Diversity and Unity of the Body

Hi, Ferb.

For those of you who are visiting, my name is Sean.

I'm one of the pastors of Trinity Cambridge Church,

and I have the privilege of preaching God's Word on most weeks,

so I'm going to welcome you here.

So we're at 1 Corinthians 12, because we skipped ahead to chapter 15,

actually, last Sunday, because it was Resurrection Sunday.

We wanted to talk about the Resurrection of Christ,

so we skipped ahead to 15.

We're now back to chapter 12,

because we left off at the end of 11 on Good Friday.

So that's where we are, and it talks about the body of Christ

and how we are a family of God interdependent on one another.

And as much as we in the United States here,

we laud individualism and self-reliance,

at the bottom of it, we all want friends.

We all want to belong.

And we all want to fit in and feel like we are valuable

and that we're contributing members of groups that we're a part of.

And that's because we are social creatures.

God created us to belong in community.

And this is true of all of society,

but especially so in the context of the church,

which is the family of God constituted by the Spirit of God.

And so Paul, in the preceding chapter in verse 11,

he strongly condemned the divisions within the Corinthian church

along socioeconomic lines.

He condemned that in the passage when he was talking about the Lord's Supper.

And then here, Paul continues to address divisions

that are wreaking havoc in the Corinthian church,

this time along the issues of spiritual gifts.

And so he begins in verse 1,

by now concerning,

and that's now the fourth time Paul's used that phrase in this letter.

And every time he indicates a new topic,

he's introducing a new topic

that the Corinthians themselves had written to Paul about in their letter,

and now he's taking time to address it.

They wanted to know about the spiritual gifts,

and he's addressing it.

And his main point here is that the church is to be an interdependent body

modeled after the triune God.

That's the main point.

The church is to be an interdependent body modeled after the triune God.

And he unpacks that in three parts.

First, he talks about the Trinity,

verses 1 to 11.

Secondly, he talks about diversity in verses 12 to 20.

And then lastly, he talks about unity in verses 21 to 31.

But before he addresses these manifestations of the Spirit directly,

Paul needs to deal with some preliminary concerns,

theological issues,

and that's why he has verses 1 to 3 here.

Read with me.

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers,

I do not want you to be uninformed.

You know that when you were pagans,

you were led astray to mute idols,

however you were led.

Therefore, I want you to understand

that no one speaking in the Spirit of God

ever says,

Jesus is accursed.

And no one can say,

Jesus is Lord,

except in the Holy Spirit.

While the Corinthians are uninformed about the spiritual gifts,

and they need Paul to help them to understand,

they do know something,

and Paul talks about that first.

He says that they know their former experience with idolatry.

You know that when you were pagans,

you were led astray to mute idols.

And by calling the idols mute,

Paul is pointing out and exposing

really the futility of idol worship.

I mean, you crafted that with your own hands,

and you expected to speak to you,

and to answer your prayers,

and to help you throughout your life.

So he's exposing that futility

by calling it a mute idol.

But at the same time,

he recognizes that even the idols,

even though the idols themselves are nothing,

they're not gods at all,

that behind them lies demonic influence.

And Paul talked about that earlier in the chapters as well.

So, and because of that,

he acknowledges in verse 2

that they are led astray to mute idols,

however you were led.

Those two passive verbs,

being led and being however direction,

they convey the idea of that kind of ecstasy

that pagan worshipers sometimes fall into.

They fall into some kind of trance,

and they are led to and fro,

however the demonic influences want to take them,

and they utter things that they don't remember.

That's what Paul is speaking to here.

But Paul contrasts that pagan experience

with speaking in the Spirit of God in verse 3.

He says,

Therefore, I want you to understand

that no one speaking in the Spirit of God

ever says Jesus is accursed.

And no one can say Jesus is Lord

except in the Holy Spirit.

It's not any kind of spiritual speech

that makes someone spiritual.

Even pagans have their own form of spiritual speech.

A pagan oracle loses his agency

and does not know what he is saying,

but a Christian prophet is sober-minded and composed.

And he knows exactly what he is saying.

And what sets apart speaking in the Spirit of God

is its distinctive Christian content.

And Paul uses that,

uses kind of two opposite religious extremes

and professions to make the point.

On the one hand,

one is truly speaking with the Spirit of God

cannot say Jesus is accursed.

And on the other hand,

those who are truly speaking,

or who are not speaking in the Spirit of God

cannot say that Jesus is Lord.

