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The Body of Mashiach

The body of Mashiach is represented in the different articles of furniture in the mishkan.  Each piece of furniture has its special place and function.  Likewise, each person has a special place and function within the body of Mashiach.  Together, all the pieces make up the body, each functioning for the greater good of the whole.

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:4-11
4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 And there are diversities of ministries, and the same Master.
6 And there are diversities of workings, but the same Elohim, who works all things in all.
7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
8 For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit;
9 to another faith, in the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, in the one Spirit;
10 and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discernment of spirits; to another varieties of languages; and to another the interpretation of languages;
11 but one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually even as He wills.

Before we get into the text above, let us include a couple of other passages to help us have the right frame of reference in understanding the concept of the body of Mashiach.

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 3:16 
Do you not know that you people are a temple of Elohim, and that the Spirit of Elohim dwells in you all?

This passage from the original languages should be understood to mean, that His Spirit dwells in the body as a whole.  While it is true that He can, and does, fill individual people, the passage above should be translated and understood as saying that He fills and indwells the body as a whole. 

Furthermore, the Hebrew text of the Salkinson-Ginsburg Hebrew New Testament has the word משכן (mishkan – sanctuary or temple) in this passage.  This concept goes along with what Kepha writes in his epistle.

Kepha Aleph [1st Peter] 2:5 
You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, to be a set-apart priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to Elohim through Yeshua Mashiach.

We see from these passages, that the body of Mashiach is made up of those who belong to YHWH; they make up His spiritual Temple.  It is the body that He fills with His Spirit.  Shaul draws a good parallel between the human body and the spiritual body of Messiah.  As we examine this parallel, we will see that, as in our own physical bodies, not all the parts serve the same purpose or function; so likewise, this is also true in the spiritual body of Messiah; i.e., not all serve the same purpose or the same function.  That is to say, each is placed within His body according to His will, and then each is given the appropriate gift or gifts to fulfill that function and purpose within His body. 

Let us now examine this in detail by looking first in Qorintyah Aleph chapter 12.

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:4
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.

Shaul tells us in this passage that, while there are a variety of gifts, all these gifts are by the same Spirit.  As we go through this chapter, let us keep in mind that Shaul, in his typical fashion, is constantly building upon what he has already said.  So, as we go through this chapter, it is important to remember what Shaul has already said, in order to get the full significance of his material.

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:5
And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Master.

The Complete Jewish Bible translates verse five as:

Also, there are different ways of serving, but it is the same Lord being served. (CJB)

What we see in this passage, is that regardless of how one serves Elohim according to the gifts given to him, he is still serving Elohim.  We need to keep this in mind concerning one another, in that each one of us is supposed to serve Him in a different way than our neighbor.  We should not forget this, lest we treat our brothers with unkindness and fall into sin, or worse yet, cause our brother to stumble because of the way we treat him.

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:6
And there are varieties of workings, but the same Elohim, who works all things in all.

Please remember that the context of what Shaul is writing is within the body of Messiah.  So when he says in the above passage that it is Elohim “who works all things in all,” he is talking about the working within the body of Messiah.  What this basically means, is that everyone in the body of Messiah is given a different task to do, and even those who have similar tasks, or even the same tasks, may not go about getting things done in the same manner as another.  However, that is okay, because it is the same Elohim who is working in each person, accomplishing His will.

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:7
But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

We have in this verse, a very revealing truth that is often overlooked.  We see in this passage, that each person is given a different manifestation of His Spirit.  Considering the number of people who belong to Him, the number of manifestations of Elohim would be astronomical (literally!).  This shows us that there are more than just the three manifestations, which Trinitarians teach.

Also, notice the end of this verse, when it states that the manifestation He gives to each person is not for his own enjoyment only.  Rather, it is for the common good of the body of Messiah.  This raises a question that would be good for each one of us to ponder.   “Of the gift or gifts He has given to me, how am I using those gifts for the good of others in His body?”

