Comparing between 1 Corinthians 12–13 and Romans 12

Paullette Ndungu
7 min readMay 11, 2021

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Compare between 1 Corinthians 12–13 and Romans 12 — what does Paul say about the Church? What does he suggest that the believers should see themselves for the Church’s unity to be maintained and secured?

In 1st Corinthians 12–13, the section is in a passage concerning the utilization and mistreatment of supernatural gifts. Paul moves into an examination of the Christian Church and a clarification of our participation in the collection of Christ. He (Bynum, 1989) needs to show that every individual from Christ’s body is unique in seeing God and that this entire organization of adherents is God’s picked vehicle on earth, through which he makes himself known to man. Besides we are God’s delegates on earth during the Church administration (Sanders, 2017), and Paul started his teachings by clarifying that every believer is given their particular blessings in addition to exceptional service. Every appearance of the Spirit is to be utilized for the benefit of everyone, everything being equal. Not every person gets similar otherworldly endowments, and every service is impressive yet different and correlative.

Profound gifts, designated livelihoods, and all the great work that God has prepared us to do are presented by a similar Spirit, to the brilliance of God and to assist the whole Church. Paul is attempting to convey an endless standard that an equal Holy Spirit works in peoples` lives. Nonetheless, different gifts and profound signs are circulated to everyone exclusively, as he chooses. God is no respecter of people, and he alone allocates to each one their particular gifts and otherworldly graces by his own will (Porter, 2013). In this setting, Paul proceeds onward to clarify that even though we are singular individuals, we are one in Christ. Additionally, we as a whole have exceptional endowments, graces, and services, we are altogether individuals from a similar Body with one single purpose, for by one Spirit we were submersed into one body, the Church.

The profound Body of Christ is an exact representation of a physical, human body. It contains various parts, bones and tendons, organs and muscles, mystery parts, and uncovered zones. Each individual from the body is fundamental to the entire, and each one is prepared to do an alternate capacity. Everyone has unique obligations, but all unite to guarantee the productive, rich, and smooth working of the entirety. Paul keeps on clarifying that we turned into an individual from the collection of Christ when we were brought back to life. The second we accepted the Lord Jesus Christ; we were baptized into the Body of Christ (Nouwen, 1999). At salvation, we were placed into the Body of Christ by one Spirit we were eliminated from our situation in Adam and positioned in the Body of Christ for by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks, regardless of whether slaves or free, and we were utterly made to drink of one Spirit.

It was upon the arrival of Pentecost that the Church was conceived. On that unforgettable day, by one Spirit, all the professors in the second-story room were baptized into the Body of Christ (Dunn, 2013). All were placed into Christ’s Body by one Spirit. Despite the fact we as a whole have various endowments, graces, services, and capacities, there is no progression of believers. God is no respecter of people, and in His eyes, we as a whole are equally crucial to the smooth working of the body, and we are all to work in dutifulness to Christ — the Head. Furthermore, God doesn’t separate between race or shading, sexual orientation or age, ethnicity or education, Jews or Greeks, slave or free, for by one Spirit we were sanctified through water into one body, regardless of whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were utterly made to drink of one Spirit. We participate in similar profound advantages. We, as a whole, have a similar grand legacy, and we are all equally loved by an equal Lord, Jesus Christ.

In Romans 12, Paul talks about the Church to us. The Church is bound together entirely, yet we are particular inside that one body of individuals. In the group of Christ, there is solidarity yet not consistency. Independently, individuals from each other (Kok, 2012) blunder when we disregard either viewpoint; solidarity should never be advanced to the detriment of distinction, and independence ought to never lessen the congregation’s necessary solidarity in Christ; He is our shared opinion, we are one body in Christ. An urging to utilize God’s blessings has been conceded to individuals from the congregation.

In Roman 12, Paul talks about the Church’s diversity; he says a variety in the Church can be informed by having different gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit. Everybody’s skills are useful, and needing another person’s gifts is as helpful as mine. The congregation is bound together entirely, yet we are particular inside that one body singular individuals. In the group of Christ, there is solidarity yet not consistency. The body of Christ refers to the unity that keeps us together. Nonetheless, having been talented varying as per the effortlessness that is given to us, let us use them; if prediction, let us forecast concerning our confidence; or service, let us use it in our serving; he who educates, in instructing; he who urges; he who gives, with benevolence; he who leads, with diligence and he who shows kindness, with brightness.

