1 Cor 12.12-20 My Vision for Our Church (Part II - Membership)

1 Corinthians 12:12-20

My Vision for Our Church

(Part II - Membership)

            The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.  So it is with Christ.  For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

            Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.  If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.  And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be?  If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?  But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.  If they were all one part, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

do not wish to preach so much as I want to speak with you so that you might capture something of the vision for the New Testament church, a vision which motivates my service as pastor to this congregation.  Through study of the New Testament, with prayer and frequent meditation on the model presented in those pages, I have arrived at certain convictions concerning the New Testament congregation.  I long for you to share that ideal, weighing it and applying it as the Lord leads us forward.  It is my intention to now state those convictions clearly so that you also may seize that vision so that together we may clarify the concepts and so that together we may develop godly aspirations for the church.

In the previous message of this series which was delivered last Sunday I sought to lay theological foundations for the New Testament church.  I cited three great principles which must, of necessity, apply to the New Testament congregation.  As we begin this message recall those three essential principles.  In the New Testament church God is the unifying factor.  In the New Testament church individual believers are the expression of God’s grace and wisdom.  In the New Testament church loving co-operation demonstrates recognition of God’s sovereignty.  I made several practical applications based upon these biblical principles.  I do not intend to transit again that ground in this message.  If you wish to review those foundations you may request a taped copy of the message for your study from the tape ministry.  Today, however, I will move toward the implementation of my vision with a study of the importance of membership in the church.

Your Entrance into the Church Points to the Importance of Your Role as A Church Member [verses 12,13].  I am well aware that some dear friends whom we count one with us and who without doubt share our love for Christ, nevertheless question the importance of membership in this church … or indeed in any congregation.  The reasons given for such resistance to membership are as varied as the people holding these views, and I would not question the sincerity of those holding those reservations.  I cannot, however, in honesty accept the several rationales presented.  All alike ultimately take refuge in the thought that since they are part of the “church universal,” membership in the local congregation is unnecessary or redundant.  They consider their baptism sufficient to satisfy New Testament criteria.  They are wrong!

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.  So it is with Christ.  For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body -- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink [1 Corinthians 12:12,13].  Verse 13 in particular seems often to serve as a refuge for those seeking justification for refusal to unite with a local congregation.  The argument goes that since we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body, this verse must exclusively refer to the spiritual experience of all believers at salvation.  Therefore, according to the argument there is no need to openly unite with a local congregation since we are part of a universal church.

Hold one vital truth in mind: Paul was writing to one congregation.  The epistle is addressed to a specific congregation—it is not a catholic epistle.  Neither is the letter an encyclical.  The primary intent is to correct doctrinal and moral errors then being practised in one congregation.  I do not question that the letter is Scripture and inspired of God.  The letter is thus profitable for all believers in all ages.  Bear in mind that the letter is written to one congregation in the first place and incidentally is the verse applicable to every congregation.

Consider the words that Paul wrote in light of this reminder.  He begins by emphasising the unity shared by the members of that ancient congregation.  Imagine yourself as a Corinthian believer.  Imagine that you are reading for the first time this letter.  How would you understand the clause: we were all baptised in one spirit into one body?  Our English translation may be construed to indicate that the Holy Spirit is the agent for baptism and that Christ is the baptiser.  There is no question but that many fine commentators have advanced this view.  In fact, it is the common view of the intent of this particular verse.  Unfortunately, these otherwise good commentators have often overlooked the obvious because it does not fit their preconception.  In other words, their bias has frequently blinded them to the message Paul delivered.

There is an old adage which states that any text out of context is pretext.  This saying simply cautions that an interpreter is responsible to discover the context of a given text.  Otherwise, the interpretation is subject to distortion.  Such a distortion has too frequently happened in the case of this text.  Ejn eJni; pneuvmati hJmei`" pavnte" eij" e}n sw`ma ejbaptivsqhmen.  This is the Greek sentence.  If you were a Corinthian reading this letter for the first time, would you not rather turn your mind automatically to the expression of your faith?  Would you not rather turn your mind to the common experience of baptism on your confession of faith in Christ as Lord?  Would you not think of your identification with Christ in believer’s baptism?  Would you not think of the one body as that of the church of which you were a member?  Unless there exists an obvious emphasis upon the church universal (a rare occurrence) throughout the apostolic writings, we must be cautious in assigning any text to a universal application.