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:8
For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit;

Please note, that not everyone in His body is given the word of wisdom or the word of knowledge.  Not everyone will have the same understanding of Scripture.  Therefore, when one person is given knowledge and wisdom for a particular passage of Scripture, it is for the edification of the body.  Not everyone will have that same understanding.  The one given the revelation does not receive that revelation in order to use it to exalt himself above the rest of the body!  When a person who has received revelation about something, then looks down upon, speaks down to, or elevates himself in any way above others as a result, that person is basically saying that the function he is serving, is more important than any of the others.  This is directly contrary to what Shaul teaches.

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:9
to another faith, in the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, in the one Spirit;

Once again, please note that not everyone has the gift of faith.  WHAT?!  Let us be able to distinguish between saving faith, and the gift of faith.  If a person is saved, then he has saving faith and cannot be saved without it!  However, this is not the same as the gift of faith.  The gift of faith is something that is in addition to saving faith.  Have you ever known a person whose faith was so rock solid, that absolutely nothing shook him or got under his skin?  No matter what happened to him, he knew Elohim was in control, and that it was ultimately going to be okay.  It just seems that he just never had any doubts.  That is the gift of faith; and not everyone has it. 

These people are wonderful to be around.  They are always so very encouraging and uplifting.  They are always getting us to focus our eyes upon Mashiach, rather than upon our dire circumstances.

Likewise, not all have the gift of healing.  If more people could just understand this, then there would be fewer spiritual shipwrecks.  I remember many years ago, when I was pastoring in a Protestant church, my dad called me one day to visit and to tell me what he was about to do.  The church he was going to and was involved with, was of the charismatic flavor.  One of the things that usually goes along with that doctrinal stance, is the belief that everyone has to be physically whole, or else they just do not have faith.

When my dad was thirteen years old, he got polio.  He was in the hospital for a long time and the doctors were not sure if he was even going to make it for a while.  After he started to recover, the doctors told him and his parents that he would never walk again.  Well, my dad and my grandma did not accept that.  Grandma started praying and dad started working on walking.  My dad’s recovery was nothing short of a miracle.  He not only was able to walk again, but he did so without crutches, braces, or any other mechanical device whatsoever.  He only has a very slight limp; and unless he is tired, one may not even notice it.

My dad had called me that day, to tell me he was going to go forward at his church to be healed.  I asked him of what he was to be healed.  He said he was going to ask YHWH to restore his leg.  I was dumbfounded.  I began praying in earnest for the right words to speak to my dad.  Here is what I told him.

Dad, YHWH already healed you!  It is not a prayer that He needs to answer again.  He then told me that his church was putting pressure on him to be healed and to have his leg restored.  So I told him what was going to happen.  I told my dad, that if he went forward to be healed, then when nothing happened,   this church would put him out of its assembly for a lack of faith on his part.  He could not see it.  I told him that Elohim had already healed him, and that he should not do this. 

He did go ahead and do it a couple of weeks later, and within a month, they had put him out of their assembly because they said “he did not have the faith to be healed.”

I said all that to point out, as we are taught here in this passage, that not all believers have the gift of healing.  Those congregations that make this a criteria in order for a believer to be a part of their assemblies, are going against what Scripture plainly teaches us here; not all have this gift! 

Regardless of whatever gift we have, we all have the same Spirit and are a part of the body of Mashiach.  Let us not forget that!

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:10
and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits; to another kinds of languages; and to another the interpretation of languages;

We are furthermore told, that not all work miracles, and not all will prophesy, and not all are able to discern spirits.  Furthermore, not all are able to speak in other languages.  There are many groups today that teach, that if one does not “speak in tongues,” then he is not filled with His Spirit.  Some even go so far as to teach that one is not saved unless he “speaks in tongues.”  However, this passage teaches us that not all believers will do this.  Moreover, if not all will do this, then it should not be used as a requirement in determining if a person is saved or Spirit-filled.

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:11
but the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually even as He wills.

