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In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul deals with those who have an inferiority complex and those who have a superiority complex. These two complexes are the source of today’s Christianity. Because many Christians consider themselves inferior to others, they do not do anything in the meetings. But some think of themselves as superior to others and like to dominate, to maneuver, and to do everything for the whole Body. These two things, the inferiority complex and the superiority complex, kill the Body. In this portion of the Word, Paul is doing his best to lower those with a superiority complex and to uplift those with an inferiority complex. In other words, Paul is tempering the Body. This is exactly what the Lord is doing today in the church life. Because the Lord is tempering the Body, in the church life we need to adorn the uncomely members of the Body.
In 1 Corinthians 12:22 Paul speaks of “the members of the body which seem to be weaker.” Perhaps you are wondering what these weaker members are. Certainly the head cannot be considered a weaker part of the body. Neither should we consider the eyes or the ears weaker parts. The weaker members are the fingers and the toes. Our toes help us to walk. If our toes did not function, we would find walking very awkward. Although the toes help us to walk, they are nonetheless the more feeble members, the weaker members. I also appreciate all my fingers, even the little finger, which renders me very valuable service. Now we can see what the apostle Paul meant when he said that the weaker parts are necessary.
As Paul was writing 1 Corinthians 12, he was under divine inspiration. Every word that he used was very economical. Thus, we should not read this chapter in a casual way or consider it merely an illustration. If we probe into this section of the Word, we shall come to realize what the practical Body life is. It is not simply a matter of the gathering together of Christians. It is possible for Christians to gather together yet still not have the practical Body life. As we pointed out in a previous chapter, we must be spiritual in order for the Body to be practical. According to 1 Corinthians 12, to be spiritual is to function. If we do not function, the Body does not exist in a practical way. There may be a gathering of Christians, but the Body is not present among them. The practicality of the Body is found in the functioning of the members. To function is to be genuinely spiritual. No matter how strong or weak you may be, you are not spiritual if you sit quietly in the meetings. However, if you are so strong that you function too much in the gatherings, you are not spiritual either. The weaker ones must function more, and the stronger ones must be somewhat limited. To be genuinely spiritual means that all the weaker ones must function and that all the stronger ones must be limited to a certain extent. This is the tempering of the Body. Through this process of tempering, we have the Body in a practical way.
If we have seen this vision and compare it with the situation in today’s Christianity, we shall have to admit that in Christianity there is virtually no Body. On the one hand, many do not function at all; on the other hand, a few do everything. That is not the Body. Only when every part of the Body participates in the present activities of the Body does the Body exist in a practical way. Only then is it a Body in practicality, not in theory. For example, all the members of my body share in whatever my body does. The Lord will not have His recovery in full until He recovers His church to be such a Body. Among us today, the recovery is not yet in full, because we do not yet have the Body in a full way. Although our situation has improved, we do not yet have the Body in fullness. The majority still are not spiritual in our gatherings; that is, they are not functioning. Rather, they have an inferiority complex and think that they are not useful. Because they compare themselves with other members, they keep themselves down.
Often those who give eloquent testimonies may discourage others from testifying. If you are eloquent, perhaps you should limit yourself and even speak in a halting way so that others will not be frustrated. Our speaking in the meetings should pave the way for others to follow us. Most gifted speakers, however, are so elevated that others cannot reach them. Their desire to be the best is a frustration to others who compare themselves with them. This is of the flesh, and it kills the Body life. By the Lord’s mercy and grace, we all must learn both how to be tempered and how to temper.
When I am with my little granddaughter, I like to lower myself down to her level. If I did not lower myself down to her to where she is, she would be afraid of me or unhappy to be with me. But when I lower myself down to play with her, she comes up, sometimes climbing on my shoulder. Because I lower myself down, she and I, a little girl and her old grandfather, can play together and even be a good team. This is a picture of the Body life. We all need to learn to come down to the level of the low ones, and the low ones need to learn to climb on the shoulder of the higher ones, to become even higher than the high ones. This is the tempering of the Body, the real practice of the Body life. In 1 Corinthians 12 the apostle Paul was tempering the Body. This is the secret of the practical Body life.