And of course,

Paul's not saying that,

he's not just talking about the mere words,

Jesus is Lord.

Anybody can say that, right?

Anybody can say Jesus is Lord.

Even the person

that's possessed by an evil spirit

named Legion in Mark 5-7

calls out to Jesus

as the Son of the Most High God.

So, of course,

people who are not speaking in the Spirit of God

can acknowledge Jesus is Lord,

but they are not confessing

that Jesus is their Lord.

He's not professing Jesus is my Lord.

And no one can do that

without being led by the Spirit of God.

So someone without the Spirit of God

might be able to pronounce the words,

Jesus is Lord,

but they can never profess the words in faith,

Jesus is Lord.

And Paul was basically trying to tell

the Corinthians,

teach them,

because they were so enamored

with these spiritual gifts,

especially ecstatic utterances.

He's telling them that

the gift of tongues

was their favorite go-to.

And he's trying to correct them

and teach them

that the Holy Spirit

will never contradict

the Son of God,

the Word of God.

The Spirit of God

always accompanies

and confirms

the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's why in John 16,

13-14,

Jesus described the Spirit of God

as not speaking

on his own authority,

but whatever he hears

from the Father and the Son,

he declares to us.

The job of the Holy Spirit

is to glorify the Son.

And you see all three of the Trinity,

the three persons of the Trinity here.

We see God mentioned,

that's a reference to God the Father.

We see Lord mentioned,

that's the Lord Jesus.

And we see the Spirit mentioned,

that's the Holy Spirit.

And the Trinity,

they form the foundation

of all the spiritual gifts

that Paul is going to talk about.

And he unpacks

those two relationships

between the Trinity

and the gifts

in verses 4-6.

Read with me.

Now there are varieties of gifts,

but the same Spirit.

And there are varieties of service,

but the same Lord.

And there are varieties of activities,

but it is the same God

who empowers them

all in everyone.

By using this neat

kind of parallel structure,

he repeats the word varieties

three times

and repeats the word

the same three times.

He's making the point

that the diversity and unity

of the spiritual gifts

is rooted in the diversity

and unity of the triune God.

And the varieties of gifts

and service and activities

are overlapping

kind of parallel categories.

So they don't,

I don't think they're intended

to delineate three distinct categories

that are separate.

And the reason for that

is because those words

are used flexibly

throughout this passage itself.

The word activities,

for example,

is used to refer to miracles,

which is usually lumped

with the category of gifts.

And then on one point,

he says that the workings

of miracles,

activities of miracles

is attributed to the Spirit.

In another place,

it's attributed to God the Father.

So it's these,

the point that Paul's trying to make

is not that there's

these three different types

of things,

gifts, services, and activities,

and they each relate

respectively to the three persons

of the Trinity.

That's not what he's trying to say.

What he's trying to say

is that all these different kinds

of spiritual things

are associated with

the triune God.

They're all activities

of the same triune God.

And that's why Paul summarizes it

in this way in verse 7.

To each is given

the manifestation of the Spirit

for the common good.

All the gifts, service,

and activities

are manifestations

of the Spirit.

The emphasis then

is not on the gifts themselves,

but in the fact that gifts

are manifestations

of the Spirit.

We won't have any of the gifts

unless the Spirit of God,

the living God,

is present.

Unless he is active

in our midst,

we will not see

any of these gifts.

And that's why

it's often

all these things,

service gifts,

activities,

are spoken of

in one large category

of the gifts

of the Spirit

because they are

manifestations

of the Spirit.

And because of this,

even though there are

varieties of recipients

of these gifts,

they all serve

the same purpose.

They're given

not merely

for our personal benefit,

but for the corporate

benefit of the church.

And that means,

this is helpful for us,

because that means

when a Christian brother

or sister

possesses a gift

that we do not have,

it's no reason

to be jealous,

but reason

to rejoice.

Because it has been

given for our good.

You guys follow

what I'm saying?

The gifts are given

individually

to each believer,

but they are given

for the benefit

of the whole church.

A spiritual gift

that is given

to one of us

is given

for all of us.

And that's why

we could embrace

everyone's gifts

and rejoice in it

and use those gifts

and encourage those gifts

in one another.

And the church

is supposed to be

an interdependent body

modeled after

the triune God.

Then in verses 8 to 10,

Paul goes on to list

some of the manifestations

of the Spirit.

