1st Corinthians 12 talks about the ecclesia and compares it to a body. All of the members of the ecclesia come together as one unified body.
A human body is made up of many different parts. These various parts differ one from another, but they all have a necessary role in the body. This applies to us as members of a group of believers. We are all joined together as one unit. Also, we have been baptized into a special relationship with Christ. Paul explains it this way: “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Cor 12:13).
Paul also explains in verse 13 that we come from all kinds of backgrounds. Back in Christ’s day and in the time of the early ecclesia the biggest difference would have been between Jew and Gentile. But there was also the slave and the free. You had different kinds of men and women joining together as one in service to Christ and to his Father. We also come from various backgrounds, various races, different levels of income, and different levels of education. But none of those things matter as we join together as the body of Christ. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28).
Some people have been raised in a home where there was knowledge of the Truth. Some have attended Sunday school and been associated with Christadelphians their whole life. There are also some who came to the knowledge of the Truth later in life and were converted. Whether you have been baptized for 50 years or for 5 months, all of us are part of the body. That is a very beautiful concept to me. We are all parts, but we are not all identical parts, we can’t be, we shouldn’t be. This is touched on as follows: “If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were and eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?” (1 Cor 12:15-17). And also “And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.” (1 Cor 12:21).
All parts are important. There are some parts of a body that are more prominent; the eyes, the hands, the feet, they are the more obvious parts. But that doesn’t mean that they are the most important parts. There are parts of the body that are not even seen, but they are essential for life. There are vital organs in our body that even though they aren’t seen, they are what keep our bodies functioning and healthy. As a matter of fact, if you had to choose, they are the more important parts of the body as far as surviving is concerned. You could potentially lose your eyes, ears, hands or feet and still live. It certainly would not be easy, but it is possible.
You couldn’t lose your heart, lungs, or kidneys and keep on living. In the body of the ecclesia, many things are done behind the scenes that may not be noticed, but they are crucial for the function of the ecclesia.
Parts of an Ecclesia
Sometimes the most obvious things in an ecclesia are considered the most important. The good speakers among us might be given more prominence than other members, but it shouldn’t be that way! Consider the arranging brethren. They aren’t the rulers of the ecclesia, rather they are servants. There is no glamour in that job. Often, the things that the arranging brothers meet to discuss are very unpleasant matters. They have the responsibility of making decisions that hopefully will help the body survive. They are a part, but not the most important part of the body. Nor should they consider themselves more important. There isn’t room for a superior attitude, there isn’t room for envy. We all have different abilities, different talents, and different potentials. We should acknowledge one another’s strengths, because we all have our different areas of ability. When all of these various strengths are brought together, it makes for a healthy ecclesia.
The first part of 1 Cor 12 talks about the different gifts that the early believers might possess. The gifts of the Holy Spirit could be manifested in a number of ways. It could be wisdom, healing, working of miracles, prophesy, speaking in tongues, or the interpretation of tongues to name a few. Not one of these gifts was considered more important than any of the others. They were all equally important. Why is that? Because they all, in their own way, were useful as a witness to show the power and glory of God. It wasn’t to glorify the person who had the gift. It was to glorify the one who gave the gift, God.
So it is with an ecclesia today. We don’t have the gifts of the Holy Spirit today, but we all have different talents, that when brought together and used correctly, gives glory to God. Rom 12:3-10 describes the differing gifts and how they are to be used. In the NIV verse 9 reads “Love must be sincere” rather than “Let love be without dissimulation” as read in the KJV. We are not to think too highly of ourselves, but at the same time we are to take seriously our various jobs and positions within the body so that we can do the best job possible. If a responsibility is laid upon us, then it’s our duty to try our utmost to handle that responsibility.
If we don’t have love, then it doesn’t matter what gift or talents we have. 1 Cor 13 talks about the importance of love. The first verses describe gifts and qualities that would have been very admirable to possess. If one had gifts of the Holy Spirit, but no love, then it was worthless. If one were to give everything to the poor or even give themselves up as a martyr, but had no love, it would be meaningless.
