Nobody is a Nobody in the Body of Christ
I Corinthians 12:12-27
November 9, 2008
The body of Christ is a beautiful thing. In Romans, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians and Colossians Paul makes over 30 references to the body of Christ. It seems his favorite metaphor for the church. Christ loved the church, Paul writes, and Paul loves it as well and sees it as a beautiful thing. That’s not to say that it doesn’t have its problems; it does. But despite struggles and problems brought on by the fact of our innate sinfulness, the church—the body of Christ—is a beautiful thing. Let’s read Paul’s words together today!
The context of today’s passage is one of a church that is pretty messed up. The Corinthian church was diverse when it ought to have been unified (“I am of Paul; I am of Cephas; I am of Apollos: I am of Christ”), and tried to be uniform when it ought to have been diverse (conforming to the same spiritual gift). There were attitudes of spiritual superiority; there were attitudes of economic superiority; there was probably a good deal of envy going on. While some claimed that their particular spiritual gifts were superior, perhaps others claimed that they had nothing to offer, no spiritual gifts to give to the body of Christ. But note Paul’s words:
I. Nobody is a Nobody Because Everybody in the Body is a Part of the One Body of Christ. :12-13
Gk. “Melos” – a “member” is a part of the body; that’s what the word means. We have watered down the word, so much so that we think in terms of our watered-down version of it, and not in terms of the original meaning. To be a member of Red Oak, Biblically-speaking, isn’t to have your name on a moldy roll somewhere, or to belong to an organization; it’s to be a body part. What it means is that you are assuming your position of responsibility in the body of Christ, contributing to the ongoing health of that body, and of each of its other members. And when you think of it in those Biblical terms, “membership” is a richer, fuller, far more meaningful thing than simply signing up and paying dues or something.
A body is a living thing. Paul is writing about the body of Christ to one particular expression of that body, the church at Corinth. There is one body of Christ (Red Oak is a local expression). I live out my commitment to the body of Christ through my commitment to this local expression. Some of the language Paul uses in this passage would make no sense if the only context were the broader body of Christ, and so while he has in mind the broader body of Christ, he also has in mind the local expression of the church universal.
My bodily parts have one thing in common: me! I am what is common to all my body parts. Christ is Who is common to every one of us who are part of the body. If a person doesn’t have Christ, that person is not a part of the body. Every member of the body of Christ has Christ in common, even if nothing else! And Jesus is enough!
:13 – Spirit baptism is an experience that takes place when we “all” (regardless of spiritual gift) are placed in the body of Christ. The Spirit is the universal common denominator of all God’s true children. We all, alike, have received the Holy Spirit, at the moment of our regeneration. It is the Spirit Who brings life; it is the Spirit Who binds us together. Paul mentions some classes of people: Jews/Greeks; slaves/free. He could mention more. The Spirit of God is the One Who brings us together! And because the Spirit has brought you into the body of Christ, and because you are a contributing member, you are not a nobody!
II. Nobody is a Nobody Because Everybody is Different. :14-20
I need the various parts of my body in order to live and function as I should. In :17, Paul envisions a monstrosity, a huge eyeball or a huge ear, something out of science fiction, suggesting that that would be weird beyond words; in :19, he asks how that would work out in practice.
Note, in :18, that it is God Who does the arranging! If you’re a Christian, you’re a part of the body of Christ, but the only way you function as you ought is in vital connection to other members of that body, and be sure of this: it is God Who has placed you where He has. Since there is one body, it’s critical that all the members of that body be united in purpose. The health of the body ought to be our paramount concern, as we take direction from the Head, Christ. Bodies are healthiest when every member is functioning at peak capacity; a body is sick when its members aren’t. When its members don’t contribute to the health of the body, the body suffers. Nobody is a nobody because every member is different and every member contributes something that the rest of the body needs, which is my next point:
III. Nobody is a Nobody Because Everybody Needs Everybody. :21-27
Paul personifies an eye and a head, saying to other parts of the body, “I don’t need you!” This is ridiculous, of course—but no more so than one part of the body of Christ adopting that attitude toward another! Listen, if you’re a member of Red Oak, you need every other member of Red Oak. I gain something from each of you that I gain from nobody else, and the same is true, at least in a church this size, of everyone, I believe.
A. Everybody in the body is treated with appropriate value and care. - :21-24a
So we recognize that some of the most vital parts are delicate, ones that could not survive and function on the outside, but that doesn’t make my guts less important than my pinkie; the fact that I can see my pinkie doesn’t make it more valuable than my intestines. And there are parts we cover for modesty’s sake as well; this is showing honor to the entire body, and to those parts in particular. That’s altogether appropriate, and in the body of Christ, it is the same: we recognize that it’s not necessarily the “out-front leaders” who determine the ultimate success of the church!
B. God brings everybody into the body - :24b
We said this earlier and won’t belabor it here, but it’s God Who has done the work to bring the body together as it is. You are here, in this place, at this time, by divine appointment. God has placed you here. And it’s up to you to find that role that God has placed you here to perform, with the purpose that
C. God expects the body to act in unity - :25a
Division in the body is a killer, whether it’s the human body acting at odds with itself, or the church of Jesus Christ acting at odds with itself. Jesus said that all men will know that you’re my disciples if you have love for one another, and that leads to the final point for the morning:
D. Unity is achieved when everybody cares for everybody - :25b-26
Look at the picture here: the body works together for the benefit of every part of it. When one is hurting, everyone hurts and everyone helps. Question: do you know of needs in the body here that need meeting? Have you asked? Have you considered? Are you close enough to others in the body that that can take place? Are you functioning as a caring member of the body of Christ here at Red Oak? Look around; who’s not here? Who will care for that person? Who’s hurting? It’s not up to the pastor to do all the caring, but to every member of the body.
A member does not consider merely his own interests, but the good of the body. Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. And yet Christians, church members, make decisions all the time and act as though they think it’s all about them, that nobody else is affected by their decisions. When one organ in the body acts only in keeping with its own supposed well-being, we call that “sickness”. When you sign on the dotted line, you are committing yourself to something bigger than yourself, to the overall health and wellbeing of the body of Christ here at Red Oak. And the attitude you ought to take into church membership is this: “what’s in it for…HIM!”
Considering the good of the body equates to considering Christ. So note the recap Paul gives:
Recap!
27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
Taking it Home
• Do you think most church members today understand the concept of membership in the way the Bible describes it? When members don’t see themselves as parts of a living body, what are some of the negative consequences?
• Read Romans 8:9-11. We said that it’s the Holy Spirit Who brings life to every member of the body. What are some things we understand from these verses about life in the Spirit?
• Why is the analogy of the body representing the church such a fitting analogy on so many levels? Even besides the points Paul makes in our passage, what are some other ways in which the human body and the body of Christ parallel?
• “Unity is achieved when everybody cares for everybody”:
o Give an example of another Christian caring for you in a way that made a real difference.
o What are some things that conspire against everybody caring for everybody?
