This morning, we looked at our identity as the body of Christ (see 1 Cor 12:12-31, Rom 12:4-8). We marvelled at the human body, with its 206 bones, 78 organs, 8,000 taste buds, 30 trillion cells and 60,000 miles of blood arteries, and reflected on how we are all uniquely, fearfully and wonderfully made. When it comes to the church, Christ’s body, we saw that diversity is essential to this organism. We are all members of one body but have different functions and gifts and talents, and how important it is for God’s mission in the world that we use these all. No one part is more important than another; Paul makes it clear that the less visible parts of the human body are just as important as the visible parts, and so it is with the church. (1 Cor 12:21-26) Diversity means different roles and responsibilities are needed, some according to our natural talents, all dependent on God’s grace.
So often, we resent diversity, expecting everyone to be like us, or we feel superior or inferior to others because we are always comparing ourselves to them. Paul warns against this (Rom 12:3), reminding us that ‘the only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.’ The diversity of the church is one of its greatest strengths. Just as our human body is strengthened by the different body parts working together in harmony to create a strong whole, so the church is strong when we work together under the headship of Christ.
The body is united, a whole, but unity does not mean uniformity. Our identity as the people of God can never be understood apart from God; He is the unifying factor in our corporate identity. Just as it has been discovered that the brain is the most important organ in the human body, housing the intellect, emotions, personality and consciousness and controlling all the body’s other organs, so we understand that Christ is the head of the body, the One in charge, the One guiding and leading us in every area of our lives. Without Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:5) As we enter a new year, we do so in the humble awareness that we need Christ to lead us and guide us every step of the way. The psalmist said, ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain.’ (Ps 127:1) In the same way, unless Christ is the head of the church, we labour in vain. We need His direction and His leading; we need His control. Thankfully, He remains the head, no matter what we may feel, and in being part of His body, we gain identity, unity and purpose.
