The Body of Christ: Shaped by Grace (Romans 12:3-8)

The human body is an amazing creation. It is the most sophisticated organism on earth. It is a scientific marvel and much about it remains a mystery. The PBS series, "The Amazing Human Body." uses cutting-edge graphics to reveal the surprisingly beautiful biological processes that keeps us alive.

This remarkable TV series reveals the ingenious ways the body develops, adapts and endures. In one episode we discover how the brain communicates with your body in order to help you learn new skills. In other, the viewer learns the connection between a teenager’s craving for fatty foods and sudden growth spurts. In one episode, the question of how cell regeneration allows an octogenarian to compete in a grueling triathlon and live to tell the tale.

Case studies from across the globe showcase the dazzling secret science of the human body. A child prodigy in Phoenix demonstrates the brain’s ability to prioritize mental development over physical growth, a chilling dip in an icy lake reveals how shivering might just save our lives, and low-level torture in a London laboratory highlights the way our bodies block pain. The series highlightys the fascinating and finely tuned systems that keep the body motoring – and the scientists guessing.

I love that: the scientists guessing. We know what many scientists don’t, and even refuse to know: that this remarkable, sophistated organism is God’s ultimate creation.

Now look again at Romans 12:4-5. Paul describes the church as a body, in fact, “the body of Christ.” “We who are many are one body in Christ.”

The incarnation of Christ came to be about 2,000 years ago, when Christ became flesh and the Holy Spirit conceived Christ’s flesh in the womb of a young peasant woman in Nazareth. The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, first in Mary’s womb, then born into the world in a Bethlehem stable. Astonishing!

But what about our world? Is our world now empty of Christ? After the resurrection, and spending 40 days with His disciples to train them for the ministry of reconciliation and redemption, Jesus Christ ascended into the heavens to His rightful place of authority and honor at the right hand of the Father. Christ is no longer here, physically. Or is He?

If you recall, on the night that Jesus was arrested, He promised the disciples that He would not leave them as orphans but would send the Holy Spirit to dwell in them, to empower them, to teach them and guide them into truth, and to mobilize them to continue the work of the gospel, making disciples and gathering them into His church. And here in Romans 12, and elsewhere in Paul’s epistles, we read that the church is the body of Christ. In that mysterious way, we are now the incarnation of Jesus Christ to the world. Not that we are Christ, but we are His body, His flesh, at work in the world to make disciples and expand His kingdom on earth.

Just as the literal human body is an amazing creation, a sophisticated organism on earth, so is the body of Christ, the church.

With this in mind, listen to the familiar words of the psalmist:

Psalm 139:13–14 (CSB)

For it was you who created my inward parts;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I will praise you

because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.

Your works are wondrous,

and I know this very well.

I love that passage, and the psalmists poetic creativity describing so eloquently not only the human body but also human life. One thing the scientists either forget or overlook is that the human body, created by God, is the earthly vessel for the human soul, even more remarkable than the body.

I really think that we can read those two verses in Psalm 139 in the context of the church as well. Consider the analogy that Paul used to describe the church: the body of Christ. Now, picture this in your mind: God created all the inward parts of the church. He knit us together, each individual part. We are remarkable and wondrously made: the church — the body of Christ. Christ made flesh through our flesh. Miraculous.

In the next few weeks, as we continue through Romans, I pray that you will pay close attention to what Paul is teaching us about the church and your place in it. I am praying that the Holy Spirit will will create in your heart a deep sense of awe about His church, especially this one: Calvary Baptist Church of Petal, Mississippi. I am asking the Lord to open our eyes to the incredible body we have here, and how the Spirit lubricates all the moving parts, and how He orchestrates all of our movements for the glory of God. I am asking Him to renew our commitment to Christ’s church, right here locally and beyond us globally. I am praying that, full of awe and wonder, we will be inspired to work together as Christ’s body in our community and God’s world to manifest the glory of Christ Jesus, to make Him known, and to grow His church. I am praying that each of you will deeply understand your part in Christ’s body, why He has added you to this church, and how He has built you, individually, to fit in and function in a way that makes this body amazing.

In today’ passage, we begin to learn how God shapes us as the body of Christ. We start at a very good place: grace.

