Sunday,
August 11, 2013
UNITY IN
DIVERSITY
I Cor. 12:1-11
Now this morning we have with us
several young people that are getting old enough that they might be thinking
about marriage. Some of you parents
don't want to hear that because you are hoping that son or daughter will not
get married until age 35. Not
really. What we really desire is that our
sons and daughters (or grandchildren) will enter into a marriage that will
glorify God and bring them the Lord's joy.
But it's kind of scary because there are lots of possible marriage
partners out there and some of them are not desirable, to say the least. So we work with them and trust the Lord to
guide.
So you young people, let me give you
a word of advice when it comes to choosing a marriage partner. Look for someone who is like you. Don't go after that gal just because she is
good looking. Don't pursue that young
man because he is popular with the crowd.
No, find someone who is like you.
If you like to go to the opera, find someone who also likes to go to the
opera. If you don't like reading books,
don't marry someone who does. You want
someone who is like you, so that you can get along. If you like to play chess, then find a
partner who loves chess, so that the two of you can enjoy playing
together. If you are good at working
with kids, then find someone who is also good at working with the kids.
Now let's evaluate that advice. What do you think? I think my advice will help the young couple
get along. If they enjoy the same
things, that will give them a foundation for enjoying their relationship
together. Having similar interests will help
them avoid disagreements. While that
might seem logical, there is a problem.
Even if finding a marriage partner much like self helps them get along,
it may seriously handicap their usefulness.
They both are good at working with children, but does either of them do
well with the elderly? Perhaps it would
have been better if they were different.
She isn't as much into reading, but she is great at finding bargains at
garage sales. No, he doesn't play chess,
but he's a whiz at budgeting and organizing finances. In other words, their differences allow them
as a team to be able to do a greater variety of things.
The term that is often used to
describe this concept is "unity in diversity." The couple is united, actually one flesh
according to the Bible, but their varied interests and skills contribute to
their happiness and their usefulness to other people.
While marriage is somewhat useful in
demonstrating this principle, the body of Christ is a much more powerful
illustration. Unity in diversity is what
we find in the body of Christ. Let's
look at it this morning in I Cor. 12.
About six weeks ago we looked at the latter part of this chapter, where
Paul describes the church as the body of Christ. Do you remember that? Let's read it again in I Cor. 12:12, "For
as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body,
being many, are one body, so is Christ."
Paul goes on to explain that if all the members were eyes, the body
wouldn't be able to hear. If all the
members were ears, it wouldn't be able to smell. No, God has made all the members of the body
different and each is indispensable. So
it is in the body of Christ. We are all
different, but we are all necessary.
Now before we continue or look at
spiritual gifts, let's step back for a moment and ask a couple of
questions. The first question is
this: Where do these spiritual gifts
come from? I'm glad you asked. In the beginning, God created the heavens and
the earth. The climax of His creation
was man. He put Adam and Eve in the
Garden of Eden, giving them everything anyone could ever desire. There was only
one negative command: "Do not eat
from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; in the day that you eat it,
you will surely die" (Gen. 2:17).
Tempted by the snake, Eve ate the fruit and gave it to Adam, who
also ate. Did they die that day? Yes.
They died in that they were separated from God, and that's why they hid
from Him in the garden. Hundreds of
years later they would die physically.
What does that have to do with
us? Everything. Because we are the descendants of Adam and
Eve, we partake of their sin. In other
words, we come into this world separated from God. We are sinners, and we prove it by
sinning. Some day we will die physically;
our bodies will be separated from their spirits. And if something isn't done, we will be
separated from the loving presence of God forever. "For the wages of sin is death,"
and that death includes eternal death, torment forever in hell.
What can be done about it? Man has tried to rectify his situation down
through the centuries, but he has never been successful. No amount of good deeds, going to church,
reading the Bible, praying, morality, or any other act of man can make him
right with God, can obliterate the sin debt he owes, can bring forgiveness from
God. Man is hopeless. But there was one man, the God-man, the man
Jesus Christ, who came into this world and was tempted just as we are
tempted. That One lived a perfect
life. Not only did He refuse to do
wrong, but He did everything the Father desired Him to do. Above all, He loved us, people who deserve
nothing but the wrath of God.
