An Exposition of 1Cor. 12-14
Study 2: The Unity and Diversity in the One Body (12:12-31)
- There is unity in diversity; this principle of 'unity in diversity' is most relevant to the issue of spiritual gifts.
1. The One Body
a.
Consider this very familiar metaphor - a living and gifted being created by God
in His own image.
- See Ps 139:13ff. '... for I am fearfully and wonderfully
made...' A human body speaks of the profound truths concerning the church of
God as manifested in the local churches. God created man in His image for His
own glory. So also for the church – for His own glory through the redemptive
work of His Son Jesus Christ.
- A human body is made up of many diverse and living members. The infinitely wise God has formed and composed the human body and set all the members, each one of them, in their proper place in the body.
- None of them can be substituted with dead members. A church must be made up of living members only.
- All its members are alive and actively fulfilling the various functions allotted to them. The body will no longer function normally or at its optimum if any member is not fulfilling its function or is missing.
b. Not a single member is redundant in the body. All have their specific role to play. All are formed and placed in precisely where they are to contribute to the proper and optimal functioning and development and the usefulness of the body. So also the church with believers from all sorts of backgrounds and graces! Eph 4.16.
- A healthy human body always functions in a willing and
spontaneous unity. All the diverse parts of the body work together in harmony
for the preservation and strengthening of the body and fulfilling the purpose
of its existence, to the glory and honour of its Creator.
- A body whose members do not function in unity will very soon
harm and destroys itself, eg. your mouth refusing to eat, or eyes refusing to
see, etc. So also with members in a church! What place does it have in your
life?
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What condescension of our God and Creator - that He should use something so
familiar to instruct us of the basic yet profound truth concerning the church
of which believers are members.
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Are you a member of the body, the church? Are you fulfilling your role in the
body? How do you view the church -
with affection, care, and loyalty, or with indifference and apathy?
2. The Unity of the One Body
a.
The basis of this spiritual unity:
- '... for by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body...': It is all by the same gracious work of the one and the same sovereign Spirit upon the diverse individual sinners. The church is made up of such only!
- It is the one and the same Spirit who has regenerated them (Jn 3:3-8), who has applied the benefits of Christ's redemption to ill-deserving sinners, those whom God has given to Christ.
- The Holy Spirit freely applies to them the gift of eternal salvation and works all spiritual fruit in them, including faith. It is the one and the same Holy Spirit who was given to dwell in them to sanctify them, who works in them all spiritual gifts/graces for the edification of the whole body.
- '... for by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body...': The Scripture distinguishes clearly the baptism with the Spirit and the baptism with water, see Mt 3:11, Jn 1:33.
- Believers are made one body because of the baptism with the Spirit. Without regeneration, no one will ever repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as He is revealed in the Scripture.
- It is not by water baptism as an external rite, but through the baptism with the Holy Spirit that sinners are made true members of the body of Christ - which expresses itself as local churches.
- No matter how diverse they were, by this baptism of the Spirit, all who are baptized with the Spirit are joined into one body, they are intimately and organically united as partaking of the same spiritual life in Christ.
- All those whom God effectually calls, God justifies, regenerates and adopts. For all those whom God justifies, regenerates, and adopts, God also gives the supreme gift, the gift of the promised Holy Spirit to dwell in His adopted children.
- '... For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body...': the Spirit worked in all the diverse individuals so as to constitute all of them into one body. This is the expressed result of the Spirit's activity. The one and the same Spirit dwells in this one body and gives it spiritual life.
- This 'one body of Christ' may refer to the entire invisible church of God's elect in general, or to each local church in particular. Membership with the invisible church through the sovereign activities of God manifests itself with membership in a local (visible) church. ALL individual believers are descr- 'The members should have the same care for one another', v25. Caring for one another is really caring for yourself because you are intimately related to the body. cp Eph 5:28f.
- The love shown is mutual and reciprocal. It does good to all the members of the body. This is so obvious from every activity of the human body. So also in the church. Ignore the body and you end up harming yourself!
- What incentive to love and cherish the body, the church of Christ! You harm one member… you harm the body, etc…
- Beware of the sin of partiality: it is so easy to give undue attention to the prominent parts of our body, eg. face! and ignore the parts that are less prominent. This partiality is then carried into the church!
- Service to any individual member of the body is profitable to the whole body. Don't despise the less prominent members of the body, cp v22.
- "There should be no division in the body' v25. Spiritual unity in the truth must be maintained at all times. Avoid all causes and causers of division in the body.
- 'One member suffers, all the members suffer with it': don't say it is your own business whatever you do with your life! Your conduct has immediate effects upon all the members of the body. Don't say it is not your business when fellow members suffer spiritual decline... it will affect you who belong to the body.ibed as members of that one church body.
b. The implications of this spiritual unity, positively and
negatively:
- Don't say,
'Because I am not a hand...': it is not for a believer to decide what he wants
to be in the body. It is God who 'has set the members, each one of them, in the
body just as He pleased.' All can't be eyes - just imagine the monstrosity of
such attitude. All crave to possess prominent gifts.
- Don't say, 'I
have no need of you...' : each member is in need of all the other members in
the church. Only someone not of the body can be so arrogant. Every member is his fellow members' brothers' keeper.
- There must be no unlawful individualism - when self is exalted above the body. Yet there is a lawful individualism. The body is not the member and the member is not the body, v19.
3. The Diversity in the One Body
a. The basis of this diversity in the body: 'But now God has set the members, each of them, in the body just as He pleased... God composed the body...'
- Each member occupies its place in the body as God has seen fit to assign it, and which is most conducive to the good of the whole body. So also the makeup of the membership in the church is entirely determined by the Lord. Nothing is by accident or chance. It is the Lord who saves & adds His people to the church. Imagine a church made entirely of apostles, etc! cp v30 or a body made up entirely of an eye, v19.
## Every member in the body has its place and calling. Each is placed in the church by God's infinite wisdom to make the body complete. Every member in the body is needed - that is why God has put it there!
- The very existence of the body as a living and powerful organism depends on the unity of all its diverse members. So also the church - it requires her diverse members to be united in their respective callings and gifts as members of the one body. The diversity of members and gifts are the manifestations of God's wisdom. Carnal wisdom would want the church to be made up of the rich and elite of the society. But man's wisdom is foolishness. See 1Cor 1:26ff.
b. The implications of this diversity in the body: positively and negatively
- The duty of contentment: an eye must remain to be an eye, etc. Are all pastors? Do all speak with tongues? Don't crave to be what the Lord in His wisdom has not given to you.
- The duty of
submission: not all are called to teach and to lead. Few are appointed teachers;
others are to be taught. So be willing to learn. Few are appointed to lead and
to rule.
- The duty of
loyalty to the body: loyalty to the body of Christ is vital. The cause of the
body should be supreme to the members of the body. The body has priority over
the individual members. Individual members are to edify and build up the body.
The body has a prior claim upon the members of the body!
- The duty of
individual members is to cultivate and strengthen the gifts present in them.
- Desire the best
gifts for the building of the body.
- The sin of
envy: the foot wants to be an eye! eg a woman wanting to be an elder or
pastor-teacher.
- The sin of
pride: parading their gifts and looking down on others with lesser gifts.
- The sin of carnal individuality: no sense of belonging to the body, no love for the body, 'no-need-for-the church' attitude/syndrome. Ever heard of a hand that says that it does not need the body?