It was grace that saved us. It was grace that forgave us. It was grace that recreated us. It was grace that redeemed us and gave us eternal life. It was grace that made us a habitable place for the Holy Spirit to dwell. It is grace that continues to sanctify us and conform us to the image of Christ Jesus. And it is by grace, through the work of the Spirit, that He puts us together as the body of Christ. And it is grace that shapes us into a body that wondrously represents Jesus to and in our world.

Grace shapes us! Let’s take a closer look.

God’s grace shapes what we think about ourselves (12:3).

We naturally think more highly of ourselves than we should. (to put one’s self above others)

Grace reminds us to be sensible in our self-assessment (“think sensibly” = sober)

Hudson Taylor was scheduled to speak at a large Presbyterian church in Melbourne, Australia. The moderator of the service introduced the missionary in eloquent and glowing terms. He told the large congregation all that Taylor had accomplished in China, and then presented him as “our illustrious guest.” Taylor stood quietly for a moment, and then opened his message by saying, “Dear friends, I am the little servant of an illustrious Master.”

Grace teaches me that God’s grace is given to others, not just me (“a measure of faith to each one”). I am not the only tool in the Carpenter’s tool box. I live to lift Christ up, not me.

A good example of this sensible self-assessment was John the Baptist. In today’s jargon, John would be considered a powerful influencer. He had hundreds of followers. Wherever and whenever he preached people walked for miles to see and hear him. He quickly became famous. But when one of his followers asked him to comment on the rise of a man named Jesus, here’s what John remarked:

John 3:30 CSB

He must increase, but I must decrease.”

That is is what Paul was saying in verse 3. We must decrease and Jesus must increase.

Of course Jesus is our perfect example. Paul reminds us in Philippians 2:5–7. “Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant …”

God’s grace shapes what we think about each other (12:4-5).

Acts 9:26–27 (CSB)

When he arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, since they did not believe he was a disciple. Barnabas, however, took him and brought him to the apostles and explained to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.

The name Barnabas means “son of encouragement.” And throughout the Book of Acts we read about a variety of ways Barnabas functioned in the church that fleshed out the meaning of his name. He was an encourager.

Grace shapes what we think about each other, and consequently, how we relate to each other.

The body of Christ is diverse (“many parts”).

Each part in the body of Christ has an important function.

God transforms diversity into unity (“we who are many are one body”).

The members of the body belong to each other (“individually members of one another”). We are a team.

Teamwork can be illustrated by thinking of the combined strength of draft horses. A single draft horse can pull a load up to 4 tons. So we would expect that two draft horses linked together should be able to pull 8 to. But here’s the surprise! Two draft horses pulling together can pull three times as much - 12 tons! But there’s more - If the two horses have trained with one another and have worked together before they can actually pull 16 tons – double what 2 individual horses can pull. That’s the value of teamwork!

God’s grace shapes the purpose of our lives (12:6-8).

We are a gifted community (“according to grace … gifts”).

Our grace-gifts enable us to function as God designed (“we have different gifts” corresponds with “all parts do not have the same function”).

Our gifts shape our lives for service. (the examples of the variety of gifts implies serving each other).

all the gifts function for the benefit of others.

all the gifts, though initiated by God and given by grace, require our action (“use” = to function; make use of)

again, each gift fits the function of the individual in the body of Christ (“use it in …”)

Application: What does this mean for us?

Humility

Community

Discovery

Let’s make it practical!

Every member is a minister!

Every Christian is spiritually gifted in one area or another. In an article for Lifeway, Tom Blackaby describes how to use your spiritual gifts in the church. He writes, “Any gift that’s left unopened or is disregarded is useless. God gives us specific spiritual gifts as the primary avenue for Him to use us in His church to bless others. Every Christian should watch for opportunities to minister to others, to use their gifts as a blessing and an encouragement to others. Even the newest Christian can serve others.” Though we are gifted by God in some areas, we cannot passively expect them to be used or noticed. We must be active and willing to volunteer them to build up the church and for God’s glory.

Let me ask you: Have you opened the gifts the Holy Spirit has given you?

If so, today is the day to begin opening those gifts and taking action to serve in the body of Christ. As long as their are unopened gifts in our church, we will never be able to fully function as a church the way Christ Jesus intends.

Commitment

Die to self and take up the cross of humility

For some of you here that may mean joining God’s family by confessing and repenting your sin and trusting Jesus as your Savior and Lord.

For some of you here that may mean joining this church, this body of Christ called Calvary Baptist Church.

Open your gifts and start serving