Today’s reading: Ezekiel 1; 1 Corinthians 12
I will probably write about the same thing every time we pass this chapter (along with a few others), because this is honestly something that is just constantly on my heart and mind; how far the church in the West is from the picture Paul paints of Christian community in 1 Corinthians 12.
Paul describes the church, Christian community, as a body, in which each part plays an important role, with the understanding that it is only together that the body functions properly. He points out that, while there are parts of our bodies we might consider more important to daily functioning, like hands, eyes, etc., those parts need the other parts to be able to function well. As useful as your hands may be, a body made of nothing but hands would be utterly useless (not to mention super creepy…). I might not point to my forearm as being all that essential, but if I want the full use of my hands, my forearm is pretty vital.
A congregation of people showing up to church on Sunday mornings and then going about their lives the rest of the time is not what Paul is describing here. Neither is a congregation of people coming together on Sunday mornings and otherwise living their lives for the Lord independently of one another. We are called to love and serve one another, as well as to love and serve alongside one another. There are purposes and ministries to which God calls His church, and He puts people together to accomplish those things, working with what each person uniquely contributes.
Paul also does not see any singular Christian as sufficient to constitute the body of Christ in and of themself. God has gifted each Christian with different spiritual gifts that work together and complement each other. He does not intend that every member of the Body be able to perform every function within the Body, but that each member would perform its intended function. You wouldn’t try to make your hand learn to be an eye when you have two perfectly good eyes to see with, that would be both wasting your hand’s potential and holding the rest of the body back by not letting it use the sight God has provided to it.
God’s design, plan, and intention is that His people would seek out, celebrate, and utilize the giftings and abilities that He has given them, as a group, to accomplish His work, in the most effective way, together.
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