12
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. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 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. 16 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. 17 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? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don’t need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don’t need you!" 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29 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? 31 But eagerly desire the greater gifts. (1 Corinthians 12:12-31, NIV)There are generally two kinds of sports. The first kind you might call a club sport. The second kind you would call a team sport. They are both very different in a very significant way.
Club sports emphasize the individual. For instance, tennis is a club sport. And while they do have doubles in tennis, the emphasis is on each individual becoming the best tennis player he or she can be. Golf is a club sport. Again, the emphasis is upon the individual, even though golfers may occasionally play in a team situation.
Team sports, on the other hand, while they do encourage the individual player to be the best player he or she can be, emphasize the entire team playing together. Basketball, baseball, football, and soccer are all examples of team sports. In a team sport, while you may have a superstar or two, the team will never rise any higher than the level of their team play. As some coaches are quick to tell you, the word team is not spelled with the letter I.
But playing on a team helps you to understand that no matter what position you play, you make a difference. And you want to make a difference, as big a difference as you possibly can. I believe that team sports helps people understand that there are many endeavors in life in which they only play a part, but a part that is necessary and can possibly make the difference between winning and losing. What young boy has not had the fantasy of scoring the winning touchdown, sinking the winning shot, hitting the winning homerun in the last seconds of the Super Bowl or World Championship game?
We all want to know we count. The search for significance drives every person. And while every person might not be able to be a superstar, every person can make a positive contribution, even though small, that just may in fact make the difference. It seems to me that you see that most clearly in team sports.
The church is a team. It is God’s team at work. It is comprised of many members, each having different jobs, but everyone needed for it to work properly. So many people miss it –– this idea of the church as a team. There are still people who think of the church as a service to attend, or a physical facility to maintain. Some people even identify the church with a particular person— like the pastor.
Like a team, the church is not made up of one person, but of many. It is certainly not a building or even a service of worship. The church is people, but not just a crowd of people. The church is composed of people who have surrendered to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, identified not only with him but also with one another, and are organized according to the Biblical pattern to accomplish the purposes that Jesus established.
In that sense it is like a team, made up of many members, organized to fulfill a purpose, trained and disciplined for everyone to be involved. But for that to happen, each of you must be involved. Otherwise, you will never make a difference. Are you involved? Are you making a difference?
There is an important truth that you need to see. You have an important part to play, whatever your gift. We have already seen that every single Christian has been given a gift — at least one — sometimes more. God gave you that gift so that you could use it in the context of the local church. Unless you use your gift, we will have to do without it. You see, there are no insignificant ministries in the church. Every gift, every ministry is important and needed.
12
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. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. (12:12-13)It is clear from these two verses, that the church is a multi-membered body. It is diverse, yet united. These Corinthian Christians needed to hear this, and so do we today. So let’s look at several arguments being made, that Paul responds to, and one huge affirmation that we dare not miss.
14
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 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. 16 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. 17 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? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. (12:14-20)The first argument was from inferiority. Some people felt inferior. They felt like their part wasn’t important. This is why it is emphasized that the body is not made up of one part but of many. It is at this point that Paul turns comedian. He has a foot talking to a hand and an ear talking to an eye, complaining that they are not part of the body because they’re not the same.
It is laughable. What kind of body would we have if all we had was a gigantic eye? He points out that we might be able to see, but we would not be able to hear. Or if we were just one giant ear, where would the sense of smell be? If we did not have many different parts, each performing the task it was created to do, we would not have a well organized body, we would have a monstrosity.
In the church, we are like a body with many things that need to be done. And so God has given each of us gifts, putting us in place as an essential part of the body, just as he wanted us to be. And each part is important. Each part is necessary. None is inferior.
21
The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don’t need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don’t need you!" (12:21)This is the argument from independence. Some among them felt self-sufficient. They didn’t need anyone else. This is the "me and Jesus" crowd. And just as there were some in that day, there are still Christians today who think they can get along just fine without others.
There are people who think that since their sins have been forgiven, their home in heaven secured, they are free to do their own thing. They need no church home. They need no accountability. They are the people who say, "I don’t need you!"
This was exactly what they were saying in Corinth, at least some of them. And this is why Paul underscores for them that the eye needs the hand and the head needs the feet. Far from being independent, we are interdependent.