According to Romans 12 4–5 in the new King James Version, all church members are part of the body of Christ. Nonetheless, not all members have the capacity to perform similarly. We may be many in the body of Christ and still be exclusive individuals from each other. Meaning we, the Church, have many members within its body, but we are all distinct. There is unity in the Church, but we lack uniformity.

However, in 1st Corinthians 12–13, Paul talks about; Christians should not be ignorant of the spiritual God-given gifts. He goes ahead and recognizes the diversity that exists in the skills we are given. The variety in the gifts may be present. However, we still serve the same Spirit of the Lord. The diversity may include the ability of others to only speak in tongues gifted to a few, according to 1st Corinthians 12: 20. Besides, some can only speak in tongues, while others have the gift to interpret the tongues. The various gifts are all distributed following God’s liking and pleasure (Gurzik, 2018). Besides, in Romans 12 5–8, the Bible says that the gifts we are given result from God’s grace. God gives us these gifts out of his own will and not based on any merit.

Besides, Paul also talks about the presence of the same Spirit of the Lord in different ministries. There are a variety of activities in the Church but the same Spirit. The various acts in the ministry refer to the miraculous events that take place in the ministry. Paul also talks about the parts of the body of Christ being useful to each other. God is part of the body of Christ. He emphasizes that members should care for one another. This is because suffering in one part of Christ’s body impacts other parts (Gurzik, 2018).

Romans 12 1–2 (Nelson, 1982). Paul talks of how Christians should offer their bodies as a sacrifice to God. We, as Christians, have a choice to make on how we live for God. Through our will to live, we should be able to offer our bodies as a sacrifice. Likewise, he talks of how we should be able to exercise the spiritual gifts in the body of Christ. These spiritual gifts, however, do not determine how spiritually mature a person is. Additionally, he emphasizes that we should not think of ourselves highly, but we should think of ourselves calmly as God has gifted everyone a portion of confidence. We should practice profound blessings in an assortment of Christ. Conversely, an admonition about modesty is altogether given the over-the-top pride that regularly emerges from individuals who view themselves as talented. Paul says in Romans 12 (Scobie, 2003) that we have numerous individuals in a single body. Yet, all the individuals don’t have a similar capacity, so we, being many, are one body in Christ and exclude individuals from each other.

In both readings, what does he suggests that believers should see themselves for unity to be maintained?

In both readings, Paul encourages Christians to confidently do what he had done and turned into Christ’s at the cross, in addition to he was reviled for it. Besides, accept hence, in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Go into one for all submersion of God’s Holy Spirit. Discover living water in the individual of the Holy Spirit to extinguish your profound thirst. Admit that Jesus is Lord and hear the guarantee of the gospel. Christians should be able to press past divisions in the body. Press past divisions, tie them up, mend them, and discover approaches to rejoin what was split up (Chadwick, 2011). As the congregation, we have been made into one body in Christ, Jews and Greeks, slaves, and those free.

If one part denounces any authority, we as a whole languish over it if one part goes down. We must be a planned, a thorough assortment of Christ, not the terminating aimlessly, clumsy work (Lester, 1988). We need to seem like the expert orchestra or oboist, not the center school band or somebody getting it unexpectedly. Whatever your sincere beliefs are, discover approaches to press past divisions in the body, whether it’s this issue or any issue in the assemblage of Christ. Press past divisions in the body.

Furthermore, he urges others to utilize their otherworldly endowments. Press frequently on messages on otherworldly gifts. I urge you to use your profound blessings. You need to utilize yours, and you need to utilize yours, and anyway, we contrast every one of you needs to operate yours. Understand this is a direct result of the Holy Spirit’s sovereign will, and he allocates to each person as he wishes. God needs you to have the blessings that you have and me to have the endowments that I have because he needs us to be associated and interconnected with each other. I need what you have, and you need what I have. We, as a whole, need what each other has.

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Paullette Ndungu
Paullette Ndungu

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