Today, if a member is an outstanding speaker, or a strong Bible student able to delve into the deepest recesses of the Word, but has no love, it’s nothing. If a member has a so called “position of authority” without love, it’s all a waste of time. With love an individual will put others first.
If we were all exactly the same, what kind of ecclesia would you have? The examples of the different parts of the body are used in 1 Cor 12. If all of the body were made of eyes, how could it hear? If it were all ears, how could it smell? If we all had the exact talents, taste, likes and dislikes it wouldn’t be a good thing. If everyone was exactly like me, then we would probably end up not getting much accomplished. Fortunately, we’re all different.
Learning to Fit Together
Sometimes these differences cause us to become frustrated with each other. Our different opinions and viewpoints can cause contention among us. More often than not, our differences contribute to the well-being of our ecclesia. An excellent example of this is our group Bible discussions. We discuss a portion of the scripture and weigh in on the discussion. Everyone has a slightly different angle on a subject. This helps to bring out things that might not come out otherwise. Even if someone brings up a point that you don’t agree with, it at least makes you think. So our differences can actually strengthen us as a group and individually.
1 Cor 12:18 talks about God’s role in the arrangement of the body. KJV “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.” NIV “But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be.” We know that God formed our natural bodies so that many different parts function together. In the ecclesial body, isn’t it the same? Our heavenly Father has put us here all together for a reason. We need to learn how to work together and learn together, to rejoice together and be sad together.
We all have to learn how to fit into our diversity of roles in the ecclesia. We sometimes may complain about our role, but we shouldn’t. It could be that God put you in a position because you have a knack for that particular job, even if it’s not the most enjoyable job in the world. It also could be that, in some cases, God puts you in a situation to help develop something in you that you would never naturally develop on your own. It often takes us out of our comfort zone. A good example might be the writer of this exhortation. I get nervous about speaking before my own ecclesia. 1 Cor 12:26 reads “And whether one member suffer, all members suffer with it.”
In our natural bodies, if we have a problem with one part of our body, it can affect the rest of our body. Have you ever injured you lower back? It makes you feel bad all over. It affects the way you walk, the way you sit, the way you sleep. It has a bearing on just about every aspect of your life. So it is with the ecclesia if one member is suffering. The rest of the body suffers as well. If one member is ill, injured, or suffers loss we all feel that pain. That is because of the love we have for each other. If someone you love is hurting, it makes you hurt.
Some of our members who are the most loving and sympathetic, are the brother or sister who have suffered a lot of illness and adversity in their own lives. Perhaps they can more readily identify with others’ suffering because of what they’ve been through, and they know first-hand that it’s a bad place to be. To me that is Christ like behavior in the purest form. In many ways, the days ahead will become tougher for the body of Christ.
We have to work hard to remain together in unity. The immorality of this world is becoming more of a problem every day. Some of it is very subtle. We have to be very careful to keep ourselves separate from the world around us as much as possible. Unfortunately, sometimes we lose a member of this body and it is very saddening. Some will succumb to the temptations of the world and fall away. Some will lose the desire to be a part of the body and slowly fade away. But what remains of the body has to continue on in faith, working together as a unit to get this body ready for the kingdom. The glue that binds this body together is love. It is the most important thing. When we partake of the emblems, let us really think about the love of Christ. His love for us was so great that he endured torture and death to open a way for salvation.
Now, there might be a danger of becoming complacent if we start to think that we have our little role in the ecclesia and that is all we need to do. That could impede personal growth. That’s not the point. The point that I hoped to get across, is the idea of a diversified group of people coming together and working together as a strong unit, with the sum of the parts being greater than the individual parts. And also that no one should feel insignificant in their ecclesia. You are all important! Never forget that your ecclesia needs you; also never forget that you need your ecclesia.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One