What happens when members of Christ’s body begin acting as though their gifts, preferences, or place in the church make them more important than someone else? That was part of the problem at Corinth. The church was fractured by carnality, and even the gifts of the Spirit had become an opportunity for self-exaltation. Paul brings them back to a truth they had to understand before their behavior could be corrected: “For as the body is one, and hath many members… so also is Christ.” The body has many members, but it has only one Head.
That changes the way we understand both our place in the church and the people Christ has placed beside us. By the Spirit, believers have been brought into union with Christ and with one another. Our different gifts are not given so that one member can rise above another, but for the good of the whole body. And the local church does not get to decide for itself what it should become. Christ is the Head. As His body yields to Him, it should increasingly reflect His character—especially His love. That is why Paul can move from the body in 1 Corinthians 12 to the “more excellent way” of love in chapter 13. Without love, even remarkable gifts amount to nothing.
That also changes how we think about spiritual growth. We can become very good at identifying behavior that needs to change—in ourselves and in others—and begin “hammering the behavior” without dealing with the foundation. Paul begins deeper. He brings the church back to the truth of who they are in Christ and then shows how love must flow from the Head through His body. The encouragement is not that we must somehow produce this on our own. Christ is able. Our place is to yield to Him and say, “Lord, I am nothing, and I can do nothing. Use me in your body.”
If you desire to understand your place in Christ’s body—and how our union with Him should shape the way we serve, love, and bear with one another—hear the complete sermon as Pastor Jake carefully unfolds this truth from 1 Corinthians 12.