Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was primarily written to address misconceptions and misunderstandings about the scriptures and also growing disunity in the church. The backdrop to all of this is that although the Corinthians were plagued with several major problems, this was also a church that had grown both numerically and spiritually. Yet it must be noted here that further growth was now being seriously threatened by rising divisions and an acceptance of immoral behaviour and complete misunderstanding of such spiritual foundational things such as the Lord’s Supper and the resurrection of believers.
In our text for today, Paul addresses the issue of divisions in the church by giving what is essentially a practical biological teaching. He uses the structure and the functions of the human body to point out that the church functions in much the same way that the human body or the body of most living things do.
Most of us can agree that the Christian body today is rife with divisions over all manner of things from interpretation of scripture and the doctrines we formulate to the practice of our faith, and a myriad of things in between. The worst part is that these divisions inevitably breed mistrust, disrespect, and ever so often, open hostility among believers across the various denominations and Christian groups in our world. What is even worse is that these harmful consequences seep into individual family relationships and other communal relationships and as such the division spreads to other areas of human life. How many of us have either experienced or heard of the terrible divisions among family members over the issue of vaccinations during the Covid 19 pandemic because of person’s differing religious views on the subject. Our Christian views can be a powerful binding agent or it can be a destabilizing or outright destructive force among humans. I have heard and have come to believe from my own experience that if you want a healthy relationship with other persons do not discuss religion or politics. The irony is that these are important issues in human society but too few people can engage these issues without becoming overly fanatical and thus allowing their different opinions or positions to affect their relationships. Essentially, the person who doesn’t agree with my politics or my religious views should be shunned or seen to be my enemy.
In that light, I ask us to look at the text from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians as we grasp the message to all believers today. The points that come from this very practical biology lesson is as relevant today as it was in Paul’s day.
First, each body part has an indispensable role in making the entire body function healthily. The major issue among the Corinthian believers was the effort to stratify the different spiritual gifts that they had received based on their own concept of which was more important than the other. As normally happens in this situation, they failed to value and respect gifts that they felt were not as important and as such minimized or devalued the role of those “lesser gifts” in the church. As such people who do not seem to have as much to offer as others are not seen to be as important to the work of the church as other “more important” people in the church. Isn’t this the same today? In our present context it goes beyond the personal to the point where some denominations don’t believe that the doctrinal positions of others are genuine or biblical and thus they treat other denominations as less important and inferior to their church. How often have we heard people promoting their denomination as the “true church” which suggests that other people’s belief in God are false. The Church as the universal body of Christ is made up of people who accept that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Lord of us all and that he came to save us all from sin and that he lives and reigns in glory for eternity. That is the essential truth and all the other frills we add to it do not change that essential truth. That is the foundation of our faith in God and in this, we who believe and live faithfully have hope of eternal life. None of us therefore can or should minimize and devalue others, whether individuals or groups or other denominations, because we feel that we are more spiritual than they are or we have greater spiritual gifts than they do, because we all together make the whole body function healthily.
Secondly, when any part of the body is not functioning the whole body is affected. There is a true saying that says that you never know the need for something until you lose it. In strictly biological terms there are parts of the body that we can live without but my bet is that the body is certainly not in optimum condition without that part. We can live without a kidney or without some of our teeth or without the appendix but the body is not completely whole and in optimal condition without all its parts. It is the same thing with the church. The strength of any church is borne out by all members playing their own roles by contributing whatever their gifts are to make the entire body stronger and healthier. Some people may be tempted to feel that what they do isn’t that important and won’t be missed and like the Corinthians, many believers have felt that they are not important enough. The Church can do without them. This is not so. Everyone of us by our very presence brings something different and unique to the entire body and as such all of us are to be valued as important. When one person stops coming to church that person is missed. That person’s gift or abilities are missed no matter how insignificant and unrecognisable it may seem to the others in the body. The body is hurting when each person withholds his or her gifts and abilities even if they think that they don’t have much to contribute.
Thirdly, it is God who determines each person’s gift and he gives us our gifts to enhance the entire body. It is important to always remember that each part of the body irrespective of how insignificant or how important it may seem is made by God. Concurrently, as believers we must respect the fact that every person’s gift is given to him or her by God. As such, no one else has the right to determine what gifts are important and what gifts are not important to the entire body. We are given the wisdom from God to use our gifts where they are most useful but every gift is important because it is a gift from God. By giving us the gifts that we have received, God calls us into relationship with each other and with him. Our gifts are not given for personal accomplishment and opportunity as important as these are but to enhance or add value to the work of God through the body of Christ and indeed in the world at large. Our gifts and abilities therefore are not meant for selfish motives or purely for personal aggrandisement but to build others up in faith and in love as we work together as one community and as one body in Christ. We are therefore called upon to recognise, even more so in a time when people have become more individualistic and isolationist and selfish in their view of life and their behaviors, that it is only by recognising and valuing each other that the whole body will ever function healthily and effectively. The same principle applies both for secular institutions as well as the church.
May we go from here with a determination to see each other as valued and important and worthy of our love and support as we bless each other with our gifts and abilities and in so doing enhance the work of our own church here in Cottam and play our part in building the kingdom of God as a whole. May God give us the courage and the love and the strength to be faithful to him in all our life’s journey. Amen.
