12:12
Having listed the gifts, Paul focuses on how the church is meant to function. Indeed, it is significant that the emphasis is not on the gifts themselves, but who they come from, what they are given for, and how the church is meant to operate. The church is seen as the body of Christ, and it is made up of many parts with different functions, but all the parts are part of the one body.
There are a couple of very significant points to note. One is that, as is often the case, the way nature works is seen as a reflection of the way God works. We will see this again in chapter fifteen in relation to the resurrection, here we see it in relation to the church. God created all things, and so it is to be expected that creation reflects something of the glory of God. The second thing is that Paul does not say in this verse that the church is like the body, but that Christ is like the body. The church is seen as being the body of Christ.
12:13
Paul now gives the justification for saying we are all one body. As is often the case in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is given pride of place. We were all baptised into one body. This can refer both to water baptism and to Spirit baptism. With water baptism we are baptised in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And, without wanting to get bogged down in detailed discussion about Spirit baptism, we are all filled with the same Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person, He is part of the Godhead, and His working is essential to the life of the church and the life of the individual. No Spirit, no life.
All this applied regardless of background. Being Jew or Greek made no difference, being free or a slave made no difference. Cultural or ethnic backgrounds make no difference. We are all baptised into Christ by the same Spirit.
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