But these are not

intended to be exhaustive.

We know that

because Paul produces

similar lists

in other parts.

For example,

Ephesians 4,

Romans 12.

But there are overlaps,

but they're not

exactly the same.

There's also

key differences.

So this is not

an exhaustive list,

but rather it's

a representative list

of some of the gifts

of the Spirit.

Let me just explain

them briefly

as we go

because some of you

might not be familiar

with what these gifts mean.

So first he writes,

For to one is given

through the Spirit

the utterance of wisdom

and to another

the utterance of knowledge

according to the same Spirit.

These two gifts

mentioned here

at the beginning

are not mentioned

anywhere else

in all of Scripture.

So I think

that that's a clue.

The clue to their meaning

has to lie

in the context

of 1 Corinthians

because it's the only letter

where it's mentioned.

And thankfully,

there's plenty of contextual clues

throughout the letter.

The phrase

utterance of wisdom

is literally

word of wisdom

and phrase

utterance of knowledge

is literally

word of knowledge.

And if you know,

if you've been with us

throughout the series,

you know that the words

word,

knowledge,

and wisdom

are all key words

throughout 1 Corinthians.

They occur repeatedly

and the Corinthians

were known

to be boasting

in so-called

words of wisdom,

so-called knowledge,

and lofty words

and wisdom.

This is what

the Corinthians

boasted in,

prided themselves in.

And Paul,

in chapter 2,

6-7,

he contrasted

the wisdom

of this age,

which is doomed

to pass away,

he contrasted

that wisdom

from the secret

and hidden wisdom

of God,

which God decreed

before the ages

for our glory.

So this wisdom

of God,

Paul explains,

is the message

of Jesus Christ

and Him crucified.

So it's a reference

to God's salvation plan

which culminated

in the person

and work of Jesus.

It's the gospel

of Jesus Christ.

That's what this wisdom is.

So the utterance

of wisdom then

is best construed

as the gift

of teaching

and communicating

the gospel

of Jesus Christ

in a way

that comes home

to people

with the Spirit's

power and persuasiveness.

I think of someone

like Billy Graham,

right?

He preached

a very simple

gospel message

all his ministry,

yet every time

he preached the gospel,

it was electric.

People respond

because he came

with the Spirit's power.

That's the gift

of the word

of wisdom.

As for the utterance

of knowledge,

the word of knowledge,

in chapter 8,

1 to 13,

Paul spoke

of how the Corinthians

used their so-called

knowledge

that there is

no God but one,

which is the truth,

to justify

participating

in pagan feasts

and thereby leading

brothers and sisters

with weaker consciences

into sin.

And so in that context,

Paul was rebuking

the Corinthians

for misusing

their partial knowledge.

He called their knowledge

knowledge that puffs up

as in contrast

with the love

that builds up.

And then similarly,

later in chapter 13,

he says this,

As for prophecies,

they will pass away.

As for tongues,

they will seize.

As for knowledge,

it will pass away.

For we know in part

and we prophesy in part,

but when the perfect

comes, the partial

will pass away.

For now we see

in a mirror dimly,

but then face to face.

Now I know in part,

then I shall know fully,

even as high

I have been fully known.

So Paul's speaking

about the fact

that believers today,

we have partial

knowledge of God,

but when Jesus returns,

we will have full

knowledge of God.

And so this knowledge

seems to speak to,

in both contexts

that I mentioned,

some kind of knowledge

that has to do

with God.

Knowledge of God

and knowledge about God.

So I think the utterance

of knowledge then

is best understood

as the gift of teaching

and communicating

scriptural truths,

imparting the knowledge

of God in a way

that lands on you

with clarity

and spiritual power.

I think of someone

like John Piper,

whose teaching

is thoroughly scriptural

and really doesn't seem

to include much

of anything else,

yet somehow,

always it seems

to open up new vistas

into the knowledge

of God.

The gift of word

of knowledge,

word of wisdom.

Then in verse 9,

Paul mentions

two other gifts.

To another,

faith by the same spirit.

To another,

gifts of healing

by the one spirit.

By faith,

Paul is not referring

to faith in Jesus Christ

through which we are saved.

That faith is a gift also,

but it's given

to all believers.

But Paul here

is speaking of gifts

that are given

to one but not to another.

This is the gift of faith

that is given to some

but not to others.

The spiritual gift of faith

that Paul has in mind

is something that he talks

about later in chapter 13 too.

