Today’s sermon is all about the Body of Christ and how each part is related with each other.
Title: Principles of The Body of Christ
Text: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31
Introduction
This morning we talked about the principles concerning spiritual gifts. We talked about spiritual gifts as God given, that there are different kinds of gifts with different kinds of manifestation.
Tonight, we will be talking about the Body of Christ as the basic composition of God’s community, God’s church.
Principles Of The Body of Christ
Principle 1: The Body Is One (v.12-13)
The passage has been very clear that the body is a unit (v.12) composed of different parts. Let us talk first about the Body. The Body of Christ that we are talking about here is the basic unit of the church. This pertains to the local church in contrast to what other people is trying to prove about the “Universal Church”. Yes, we also belong to the Universal church, but the passage is not referring to the universal church but to the local church.
As a local church, each one of us were baptized in one Spirit into one body. Yes, we are one body. This means that we are identified as one, having the same goal, having the same outlook.
As we act as a body, all our actions are being defined as one. Let us take for example an individual. When his hand steal, it is not only the hand that goes to jail, but the whole body. Likewise, if the hand does well, it is not only the hand who is being commended but the whole body.
As one body we have the same goal. We move forward toward a common goal. Just like an individual who decided to go to a certain place, his whole body walks through the same direction, it makes a step each one at a time until he reach his destination.
As one body we also have the same outlook. As an individual plans ahead of time what does he wants to achieve, so are we as one body in Christ Jesus, we plan as a whole to achieve what we want to achieve in the future. There is no part of the body that go against the flow of the plan. But each one function for a common interest, to achieve the same outlook and goal.
Principle 2: The Body Is Composed Of Many Parts (v.12-13)
An individual is composed of many parts. There is a head, eyes, nose, mouth, hands, feet, fingers, tongue etc. Each part fits together to form one body. Each part works for a common goal but function differently. Each part is different from one another except those parts that comes in pairs.
Each part fits together to form one body. Each part perfectly fits where they are. The head is located at the upper portion of the body to take the lead, to oversee the activity of the whole body. The eyes is located within the head for they are the tools to see the physical things that the body has to see. On the other hand the feet are the located at the lowest portion of the body to enable it to move from one place to another. Each part is located where it is perfectly useful for the whole body.
Each part works for a common goal but function differently. The eye cannot function as what the mouth does nor vice versa. The nose cannot function as feet, but it is the nose that gathers air for the use of the whole body. The hands are the one who do the chores while the feet are the one that makes the body mobile. But all these though function differently, they work together in order for the whole body to achieve its goal and purpose.
Each part is different from the other. Even those that comes in pairs. Sometimes they function differently even if they look like the same. For example the eyes. The left eye is more dominant in his vision of the left things while the right eye is more dominant in his vision on the right things. They are the same, but each of them has a different area of expertise. So as the hands and feet. Each is composed of right and left, but each of them has different areas of expertise.
Principle 3: Each Part Has A Very Important Role (v.14-20)
No part of the body who can say to other parts; “I do not need you.” For each part have its own unique function. As we already have discussed earlier, no part has no use. Each one is useful in his own way, and each part should function well his work or problems will start to rise and becomes the problem of the whole body.
There is no above nor lowly job for each one. For the whole body will be affected if there is just one part that will start to malfunction. The body will suffer from sickness, and pain, and will be disabled from all other works.
No one can ever say, “you are not important”, for everybody is important. However, there will be times that a part of the body should be amputated. There are times that parts of the body becomes the problem of the whole body. And after being treated still, the part does not function well and the body is forced to amputate or separate that part in order for the body to be saved.
This is very true in the body of Christ. There are some people who refuses to function well, instead they became gangrenes of the church, some of them became problems to which there is no such easy solution, and sometimes solutions is up to the point of cutting them off from the body. The body will surely be affected, but at least it will be saved from total destruction.
Principle 4: Each Part Is Interdependent With Each Other (v.21-31)
Each part of the body is interdependent with each other. As we have mentioned earlier, each part depends on each other. It is the mouth who takes in different foods, but it is the tongue that expresses what the whole body feels.
It is the hands who do the chores, but it is the feet who keeps them mobile. It is the ears that protects the whole body from accidents so as the eyes. The nose is the one who takes in the air that supplies the whole body including the head. Each part, depends on each other.
When the hands starts to make the body mobile and the feet starts to do the chores, it makes the body more difficult to function. Therefore, each body should learn how to be dependent from each other.
Conclusion
The principles concerning our body is very helpful in demonstrating the unity that should be at work in us. Without unity, it will be difficult for us to become one body in Christ.
