1 Corinthians 12: Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ
I was in the shop last week building a dining table for a friend. The top is walnut, the legs are oak, and the stretchers are cherry. Three different woods with three different grain patterns. If you looked at the pile of lumber before I started, you would not think they belonged together. But once the joinery was done and the glue set, they became one piece.
Paul is making the same point in 1 Corinthians 12. The church is not a collection of identical parts. It is a body with many different members, and every one of them is needed.
What Does the Body of Christ Mean in 1 Corinthians 12
Paul starts by talking about spiritual gifts. There are different kinds of gifts, he says, but the same Spirit. Different kinds of service, but the same Lord. Different kinds of working, but the same God who works all of them in everyone.
The point is not the variety but the source. Every gift comes from the same place. The person who teaches and the person who heals and the person who interprets tongues are all drawing from the same well.
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12)
I think about this when I look at the tools hanging on my wall. The chisel and the plane and the mallet all do different things. But they all come from the same drawer and they all serve the same project. The chisel does not look down on the mallet because the mallet cannot make a dovetail. The mallet does not look down on the chisel because the chisel cannot drive a joint home. They are different tools for different jobs, and the project needs both, the same way Paul describes the God of all comfort working through different members of the body.
Diversity of Spiritual Gifts in the LDS Church
Paul lists several gifts in this chapter. Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues. It is not an exhaustive list. It is just the ones that come to mind as he writes.
The important thing is what he says in verse 7. The Spirit gives these gifts to every person for the common good. They are not for show or status. They are for the benefit of everyone else.
I have seen this in my own ward many times over the years. There is a woman who always knows when someone is struggling. She does not announce it. She just shows up with a meal or a quiet word. That is the gift of discernment. There is a man who can explain the scriptures in a way that makes them click. That is the gift of knowledge. There is a teenager who prays with such simple faith that you feel the room change. That is the gift of faith. None of these people have titles that make them stand out. But the body would be weaker without them.
How to Find Your Spiritual Gift
Paul does not give a formula for discovering your gift. But he gives a framework. The gift is given by the Spirit for the common good, and it is given as the Spirit wills.
I think the best way to find your gift is to stop looking for it and start serving. The gifts tend to show up when you are not watching. You teach a lesson and someone says it was exactly what they needed. A sister you visit tells you she was praying for someone to come by. A blessing you give comes with words from somewhere beyond you. That is the gift making itself known.
I did not know I could build furniture until I tried. I bought a cheap set of chisels and a piece of pine and made a mess of it. But I kept at it, and over time I figured out what I was good at and what I was not. Spiritual gifts work the same way. You try things, you fail at some, and you get better at others. The Spirit guides the process.
Meaning of the Body of Christ Analogy for LDS Families
The body analogy works on every level. The global church is a body, the local ward is a body, and the family is a body.
In my family, we have four kids and they are all different. One is organized, one is creative, one is athletic, and one is patient with younger children. None of them could run the household alone. But together they make something that works.
Paul says something in verse 22 that I keep coming back to. The members that seem to be the weakest are actually the most necessary. The parts of the body we think are less honorable, we treat with greater honor.
I think about the people in my ward who do the invisible work. The person who cleans the building during the week, the person who prepares the sacrament, the person who watches the nursery so parents can attend class. These are not the visible roles. But the body would stop functioning without them.
And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. (1 Corinthians 12:21)
Why All Members of the Church Are Needed
Paul ends the chapter by listing some of the roles God has placed in the church. Apostles, prophets, teachers and others. He says God has set them in the church for a reason, the same way he later describes the resurrection of the dead as a body that is raised in glory.
But he does not say that only these roles matter in the body. He says the opposite. The body is made up of many members, and every one of them has a function. A foot cannot say it is not a hand and therefore it does not belong. An ear cannot say it is not an eye and therefore it is not part of the body.
I built a table once where I tried to use only one kind of wood. It looked fine at first. But it warped after a few months because I did not account for how different woods move differently. The table needed the strength of the oak and the stability of the cherry and the beauty of the walnut. It needed all of them.
The church is the same way. It needs the people who speak and the people who listen. It needs the people who lead and the people who follow. The people who are seen and the people who are not are both essential. The body does not work unless every member is doing its part.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main point of the body analogy in 1 Corinthians 12?
The analogy shows that the church needs members with different gifts, the same way a body needs different organs. No single gift is better than another and no member is unnecessary. Every person has something to contribute.
How does Paul handle the feeling of being unimportant compared to others with greater gifts?
Paul says the members that seem the weakest are often the most necessary. God distributes gifts as he chooses, and the value of a gift is found in how it serves others, not in how visible it is.
Are spiritual gifts the same as priesthood callings?
Spiritual gifts and priesthood callings often overlap but they are not the same. A calling is a formal assignment like a bishop or a teacher. A spiritual gift is a capacity given by the Holy Ghost to benefit others, like the gift of healing or discernment. You can have a calling but still need the right spiritual gifts to be effective in it.
How can I discover my spiritual gift?
The best way is to stop searching and start serving. The gifts tend to show up when you are focused on helping others. Try different things. Pay attention to what feels natural and what other people say they need from you. The Spirit will guide the process.
I finished that table last night. The walnut top, the oak legs, the cherry stretchers. Three different woods that do not look like they belong together until you see them joined. That is the church and the body of Christ. Many parts, one piece.
-- D.