It's the faith

so as to remove mountains.

It's certain faith.

It's a certain faith

that God can

and will do

something extraordinary.

And Jesus spoke

of this gift

in Mark 11,

22 to 24.

He said,

Have faith in God.

Truly I say to you,

whoever says to this mountain,

Be taken up

and thrown into the sea

and does not doubt

in his heart

but believes that

what he says

will come to pass,

it will be done for him.

Therefore I tell you,

whatever you ask in prayer,

believe that you have received it

and it will be yours.

Moving a mountain

is Hebrew idiom

for doing something

that is very, very difficult,

that is seemingly impossible.

So God's never going to give you

a gift of faith

in the context of actually

removing a mountain

because that's not consistent

with the will of God.

But some of you

have probably experienced

this gift of faith

so you may have encountered

a very severe dilemma

or a problem.

Maybe it's a vocational problem.

Maybe it's a relational problem.

And you're pouring out

your heart to God in prayer.

And as you're laying down

your requests before him,

there comes a surging sense

of confidence

that God is going to do

what you just asked him to do.

That's the gift of faith.

And I think some of you have that.

I've experienced that as well.

At times,

that's the gift of faith

that God will do something

and when you believe that

with certainty,

it happens.

The gift of faith

is closely tied

to the gifts of healing

and the workings of miracles.

And I think that's why

they follow next logically

in the list.

And frequently in Jesus' ministry,

we see him connect faith

as a prerequisite for healing.

So he tells a woman

that had the problem

with this illness

of discharge of blood,

she tells her,

take heart, daughter,

your faith has made you well.

And in another context,

in Matthew 13, 58,

Jesus talks about

how he didn't do,

the narrator talks about

how Jesus didn't do

many mighty works there

because of their unbelief,

because their lack of faith.

So faith is often tied

to gifts of healing

and works of miracles.

Gifts of healing

is pretty obvious.

God heals people

of sicknesses.

And there was a man

from the church

that sent us out,

King of Grace,

who had cancer.

He was given

not much time to live.

We prayed for him.

He went back.

They did a scan.

There was no cancer at all.

The doctor just says,

oh, your immune system

took over.

Okay, well,

who made the immune system

took over?

I think God still heals today.

And that's part of,

and a lot of people

can attest to this.

And gifts of healing,

workings of miracles,

I think is a broader category

that would include

gifts of healing.

But it would also include

other things like,

you know,

when God calls out judgments

or we cast out demons

in Christ's name.

And notice something

interesting here.

It's the word gift,

used in gift of healing,

is in plural.

It says gifts of healing.

And similarly,

in the phrase,

workings of miracles,

the workings is in plural.

And I think these two

are in plural

in order to point out

that these are not

gifts that are given

as permanent possessions

of believers

who have the gifts.

So, for example,

oh, I have the gift of healing

so I can heal

whenever I want.

So, I mean,

come, bring everybody

and I'll heal them

whenever they come.

I don't think that's how

these gifts of healing function.

I think they're in the plural

to indicate that

every instance

of the healing

is itself a gift.

So, we receive it anew

every time a healing

takes place.

We receive the miracle

anew every time

a miracle takes place.

So, that's why I'm skeptical

when someone starts

a TV show

saying that he's this healer

and says he could heal everyone

even if he claims

to be a Christian.

Right?

Because these are gifts

that God gives

in its own context.

And I think that may also

be the reason why

in the Bible

no one is called

a healer.

No one is called

a miracle worker.

The Bible calls

people who are gifted

in evangelism

and those

apostles,

those who have

the gift of utterance

of wisdom,

they have titles.

They're called evangelists.

They're called apostles.

People who have

the gift of prophecy

are called prophets.

People who have

the gift of teaching,

the word of knowledge,

they're called teachers.

But nowhere in Scripture

are people called healer

or miracle worker.

to the New Testament,

to the people,

to members of the church.

I think it's because

these are gifts

that are given

in and of themselves

in specific contexts

and situations.

And they're not intended

to be permanent possession

of believers

who have received them.

Let me ask you,

do we have faith

that God can

and will heal today?

Do we have faith

that God can

and will work

miracles today?

We believe that

as a church.

And Paul took it

for granted

that these gifts

would all function

in the life

and ministry

of the church.

I mean,

look at how he lists them.

He's not writing,

expecting people

to be astonished

and like,

whoa,

tell me more about this.

No, he just lists them

in a matter-of-fact way

like a grocery list.

