Many Parts: One Body 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

It is interesting that Paul describes the Church as the body of Christ. I would venture to say that most people today would describe the church as an organization and yet Paul describes the church as an organism, a living organism created and assembled by God with incredible design and purpose. I love Paul’s metaphor of the human body to help us understand how the body of Christ is assembled and functions. If you are like me then most of the time you simply live each day going about from task to task without giving much thought as to how our bodies enable us to do the things we do. David wrote in Psalm 139:14, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:14 NIV) I want to share some of the wonders of our bodies before we take a look at the wonder of the body of Christ this morning. In our Scripture for this morning we will see how it is God’s plan that the various parts of the body of Christ work together. Our circulatory system is a beautiful example of the function and cooperation of different parts of our own body working together. When we think of our circulatory system the first thing that comes to mind is our heart. The heart is a marvel. It pumps oxygen and nutrient rich blood throughout our bodies to sustain our lives. Your heart is about the size of your fist and sits just slightly off-center in your chest. Your heart is a powerhouse. It pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood per day, that’s about one million barrels of blood during your lifetime, throughout your entire body by expanding and contracting about 100,000 times a day. I said that your heart pumps blood throughout your body, but that’s really not the truth. Your heart couldn’t deliver the blood throughout your entire body if it were not for the blood vessels, a vast system of elastic tubes made of muscle that if laid end to end would stretch out over about 60,000 miles, that’s two and a half times the circumference of the earth! The blood vessels carry oxygen rich blood to every part of your body. Among our blood vessels there are three different types: arteries, veins, and capillaries and they all work together. Here’s how they work together. When your heart contracts blood is pumped into arteries that carry the blood away from our hearts. Arteries are connected to tiny, thin-walled blood vessels called capillaries which allow oxygen to move from the blood into the cells of our bodies. Our capillaries are so tiny, about 1/3000 inch in diameter, that’s about one tenth the diameter of a human hair. Our capillaries are so small that red blood cells have to get in line, single file line, to make their way through the capillaries. This is not by accident, but by design. As the blood cells move slowly in single file line through the capillaries, they release their cargo of fresh oxygen and nutrients and absorb waste products (carbon dioxide, urea, and uric acid) that they will deliver to organs that can dump them outside the body. Once the blood is depleted of the oxygen and nutrients, the capillaries move the deoxygenated blood into our veins which carry it to our lungs where it is oxygenated on its way back to our heart. All of the parts of our circulatory system are vital, even each tiny capillary, to keep us alive and functioning as God has designed us to function. We are truly, fearfully and wonderfully made! Let’s read our Scripture for this morning found in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27.

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body-- whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free-- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 Now if the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being 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 stop being 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 placed 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 put the body together, giving 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. (1 Corinthians 12:12-27 NIV)

Paul was not the first to use the analogy of the body to explain the order necessary for a social group. Let me share just one example. In 494 B.C., in Livy’s History of Rome, we can read about a speech delivered by Menenius Agrippa when the plebs revolted against the ruling class. Listen to this:

In the days when man’s members did not all agree amongst themselves, as is now the case, but each had its own ideas and a voice of its own, the other parts thought it unfair that they should have the worry and the trouble and the labour of providing for the belly...they therefore conspired together that the hands should carry no food to the mouth, nor the mouth accept anything that was given it, nor the teeth grind up what was received. While they sought this in an angry spirit to starve the belly into submission, the members themselves and the whole body were reduced to utmost weakness. (Livy, History of Rome 2.32.9-12)

The speech worked and the working class ended their rebellion and returned to work. Paul is not concerned in the least that the lesser members will rise up and rebel, but his concern is that the so-called “superior” members of the church have become filled with pride. Instead of urging the less spectacularly gifted members to stop their rebellion and give honor and respect to the more spectacularly gifted members, Paul stresses the importance of giving more honor and respect to the weak, “less-presentable parts,” and to seek unity together. In our opening verse for this morning Paul makes it clear that just as our bodies have many parts, but we are one body, so Christ has many parts, but we form one body. Read the verse with me. 

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12 NIV)

Paul uses the illustration of the body to teach the followers of Jesus about the body of Christ in Ephesians 4 and in Romans 12. Look at Romans 12:4-5 with me. 

4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. (Romans 12:4-5 NIV)

The Church, both the global Church and the local church placed by God in communities throughout the world, is made up of members, different members who each have been given diverse gifts to function together in one body, the body of Christ. Why would God do such a thing? Why would He design and create His Church to function like this in the world? I can’t stress to you how important this question is for you and me. The purpose of the Church is to worship God and carry on the ministry of Jesus in this world. We are not a social club or a civic club, but we are the body of Christ called out into the world to carry on the ministry of Jesus. How is God building His Church? Does God go out and search for talent like successful corporations search for talent? Is God like Lincoln Riley or Mike Gundy? Does He scour the nation looking for those who bring a lot to the table and can help Him put together a championship team? Hardly. Do you remember what Paul wrote to the brothers and sisters in Corinth back in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29? Read it with me.