In one Spirit we all into one body were baptised.  The only basis for being a member of an apostolic church was the confession that Jesus is Lord.  In one of the beautiful descriptions of First Century baptism, the candidate is pictured laying aside his old clothes as a symbol of the putting off of the old nature; then he was immersed and raised as a sign of his belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  Afterwards, he was wrapped in a white garment as a reminder of the forgiveness of sin, and then received into the body of believers as one of them.  As that particular member functioned within the life of the church, he would become increasingly aware of the diversity within the church and might even be tempted to forget the basis of the unity.  In this letter Paul reminded his readers of the essential unity built into the beginning, a unity which had as its foundation a common faith in the One True Lord and a common allegiance to Him through public commitment to Christ and to His church.

It is altogether too easy step to relegate baptism to a position of relative unimportance.  The tendency among many evangelical preachers in this late day is to depreciate baptism, to downplay the significance of this act of obedience and identification.  Was your right to think for yourself, to personally obey Christ’s command, stolen from you when you were an infant?  Did some other individual, a well-meaning godparent or a concerned parent, mouth words in your place as a sacerdotalist priest administered some mysterious rite?  In the view of modern preachers, and in order to keep peace among those who wish to avoid giving offence to well-intentioned parents, such an act is sufficient; you are baptised.  If that suffices as baptism, then it is but a short step to the position that the rite is of no great consequence.

Some have thought that since baptism does not save it is an unimportant act.  Perhaps it is a lingering vestige from days when the church was struggling against infiltration by Judaisers.  Thus it is no longer important and unnecessary among modern saints.  It is true that we are not baptised in order to be saved, but because we are saved we are baptised.  Underscore this vital truth: we are not baptised in order to be saved, but because we are saved we are baptised.  There is not one example of an unbaptised believer found in the pages of the New Testament.  Immediately, those who believed were baptised; and their baptism was the means by which they entered the church.  Coincidentally, there is not one example of an unchurched believer found in the entirety of the New Testament.

On that glorious day of Pentecost, after the one hundred twenty had testified and Peter had preached we discover that those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added [Acts 2:41].  Those who believed Philip as he preached the good news of the Kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus Christ… were baptised, both men and women [Acts 8:12].  The Ethiopian official from the court of Candace was baptised upon only after confessing Jesus as the Son of God [Acts 8:36-38].  In Corinth, those who believed who were baptised by the missionaries [Acts 18:8].  When those who had been disciples of John heard the message of grace, although baptised into John’s baptism, were baptised into the Name of the Lord Jesus [Acts 19:5].  It is on solid biblical ground that we can neither baptise our infants nor receive as baptised those who were as infants subjected to a rite called baptism.

In every culture and in every age, baptism has been the distinguishing mark of the Christian.  The pagan world does not take note of the believer until that believer identifies with His Lord.  Even worship at the local church is not terribly objectionable.  But identification with Christ as Lord of life and union with His congregation are a threat which the inhabitants of this world cannot long ignore.  Without baptism, there is no membership in the church.

Why should this be surprising or objectionable?  Without an oath of allegiance, there is no political office.  Without an oath of allegiance, there is no membership in the armed forces of a nation.  Without a vow, there is no marriage.  Baptism is the Christian’s oath of allegiance, the believer’s vow of fealty to Christ, the saint’s pledge of identification with the Son of God.  If there were no objections from the world or from family members and friends who seek to dissuade perhaps it could be argued that membership in the church was of no great moment.  If there were no divinely mandated ordinance for entrance into the church perhaps it could be argued that membership in the church was unimportant.  If there were no probability of pressures as result of identification with Christ as we entered into the church perhaps it could be argued that membership in the church was optional.  However, the fact that we are given a universal identifying mark and the fact that the identification is divinely mandated points to the importance of our membership in the local church.