He expects these gifts

to function

in the life of the church.

And we need to recover

our faith for them,

pray for these gifts

and start to utilize them.

Next is prophecy.

Since I'm going to speak

at length about this

when we get to chapter 14,

I'm going to be brief here.

But basically,

those who have

the gift of prophecy

receive God's revelation,

interpret it,

and apply it

for the sake

of building up the church.

But prophecy,

unlike scripture,

is not normative revelation.

It's not revelation

that is given

for all people

at all times.

Rather,

it's given for specific people

at specific times

to edify them,

to build them up.

It frequently involves

spontaneous knowledge

into people's circumstances

and conditions.

And its purpose,

as stated later in chapter 14,

is for the up-building

and encouragement

and consolation

of the church.

Now,

just because it's intended

for up-building

and encouragement

and consolation

doesn't mean that

it only includes

saying nice things.

Sometimes,

in 1 Corinthians 14,

it says that

the unbeliever

who hears a prophecy

in the context of the church,

it says that

the secrets of his heart

are disclosed,

and so falling on his face,

he will worship God

and declare that God

is really among you.

Sometimes,

the most up-building thing

that God can do

is to humble us

and expose our sin,

and that's part of prophecy too.

Charles Spurgeon,

who is not known

for his use

of the gifts of the Spirit,

includes this instance

in his autobiography.

He was preaching,

and all of a sudden,

he pointed to a corner

of a crowd

and said,

that man stole his gloves today

from his employer,

and after the service,

the man comes up

trembling,

saying,

this is the first time

I've only done this.

Can you please not tell

my employer?

And he's converted

as a result of that.

I mean,

that's the kind of things

that happens today.

It happens in the context

of many of the churches

that I've worshipped

within our domination.

Of course,

those who claim

to speak in the Holy Spirit

can actually be lying,

and they can be channeling

an evil spirit,

which necessitates

the next gift,

distinguishing between spirits.

This gift seems to be

specifically related

to prophecy,

because whenever Paul

mentions prophecy,

he also follows it up

with the need to test it

and to weigh it.

So later he says

in 1429,

let two or three prophets speak,

and let the others

weigh what is said.

And then he says

in 1 Thessalonians 5,

19 to 22,

do not despise prophecies,

but test everything.

Right?

So,

and the closest parallel

really is 1 John 4,

where it's very similar

to what Paul says earlier

about how only in the Spirit

you can say Jesus is Lord.

He says,

do not believe every spirit,

but test the spirits

to see whether they are from God.

For many false prophets

have gone out into the world.

By this you know

the Spirit of God.

Every spirit that confesses

that Jesus Christ

has come in the flesh

is from God,

and every spirit

that does not confess Jesus

is not from God.

The responsibility

of weighing prophecies,

testing prophecies,

falls on all of us,

but particularly on those

who have the gift

of distinguishing

between spirits.

The next two gifts listed

are the most controversial

of them all.

Paul tacks on the gift

of various kinds of tongues

and the interpretation of tongues

at the end of the list,

and he does the same

later in verse 30.

And the reason he includes it

at the end

is not because

it's the least important gift,

but because it was the gift

that was causing problems

in the Corinthian church.

And so we know

from chapter 14

that these believers

were obsessed

with the gifts of tongues,

and they used it

in the context

of corporate worship

in an unruly,

disorderly way.

And interestingly enough,

the gift of tongues

is usually what causes

problems nowadays too, right?

There are people

who insist that

gift of tongues

marks a new level

of spirituality,

spirituality,

that only those

who speak in the gift

of tongues

have been really baptized

in the Spirit,

they say, right?

And so they kind of

create a new category

of Christians,

but that's an unbiblical

attitude

that resembles

the attitude

of the Corinthians

who are valuing tongues

above everything else.

And I'll speak

on the gift of tongues

at length

in chapter 14 also,

so I'm going to

be brief here,

but basically

he says in 14.2,

one who speaks

in a tongue

speaks not to men

but to God.

For no one

understands him

but he utters

mysteries in the Spirit.

That's how Paul

describes the gift

of tongues.

So that verse,

in my opinion,

proves definitively

that contrary

to popular opinion,

the gift of tongues

is not an ability

to speak other

human languages.

Rather,

it's more akin

to the tongues

of angels

which Paul mentions

in chapter 13,

verse 1.