It is the will of our heavenly Father that determines who gets what gift in the body of Messiah.  We do not decide this for ourselves or for anyone else.  As the Spirit is manifested in each person, then it can be seen how they fit into His body, and should be utilized accordingly.  To arbitrarily try to stick a person into a perceived need, and to squeeze that person into that area of need, without knowing or observing the gifts that has been given to him by YHWH, is to put oneself into the position of Elohim.  I would not think that would be a good place to put oneself!

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:12
For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Messiah.

Shaul makes a comparison between the human body having many different parts, with the body of Messiah having many different parts.  Not all parts of the body have the same purpose and function.  Likewise, not all the individual members of His body have the same purpose and function.

Yet, so very often, what individual groups have a tendency to do, is to try to make all their members uniform in style, type, or function.  If everyone is not the same, then they feel insecure in some fashion.  However, what Scripture is teaching us here and in other places, is that within His body there is diversity.  Nevertheless, within that diversity, there is only one Spirit.  Someday, perhaps soon, more of His people will understand this.

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:13
For in one Spirit were we all immersed into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Hmmm, only one body?  Looking at our world today, one would come to the conclusion that there were many bodies; in fact, tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of bodies.  It is time we begin to look at other disciples of Messiah with kindness and compassion.  We need to stop breaking fellowship over every little disagreement of Scripture that comes up.  In these days of His prophetic word being fulfilled as we watch, it seems His body is becoming more and more fractured.  This is ridiculous!  We need to give each other room to follow Yeshua our Mashiach, according to the understanding He has given to each one of us. 

Let me ask you a question.  Can you give another light?  Can I give you, the hearer (or reader), light?  No, of course; men cannot do that.  No man can give light.  Only His Spirit can open our minds and hearts to give light to us.  Therefore, who do we think we are, judging a man on the light which he does or does not have?  For a person to judge this, is to take the position that he is the one who has given the other man light.  It is nothing short of idolatry.

Let us serve Elohim together in diversity of His Spirit, encouraging one another, building one another up, and not causing anyone to stumble.

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:14
For the body is not one member, but many.

We need to fix this truth solidly in the forefront of our minds!  Then, when we are dealing with another who does not have the same understanding as we do, we can deal with him in love and patience, rather than in harshness and judgment.

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:15-17
15 If the foot shall say, “Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body,”  it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear shall say, “Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body,”  it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where is the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where is the smelling?

He has placed each one of us in His body according to His will.  We need to stop trying to get everyone to conform to our image of what it means to be a part of the body.  Each one of us needs to stop trying to be like someone else!  We need to be the person Elohim has created us to be.  He has created each one of us to be a unique part of His body, and to fulfill a unique function and purpose in His Kingdom.  Let us stop trying to be like someone else we look up to, and just be the person He has created us to be!

He has taken each and every one of us down a different path in life for the express purpose of giving us specific gifts and talents, and for the refining of those gifts and talents so we can function properly in His Kingdom (body).  Let us recognize that each and every one of us has things in our pasts that are not pretty, and let us stop harshly judging one another, realizing that His Blood is sufficient to cover a multitude of sins; and if a person has asked for and received His forgiveness, then who are we to judge His servant?

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:18
But now has Elohim set the members each one of them in the body, even as it pleased him.

AMEIN! 

Elohim takes no thought about what we think when He places a person in His body.  It is not our will.  It is not your will.  It is not my will.  It is His will that determines who is placed where, according to His good pleasure.

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:19
And if they were all one member, where were the body?

We are all a part of His body.  Are all parts at the same place spiritually?  No, of course they aren’t.  Can all members of His body be in the same place?  No, of course they can’t.  Why?  Because then all would be seeing.  Then where would the hearing be? 

Being a part of His body means that there are many members we are a part of.  The way some members treat other members, one would think there was disease in the body.  Nevertheless, we must beware of our own actions, lest we remove ourselves from His body by treating other members in unkind and uncompassionate ways, and not with the love of Messiah.