The Composition of the Church Points to the Importance of Your Role as A Church Member [verse 14].  Even a cursory examination of the New Testament congregation reveals an important truth: we are different people.  We differ in many ways; we are each unique; we are not cut out with cookie cutters to insure conformity in every facet.  Instead, God has gloriously united our differences in order to create a rich, new whole.  Now the body is not made up of one part but of many is Paul’s instruction.  We share a common experience and we each claim a common Lord and a common Faith though we differ in essential aspects of life and service.  In short, God calls us, gifts us and places us within each church as the individuals we are.

Despite our obvious and varied differences, I am compelled to stress our unity.  Someone has described the New Testament church as a rope of sand with the strength of steel, since the church exhibits unity in diversity.  The differences among the members of the congregation are readily apparent; the unifying factors are less obvious to the casual observer.  The issues which bind us as one are not nearly so immediately evident, but they actually are stronger than the things which might separate us.

When we gather as a church to share the Communion Meal we confess a singular truth in that meal.  Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ?  And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?  Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf [1 Corinthians 10:16,17].  The cup we share is a participation … a koinwniva.  The bread we break is a participation … a koinwniva.  Our lives are shared; we are a communion.  Each time we share that meal we declare this truth.

Did you ever wonder why that the meal is always shared in assembly as a congregation?  Why could we not invite a friend over to our home, serve bread and wine and call that a Communion service?  Why cannot the Pastor bring the elements to the hospital, give them to the sick or the bedridden and call that a Communion?  The reason for our refusal to do so is that Communion is a church ordinance.  That is, we may never partake of the Lord’s Supper alone.  Always and ever we share the meal while in assembly with the local church, and the reason for this insistence is that the meal is a declaration of fellowship with the Lord and with one another.  This should serve to remind each of you of a truth you know full well: we share our lives as a church.  We do not join the church so much as we are set in a particular church by the Sovereign Lord.  Because He sets us in the church, what could never be accomplished through natural means is accomplished by supernatural means and we are united with bonds stronger than steel.

I am a political junky; I enjoy watching the machinations of politicians both federally and provincially.  I watched with intense fascination as a major provincial party self-destructed in British Columbia during the early nineties.  The step-by-step destruction gripped the attention of the entire country.  In 1988 the prize of government appeared to be theirs for years to come.  By 1990 the party was on the ropes and by 1994 they were a footnote in political history.  The reason I mention this party is to point out that it was a coalition of varied interest groups with one unifying factor—opposition of the social leftist party.  Though the unifying factor served to insure cohesion as a party for several decades it could not endure constant stress and strain.

Our church is composed of men and women representing a broad political spectrum, men and women representing social viewpoints which vary widely, and men and women representing a broad range of economic and cultural interests.  These divergent interests ensure splintering into ever smaller special interests groups save for one factor … we are united in love for the Saviour and thus united in genuine interest for the welfare of one another.  It is precisely because of the richness of our differing heritage and differing points of view united through a common faith which speaks of the importance of membership in the congregation.

Do you love these sharing the service with you this day?  Are you genuinely concerned for their welfare?  What part do you play in providing direction to the life of the congregation?  Though permitted in days past among some of our churches (and perhaps even in this church), leadership without commitment to membership is unscriptural and must not be permitted to continue.  Teachers must be part of the assembly, having openly confessed their unity with others.  Those serving as directors of the varied ministries of the congregation must be members of the church.  Those who provide direction in the church must of necessity make open commitment to the congregation through membership as one of the congregation.  This is less an issue of exclusion than a plea for unity and commitment.

The Unique Position You Are Assigned In the Church Points to the Importance of Your Role As A Church Member [verses 15-20].  Read those verses once more weighing the message presented.  If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.  And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be?  If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?  But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.  If they were all one part, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

Some may argue that it matters little whether or not they unite openly with the church, they are nevertheless Christians.  I concur that one is a Christian if he or she has trusted Christ and been born from above.  However, I cannot help but wonder why that one would confess Christ as Lord and yet hold himself or herself aloof from the church of God, which He bought with His own blood [Acts 20:28].  Has He redeemed you?  Did He gift you by His Holy Spirit?  Does He not love this church and has He not demonstrated His love for you by placing you in this church?  Has He not revealed His love for this church by placing you there?  Why, then, would you hesitate to confess Him or openly acknowledge His love by refusing to unite with the Body?

