrate this diversity in unity. In that verse, Paul refers to a physical body and the members of that physical body. Then, at the end of 1 Corinthians 12:12 (“And so it is with Christ”), Paul transitions into the metaphorical use of “body” in 1 Corinthians 12:13. The Spirit baptizes (immerses) people into a body, referring once again to a corporate unity / community as before.
Beginning in 1 Corinthians 12:14 through 1 Corinthians 12:26, Paul again returns to the physical body illustration, further explaining what he meant in 1 Corinthians 12. In this long passages, he discusses the relationships to physical parts of a body to other physical parts of a body, and their mutual relationship to the body itself.
Then, in 1 Corinthians 12:27, Paul returns to the metaphorical use of the term “body” calling the Corinthians by the phrase “body of Christ.” (This is the first time so far that we’ve seen “body of Christ.”) Thus, the descriptions previously of the relationships of physical members to a physical body were given in order to help the Corinthians understand their relationship to each other in Christ.
So, most of the usages of the term “body” in this passage are not metaphorical but instead refer to a physical body for purposes of illustration. Only the occurrences of the term “body” in 1 Corinthians 12:13 and 1 Corinthians 12:27 refer to a metaphorical “body,” i.e., a community or corporate unity. The physical body illustration, however, are important in understanding the relationships among those who make up the community / corporate unity.
Although Paul uses the term “head” in 1 Corinthians 12:22, he does not use it in the sense of Christ being the “head of the body.” Instead, in this passage, “head” is simply used as another example of a member of the body, along with the hand, eye, ear, foot, etc. So, while this metaphorical body (community / corporate unity) is created by the Spirit and belongs to Christ (“body of Christ”), the metaphor is primarily used to indication the relationship between the various members to one another and to the group as a whole. Nothing else is said about the members’ relationship to Jesus Christ or to the community’s relationship to Jesus Christ.
So, in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, while we find out that the community is created by the Spirit and belongs to Christ, the “body” metaphor is once again primarily used to indicate how the individuals should relate to one another as a community (i.e., diversity in unity).
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“Body of Christ” Metaphor Series
The Body of Christ Metaphor: 1 Corinthians 10-11
As I explained in the “Introduction” of this series, I am stepping through the passages in the New Testament in which the authors (primarily Paul – perhaps only Paul) use the term “body” in a metaphorical sense. As I read through these passages, I’m going to be asking these kinds of questions: What is Paul comparing to a “body”? What comparison is he making? At what point does it seem the comparison ends? How is this usage similar to or different from other usages?
Now, the term “body” is found often in Scripture. It usually refers to an actual body… that is, a person physical body. But, there are a few times when the term “body” does not refer to a person’s physical body, but is used in a metaphorical sense. I’ve already discussed the usages of “body” in Romans 12:4-5, and in this post I’ll look at the uses of the term body in 1 Corinthians 10-11.
The next instance (in canonical order) of a metaphorical use of “body” is found in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 –
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (1 Corinthians 10:16-17 ESV)
Now, the term translated “participation” above (twice) is the same term often translated “fellowship” or “sharing,” and it is a very important term in this context. In this section of his letter, Paul is distinguishing between fellowship with Christ and fellowship with idols/demons.
While the first use of the term “body” above (in 1 Corinthians 10:16) could refer to either Christ’s physical body (paralleled with “blood”), or it could refer to a corporate unity or community as we saw in Romans 12:4-5. However, the second occurrence of the term (in 1 Corinthians 10:17) seems to refer to the corporate unity or community.
Again, there is a focus on the “many” and “one” characteristic of the Christian community, which is associated with the sharing of the body/blood of Christ. Without going into detail (which he will do in chapter 12), Paul still recognizes the diversity among the parts of the community, even though he also recognizes that they are unified – one.
The next occurrences of the term “body” are found in 1 Corinthians 11 –
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. (1 Corinthians 11:27-29 ESV)
Both of the instances of the term “body” above could refer to the physical body of Jesus (paralleled with “blood” again). However, it’s also possible that the second occurrence refers to the community in Christ, since the focus in the passage is the relationships (or lack thereof) among the believers in Corinth.
However, either way, this passage does not give us much new information about metaphorical use of the term “body.” Once again, though, we do not see Paul referring to a “body of Christ” as he will later. Instead, if the term is used metaphorically in these passages (1 Corinthians 10-11), it is once again referring to the community of believers who are both diverse and also unified because of their participation in (fellowship with) Christ.
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