Unity through Diversity

God has given His Church Diversity in the Gifts, but with the Purpose of Unity in the Body ()

Explanation: Paul continues his teaching on the spiritual gifts through the analogy of the human body. He begins with the simple understanding that a human body has many different parts with different functions, but it is only one body. This, he informs them, is similar to how God has arranged the local Church. There are many members in the local Church, and each has different functions and roles, but all form one local Church.

Explanation: Paul introduces the image of a human body to help the Corinthians understand the deeper spiritual truth he was presenting. By using the body as a model, he could present these truths in such a way as would help them in correcting their problems of division.

He stresses the need for unity by reminding them that each and every one of them was baptized in the One Spirit. Regardless of what gifts a person had, each of them received the same spiritual baptism through the Holy Spirit that placed them in Christ.

Paul makes a summary statement: the body is one, but it has many parts. He then makes a similar comparison to the Church: all regenerate members make up the local Church, even though these members have different gifts and roles. Just as there is no division with God, so there should not be division within His Church. Paul stresses that existing barriers such as the Jew/Gentile divide have been erased in Christ. All believers, regardless of ethnicity, social class, education, etc. have been baptized (spiritually) into the Spirit.

Argument: We need to remember that Paul is using this teaching as a corrective against the spirituals, those who were elitist, and looked down on those they considered 2nd class Christians. The foundation of Paul’s argument is that God is the One who made the assignments in the area of Gifts, and He did not give a variety of gifts so one group could be spiritual snobs.

Application: God’s purpose is Unity. God would have us be Unified in our ministry objectives and pursuit of the Kingdom. If you are dealing with resentment or jealousy toward another member of the Church family, know that this is not of God. Pray for a clean heart, and take steps toward reconciliation.

God has given a range of Gifts so that the Church would be inter-dependent ()

God has designed the body so that members are inter-dependent (1 Corinthians 12:15-20)

Explanation: Paul uses an extreme argument about body parts that even a small child could understand. Paul is showing them in graphic terms that are beyond confusion, that all the parts are necessary. Just as the human body doesn’t have extra parts that are missed when they are gone, so the Church doesn’t have members with no purpose.

Illustrate: If a person loses a foot in an accident, he or she can still be productive, but the loss is noticed! If a person loses hearing in one ear, they can still function, but the loss is noticed!

Argument: Each and every member of this Church has meaning and purpose. If God has saved you and led you to be a member, you have a place and a purpose. If you aren’t using your gift to serve others in this fellowship, we are functioning at a reduced capacity.

Application: We need each other. None of us can complete the task on our own. There are no Lone Ranger Christians, and none of us are self-made.

As Composer, God makes assignments and gives protections to guard against division ()

God is the Composer, and He gives gifts to fit His Arrangement ( 1 Cor 12:21-26)

Explanation: Pau continues to add to his corrective by further use of the body imagery to reinforce the idea that spiritual elitism is sinful. He does this by taking up the idea that the body doesn’t contain unnecessary parts. Paul does admit that some body parts are more prominent than other parts in their roles. This has to do with function, not importance

Illustrate: In a football game, much attention is given to the position of QB. And, yes, the QB does have a more prominent role than others. I don’t pay much attention to football, but even I know that Tom Brady is the QB for the Patriots. I can’t name a single person on the Patriot’s O line, but I can guarantee that without them playing, Brady would not be accomplishing much.

Argument: It all goes back to God. God is the Composer; He is the One who makes the assignments and gives gifts. He is the One with the overall plan, and He is the One with the Big Picture! Those without understanding (that would be all of us) simply need to trust that God really does know what He is doing.

Application: Trust God as the Giver of all good gifts () Do not be concerned with what someone else has or what you don’t have. Understand how God has gifted you and commit to serve!

God has given specific roles and gifts for the advance of the Kingdom ()

God’s grace gifts build up the Body through two main categories: serving and speaking. ()

Explanation: After giving his body image lesson to correct the abuses from the spiritual elites, Paul returns to specifics concerning roles and gifts in v.28. He once again emphasizes that God, not man, makes the assignments, and then offers a list that contains positions and gifts. The list gives preference to the Apostles, followed by prophets, teachers, and then a representation of grace gifts.