It's spirit-inspired

utterances

that is not

humanly intelligible

and that's why

it requires

another spiritual gift

for understanding it.

It's the interpretation

of tongues.

And some people

try to explain away

the gift of tongues

by comparing it

to forms of ecstatic

speech found

in various cultures

throughout the world

but Paul's instruction

makes it really clear

that this is not

ecstatic speech.

People who speak

in tongues

have full possession

of their mental faculties

and they speak

in various kinds

of tongues.

And so all these gifts

Paul writes

in verse 11

are empowered

by one

and the same spirit

who apportions

to each one

individually

as he wills.

See that diversity

in unity.

Throughout verses 8-10

Paul repeats

that pattern.

To one is given this,

to another this,

to another this,

but by the same spirit

to teach that

the different gifts

given to different people

that they're all

from the same spirit

of God.

And Paul concludes this

by reiterating that truth.

All these are empowered

by one and the same spirit

who apportions

to each one

individually

as he wills.

This is so important

for us to grasp.

It's the spirit of God

who apportions

to each one

individually

as he wills.

Meaning,

it's his prerogative.

You can't earn it.

You can't work really hard

to get these gifts.

They're gifts.

It's the spirit

who sovereignly decides

whom he gives it to

and he's the one

who apportions it.

And this is a liberating truth

because that means

we can't control

which gift we get

and that means

we don't have to fret

or worry about it.

God alone sees

the whole picture

of the church

and how it's going

to function.

So I have one gift,

but if I have one gift

but not the other,

not another,

but that's because

God saw it fit

to do so.

They're called gifts

for that reason.

Christian theologian

Alistair McGrath

explains the difference

between the fruit

of the spirit

and the gifts

of the spirit

with a really helpful

illustration.

He says it this way,

the fruit of the spirit

is love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness,

goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness, self-control.

That's from Galatians 5.

And he says this,

quote,

Think of two trees.

One is an apple tree.

If it really is an apple tree,

it ought to bear apples.

You know it by its fruit.

Similarly,

Christians ought to show

the fruit of the spirit

in their lives,

although the extent

will vary from one person

to another.

Now,

think of two fir trees.

One is growing

in a forest.

The other is a Christmas tree

inside a home

with presents

around its base.

Those presents

have nothing to do

with the tree.

They didn't grow there.

They were placed there

by someone.

They are someone's gifts,

not the natural fruit

of the tree.

Now,

not every fir tree

becomes a Christmas tree

and gets surrounded

by presents,

but that doesn't deny

that they are fir trees.

Spiritual gifts

are gifts.

God gives them

to those who he feels

need them

or who he feels

can use them

especially well,

but they are not

all given to everyone.

It is no stigma

to lack a charisma.

That's a Greek word

for gift.

A particular spiritual gift.

So don't be discouraged

that you lack

some or most

of these spiritual gifts.

It doesn't change

the fact that

you're a Christian.

It doesn't make you

any less valued

in the eyes of God.

You have the fruit

of the Spirit,

but the gifts

of the Spirit

are distributed

in different ways.

But let's not

be complacent either.

These gifts

are intended

to function

in the life

and ministry

of the church.

That's why

later in chapter 14,

Paul exhorts us

to earnestly

desire the spiritual gifts.

Ask God for them

because he's the one

who gives them.

We should seek them.

And look at Paul.

Paul doesn't expect

these to be rarities.

He expects to see them

function in the life

of the church

as I said earlier.

And so this is

the point he's trying to make.

The church is to be

an interdependent body

modeled after the triune God.

And so that's the foundation

of the Trinity,

the diversity and unity

in the Trinity

which forms the basis

for the diversity

and unity

of the spiritual gifts.

And now in verses 12 to 20

he speaks of the diversity

of the gifts.

And he uses the metaphor

of the human body

to illustrate this.

He says in verse 12,

For just as the body

is one

and has many members

and all the members

of the body

though many

are one body

so it is with Christ.

Our bodies are made up

of approximately

I just did a Google search

for these 80 organs,

200 bones,

650 skeletal muscles,

and over 30 trillion cells.

In a healthy body

at any given moment

many of these diverse parts

are working in concert

to enable us

to live and function.

So it is with Christ.

The church is described

in scripture

as the body of Christ

and for all of us

who are members of the body

the same diversity

and unity hold for us.

We are many, yes,

but we are one.

And this is not hypothetical

or aspirational.

It's a real unity

and diversity

that God has placed

within the church.

