Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 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. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
The Corinthian church was guilty of separating the body into those who had what they viewed as more spiritual gifts, like speaking in tongues or preaching, from those who did not. And Paul went to great lengths to refute this division which resulted in many within the body being thought of as having less value. Unfortunately, this view often carries over into the church today, with perceived importance to the body based on the direction you face during our Sunday morning gatherings.
Diversity within the Body
My body is composed of a variety of parts. Some parts are more visible than others. And some seem more important than others. But this diversity of parts all make up one unified body. While my body can function without some of its parts, it does best when all of them are present and working together as a unified whole.
And that is true of the body of Christ as well. You are not like me, and I am not like you. We have different strengths and weaknesses, experiences, and abilities. Yet the Holy Spirit has baptized, or immersed, each of us into the one body of Christ. And He has put each of us within the body where He wants us to be, for the benefit of the body as a whole. We are all different, but we need each other. So don’t fall into the trap of believing that your importance within the body is based on the visibility of your service.
As the diversity of my body parts enhances my body as a whole, so does diversity within the body of Christ. Embrace both our diversity and our unity as the body of Christ. Serve faithfully and wholeheartedly regardless of where the Spirit has put you within the body.