Typically, the organism that attacks some part of the body is the disease, and needs to be removed by the physician. Therefore, someone who claims to be a part of His body and attacks some other part needs to be very careful, lest they be removed from the body themselves.

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:20
But now they are many members, but one body.

Shaul under the inspiration of the Set-apart Spirit has said that there are many members in one body in numerous ways.  It is as if Elohim knew that His body was going to become fractured.  Of course, He knew that was going to happen.  He placed this repeated message there, as a warning to those who actually belonged to Him.

Have you heard the warning?  How are you treating your fellow members?  Many justify their mistreatment of others on the basis that the person they are mistreating is not really a part of the body.  However, in order to arrive at this conclusion one must judge the other person, a judgment, which in many cases, is based upon criteria which is not righteous.  Furthermore, if the one doing the judging were subjected to the same standard, he would not pass judgment either!

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:21
And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you; or again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

This is the truth:  we need each other.  Every member needs every other member.  Just because one member is more noticeable than another member, and may have more gifts from His Spirit, does not mean that the one member who only has one small gift is not needed.  It also does not mean that the one who has only one gift is of little or no importance!  It also does not mean that the person with more gifts is somehow more important than the one who only has one gift.

For the body to function properly, all parts need to be present and healthy.  Likewise, the body of Messiah needs to have all parts present and healthy for it to function properly.  Therefore, when a member of His body is not feeling well or is not functioning properly, the proper response from the body should be one of care and compassion, working to restore the one who is not well.  This is how the body of Messiah should function.

However, often what we see instead of this is that the member of His body who is malfunctioning for whatever reason to be judged harshly and thrown out of the assembly.  It is almost as if those who are treating members of His body in this fashion are afraid that what is happening in that other person’s life is contagious.  One would think that he were a leper or something.  It is shameful!

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:22
Nay, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary;

Why are they necessary?  Please don’t forget that YHWH is in the business of testing His people.  What better way is there for YHWH to test His people than to observe how they treat one another? 

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:23-24
23 and those parts of the body, which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness;
24 whereas our comely parts have no need; but Elohim tempered the body together, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked;

What the members of His body should do with those members of His body who are weak is that we should surround them and protect them from all harm.  This is much like a herd of yaks or elephants surrounding their young, with all the adults facing outward towards the danger, and the young in the middle protected from the danger.

Likewise, His body should surround those who are not able to protect themselves; and those of us who are mature in our faith, should do what we can to protect those who are not. 

In contrast to this, what often happens is that the immature and helpless are actually thrown to the wolves and no further thought is given to them.  It is an act reminiscent of offering a sacrifice to idol gods in the hope of appeasing the god and turning him from his anger.  It is an act of utter selfishness.  What should be seen is an act of love in sacrificing oneself to protect the one who needs protection.

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:25
that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

Hello!?  What?  No division in the body?  Is he kidding?

Can we be honest here?  There are so many divisions in His body today that I dare say it would be difficult to count them all, because there are more and more divisions happening all the time.  Nevertheless, here is what each one of us can do.  Each one of us can work to make sure we are not guilty of making more divisions within His body.  Each one of us can work at bringing healing to His body with those we know, regardless of what label they have attached to themselves, or even what label we have attached to ourselves, or to others.   

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:26
And when one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

If one member is hurting, then we are all hurting, whether we know it or not! 

It is time that each one of us takes responsibility for our own actions, and start reaching out to all other members of His body, and that we stop the bickering and infighting.  The author of all bickering and infighting is the enemy of our spirits, Satan.  We need to turn our attention to defeating the enemy and not each other.

If one member receives honor, rejoice!  For, when one member receives honor, we all receive it!

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:27
Now you are the body of Messiah, and individually members thereof.

