Moving from 1 Corinthians chapter 12 into chapter 13

1 Corinthians 12:1 ESV - "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed."

Today I'm taking a deep dive into this chapter and using it to 'interpret' 1 Corinthians chapter thirteen (known as the love chapter).

That first verse really is fitting. The chapter does explain 'spiritual gifts' in a unique way. There is so much here. The body parts listed... perception (ear, eye, the sense of smell)... action (hand and foot)... Head (is high up, deciding and perceiving)... every proposed dynamic is a real potential dynamic that gets addressed in chapter thirteen in some way.

1 Corinthians 12:15 ESV - "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."

One kind of role seemingly 'lower down' could and might envy the one 'higher up' with a different kind of tangible 'output'.

"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." - 1 Corinthians 12:16 ESV

A person may want to perceive things the way another person does and feels left out. An eye sees light.

Also, there is the dual nature of eyes, ears, hands and feet. We have two. The 'hearing' group might be tempted to envy the 'seeing' group or feel 'less than'.

"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." - 1 Corinthians 12:21 ESV

Perception without application. Administration without implementation.

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." - 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 ESV

The body theme is continued... love resolves the differences.

Perception needs Love

Action must be based in Love

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." - 1 Corinthians 13:7-12 ESV

We only see our 'place' dimly. We see glimpses of what other people contribute but later we will see more. Unity with diversity.

We love 'by faith' not understanding or seeing it all now... but later we will see more.

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