As the continuation of Romans, 1 Corinthians is a book of building. Romans brings us to the point that we are the Body, but it is the following books that tell us how the Body is built up. In order to know the Bible in a deeper way, we must drop our preoccupations and old concepts. We should not be frustrated by the old concepts concerning speaking in tongues or other matters in 1 Corinthians. Verse 12 of chapter fourteen says, “So also you, since you are zealous of spirits, seek that you may excel for the building up of the church.” We need to seek those things that are good and profitable for the building up of the Body. In no other Epistle does the apostle speak so clearly about the building of the Body. In this book he tells us that he is the wise master builder, that Jesus Christ is the foundation, and that we need to build with certain materials. Therefore, 1 Corinthians is a book of building, continuing from Romans to show us how the Body of Christ is built up.
In this book the Holy Spirit is the Spirit who builds up, the Spirit of building. In chapter three the Spirit is clearly related to the building up of the Body of Christ. The word building in 3:9 is a noun in Greek, meaning “house,” while the word dwells in verse 16 is a verb from the same Greek root. Then in chapter six the Spirit dwells in us for the purpose of making not only our spirit and soul but even our body the members of Christ. This fits together with Romans 12, which says, “Present your bodies a living sacrifice” (v. 1). We present not only our spirit and our soul but also our body for the building up of the Body of Christ. Both our human spirit and our human body must be completely separated unto the Lord to be holy (1 Cor. 7:34). However, without the work of the Holy Spirit our bodies could not be the members of Christ. It is not merely by presenting our bodies to the Lord that they are fit for the purpose of building up. We also must be indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit makes our bodies fit to be the members of Christ. The Holy Spirit who indwells us is for the building up of the Body of Christ. Therefore, He is the Spirit of building.
First Corinthians 12:3 says, “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking in the Spirit of God says, Jesus is accursed; and no one can say, Jesus is Lord! except in the Holy Spirit.” This demonstrates how closely the Holy Spirit is related to the Lord Jesus. Then verse 13 says, “For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and were all given to drink one Spirit.” This shows us once again that the Spirit is for the Body; He is the Spirit of building.
Verses 4 through 7 say, “But there are distinctions of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are distinctions of ministries, yet the same Lord; and there are distinctions of operations, but the same God, who operates all things in all. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for what is profitable.” Here we see another aspect of the Spirit—the manifestation of the Spirit. Just as the Spirit of life is for the divine sonship, the manifestation of the Spirit is for the building. Romans is a book of sonship, while 1 Corinthians is a book of building. First Corinthians follows Romans to show us how to be built up. In the Spirit of building we all were baptized into one Body, and all the differing gifts given by this Spirit are manifested for building up the Body of Christ.
Someone may point out that in this chapter some of the gifts are the supernatural ones. However, in order to build up the Body, what we need the most is life. In some cases people need gifts in order to apprehend life. However, gifts by themselves can never build the Body. It is life that builds the Body.
Verse 45 of chapter fifteen says, “So also it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living soul’; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.” We have said that in the book of 1 Corinthians the Spirit is the Spirit of building. However at the end of this book we are told that Christ is the Spirit who gives life, the Spirit of life, as in Romans. To understand the Bible is not an easy thing. We must never try to understand it lightly. Chapter fifteen indicates an abnormal situation in the church in Corinth. If the church there had been normal, there would have been no need for chapter fifteen. This chapter was written because the Corinthians practiced the gifts very much, but they did not believe in the resurrection. Resurrection is a matter of life. This means that they stressed gifts but neglected and even doubted life. They were short of life and abnormal in the matter of life. For this reason, after Paul spoke about the building, he had to come back to life to recover something that was lost and make up the shortcoming.
Chapter fifteen, therefore, is a chapter of recovery, speaking once again about life. Paul was saying to the Corinthians, “Christ became the life-giving Spirit. You Corinthians have stressed the gifts so much, but rather you need to know this life-giving Spirit.” This is the right way to understand this portion of the Word. This proves, strengthens, and confirms that building and the manifestation of gifts by the Spirit are based on life. We must first have Romans with the Spirit of life and the Spirit of the divine sonship, and then we can go on to 1 Corinthians for building up by the Spirit of building with the Spirit’s manifestation.