Do you really see how much you need other people? I really doubt that much of the church in America understands just how much we need other Christians to survive. It seems as if some Christians believe that other Christians simply slow them down. It is as if they just don’t want to be bothered. I pray that God will open our eyes to see the common life we share in Christ, and how important others are to our walk with God.
22
On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it (12:22-24)Here we have the argument of those who felt inconspicuous. Some may have felt unnoticed, or unseen. This is such an easy trap to fall into. You see, there is so much to do that is behind the scenes, invisible to many, yet essential to all.
It is like that in the human body as well. There are certainly parts we see. There are prominent parts that stand out. And there are parts that we cover up out of modesty, as well as parts we decorate to make them look better. But of all the bodily parts we have, those parts that are unseen by the human eye are the most important parts we have. My hand is a very visible part. It is quite important. I would hate to lose it. But I could live without it. My heart is a part that is unseen. It is not only important, it is essential. I would not only hate to lose it, I could not live without it.
It is like that in the church. Many people do things behind the scenes that are essential, not just important. If you are one of those people, don’t fall into the trap of feeling like what you are doing doesn’t count. It may be unnoticed by some, but I can assure you that many of us see your labor of love, and we genuinely appreciate it. And I can also assure you that God sees every little task you perform as you are laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven.
25
so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (12:25-27)Paul turns now from the arguments to an important affirmation. We are all important. It takes all of us for the church that Jesus died to establish, the church he loves, to be the church he wants us to be. You and I need to see this. We need to be apprehended by it.
Unless we see how important we are to one another, we will be tempted to pull apart in little groups that cause division. When we do that, we become a living testimony to the world of what selfish, worldly Christians act like. People will look at us and conclude that if Christianity produces people like that, like us, they don’t want any of it. And who can blame them? This is not what Jesus desires.
Jesus died on the Cross, not only so we could be forgiven, but also so we could love one another and live in unity. The Bible teaches that we are to esteem each other better than ourselves. When one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it. That is true for our physical body. Where do you suffer when you hit your thumb with a hammer? You suffer all over! So when one suffers in the body of Christ, all of us should suffer. When one is honored, all of us should rejoice. If the reverse is true, as it is in so many places, where people rejoice at the sufferings of others and are irritated when others are honored, they should check out whether they have truly been born again. They may not be Christians at all.
He says that you are the body of Christ. The you is a plural form. In other words, you are all the body of Christ. Together we are the church, and each one of you is a part of it. This is what we need to see so desperately in all of the local churches that dot the landscape of our neighborhoods. We are not social clubs. We are the expression of the kingdom of God on earth. We are the creation of our Lord Jesus Christ. We exist because he wanted it so. And we are here to do his bidding, not our own.
We also need to see that there are no insignificant ministries in the church. It is true that we are not all the same. The good news is that we do not need to be.
28
And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29 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? (12:28-30)In the church, there are different ministries. God has appointed certain people and has gifted us with different gifts. We are different, yet united. We are on the same team. We don’t all play the same position, and we are actually better because of it.
After mentioning certain ministries and ministry gifts, Paul asked certain rhetorical questions. They begin with, "Are all..."and "Do all...". Are all apostles? The obvious answer to each of these questions is no. We are not all the same. We are not all apostles, or prophets, or teachers. We do not all work miracles, have gifts of healing, speak in tongues, or interpret. This is the absolute plain teaching of this text.
Remember, it’s a team thing. You need to find your place of service based upon your gifting. You need to do your part. Know that you are needed. What you do is important, perhaps even essential. If you’ll begin to approach your service in this way, God will use you and make it all worthwhile. He will enable you to find your gift and use it to serve others.
This section of Scripture closes with one very important exhortation. It is found in the last verse of our text:
31
But eagerly desire the greater gifts. (12:31)Don’t be the missing piece of the puzzle! You need to make a decision that you are going to get involved now. We are exhorted to not only desire the greater gifts, but eagerly desire them. He is not talking about a passive waiting around for God to light a fire under you. He is talking about an active pursuing God, and all God has for you.
Like a runner in a race, keep your eye on the finish line and let nothing hold you back or get in your way. Focus. Run. Stretch for the finish line. Give it all you’ve got. And remember, you are not alone. We are in it together. That’s how the church should work.
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