You are a unique individual within the congregation.  Not every one of us is alike in respect to our spiritual gifts.  My gift is that of a pastor-teacher.  My responsibility is to invest those gifts in the life of the Body to build it up to the glory of God.  My role is to labour to present you complete in Christ, working with all the energy of Christ which works in me to make you strong in Him.  You role differs from mine; we are not all pastors and teachers.  Whatever your role in the church, whatever the gift the Spirit of God has assigned, of this you may be assured: you are to build the body seeking to glorify God who saved you and situated you within your church.  To refuse to unite with the congregation is to expect the benefits of union without accepting responsibility to build up others.  One other point of interest for your consideration is, if it matters little whether you unite with the church or not, why does the issue cause you such distress?  Why get heated at the request if it really doesn’t matter?  The answer is that the call is important and your emotional response speaks of the importance of this one act.

An uncoordinated body is a spastic body.  A foot which operates independently of the body is of scant value to the body.  A hand which does not operate to benefit the body and in concert with the rest of the body is a curse and not a blessing.  An eye which fails to focus, an ear which does not detect the normal range of tones, a nose which does not smell, each alike are anomalies requiring medical intervention and treatment.  Likewise, that Christian which operates independently of the remainder of the body of Christ is not the norm, but is rather symptomatic of a severe problem.  The church founded on the concept of individuals operating independently of one another is dysfunctional and in need of corrective surgery.

As a Christian, God uniquely gifted you and if you will honour God your gift must be exercised in harmony with the remainder of the body.  It is not the role of the Pastor to assign you a job.  Should I call on any of you to fill a position or should I assign a job, then I will always be required to ensure that the position continues to be filled and that you fulfil your role.  If the Spirit of God assigns a position, however, you are set free to exercise His gifts and to bless the church and to build the body.  You will do a better job than I ever imagined because you will be presenting your service as to the Lord knowing that you are working in concert with the rest of the body under the direction of Christ the Head of the Church.

This, then, is my vision of membership in the church of the Living God; it is a vision grounded in biblical revelation.  Christians are placed in that congregation which God chooses.  They are divinely situated for the express purpose of building up the Body of Christ where they live.  The redeemed of God are gifted to glorify God in that place He assigns, and it is the responsibility of each Christian to openly and quickly unite with that congregation so that he or she may get to work.  Membership in the church is a source of encouragement to the whole of the body and a means to glorifying God through open commitment to His beloved body.

The gifts God has given are neither to be squandered on ourselves nor employed in a “willy-nilly” fashion as we decide to use them; the gifts of God are to be exercised within the context of the church with the purpose of building up fellow saints in the Faith.  By this means we glorify God, confront the lost with the evidence of the Risen Christ, even while strengthening the life and witness of the congregation to which God has assigned us.  As we co-operate and as we work in harmony as the body of Christ we are to reflect the fullness of Christ in every way.  As the body of Christ we demonstrate the compassion of Christ, the faith of Christ, the power of Christ and the wisdom of Christ throughout our work together.

How can I preach of the importance of church membership for every Christian and of the role of each Christian as a member of the congregation wherein God has set him or her without issuing His invitation for you to openly declare your allegiance and without inviting you to openly confess His mastery of your life?  I must, if I am true to the Word of God, call you to now come to unite with the church, to come confessing His rule of life.

If somehow you have never trusted Christ as Lord, come today that we might more carefully explain what it is to trust Him and to be saved.  If you have yet to openly confess before men and angels that Christ is your Lord, come today that we might rejoice with you in the work God has performed in your life.  If you have not yet to openly identify with Christ the Lord through believers’ baptism, come today that we might witness this great testimony and rejoice with you in the grace of God.  If you have not yet openly united with this church, if your membership is in another church although you no longer worship with that assembly, come today that we may request a transfer of your membership.  If haply you are unable to transfer that membership, come on a statement of Christian experience and openly unite with this church which you call your spiritual home.  Come now, and angels attend you in the way while we stand and while we sing.  Amen.