26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-- and the things that are not-- to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29 NIV)

Paul said “not many” were wise or influential or of noble birth. That means some were, but the majority were not any of these things. There is a common denominator among all of us who came to know Jesus and that is that we were fully aware of our desperate need for Jesus. We confessed our need for Jesus; for His saving grace, for His limitless mercy, and His ability to do in us what we were incapable of doing for ourselves. God took each of us, in our desperation, He claimed us as His very own, and He placed us within the body of Christ. Paul explains it this way.

13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body-- whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free-- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. (1 Corinthians 12:13 NIV)

This verse is the point of lots of discussion and is interpreted by some to mean that there are two different baptisms, the baptism in water and the baptism by the Holy Spirit which some charismatics or pentecostals say is evidenced or confirmed by the ability to speak in tongues. I believe God’s Word teaches that the baptism of the Spirit is the experience of every follower of Jesus at the time they receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Here in verse 13 we see that “we were all baptized by one Spirit.” Something Ray Stedman has written might be helpful for you. He writes,

Jesus said that the relationship we would have would be this, "You in me, and I in you," (John 14:20). That is what you find fulfilled here in regard to the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit baptizes us into the Body of Christ he puts us into Christ, "you in me." He joins our life with his; he becomes our source of existence and strength; we are part of him. Then when we are "indwelt" by the Spirit, we have all been made to "drink" of one Spirit, you find the fulfillment of our Lord's words, "I in you." That is the power by which we are to live. So it is this dual ministry of the Holy Spirit, baptizing us into the body, filling us with the Spirit so that we are both "in Christ" and he is "in us," that constitutes the mystery and the marvel of the church. (Ray Stedman. How the Body Works.)

Paul says that all of us, each one of us, whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free are baptized by the Holy Spirit and are permanently given the Holy Spirit. Paul, in Galatians 3:26-28, makes a very similar statement when he writes,

26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26-28 NIV)

In Paul’s day there were only two different ethnic groups: Jews and Gentiles. If you were not a Jew then you were a Gentile. To the Jews, the Gentiles were an inferior people. The Jews were the Chosen People of God. The Gentiles were looked down upon by the Jews. The truth of the matter is that the Gentiles also looked down upon the Jews, not as inferior, but as arrogant, self-righteous, and full of pride. We still have that same dynamic at work in our world today, but now, instead of only having two people groups we have dozens and dozens. One group looks down upon another and on and on the story goes. Paul says if you are in Christ Jesus then you are all one--all “children of God through faith.” David Garland writes,

Baptism washes away the ethnic and sociological barricades that previously separated and alienated them. It may seem surprising in a discussion of the diversity of gifts that Paul brings up the issue of their social diversity, but this is not simply a vestige of a baptismal confession, because their social stratification is a contributing factor in their division. Racial prejudice and social stereotypes are supposed to be submerged and put to death in baptism, but all too frequently these evils survive the experience, dry themselves off, and form cankers on the body. (Garland, David. 1 Corinthians. pg. 592)

I have to tell you, one of the great joys I’ve experienced through the past 30 years is being in such a diverse church and getting to know and learn from people from different countries, backgrounds, and walks of life. The beauty of the diversity of the body of Christ is priceless! As is always the case with the church in Corinth and with all churches I might add is this: Things do not always go according to plan. God’s design and purpose for the church is not always lived out by His people. Just as there are ailments in our human bodies that affect the rest of the body so there are ailments in the body of Christ that affect the rest of the body. Paul deals with two of these in these verses.First, in verses 15-20, Paul deals with those who feel like they are inferior, or useless, and they don’t belong to the body. Then, in verses 21-27, Paul deals with those parts of the body that feel like they are self-sufficient, they don’t need the other parts of the body. Let’s take a look at the first situation of those who feel inferior or not needed. Paul writes, 

15 Now if the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being 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 stop being 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 placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. (1 Corinthians 12:15-18 NIV)

Every part of the body is needed, every follower of Jesus in the church is needed. There is no part, no member, who is dispensable if the body of Christ is going to function in the way God has designed it to function.  There are some gifts that are present here at Britton Christian Church that are not nearly as visible as some of the other gifts, but that doesn’t mean they are inferior. As a matter of fact, Paul says those gifts and members should be given special honor. Alan Johnson writes,

Contemporary churches and Christian organizations and institutions need to pay close attention to this teaching of Paul. Often the tendency is to showcase the most ‘successful’ Christians who have won achievement awards, excelled in gaining wealth, or risen to prominent positions in government, entertainment or book publishing. These members often are appointed as church leaders or college trustees. Instead, without ignoring these ‘parts,’ we should look for those who have less visibility yet have displayed unusual faithfulness, especially through suffering and loss, who have given away great wealth, are self-effacing, have showed restraint in material possessions, exhibited downward mobility in seeking to serve Christ, and are filled with the fruit of the Spirit despite relative obscurity. These and others like them should be our main showcase examples in the church. (Johnson, Alan. 1 Corinthians. pg. 234)

