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America is typified by the rugged individualist. As soon as a child
is old enough to comprehend language and meaning, the little one
learns that independence is a major goal in life. "I am a
grown-up when I can do it all by myself."
But the kind of church we need is made up of
people who say, "I am not mature until I realize how much I need
others." The idea of rugged individualism is truly foreign to
the church. The sooner we realize that each member needs every other
member, the closer we will come to the ideal church.
In 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, the apostle Paul
asked how much sense it would make if various parts of the human body
spoke up and indicated a lack of need for the other parts. Behind the
apostle’s smile is the thought that God doesn’t just put body parts
together but church bodies as well. It’s an idea that requires our
faith. Even though the interdependence of all church members is not
as obvious as the interdependence of the parts of the human body,
Paul wrote:
By one Spirit we were all baptized into one body
. . . . If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I am
not of the body," is it therefore not of the body? . . . God has
set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. .
. . And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of
you"; nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of
you." No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to
be weaker are necessary. . . . But God composed the body, having
given greater honor to that part which lacks it . . . . And if one member
suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored,
all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and
members individually (1 Cor. 12:13-27).
We find reason to accept our dependence on one
another when we choose to believe that . . .
the Spirit has joined us together (v.13).
we are members of the same body (v.13).
we need one another (v.21).
when one suffers, we all suffer (v.26).
when one is honored, we all rejoice (v.26).
According to Paul, God is the one who has made
us dependent on one another. If the apostle is right, then members of
the church are never justified in feeling they can go it alone, that
they are more important than others, or that they deserve more honor
or attention. From pastor to parking lot attendant to the quiet
prayer partner, all are considered essential by the Spirit.
God has given every member of His body a role
that pleases Him (1 Cor. 12:18). Our assignment may not please us,
but our role pleases God. His placements are made according to His
plan for a body of people He loves. Lovingly, the Lord uses His
perfect wisdom to give the members of His body an opportunity to love
and care for one another.
Into the mix of this body, God places rich and
poor, pastor-teacher, choir member, prayer warrior, missionary,
custodian, youth worker. In each case, He exercises His option to put
us in a role that is comparable to the eye, ear, nose, mouth, hand,
elbow, or foot. Then He asks us to believe by faith that every one of
His children is a gifted, important, carefully placed member of His
body.
God considers every role in the church to be
honorable, regardless of the public attention it gets (1 Cor.
12:23-24). Some parts of the human body get much more public
attention than other parts. That’s the fact that inspires the glamor
industry. But the truth is that it is often our unpresentable parts
that are most critical to the life of the body. God is clearly not
pleased when members of the church give greater honor to those with the
highly visible responsibilities than to those who remain behind the
scenes. Witness the chaos that results when the church music director
resigns!
God has given every member of His body a
specific role to fulfill. We may not be able to see or understand all
the ways we need one another. We may not be able to prove whether
each member has been given only one or more than one spiritual gift.
We may wonder whether our gifts can actually change, depending on our
circumstances. But many of these questions don’t need an answer as
long as we have the right attitude toward one another.
This is why Paul went on in 1 Corinthians 12
to say that there is a more important subject than who gets what gift
(vv.27-31). Most important is who is loving whom (12:31–13:13). The
major point of the body-life discussed in chapter 12 is made in
chapter 13. The real impact of seeing that we are interdependent
members of the same body must show up in our attitudes toward one
another. The gift of crowd-pleasing eloquence, the gift of
mountain-moving faith, the gift of mystery-solving knowledge, the
gift of sacrificial giving to feed the poor—these gifts amount to
nothing without love (13:1-3). What is important to our God is
whether we are caring for and helping one another. Paul wrote:
Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits
me nothing (v.3).
So, once again, everything boils down to love.
Loving God, loving ourselves and loving each other. Through love
comes acceptance, through acceptance comes function. The only way
that the body of Christ can function to glorify God is through love.
Curtis
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