Body Building

1 Corinthians 12:12-26

Introduction

I want to tell you a story about a certain congregation. They were people who wanted to follow Jesus but had a few issues. One of their biggest problems was that they were a divided church. We have all heard stories of churches that get divided but this one was particularly bad. As far as I can tell, none of the division arose from bad motives. Many within the congregation looked to certain outside leaders: pastors, evangelists, theologians, who they thought had the answers for the church. I think people thought that if only the others would see the wisdom in following this particular leader, things would be better. When they didn’t it led Ito frustration. But that wasn’t the only problem.

There were also some strongly held convictions about the way church should look like. Again, it was not that they wanted to attack people who were different, but they truly believed that their way was the way that God wanted for them. Their personal convictions were so strong that it inevitably led to conflict, division, and marginalization. To be honest, the church was pretty much a mess.

You most likely have heard of this church as it is or was a real congregation. The congregation I am speaking of is the church in Corinth, the one that the Apostle Paul wrote at least two letters to. This is what Paul says to them near the beginning of his first letter:

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:10-12)

If you look at each of the leaders listed, they are all good people worth following. Notice that Paul does not try and defend the group that wants to align themselves with him. He wants no part of this. What about the group that says they follow Christ? Were they the right ones? They were probably the worst of the lot. With Christ not being physically present, they could borrow his authority without having to submit to what he actually he said. Being a part of the Christ party would have been a point of pride and they probably looked down on others more than anyone.

The other problem with the Corinthians revolved around their desire to be as Spirit-empowered as possible. Of course that should be the goal for all of us. But there was a certain group within the Corinthian church that became convinced that the ultimate manifestation of the Holy Spirit was speaking in tongues. They did not deny the other gifts, but they saw tongues as being the sign of those who were the most Spirit-filled. The other gifts were nice, but the tongue-speakers were obviously the ones had spiritual authority. You can imagine how that all worked out. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians was, for the most part, a response to these and other divisions.

I can say, as someone who has been a part of numerous congregations, both as a layperson and a pastor, that this is extremely relevant. Divisions come easy and Baptists have their fair share of these divisions. The challenge for us, as it was for the Corinthians, is that the division is not between the good and the bad or even the right and the wrong. The division is usually between two groups that both equally convinced they are right, but perhaps do not have the same amount of clout. The phrase that represents the problems that we are talking about here is: “My way or the highway.” 

Diversity

So how does a church work through something like this? If the church is an organization that is tasked with being successful and people disagree as to how to achieve that success, will that not naturally lead to division that stops all forward motion? Perhaps, but thankfully that description of the church is not found anywhere in the Bible.

The Apostle Paul describes the church as a body. This means two things. On one hand, we are the body of the Christ in the sense that we are Jesus’ physically presence on earth. While Jesus could teleport a sick person to a doctor’s appointment, most often Jesus uses another person to drive them. Jesus could make food magically appear in the fridge of a hungry family who cannot afford groceries, Jesus usually uses people to share what they have. Yes, the heavenly decision to use human beings with all of our quirks and issues makes ministry and life look messy but that is the situation in which we find ourselves.

But the other part of the body image is the nature of the human body. Paul wants us to look at our own bodies as we listen to his words. We are not just a giant eyeball or foot or lung. Our bodies are made up of many different parts, all of them working together. It is not that one part is really important and the others are all expendable. It also means that we are all interdependent. What happens to one, for good or bad, affects us all. As someone who recently was injured in an accident, I have come to realize better than I wanted how interdependent my body is.

In terms of a church, this means that we need to realize that God’s plan has always been to bring different people with different backgrounds and personalities together to be the church. It can make things challenging but this diversity is not a weakness, it is a strength.

It is a challenge for many congregations to appreciate this diversity. We feel so strongly about our convictions that we just can’t imagine how that different view or different way could possibly have a place. But it does. Just like a human body that needs every part working together in their own way, the body of Christ needs all of us, with our personalities and experiences, to be his church.

Unity

Diversity is good and should be celebrated. But to be the church God wants us to be, it must happen in the context of unity. My body is made up for many different parts. But if all of those parts are completely separated, then I am dead. The diversity of my body is only of use when it is connected together. For Paul’s idea of the Body of Christ, it is our identity in Christ that unites us.

We may be completely convinced that our personal convictions, passions, and plans are the absolute best way to go. But that doesn’t give free license to do whatever we want with no concern for anyone else. We are one body designed to be Christ’s presence in this world. 

This means that we may have to compromise. That word often gets a bad reputation. Compromise can be bad but it can also be good. Paul, in this letter gives advice to the Corinthians about when it is time to compromise. He talks about certain Christians who are open to eating meat from temples and those who are unwilling. Paul argues that the solution is not about whether it is allowed or not allowed but what is best for our fellow Christian. We should never compromise when it comes to our deepest convictions but there are many other areas where there is room to negotiate. We do this not just to avoid conflict, but because we see our brothers and sisters as being a part of the same family of God and that they are just as valued by our Father as we are. 

Going back to the body image, it is not about what is best for each body part, but what is best for the body. It is Christ who determines what is best for the body and we follow that, even if that happens to go against our own personal preferences.

Conclusion

Have you ever wondered why God created the church the way he did? I have always said that the biggest problem with the church is that God designed it with people in mind. But that is actually the beauty of the church. When the Son of God came into our world, he came as a human being. When Jesus determined to continue his influence beyond his death and resurrection, he chose to do it through more human beings. The Corinthians struggled along in their attempts to be the Body of Christ. Every other church has done the same thing. We might not ever be perfect but we need to remember that diversity in unity is the Master plan for the church and all we can do is our part.