At this point, I would like to say a word about mutuality. In verse 25 Paul says, “The members would have the same care one for another.” In the Body we must have a mutual care for one another. Paul goes on to say, “And whether one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or one member is glorified, all the members rejoice with it” (v. 26). This is mutual care. We need to learn to have such a mutual care not only in our private life, home life, and daily life but also in the meetings. I need to care for you, and you need to care for me. If I speak often and you do not speak at all, it is an indication that you do not care for me. To exercise mutual care means to speak in the meetings. If you speak in the meetings, it means that you have mercy on me. Often the elders are cruel and merciless to me, for they sit in the meeting and expect me to do everything. Thus, I have frequently said, “Brothers, please be merciful to me and do something. Suppose we are members of a team. If I am the only one who plays in the game and you do not play, you are very cruel to me. But if you have mercy on me, you will care for me.”
Those who do not function in the meetings are cruel; they have no mercy on others. Some brothers desire to be elders. Because they have never been an elder, the thought of eldership is so pleasant to them. But if they were to get into the yoke of eldership, they would see how demanding it is. For this reason, many elders desire to be released from the yoke of eldership. Most of the saints in the churches are cruel and merciless to the elders in that they do not help to bear the burden in the meetings. In the meetings they allow the whole burden, perhaps many tons in weight, to rest upon the elders. Some saints seem to have even made a secret agreement not to alleviate the suffering of the elders. Perhaps an elder’s wife is the only one who has mercy on him. Therefore, the elders suffer in the meetings. In some meetings the elders bear such a heavy burden that they are slaughtered. This indicates the lack of mutual care.
However, sometimes the elders do not exercise mutual care either, for they may dominate the meeting and maneuver it. Although some elders are suffering, others are enjoying their maneuvering of the meeting. All the saints are little “lambs,” but these elders are big “donkeys.” This is a very serious matter, because such maneuvering annuls the Body life. Instead of the Body life, there is the display of the activity of one “donkey.” Once again we see that for the practicality of the Body life we must exercise mutual care.
Often in the meetings I have had the burden to call a hymn or to offer praise or a prayer. But because I was caring for others, I did not do so. I did not want to maneuver the meeting or be a “donkey” among “lambs.” Some elders, however, are such big “donkeys” that in the meeting you can see no one but them. This is a sign of the absence of mutual care. When the Body is manifested in a church meeting in a practical way, the mutual care will be seen. Both in our private life and in our meeting life, we must practice this mutual care. We must care for others and create a situation that encourages all to function. Then we shall have the Body life in a practical way.
Verse 28 says, “God has placed some in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then works of power, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.” This verse does not say, “God has placed some in the church: first tongues, second interpretation of tongues, third healings, and after this miracles and last prophets.” In Paul’s arrangement tongues is the last item on the list. This means that it is the tail. The Bible is economical, and Paul’s words are very meaningful. Nevertheless, when necessary, the Bible is repetitious. Thus, after listing various items in verse 28, Paul continues in verses 29 and 30 by giving another list: “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all have works of power? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret tongues?” In these verses the last items are tongues and the interpretation of tongues. As we have pointed out, in verses 8 through 10 tongues and interpretation are also ranked last. In this chapter there are three lists, and in each list tongues and interpretation are the last items. However, those who advocate tongue-speaking today have turned the situation upside down. They have made the tail the head, and the head the tail. In fact, today speaking in tongues has been made not only the head but even the whole body. According to some, nothing is more important than speaking in tongues. This is certainly an extreme.