And Satan violently

opposes this reality.

He sows denial.

He sows doubt

and discord.

But we must cling

to this reality

by faith

and daily strive

to live in light of it.

We are united

to one another

by virtue of our union

with Christ.

And here's how we came

to be united with Christ.

Paul explains in verse 13.

For in one spirit

we were all baptized

into one body,

Jews or Greeks,

slaves or free,

and all were made

to drink of one spirit.

The Holy Spirit

is the bond

of our union with Christ.

He's the one

that brings us together

with our Savior spiritually.

It's not our ethnic

or social background

that brings us together.

It's our union with Christ.

It's the bond of the spirit

that brings us together.

Really, that's what it means

to be a Christian.

A Christian is someone

by definition

who is immersed

in the spirit

and has imbibed

the Holy Spirit

as this verse talks about.

A Christian is someone

who is dripping wet

with the cleansing water

of the spirit.

A Christian is someone

who is filled

with the invigorating

and life-giving water

of the spirit.

There is no such thing

as a Christian

who does not have

the spirit of God.

The very definition

of a Christian

is to be filled

with the spirit.

And of course,

we have varying degrees

of the fullness

of the spirit,

but we are all filled

with the spirit,

indwelled by the spirit.

And note that Paul

is not speaking here

of water baptism.

He's speaking of the baptism

in the Holy Spirit.

And we experience

this baptism in the Holy Spirit

at the point of conversion.

But of course,

Christian conversion

is marked by water baptism,

which is why

throughout church history

often there is a relation

between water baptism

and being filled

with the Holy Spirit.

But it's not because

the water baptism

itself confers the spirit,

but because it's

associated with conversion,

which is the point

in which we are filled

with the spirit.

And that's why

Acts 2.38 says,

Repent and be baptized,

every one of you,

in the name of Jesus Christ

for the forgiveness

of your sins,

and you will receive

the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We see here

distinct,

three distinct

yet inseparable aspects

of Christian conversion.

First,

repentance by the individual,

repentance and faith.

Second,

baptism by the church.

Third,

regeneration by the Holy Spirit.

The individual,

the church,

and the Holy Spirit

each play a distinct

yet inseparable role

in someone's,

roles in someone's conversion.

So you shouldn't feel like

you need to be more filled

with the Holy Spirit

before you can be baptized.

Baptism marks

the Christian's

spiritual birthday.

It's not a coming-of-age party.

And it's a sign of birth,

right,

not maturity.

And just as the water

breaking from

a pregnant woman's

amniotic sac

marks the arrival

of the baby,

the water of baptism

marks the Christian's

new birth

into the family of God.

And just as up to 60%

of our human bodies

consists of water,

the defining characteristic

of the body of Christ

is the water

of the Holy Spirit.

Christians are indwelled

by the Spirit

and they have been

immersed in the Spirit

and they have imbibed

the Spirit.

And using this

continuing metaphor,

Paul highlights

the diversity

of the body of Christ

in verses 14 to 20.

He says in verses

14 to 16,

For the body

does not consist

of one member

but of many.

If the foot should say,

Because I am not a hand,

I do not belong to the body,

that would not make it

any less a part

of the body.

And if the ear should say,

Because I am not an eye,

I do not belong to the body,

that would not make it

any less a part

of the body.

No one in the church

should say,

Because I am not

a pastor,

I am not a part

of the church.

Because I am not

a deacon,

I am not a part

of the church.

Because I am not

an evangelist,

I am not a part

of the church.

your role

and function

in the body

is irrelevant

to the question

of whether you belong

to the body or not.

Do you belong

to Jesus Christ?

Because if your answer

to that question

is yes,

you have received

the Holy Spirit

and you are part

of the body of Christ,

whether you like it or not.

Whether you believe it or not.

To belong to Christ

means to be

the church.

that's why

it is inconsistent

and unbiblical

for any Christian

to say,

I'm a Christian

but I'm not

a part of a church.

I have a relationship

with God,

a personal relationship

with Jesus Christ,

but I don't really

have relationship

with Christians.

I've committed

myself to Christ.

I refuse to commit

myself to a church.

That kind of thinking

completely

is completely

foreign to scripture.

To live like that

is to be a dislocated limb,

a severed limb

that's trying to do

its own thing

apart from the body.

It doesn't work.

The one body

is made up of man.

Paul continues

to expound

on the necessity

of diversity

in verse 17.

