As God Pleases 1 Corinthians 12:18

Paul the apostle asked the church members in Corinth, “if the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?” In chapter twelve and verse eighteen of First Corinthians, Paul shared with the church members how God “sets every one of them in the body”, as it has pleased him”, where we read:

But now has God set the members every one of them in the body, as it has pleased him.

The verse begins, “But now has God set the members every one of them in the body, ...”. Paul began with the word, “but” which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be written takes precedence over what was just stated “now” which means “moreover and” “God” which refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” “set” or “put in place, laid down, made and set forth” “the members” which means “limbs or parts” “every one” or “each, all, the whole and everyone” “of them” which refers to “the members” “in the body” or “within the living corpse or carcass”. God chose to “place and put” “limbs and parts” of the “human body”.

The verse goes on to say, “... as it has pleased him”. Paul continued with the words, “as it has” which means “just, even, in proportion and degree that it” “pleased” or “was fond of , had pleasure and delighted” “him” which refers to “God”. God put the “parts” in “the body” where he took “pleasure they should be.

When we meditate upon words from Paul, we understand how God not only “provides” the “limbs and parts” to “the body”, He also places them wherever it “pleases” Him. The “body of Christ” or “the Church”, belongs to Jesus, and He decides which “gifts” are present in the “body” and where they are to be used. Each “member” is important, and their value is expressed just as the Lord desires. We should rejoice that God has placed in His “body”, “the church”, many different “parts”, and where He decides, they shall function best in their role.

Next time Paul asks the church members, “if they were all one member, where were the body?”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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