THE CHURCH - THE BODY OF CHRIST
1 Corinthians 12:12-26
SEPTEMBER 21, 2008
One of the most vivid word pictures of the New Testament is the Apostle Paul’s description of the Church as the Body of Christ. The human body is something everyone is familiar with. And it plays such an important role in our experience of the world and our perception of life and reality. Even though the illustration of the church as a body is familiar to us, our minds can hardly comprehend all the implications of Paul’s figure of speech. What should we understand the apostle to mean when he calls the Church the Body of Christ?
The comparison of the body with human society was a common strategy used in speeches, by orators in Paul’s time. It was used to maintain the social hierarchy of the Roman Empire. It kept the lower classes of society from rebelling against upper classes. One class is the head. The other class is the foot. And you better know where you belong – or else!
The apostle turned this well known concept - to Kingdom purposes, by describing the Church as the Body of Christ. But 1 Corinthians 12 is clear that Paul is not trying to maintain a social class structure in the Church. On the contrary, the Church as the Body of Christ, emphasizes respecting and celebrating differences within the Church - while at the same time maintaining commitment to the unity of the Church.
We sometimes have a hard time balancing emphasis on the Church as a whole - and emphasis on the individual members of the Church. When we value one, we often end up devaluing the other. As Paul describes the Church as the Body of Christ, both the individual members and the Church as a unified whole, matter. I want you to notice, first:
I. THE BODY OF CHRIST HAS DIVERSE MEMBERS.
The Church is characterized by diversity of members. Verse 14 declares, “The body is not made up of one part but of many.” In verses 15-16 Paul points out that a foot does not have to be a hand to be part of the body, nor does an ear have to be an eye to belong to the body. He points out that diversity is a good thing. All the parts of a body are necessary for it to function properly.
The analogy for a local church is clear. A diversity of ministries is necessary for it to function properly. We have many needs and we need many different kinds of talents for the church to work correctly. There are preachers and teachers, pastoral caregivers, leaders, and those gifted in evangelism or compassionate ministries. A church consisting only of a bunch of people who preach, would be a pretty sick church. A church made up only of leaders, would be hopelessly paralyzed by the lack of followers. If all the church provided was compassionate ministry, where would the prophetic voice from God be heard?
The issue is not just limited to ministry roles. A diversity of personalities or dispositions is also necessary in a local church. Yes, we may have personality clashes and different perspectives. But the church cannot be healthy with only extroverts or highly creative individuals. It also needs introverts and people who find joy in creating programs that enable groups of people to learn, develop spiritually, and cooperate in service. God has gifted different people with differing perspectives on life and uses all these perspectives to enrich the life of the church together.
The diversity of the Church also speaks to the important vision of the Church of the Nazarene to be a global church. Out of one, we have become many. God does not desire a Church consisting only of Asians or Americans or Africans. A diversity of cultures, languages, races, and nationalities enables the Church to fulfill its global mission to win the world to Christ. Without this diversity the Church cannot be the Body of Christ. We must have members with different gifts, different roles, different personalities, and different cultures for the Body to be healthy. We need to all agree that it is okay to be different. In fact, we need to understand that is desirable for us to be different. Also understand:
II. THE BODY OF CHRIST IS ONE BODY.
Though Paul clearly wanted the church at Corinth to know there was room for their diversity, he was equally clear that the Church is one. In verse 12 he states, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.” The unity of the Church has several sources. Ephesians 4:4-6 notes that as one Body the Church has one Spirit, one Lord, one God, one baptism, one faith, and one hope. We could add to the list one Bible, one Lord’s Supper, and one Great Commission.
Of all these sources of unity, perhaps the most important is that we have one Lord. Our common confession that Jesus Christ is Lord and that through the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we experience one God, creates a unity of agreement and commitment that marks the Church as one Body. We can agree on that, can’t we?
If our diversity, the fact that we are so different from everyone else, is more important than our one Lord and His lordship over the Church, then our diversity has become an idol and not the gift of grace Paul sees in our text.
Part of the meaning of the unity of the Body of Christ is that we need each other. Verse 21 says, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’”
We need each other for at least two reasons. First, we need each other to accomplish together what none of us can accomplish individually. Whether it is God’s call upon us to win the world for Christ or Jesus’ instruction to provide for the needs of the sick, the imprisoned, the hungry, the naked, and the lonely, the task is too great for any one of us - or any one section of the Church. We have a far better chance of accomplishing the great vision God has for the Church by working together. We will never effectively accomplish our mission of “bringing Christ to the community” unless we work together and all do their part.
Second, we also need each other because God has created us for relationships. From our sexuality to our desire for companions, we are not complete in ourselves. We frustrate God’s creation purpose for us when we try to live without relationship with each other. I know that it sometimes seems life is easier alone. None of that nasty compromising. You don’t have to put up with people wanting more of you than you want to give. You can eat when you want, go to bed when you want; watch the TV channel you want. But a life lived solo is a life that is lacking. You don’t grow and mature as you should. Life is harder and more lonely. The bible says,
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
Ecclesiastics 4:9-12
The unity of the Church means we care for each other. In verses 22-24 Paul states that we give special care to the members of the Body that are weaker or unpresentable or lacking honor. Those who are weaker or have special needs in the Church receive special care. If one part of the Body suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part of the Body rejoices, everybody celebrates. It is this oneness that marks the Body of Christ as one Body.
CONCLUSION/INVITATION
The Body of Christ is both one and many. The beauty of the body metaphor to describe the Church is that it doesn’t neglect either the unity or the diversity. Sometimes we feel pressured to choose between alternatives. We cannot choose the unity of the Church over the diversity of the Church. Nor can we choose the diversity of the Church over its unity. Because we are the Body we are both one and – we are many. As we celebrate our Centennial, we remember that out of many holiness groups, the Church of the Nazarene became one. Yet out of one, we also became many people in many nations with many gifts. This unity and diversity are also important in each local Nazarene congregation.
For the Church of the Nazarene to be the Church God calls us to be, we must recognize and celebrate our diversity - and always provide room for our God-given differences. It’s okay for us to be different. But we also must always cherish our unity. Only together can we accomplish the mission God has given us and truly be His Body. Each one of us is critically important. I can’t tell you how important it is for you to discover your gifts and talents. I can’ tell you how important it is that you realize and hear your own special call to ministry.
Since Christ is holy, we have to be holy together. Sometimes we cling to our individuality instead of the unity of the Body. Self-centered individuality tears apart the Body of Christ and makes it unholy. The attitude of each of us needs to be “Not my will – but Yours, be done.” And – “What can I do to help?” We need to put the collective interests of the church above our own personal interest.
As we come to the conclusion of this service, I encourage you to examine your own heart. Are you willing to give up all your own personal desires for control or power in Christ’s Body, in order that we might truly be one, holy Body? If the Holy Spirit points to some area of self that you are holding onto despite the call to be the Body of Christ, I invite you to surrender that area of your life to the Spirit’s cleansing fire today.
—Roger L. Hahn
-Revised by Andy Grossman