If a person has received Messiah as his Savior, then he is a member of His body.  Furthermore, that is true regardless of what name was used to receive that salvation.  Yes, we should use the name of Yeshua as it seems to be the best understanding of what His earthly parents named Him.  However, when we come before YHWH, and we are honest, and we ask for forgiveness, and we ask to be filled with His Spirit, then He is going to honor that request even if we do not know His name.

YHWH is in the business of saving His people.  He is doing everything possible in heaven and earth to make sure that every person possible has eternal life!  The way some people teach and act, one would think that YHWH is just looking for a reason to exclude us.  One gets the idea from some people, that if we do not follow a certain formula (usually according to their understanding), then a person cannot have eternal life.

Could someone please explain to these people about Bala’am or Yitro (Jethro)?  These men were not of the nation of Israel by blood.  Yet, Scripture clearly states that they were priests of Elohim.  YHWH’s ways are not our ways, and we need to stop trying to make our ways His ways!

It is by the Blood of the Lamb, and the Torah of Moshe, that we are truly a part of the Spiritual Kingdom of Israel.  There is no other criterion.

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:28-30
28 And Elohim has set some in the assembly, first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, kinds of languages.
29 Are all apostles?  Are all prophets?  Are all teachers?  Are all workers of miracles?
30 Do all have gifts of healings?  Do all speak with tongues?  Do all interpret?

Shaul now goes back to where he started, saying that not all in the body of Messiah have the same gifts and functions.  You would think that after two thousand years, we would have learned this simple lesson by now.  Nevertheless, we haven’t!  May we learn it soon!

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 12:31
But desire earnestly the greater gifts. And moreover a most excellent way I show to you.

We should pray and ask YHWH for the greater of the gifts.  In another place, Shaul states that this greatest of the gifts, is the gift of prophecy.  Realizing that not all will prophesy, we should nonetheless seek this gift.  In addition, we need to be careful not to be lifted up with pride if we have this gift, and someone else in His body does not have it.  Recognize that YHWH has given you a gift and a test together:  a gift to be used to edify His body, and a test to see whether you will be lifted up with pride, or whether you will continue to serve Him, rather than yourself.

It seems that the typical application of the knowledge in this chapter is seriously lacking in the life of the body, which causes the body to be fractured.  This seems to be the result of not applying the knowledge in this chapter with love of one another just as Messiah taught us.

Yochanan 13:34-35
34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one to another.”

How did Yeshua our Mashiach love us?  He died for us.  That is how we are to love one another.  Therefore, here is what I often ponder.  The number of His true disciples must not be a very large number, for what I observe mostly, is not one disciple laying his life down for another, but rather one supposed disciple mistreating in some way, another of His disciples.  If we are going to be His disciples, then we need to lay our lives down for the body in service to Him.

With this in mind, Shaul continues with his admonition of the disciples of Yeshua our Mashiach at Corinth.   As you read the passage of Scripture below, please note that our overriding motivation in all things should be love.  As a disciple of Yeshua our Mashiach our default setting should be love.  When in doubt we should love.  When a question arises about another disciple we should love them first and foremost, then we should find out the facts of the situation and act in accordance with those findings, always having the underlying motivation of our actions and words as love for YHWH and love of the brethren.  Love always moves to restore another.

Qorintyah Aleph [1st Corinthians] 13:1-8
1 If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.
2 And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind; love is not jealous; love does not lift itself up, is not arrogant,
5 does not act unbecomingly, it does not seek its own, is not provoked, it does not take into account a wrong;
6 rejoices not in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails; but whether there are prophecies, they shall be done away; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall be done away.

May all our choices and all our actions, reflect His love in all things that we say and do.  May those around us, know that we are His disciples by our love for one another.

ABBA YHWH, thank you for loving us when we were not worthy of Your love; give us the strength and the wisdom to pass on to those around us, the love You have given to us, to the same extent that we have received Your love; in the Name of Yeshua our Mashiach.  Amein.

Shabbat Shalom
Zerubbabel ben Emunah
www.onetorahforall.com
zerubbabel@onetorahforall.com

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