In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul is tempering the Body. As we have seen, to temper the Body is first to uplift the inferior ones and then to lower the superior ones. Furthermore, it is to encourage the weaker ones and to adorn the uncomely ones with more honor. Finally, to temper the Body is to practice mutual care. These five matters are basic; they are not insignificant items. In all the churches we need to uplift the inferior ones and to somewhat limit the superior ones. We need to strengthen and encourage the weaker ones and to adorn the uncomely ones. We need to make more shoes for the feet, not crowns for the head. Certain saints have had the habit of crowning others, especially those regarded as heroes. From now on, we should not have any heroes, and we should not crown anyone. In all the churches we must make more shoes to adorn the uncomely members. If, along with all this, we practice the mutual care, we shall have the Body in a practical way.
Because the apostle Paul knew the trouble, the disease, in the church at Corinth, he dealt with the matter of the miraculous things. We all are curious concerning miracles, and we like to see miraculous things. Suppose a sister could float in the air. We all would be attracted by this and would have no heart to listen to a heavy message on the Spirit of holiness or the Spirit of life. Although we appreciate miracles very much, the apostle Paul took the lead to tear down this fascination with miracles. I would follow him to do the same thing.
In verse 27 Paul says, “Now you are the Body of Christ, and members individually.” The Body is not made up of giants. Rather, it is a composition of many members: strong ones and weak ones, big ones and small ones, comely ones and uncomely ones. Every member of the Body is needed. This is the Body.
Then Paul proceeds to say, “God has placed some in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then works of power, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.” Notice that Paul does not say “fourth.” After speaking of teachers, he discontinues the numerical sequence. This indicates that the first three—the apostles, the prophets, and the teachers—are the most important. Only these three are worthy of being numbered. After that, nothing else is worth numbering. The three that are numbered are all related to speaking. Moreover, none of these functions is miraculous. Some may say that a miraculous element is involved in prophesying. If you have this concept, it is an indication that you do not know the meaning of prophecy in the New Testament. In the New Testament to prophesy means to speak forth or to speak for; it does not mainly mean to predict. Primarily, to prophesy is to speak forth something of God, to speak something for Christ. The function of apostles, prophets, and teachers is not miraculous but is related to speaking.
We need to read verse 28 carefully, not in a superficial way, in order to get into Paul’s thought. Why did Paul use the word first before apostles and then speak of prophets and teachers as being second and third? And why did he not mention the other items in numerical sequence? The reason is that even in Paul’s time there was confusion in the Christian gathering caused by speaking in tongues. One of the reasons Paul wrote this Epistle was to correct the misuse of tongues and the confusion caused by the overemphasis on speaking in tongues. In writing this Epistle Paul used words carefully. Every word conveyed a great deal. Therefore, it is significant that in this verse Paul numbered some of the items and not others. According to Paul’s listing, speaking in tongues did not mean that much to him. Because the Corinthians were uplifting the matter of speaking in tongues, Paul minimized its importance.
We need to read 1 Corinthians 12 in a very careful way. When reading the book of Ephesians, we realize that we are dealing with profound ideas. However, we may have the concept that we can read 1 Corinthians 12 in a light way, perhaps even skipping over certain verses; we may think that Paul’s talk about the eye and the foot is a mere childish illustration. In order to know the Body, I have spent a good deal of time on this chapter. The more time I spend on it, the more I discover the crucial points it contains. Have you ever seen the inferiority complex and the superiority complex revealed in this chapter? Have you ever understood the uncomely members as being the feet? In this chapter we have the practical way to have the Body. In no other chapter do we see this secret. By listing the various gifts, Paul is tempering the Body. Today the matter of speaking in tongues has been uplifted. Christians have exaggerated speaking in tongues until it has become a monstrosity. The problem with speaking in tongues today is much worse than at the time 1 Corinthians was written. We may need a dozen epistles like 1 Corinthians today.
Paul asks the question, “Are all apostles?” Suppose everyone in a particular gathering were an apostle. Such a gathering would not be a meeting of the Body; instead, it would be a gathering of shoulders. Consider your body and all the variety it contains. Your body is beautiful in its variety. But if all the members were shoulders, there would be no beauty at all. In order for the body to be beautiful, it must have a variety of different parts. This is the body. You need to be impressed with the fact that you are very precious in the eyes of the Lord. You need to drop your inferiority complex. Furthermore, those who have a superiority complex must give it up.
