1 CORINTHIANS 12
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. – 1 Corinthians 12:12-20
1 CORINTHIANS 12 MANY PARTS BUT ONE BODY
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
As a member of the body of Christ
Each of the part of his body has a role to play
Although each have different functions to do
They are all aiming to give God splendor.
One of the most controversial topics in the church of Christ is the spiritual gifts. Many different denominations focus on certain gifts they like and bring about divisions among the churches. One church puts more importance on one gift than the other or one believer may rank a certain gift as better than the other. They miss the point of unity in the body of Christ. Our sinful nature will always have standards to follow. It is automatic for humans to compete and compare. We miss out on the purpose of God giving us these gifts when we look at it in a worldly manner. We think that these gifts are for our own edification and not for giving God the praise. We begin to classify certain gifts as better and some other ones as lesser.
Paul presents the division stirred by having a worldly mindset in discerning the spiritual gifts. It veers the believer away from the purpose of the gifts to unify all the parts of the body of Christ. It creates disunion and conflicts among the different parts.
REFLECTION
· How can we minimize the tendency to highlight differences instead of unity?