If the whole body

were an eye,

where would be

the sense of hearing?

If the whole body

were an ear,

where would be

the sense of smell?

Every part

of the body

has its own function

and as such

it is necessary

for the body.

You might look

at yourself

and think to yourself,

if the whole church

were filled with

more people like me,

then the church

would be so much

more healthy.

But that's not true.

You might look

at another believer

and think to yourself,

if the whole church

were filled with

more people like her

and less like me,

then the church

would be healthy.

But that's not true either.

God gave each of us

a unique complex

of gifts

and experiences

and if the whole church

were made up of people

like that one

particular person,

we would not have

a healthy body

but a disabled body.

Do you have

the gift of prophecy?

Do you have

the gift of hospitality?

Do you have

the gift of administration?

Do you have

the gift of evangelism?

Do you have

the gift of helping?

Do you have

the gift of teaching?

Do you have

the gift of faith?

Whatever your

gifting might be,

whatever your

God-given role

might be in this church,

you are integral

to the body of Christ

and we need you.

It's when,

as Ephesians 4.16 says,

joined and held

together by

every joint

with which

it is equipped,

when each part

is working properly

that makes

the body

grow

so that it

builds itself

up in love.

The body

of Christ

is counting

on you.

We are

dependent on you.

Are you doing

your part?

Are you using

your gifts?

gifts?

You have

a gift.

Probably

more than one.

That's what it

means to be

a part of

the body

of Christ.

And the diversity

of the body

that Paul's

talking about here

is not a nice

bonus.

It's woven

into the very

fabric of the

church.

It's not a

peripheral reality.

It's an essential

reality to the

church.

That's why it

says in verse

18,

but as it is,

God arranged

the members

in the body,

each one of

them,

as He

chose.

God chose

to put you

where you

are.

God gifted

you to be

the way you

are.

You are not

a divine

afterthought.

You've not

been placed

in our church

haphazardly,

but intentionally

and precisely

according to

God's sovereign

and perfect

plan.

So Paul

writes,

verse 19,

if all were

a single

member,

where would

the body

be?

If the

whole

face

were made

up of

eyes,

or a

whole body

made up

of arms,

that's not

an ideal

body.

That's a

mantrasity.

Thankfully,

this is not

how the

body of

Christ is

constituted.

As it is,

there are

many parts,

yet one

body.

That's the

diversity of

the body

of Christ.

And verse

20 serves

as Paul's

transition to

the next

point,

the unity

of the

body of

Christ.

He says,

there are

many parts,

yes,

yet one

body.

And he

continues the

illustration in

verse 21,

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.

Notice that

Paul's now

comparing different

body parts

than the ones

he used

earlier.

Before,

he compared

foot to

the hand,

which are

both pretty

similar,

and he

compared eye

to the

ear,

which are

also both

similar,

they're

sensory

functions.

But there

he compared

comparable parts

of the body,

but here he

is comparing

two contrasted

parts of the

body.

So he compares

the eye to

the hand,

and head to

the feet,

so two very

different parts

of the body,

and he does

that for a

reason,

because the

eye directs

the hand

where to go,

and it's the

head that

occupies the

most prominent

place in the

body,

and the feet

that occupies

the least

prominent place

in the body,

and it has

to support

the head.

So by

adjusting the

illustration this

way,

Paul's addressing

those who

occupy more

prominent roles

and positions

within the

body of

Christ,

those who

have the

view from

above,

so to speak,

and calling

them,

he's calling

them to

unity,

just because,

and he says

in verse 22,

on the contrary,

the parts of

the body that

seem to be

weaker are

indispensable.

A sense of

superiority can

lead to an

illusion of

self-sufficiency,

but Paul says,

don't you dare

think that just

because you

occupy a more

prominent place,

a more

public place,

a more

glamorous role

that because

of that you

are more

valuable than

these people.

The eye can

feast over a

delicious meal

all it wants,

but the body

will derive no

nourishment from

that feasting

unless the hand

takes the food

to the mouth.

The head can

be full of

useful knowledge

that can serve

the rest of the

body,

but you can put

little of it to

use unless the

feet takes it

to places where

it needs to

go.

The diversity

of spiritual

gifts that

God has

distributed among

us, we need

that, and

because we need

each other, we

need unity.

We cannot fully

function without

unity in the

church.

The appendix,

I don't know if

you guys know

about it, every

time I say this,

there's always

someone in the

crowd that says,