In verse 30 Paul says, “Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret tongues?” Paul’s question about speaking in tongues is a problem to those in the Pentecostal movement and charismatic movement. In 1936 I first became involved with tongue-speaking. I took the lead to speak in tongues, and I taught about two hundred others to speak in tongues. At that time I was endeavoring to have everyone speak in tongues. Those who could not do so were encouraged to imitate tongue-speaking. When Brother Nee heard the news about this, he sent me a cable containing one line: “Do all speak with tongues?”
The Pentecostal people say that there are two kinds of speaking in tongues. The first may be called the initial speaking, which they say everyone must experience. According to them, the second is the function of speaking in tongues in a meeting, which only some experience. What a ridiculous interpretation! How could someone speak in tongues initially and not speak in tongues thereafter? However, the Pentecostalists must interpret the Bible this way in order to avoid being caught by Paul’s question in verse 30 regarding all speaking in tongues. I am sorry that so many in today’s Pentecostal movement and charismatic movement do not pay careful attention to Paul’s words.
When we were in China, we attempted three times to bring the Pentecostal things into the Lord’s recovery. Each time that we did so we suffered a loss. The debit far outweighed the credit. In 1943 we were suffering, and the church was low. I had been imprisoned for a month, and after I came out of prison, I contracted tuberculosis. Because the church was depressed, some decided to bring in the Pentecostal things in order to stir up the church. One of the sisters became bold and prevailing in the matter of speaking in tongues, and she caused the meetings to be focused on herself. At first the elders thought that this was good. However, they later sensed that things were not normal, and they began to pray. One day a young sister among us died. The sister who was prevailing in speaking in tongues prophesied that the deceased sister would be resurrected the next day at twelve o’clock noon. In her prophecy she told that sister’s husband to make no arrangements for the funeral. The news of that prophecy stirred the whole church, and many gathered together to witness the resurrection. Before noon the sister who had uttered the prophecy and two helpers knelt down and prayed loudly and boldly. They seemed to be quite living. Twelve o’clock came. Nothing happened. We waited until three o’clock in the afternoon. Still nothing happened. Finally, the oldest elder stood up and said, “Brothers and sisters, we should not listen to any more nonsense. Let us make the arrangements to bury our sister.” That was the end of the Pentecostal movement among us. Although no conference of the workers was held regarding it and no decision was made, spontaneously everyone dropped it. After that, the entire church came back to the regular church meetings.
Let me now tell you something I experienced on the West Coast in 1963. I was invited to speak to a certain group in San Diego, and I stayed in the home of the leader for several days. At least four others were with me, all staying in the same home. In one of the meetings of this group a certain lady spoke in tongues. According to my impression, that was not a genuine tongue. After this lady spoke in tongues, a young man gave forth what was purported to be the interpretation. However, I could tell that his interpretation was not genuine, for it was three times longer than the so-called message in tongues. At home after the meeting I said to our host, “Brother, do you believe that the interpretation given in the meeting was genuine?” He admitted that it was not. I said, “Brother, why do we need to practice such things? We have a wonderful Christ, and we do not have enough time to minister the riches of Christ to people. Why should we waste our time with nonsensical and false things?” Realizing what my attitude was, he became somewhat afraid of me. A few nights later, after I had gone to bed, he and his wife began to work on one of our brothers. The host laid hands on the brother, and the wife told him to open his mouth and say something, but not to speak either English or Chinese. Realizing that he had to speak something or else they would not let him go, he uttered a few sounds of Indonesian that he had learned from his wife. The host and his wife were elated, rejoicing that the brother had spoken in tongues. When I awoke in the morning, I heard what had taken place the night before. At the breakfast table I said to the host, “Brother, do you realize that you were fooled last night? Your wife told the brother to speak neither English nor Chinese. This forced him to speak nonsense. You were happy, thinking that he had spoken in tongues.” They could not deny the situation.
