1 Corinthians 12:14

King James Version (KJV)

For the body is not one member, but many.

Adam Clarke
Bible Commentary

For the body is not one member - The mystical body, the Church, as well as the natural body, is composed of many members.

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Albert Barnes
Notes on the Whole Bible

For the body … - The body is made up of many members, which have various offices. So it is in the church. We are to expect the same variety there; and we are not to presume either that all will be alike, or that any member that God has placed there will be useless.

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Matthew Henry
Concise Bible Commentary

Christ and his church form one body, as Head and members. Christians become members of this body by baptism. The outward rite is of Divine institution; it is a sign of the new birth, and is called therefore the washing of regeneration, Tit 3:5. But it is by the Spirit, only by the renewing of the Holy Ghost, that we are made members of Christ's body. And by communion with Christ at the Lord's supper, we are strengthened, not by drinking the wine, but by drinking into one Spirit. Each member has its form, place, and use. The meanest makes a part of the body. There must be a distinction of members in the body. So Christ's members have different powers and different places. We should do the duties of our own place, and not murmur, or quarrel with others. All the members of the body are useful and necessary to each other. Nor is there a member of the body of Christ, but may and ought to be useful to fellow-members. As in the natural body of man, the members should be closely united by the strongest bonds of love; the good of the whole should be the object of all. All Christians are dependent one upon another; each is to expect and receive help from the rest. Let us then have more of the spirit of union in our religion.

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SDA Bible Commentary (limited)
Volume 1-7

14. Body. In vs. 14-26 Paul presents the idea that the unity of organization includes rather than excludes, a plurality of membership. He illustrates this by the organization of the human body, a system in which every part has its necessary duty. No part of the body can be satisfactorily dispensed with if the body is to continue to function efficiently. The different members are introduced as holding a discussion of this problem in a very dramatic style.

Incorruptible. What an incalculable difference between the reward of the victor in the Greek games, and that of the victorious Christian! How eagerly men strive for temporary success, and to what lengths of bodily inconvenience and even suffering they are willing to go in order to be accounted great in the eyes of their fellow men! If they are willing to do this for a fading crown that soon passes away, how much more earnest and persevering should be the striving of believers for the never-fading crown of eternal life! Because of the entrance of sin into the world, the thoughts and ideas of men are perverted, and Satan has succeeded in leading men to transgress all the laws of health, so that they generally live in such a way that they hasten their bodily degeneration by their habits of eating, drinking, dressing, sleeping, working, taking recreation, and thinking (see CH 18, 19).

God requires His people to be conscious of the need for reform in these things and to be active in practicing strict self-control in all that pertains to the preservation of health. Man is not at liberty to please himself in the matter of healthful living; he has been purchased by God, and is under obligation to do all in his power to follow the laws of health in order to maintain his body and mind in the best possible condition (see 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; 10:31). The Christian who is governed by love for the Saviour will not allow his appetites and passions to control him, but will in all things accept the counsel God has given for his mental, physical, and spiritual living. The appetites of the body must be subject to the higher power of the mind, which is itself under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (see Rom. 6:12; 2T 380, 381). The poisons of alcohol and tobacco are glaring exhibits of the things that Satan has beguiled man into using, thereby increasing his feebleness, both physically and spiritually, and preventing him from qualifying for the eternal reward offered to all who are willing to be temperate in all things (see Prov. 23:20, 21, 29-32; 1 Cor. 6:10; CH 125).

How can anyone who refuses to abandon lifelong habits of wrong indulgence, whatever form they may take, hope to be blessed by God and receive a welcome into the kingdom of His glory? The only safe course is to remember that the body must be kept in subjection in all things all the time until Jesus comes (see Ps. 51:5; Rom. 7:18, 23, 24; 8:13, 23; 1 Cor. 9:27; Phil. 3:20, 21; Col. 3:5, 6). The blessing of eternal life, which is likened to a crown (Rev. 2:10), will not be bestowed upon those who view this present life as a time for the indulgence of the appetites and passions and the gratification of every wish and desire of the unregenerate nature. God will give eternal life only to those who use this present life as an opportunity to gain the victory over everything that would interfere with mental, physical, and spiritual health, thus demonstrating their true love for, and obedience to, the Saviour, who endured so much for them (see James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4; Rev. 2:10; 3:10, 11; 7:14-17).

One member. The body is composed of various members, which have many offices to perform. A similar variety is to be expected in the church, and it is not to be presumed that all will be alike, or that any member God has placed there will be useless. It is not merely a multiplicity of parts that the body needs, nor a mere multiplicity of persons that a church requires. In both cases that which is required is a full complement of members unitedly performing all necessary functions for the good of the whole. The human body has no place or need for inactive members that do not make a contribution to the general efficiency of the whole organism; similarly the church needs consecrated, active members who continually make their contribution to the efficient performance of the work of the church in winning souls for the kingdom of God (see 4T 590; 5T 456, 457; 6T 434, 435).

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Ellen G. White
Evangelism, 380

Ventilation Given Consideration—Sabbath afternoon the beautiful and commodious meetinghouse in _____ was crowded to its utmost capacity. The day was warm, and abundant ventilation was needed. But the beautiful colored windows were not built to open. As a result, the congregation suffered intensely, and the speaker was so poisoned that she experienced great suffering for a week, and was barely able to fill one of her three appointments in New York City. Why will a people having abundance of information on health, sanitation, and ventilation, allow wrongly built meetinghouses to stand year after year as closed reservoirs for poison air?—W. C. White in The Review and Herald, November 25, 1909. Ev 380.1

Provide for the Church School—Workers in new territory should not feel free to leave their field of labor till the needed facilities have been provided for the churches under their care. Not only should a humble house of worship be erected, but all necessary arrangements should be made for the permanent establishment of the church school. Ev 380.2

This matter has been plainly presented before me. I saw in different places new companies of believers being raised up, and meetinghouses being erected. Those newly come to the faith were helping with willing hands, and those who had means were assisting with their means. In the basement of the church, above ground, I was shown a room provided for a school where the children could be educated in the truths of God's Word. Consecrated teachers were selected to go to these places. The numbers in the school were not large, but it was a happy beginning.—Testimonies For The Church 6:108 (1900). Ev 380.3

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Ellen G. White
Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, 16

Dear Brethren,

As all the different members of the human system unite to form the entire body, and each performs its office in obedience to the intelligence that governs the whole, so the members of the church of Christ should be united in one symmetrical body, subject to the sanctified intelligence of the whole. 4T 16.1

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Ellen G. White
Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, 202

Opportunities are continually presenting themselves in the Southern States, and many wise, Christian colored men will be called to the work. But for several reasons white men must be chosen as leaders. We are all members of one body and are complete only in Christ Jesus, who will uplift His people from the low level to which sin has degraded them and will place them where they shall be acknowledged in the heavenly courts as laborers together with God. 9T 202.1

There is work to be done in many hard places, and out of these hard places bright laborers are to come. Let the work be managed so that colored laborers will be educated to work for their own race. Among the Negro race there are many who have talent and ability. Let us search out these men and women, and teach them how to engage in the work of saving souls. God will co-operate with them and give them the victory. 9T 202.2

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1 Corinthians 12:14