You Are the Body of Christ

Dearly loved people of God,

3 weeks ago, I preached from for a wedding. It works for marriage. As 2 believers embark on life together, it’s helpful to be reminded:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

(NIV)

Soak up this description for a minute.

Patience, kindness, no envy, no boasting, no pride;Not dishonouring others, not self-seeking, not easily angered, no record of wrongs.

Not dishonouring others, not self-seeking, not easily angered, no record of wrongs.

It’s a tall order. It’s good stuff. Marriage should be built on love like this.

I know it wasn’t the first time this passage was used as a wedding text and I’m sure it won’t be the last, but this part of God’s Word isn’t primarily about marital love. That’s why, when we read it today, we backed up into ch. 12 and began reading at vs. 27. That’s where you find out what kind of love God’s Word is talking about here.

Paul is talking about the church. This is a description of the love you should find in the church.

You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

This letter is written to believers living in Corinth. It’s not the most peaceful or loving gathering of Christians. In fact, there’s a great deal of division in the church in Corinth in Paul’s day. So Paul calls the members of this church to love their neighbours by reminding them of their identity.

Who are they? They’re the body of Christ.

That’s the mystery and miracle of salvation. In our sin and guilt, we are cut off from love. In Adam & Eve’s disobedience and flight from God, humankind lost the ability to love God and neighbour freely. Because we don’t live up to God’s law of love, we live under the shadow of death. Death is the consequence of sin. But we sang of a miracle earlier:

Behold the Man upon a cross

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished

Christ came to bear our punishment. He died the death we deserve. “His dying breath has brought me life.”

By faith, we die to sin with Christ. By faith, we’re raised to life. By faith, our lives are so tightly connected to the life of Jesus Christ, that God’s Word speak of believers as Christ’s body. We eagerly await the day when Christ returns and the church is united with Christ our head. Won’t that be the day!

Meanwhile, we live as the body of Christ. God the Holy Spirit has come to transform us with God’s love, so that our love for each other becomes obvious. As the body of Christ, the church is called to show one another and the rest of our community something of the glory, righteousness and character of God.

It’s a struggle, though. Like the disciples in Corinth nearly 2000 years ago, we have moments when we don’t live up to it.

We looked at the first part of , in a sermon 2 weeks ago. We were reminded that not all of us are made the same. In the body of Christ, not all people are a nose, an ear, or an eye. Head and shoulder, knees and toes don’t look the same and don’t function the same.

Some days that causes tension in the body of Christ. There are times you think life together would be so much easier if everyone were a little more like you, but we aren’t. That’s not the way God made us. And the differences in perspective, in personality, in ability that give God delight are intended to delight you too. Not just delight, but someone’s gifts enable them to scratch your itch or see things that you just can’t see. We’re richer, wiser, and more flexible because of the diversity in the body of Christ.

Paul highlights the diversity of the body of Christ in 7 pointed questions:

Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?

Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

No, no, no, no, no, no, and of course not!

So what connects all the different parts of the body?

Love

But it’s not just some warm-fuzzy, feel-good love. We’re talking about very determined, hard-working love. This is love that is willing to stoop down and wash someone else’s feet. This love is willing to insist that we put someone else’s interests ahead of our own.

‘Cause if we don’t have love in the church, we don’t have anything. How did Paul put it?

· If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

· 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

· 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Without love, all the other gifts don’t help the body of Christ.

It’s a sobering thought, but some of the gifts that seem most outstanding will be eclipsed “when completeness comes.”

Prophecies will cease.

Tongues will be stilled

Knowledge will pass away.

Prophecies, tongues, and knowledge aren’t perfect this side of Christ’s return. We do these things only “in part.” We could probably add preaching and leadership, music and worship. This side of Christ’s return, they aren’t perfect.

When Jesus returns in glory and restores all things, our fragile, incomplete attempts won’t endure. Only love endures, for “love never fails.”

This isn’t intended to discourage you from using your gifts. It’s a reminder to those who stand in front, those who influence others with strong opinions, to root your insights in humility and love. You who are mature in faith, who have gained wisdom from experience, your love is an example to us all. How did that old song go?

They will know we are Christians, by our love, by our love, yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

If that is so, what does Christ-like love look like?

Love is patient,

love is kind.

It does not envy,

it does not boast,

it is not proud.

5 It does not dishonor others,

it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered,

it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

It’s a lofty goal. In the church in Corinth, Paul wrote to call them to this depth of love. But his call was encouraging, because he didn’t expect them to change all immediately. It’s a process. God the Holy Spirit works in us throughout our life of faith to transform us to love like this. It’s a lifelong conversion. That’s the point of verse 11.

When I was a child,

I talked like a child,

I thought like a child,

I reasoned like a child.

When I became a man,

I put the ways of childhood behind me.

That’s encouraging!

Paul compares the physical maturing from childhood to adulthood to the process of maturing in faith. It’s a little like marriage. Many couples are starry-eyed, thinking of riding off into their “happily ever afterwards.” They think their love is deep. They haven’t seen nothing yet!

If you’re getting together with family this weekend, you’ve got your work cut out for you.