One of the other leaders of this group told another Chinese brother and me that God had given him the grace to speak Chinese. He then proceeded to utter certain sounds. We told him that we did not understand a word of what he was saying. Then he began to make other sounds, and we told him that we still did not understand what he was saying. Although we knew Mandarin, Cantonese, and other dialects, we did not understand a word of this brother’s “Chinese.” What kind of tongue was that?
During the 1963 summer training, I received a copy of a magazine entitled Trinity. In one of the articles the writer said that he had contacted two hundred people who had spoken in tongues, and without exception they all doubted that the tongues they spoke were genuine. Nevertheless, the writer encouraged them to go on speaking in tongues whether it was genuine or not. After a brother read this article to the trainees, I said, “Do you believe that those who spoke in tongues on the day of Pentecost doubted whether their speaking was genuine? Certainly none of them had any doubts. The reason these two hundred people have doubts is that their speaking in tongues is not genuine.”
If the tongues spoken today were recorded and examined by a linguist, the linguist would say that they are not genuine languages. In many cases, three or four syllables are used repeatedly. How could a language be composed of only a few syllables? Furthermore, although the words used are usually the same, the interpretation is often different. At one time the interpreter may say, “My people, the time is short. I come quickly. Watch and pray. Thus saith the Lord.” At another time the interpretation may go like this: “You must love Me. If you don’t love Me, you’ll be cursed.” But still a different interpretation may be given to the same sounds, something like this: “You rich people must give money for the building of a temple.” At other times the interpreter may say, “Among you there is a wolf, one who is not a real shepherd.” Any linguist could tell you that these “tongues” are not genuine. The interpretations are utterly different, but the speaking is virtually the same.
In 1936 I met a leader of the Assembly of God in China, an American missionary named Simpson. One day as I was having fellowship with him, I said, “I have a problem. Although I have been helped to speak in tongues, I doubt that many of the instances of speaking in tongues are genuine.” Opening up my Greek-English interlinear New Testament to Acts 2, I showed him that the Greek words for tongue (glossa) and for dialect (dialectos) are used interchangeably, indicating that the tongues spoken on the day of Pentecost must have been dialects. Unable to answer me, he simply shook my hand and said, “Your head is too big.” At that time I began to doubt the genuineness of my experience of speaking in tongues, and a year later I discontinued that practice.
Recently, a brother in the church in Anaheim, one with a tongue-speaking background and a graduate of Melodyland School of Theology, said that the charismatics are investigating whether the tongues they are speaking are genuine or not. Certain linguists have said that these tongues are not a language. Thus, these charismatic leaders have begun to debate whether what they are speaking should be called a tongue or simply a vocal sound.
In 1963 a so-called prophecy was given in Los Angeles that there would be a great earthquake and that Los Angeles would fall into the ocean. As a result of this prophecy, some people left Los Angeles and moved to other parts of the country. However, nothing happened. The next year the same prophecy was given again, and an article regarding it was printed in a San Francisco paper. Again nothing happened. Although so many prophecies given among the Pentecostal people have not been fulfilled, they still stubbornly insist upon practicing that kind of prophecy. According to the Old Testament, however, a false prophet was to be put to death. But today’s Pentecostal and charismatic circles are filled with such false prophecies. Yet no one seems to care whether the prophecies are true or false.
As we all know, the charismatic movement has penetrated the Catholic Church. Fearing the loss of members, the pope allows it to go on. Eventually, the charismatic movement became mixed with the mass and even with the worship of Mary.
Because we in the Lord’s recovery are concerned about the practicality of the Body, I must present the real situation to you all. There is much falsehood in the Pentecostal-charismatic movement. The real and the false are mixed together, but the false outweighs the true. The leaven is greater than the flour. This mixture is the most damaging counterfeit to the Lord’s recovery today. The Lord’s recovery faces both fundamental Christianity and Pentecostal-charismatic Christianity. Therefore, we need to pray, to be clear, and to be on the alert. We must know what the counterfeit is.
