1 Corinthians 12:12-13 KJV
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.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
There has been, for at least four centuries, questions and controversies concerning these verses. Do we learn here that the Holy Spirit mysteriously baptizes the believer into an invisible universal church as the Protestants of all forms teach us? Or do we learn here that this same Spirit baptizes us into the local church as is contested by an obvious minority of believers who claim baptism in water is the door into the local congregation?
1. The context of the chapter is one of unity
2. The invisible universal church, if it existed, could never be thought of as unified and without schism
There are denominations and movements and reformations of all sorts since the very earliest days of the idea. Indeed, churches of the first century had personalities unique one to another as is apparent in the seven churches in the Revelation.
3. The many members proposition could not mean, as Protestants suggest, many local churches but one true church
Paul said, "ye are the body and members in particular". He did not include himself (we are the body if Christ and members in particular.) It is manifest that he writes to one congregation and refers to that congregation as the body of Christ.
I recently read one Protestant's objection to the Baptist position is that we turn the Spirit (as in the Holy Spirit of God) into a spirit (of inspiration) and deny the rendering of the King James Version. I freely regard that it is the Holy Spirit of God who motivates a soul to obey believer's baptism in water. The King James Bible is correct; this is a reference to the Holy Spirit. That the act of baptism is performed by a preacher and not the Holy Spirit us easily accounted for by the fact that:
1. In chapter one of this book, Paul makes little of the man who performs the baptism
2. In chapter three he clearly says it is not the he who plants or waters but the Lord that gives the increase
The point of Scripture is that it is never about the man but about the Lord using the man.
Verily by one Spirit are we all baptized into that one body God fitted us for, the local church.
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.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
There has been, for at least four centuries, questions and controversies concerning these verses. Do we learn here that the Holy Spirit mysteriously baptizes the believer into an invisible universal church as the Protestants of all forms teach us? Or do we learn here that this same Spirit baptizes us into the local church as is contested by an obvious minority of believers who claim baptism in water is the door into the local congregation?
1. The context of the chapter is one of unity
- One Spirit
- One body
- One baptism
2. The invisible universal church, if it existed, could never be thought of as unified and without schism
There are denominations and movements and reformations of all sorts since the very earliest days of the idea. Indeed, churches of the first century had personalities unique one to another as is apparent in the seven churches in the Revelation.
3. The many members proposition could not mean, as Protestants suggest, many local churches but one true church
Paul said, "ye are the body and members in particular". He did not include himself (we are the body if Christ and members in particular.) It is manifest that he writes to one congregation and refers to that congregation as the body of Christ.
I recently read one Protestant's objection to the Baptist position is that we turn the Spirit (as in the Holy Spirit of God) into a spirit (of inspiration) and deny the rendering of the King James Version. I freely regard that it is the Holy Spirit of God who motivates a soul to obey believer's baptism in water. The King James Bible is correct; this is a reference to the Holy Spirit. That the act of baptism is performed by a preacher and not the Holy Spirit us easily accounted for by the fact that:
1. In chapter one of this book, Paul makes little of the man who performs the baptism
2. In chapter three he clearly says it is not the he who plants or waters but the Lord that gives the increase
The point of Scripture is that it is never about the man but about the Lord using the man.
- It is the Spirit that convicted the man to be saved
- It is the Spirit that convinces him of the righteousness of baptism
- It is the Spirit that gifted another man to be a preacher
- It is the Spirit that placed that preacher in his station and
- It is the Spirit that brought this soul to be baptized into this church
Verily by one Spirit are we all baptized into that one body God fitted us for, the local church.
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