The less visible among us who so faithfully serve the Lord and His people are such a vital part of this church and every church. You may never see them up front, you might not even know what it is they do, but they are faithfully using the gifts the Lord has given them to bless and build up the body of Christ here at Britton Christian Church. Let me give you an example. There’s a group of people who meet every Sunday afternoon at 4 pm for the “Sweet Hour of Prayer.” Do you know what they do? They pray. They show up each and every week and pray for one hour for the needs of this church. They mention you by name, they intercede for you and for me, and that group of people are vitally important for the life and ministry of this church. There’s another group of people who help whenever someone comes home from the hospital or is going through something where it would be helpful if they had someone bring them meals for a period of time. I send out an email and ask people to pray about helping by cooking a meal for an individual or family. Sometimes there are new names that pop up, but the vast majority of time I see the same names over and over again. If I asked you to name those people this morning you couldn’t do it. They are an invisible army of God’s servants who feel called to help those in need. They do not need, nor do they want recognition, they simply want to do what God has called them to do. What an incredible blessing you are if you are part of that invisible army of faithful servants!Now, let’s take a look at the other parts of the body of Christ at Corinth who had somehow come to the conclusion that they were so gifted, so self-sufficient, that they didn’t need the other gifts present in the church. Paul writes,

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 put the body together, giving 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. (1 Corinthians 12:21-27 NIV)

So, there were those in the church who said, “You don’t need me” and there was another segment of the church who said, “We don’t need you.” Both groups were so wrong, absolutely wrong, and Paul corrects the thinking of both groups. To those who said, “You don’t need me,” Paul writes,

18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. (1 Corinthians 12:18 NIV)

God has gifted you with just the gifts He wants you to have so as to best serve Him in the body where He has placed you. I love how Paul emphasizes this by saying, “...God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” And then, to those who were saying, “I don’t need you,” Paul says God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked honor so that there will be no division in the body, but that each part will have concern for every other part. Before we leave here this morning I want to pay special attention to verses 26-27. The church in Corinth was divided. There were factions which we have seen from the beginning. They were divided over their leaders, they were divided socially at the Lord’s table, and they were divided concerning spiritual gifts and their use in the church. It is impossible for a divided church to genuinely care for one another. Paul writes, in verses 26-27.

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. (1 Corinthians 12:26-27 NIV)

This is so true of our physical body isn’t it? Ever had a toothache that paralyzed you? Ever stub your toe and your whole body goes into a spasm? When one part of our body is suffering the rest of our body can’t escape the effects of the suffering. The same is true for the times that wonderful things happen for us. When a person gets a raise at work the body enjoys the benefits of the raise. When a runner wins a race the person and not the legs is honored. If a tennis player wins a tournament the hands that hit the shots don’t rejoice. No, no, every fiber of the person’s body rejoices with the victory! And so it is with the body of Christ. Or maybe I should say, or so it should be in the body of Christ. We saw, back in 1 Corinthians 11, that there were members of the church who paid little attention to the plight of the field hands who got off work late and came to the Lord’s Supper with nothing to share and nothing to eat.  Those who had nothing could have not shown up and it wouldn’t have changed a thing. This should never be. I know this is the way the world operates, but we are not the world, we are the body of Christ and we are called to love one another. The Apostle John wrote in 1 John 4:19: “We love because he first loved us.” In Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, he wrote,

3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4 NIV)

“Value others above yourselves…” Don’t look out for number one, look out for the one that nobody else values. Most people would say this is insane to talk like this, but if we are going to follow in Jesus’ steps then this is exactly the life we will live. Jesus came to serve and give His life for others. Paul said when one part of the body suffers we are all to suffer along with it and when one part of the body rejoices we are to rejoice along with it. During the past two years I’ve seen how people with an opposing view have rejoiced when someone they disagree with suffers. I’ve also seen how some people suffer mental anguish when someone they don’t like or someone they disagree with rejoices over something wonderful that has happened to them. Isocrates was born in Athens, Greece. He was a very influential person in Greece between 400-338 B.C. He was troubled by the factionalism between the Greek city-states. He wrote,

They are so far from feeling pity that they even rejoice more in each other’s sorrows than in their own blessings. (Isocrates, Or. 4:168)

We have not made much progress in our society have we? In the body of Christ we may disagree with one another about “this” or “that,” but we are brothers and sisters in Christ. Our disagreements about peripheral matters, trivial matters when compared with the eternal truths of God’s Word, should never stop us from weeping with one another when one of us is weeping and they should never stop us from rejoicing with one another when one of us is rejoicing. That, my friend, is true unity, the kind of unity God not only desires, but commands for His people. I pray that this morning the Holy Spirit has touched your heart and opened your eyes to how much you are needed here at Britton Christian Church. If you are a follower of Jesus then you are gifted in order to serve. If you are not a follower of Jesus then I want to invite you to express your desire to become a follower of Jesus this very morning. Mike HaysBritton Christian ChurchOctober 31, 2021