GG Questions
09/13/2020
The Family Table: Who’s at The table?
1 Corinthians 12
1. The Same Spirit : Paul ministered to a fragmented church in Corinth (1 Cor. 1:12-13). In a letter to this church
with warring parties, count how many times Paul says “by the same Spirit” (or something like it) in 12:4-11.
Why is this emphasis significant? How does this help explain the seemingly random way he starts this chapter
(12:2-3)? What point is Paul trying to make?
2. One Body, Many Members : One of the sources of division in the Corinthian church was competing ideas of
spiritual gifts and offices/roles. How does Paul use the metaphor of a body and its many body parts (1 Cor.
12:12-14) to teach the Corinthians not to selfishly desire to have another person’s gift (vv. 15-20), but also not
to devalue someone whose gifts they deem insignificant (vv. 21-25)? Whether found in Paul’s list or not, which
gifts do you find yourself jealous of in others and which have you at times considered unimportant?
3. The Call to Be One : How can we apply this metaphor of “ one body” (1 Cor. 12:12-14) to Jesus’ desire for unity
in His church – that they “may be one ” (John 17:21-23)? Get practical! How can viewing every member of your
church as a different, yet indispensable, body part deepen your empathy for those in the church different from
yourself?
4. Designed to Be Different : Paul makes the point repeatedly in this chapter that “God arranged the members in
the body, each one of them, as he chose” (vv. 18, 24). There is something very deliberate about this, and very
much out of our control. In conjunction with this concept from 1 Corinthians 12, how do verses like Romans
12:3, 6 (“ according to the measure of ”) and Matthew 25:14-15 stress the differences between God’s children?
And how do verses like 1 Cor. 14:3, 4, 5, 12, 17 (“ building up ”) stress the commonalities between God’s
children?