Explanation: Paul has taken pains to make the point

The term Apostle as an office is a unique designation for those who were chosen directly by Jesus. The Apostles were a select group that included the 11 remaining disciples and Paul. The office of Apostle is non-repeatable, and does not exist today.

Argument: When this list of gifts (vv. 28-30) is compared with Paul’s previous list in this same chapter (vv. 8-10 ) we see some overlap and some differences. The lists are not identical. When these two gifts lists are compared to the other passages that deal with spiritual gifts ( and ) one finds that these lists have differences as well. What seems to be happening is that the Apostles are giving a broad sweep of the range of giftedness. The point is not to pigeon-hole all of the possible gifts with specific labels; the point seems to be that God gives gifts for the purpose of ministry and encouragement.

Practical Considerations:

What is the definition of a spiritual gift?

Spiritual Gifts are divine enablements for ministry, characteristics of Jesus Christ that are to be manifested through the body corporate just as they were manifested through the body incarnate” (1 Corinthians, John MacArthur, p.283)

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Spiritual Gifts

the God-granted empowerment for ministry on the part of believers

Spiritual gifts are the God-granted empowerment for ministry on the part of believers (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

A Spiritual Gift is an ability given by the Holy Spirit to express our faith effectively (in word or deed) for the strengthening of someone else’s faith” (Spiritual Gifts, sermon by John Piper, March 15, 1981, desiringgod.org)

When the Apostle Peter addresses the issue of spiritual gifts, he divides the gifts into two broad categories: speaking and serving. These categories are helpful in separating the gifts so that we can understand them better.

The Speaking Gifts would include the following: Prophecy, Teaching, Discernment, Wisdom, Knowledge, Tongues, and Interpretation of Tongues. The Serving Gifts would include: faith, healing, miracles, leadership, hospitality, exhortation, generosity, helps, and mercy.

These lists are not meant to be exhaustive; they represent a range of how God enables His people to serve and to meet the needs of others.

How do I know what my gift is?

There are many assessment tools available that are designed to help a Christian discover what his or her gift is. While these assessment tools can be helpful, they are not necessary. I sincerely doubt Paul handed out diagnostic tools to the Corinthians and asked them to fill them out so he could assess and analyze their results.

Pastor John in his sermon on Spiritual Gifts warns against the danger of “getting hung up on naming a specific gift” that is ours. I think he is on the right track when he suggests that we as believers should focus more on helping others. After all, if the gifts are given for the common good (), then a better question to ask is, “what am I doing to try to help someone?”

Piper asserts, and I agree, that our main problem is that we do not really have the desire to help others. He declares “human nature is more prone to tear down than it is to build up. The path of least resistance leads to grumbling and criticism and gossip, and many there be that follow it.” It is more difficult to be involved in building up and that is why God gives us supernatural abilities.

Get involved in ministry and discover your gift

If the problem is a self-centered focus on ourselves, the solution is to change focus by helping others. Pray and ask God for opportunities to serve another person. You don’t have to have an office or a position to help out. You just have to be willing to be used. It does mean that you will be uncomfortable, but we are called to carry a cross, not a cushion.

Volunteer at the Hiddenite Food Pantry on a Tuesday or Thursday between 4pm and 6pm. SSBC only has 2 official months/ year (April & Sept) but you can help anytime the pantry is open.

Help out with the nursery / children’s church on Sundays. Not a glamorous place of service, but it is a needed place of service

Volunteer with the Tutoring Ministry on Wednesdays. We have great support from our high school / college / young adult, but these students would benefit from relationships with older adults as well.

Host a neighborhood gathering. Our neighbors had one last night for our development, and it was an opportunity to build relationships and publically thank God for His blessings

Pray about starting a bible study at your workplace during lunch time. If you have a co-worker who is also a believer, enlist his or her help by asking for prayer support. You don’t need a degree to facilitate a time to read and study the Word

Go to a nursing home and visit with the residents. Have prayer with them before you leave. Pray for opportunities to share your faith. Just because people are old doesn’t mean they are sweet and saved - many of them need Jesus!