Spiritual Anatomy Class - 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

- The Body Of Christ [1 Cor. 12:12-31] -

The church is allegorized in many different ways.  We are called a spiritual building, a flock, a family, and a holy nation among many other things.  Additionally, we are referred to as the body of Christ.  In 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 Paul the Apostle spends a few moments instructing the Corinthian church - and us - on that reality.

Consider that truth for a moment.  You and I get to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in the world in which we live.  You and I, the silly people we are, communicate God's love and grace to the world around us.  The gospels recorded the beginning of Jesus' ministry, with the church carrying out His continued work (Acts 1:1).  We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us (2 Cor. 5:20).  As His body we have an opportunity to communicate our Head's heart and message to the world around us.

I would encourage you to embrace that reality.  Embrace the fact that you and I are the body of Christ.  That said, here are a few realities Paul wanted the Corinthian church to understand, specifically as it pertained to being the body of Christ.

:: You Are United [12-13] They hadn't gotten this.  They were a divided lot.  Paul taught them that the same Spirit had placed them into the one body of Christ.  No matter their background - Jew, Greek, slave, or free - they were all part of the same body of Christ.  The same could be said today.  We are one no matter our background, generation, ethnicity, bank account, or education level.

:: You Are Diverse [14-19] The Corinthians hadn't understood the diversity of the gifts and callings God had given them.  In their public gatherings they all wanted a public ministry.  They had yet to discover the beautiful reality that just as there are many different body parts, so are there many different spiritual body parts.  We are not all made the same and we need to embrace what we are.

:: You Need One Another [20-26] Another danger in the Corinthian mentality was the maverick soloist mentality.  There were some who, rather than despise their own gifting, were so puffed up they actually believed they needed no other member in the body of Christ.  How foolish!  Just as our eyes need our hands, so do we need the other members of the body of Christ!

:: You Are Individuals [27-31] Paul closed out his section with a reminder that even though we are one, and even though we are diverse, and even though we need one another, we still need to take heed to our own lives individually.  No one can force you to pursue and use the gifts God has given to you.  As individuals, we respond to God and become the members He longs for us to be.

- Our Membership -

That said, we need to take our membership in the body of Christ seriously.  Don't cheat the rest of the body out of your function, ability, gifting, and calling.  We need you, just as you need us!  Here are some basic applications of this passage.

- Act as one body: Embrace this spiritual reality.  Enjoy those different from you in Christ, understanding that we are all one spiritual body.
- Embrace your gifts: Some Corinthians had complained about what they were made to be.  Don't complain, instead take hold of the role God has for you.  His perfect will has made us who we are.
- Embrace others gifts: Recognize your need for other members of the body of Christ to lift you and strengthen you in your walk and life.
- Individually obey: Personally and wholeheartedly obey God and be the person God has made you to be.  Don't shelve your gifts and abilities, even if others do, but use them.  Don't run from them, run with them.

God bless, you guys.  I hope and pray there is a deep longing in your heart to be the best member you can possibly be.  I am constantly confronted with my own failures and shortcomings, but I long to be the best member I can be.  Next week we will see Paul show us the best attribute a member can have - love.  Oh, that we might grow in love for one another!