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and
sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (I John 4:10). Jesus took our punishment at the
cross. We deserve the punishment of the
Almighty, but Jesus took it for us. He
who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of
God in Him (II Cor. 5:21). This is the only
way God can forgive us and still be just -- because He punished our sins in
Jesus. God announced Jesus' effective
work by raising Him from the dead. Jesus
wasn't defeated; He was and is the Victor.
He is alive today.
A couple of months after Jesus rose
from the dead, His followers suddenly began to speak in many different
languages about the mighty works of God (Acts 2:1-11). How were they able to do that? In Peter's explanation we find these words,
" This
Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted
to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of
the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear" (Acts
2:32-33). It is the promised
Holy Spirit dwelling within the believer who gives the gifts.
So when we talk about the gifts of
the Spirit, understand that we are talking about the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ. Apart from the cross and
resurrection, there is no indwelling Spirit and there are no gifts of the
Spirit. This is the Holy Spirit, the
Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ Jesus.
As we consider the gifts of the Spirit, may we never divorce those gifts
from the Spirit whom Jesus and the Father send to all who believe.
The second question we might ask
goes something like this: "So where
are we these days? We talked about
revival, and how such an extraordinary movement of the Spirit producing
extraordinary results comes out of recog-nition of deed coupled with genuine
prayer. How does that fit in with the
gifts of the Spirit? How does it fit in
with what we heard Wednesday evening?" Good question.
Brothers and sisters, we praise God for the work He is doing among us,
and we long for more. Yes, may we
continue to cry out to God for a mighty outpouring of His Spirit. But I must remind us that this is not an
emotional working up of experience. This
is an inward longing to know God. This
is a continual thirsting for Jesus, a continual coming to Jesus, a continual
trusting of Jesus, because our Lord promised that out of such heart hunger flow
rivers of living water. And if we are
going to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, then we must
keep coming to the Word of God, which is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto
our path. We magnify the majesty of our
Lord and bow humbly at His feet. We're
talking about the way of the cross.
Let's
Pray...
This morning we are going to look at
the first 11 verses and see how they fit in with the last part of the
chapter. So let's read I
Cor. 12:1-11...
Now
concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: 2 You
know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were
led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God
calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences
of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities,
but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the
Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the
word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the
same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of
healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another
prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of
tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same
Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He
wills.
Please allow me to break this
passage down into five parts and look at each individually.
I.
Introduction to Spiritual Gifts
(1-3)
Before we look at these first three
verses, let's step back and consider the background of this letter. Paul is writing to the church at
Corinth. This is a pagan city where Paul,
accompanied by Silas and Timothy, on his third missionary journey preached in
the synagogue until the Jews began to stubbornly oppose him. He then turned to the Gentiles and remained
in Corinth for 18 months. Out of Paul's
missionary work there was born a church.
This is the church to which he was writing.
There is much we could say about the
church at Corinth, but for now I want to emphasize just one thing -- it was a
divided church. All through the letter
we see evidence of this division in 1 Cor. 1:10-12...
Now
I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all
speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be
perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it
has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household,
that there are contentions among you. 12 Now I say this, that each of you says,
"I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of
Cephas," or "I am of Christ."
Paul refers to this same division
again in chapter 3. 3:1-4...
And I,
brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to
babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now
you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you
are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you,
are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, "I am
of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal?
When there is such a deep division,
that factious spirit often spills over into many areas. It seems obvious that much of Paul's letter
is a response to specific issues about which the Corinthian believers have
asked him. In chapter 8 he deals with
eating meat offered to idols. In light
of the division within the church, it seems likely that they were divided on
this issue of eating meat offered to idols, with some saying it was okay and
others maintaining it was sinful. In
chapter 11 he deals with their participation in the communion service. Again, it is likely they had different
opinions on the matter.
Now when we come to chapter 12, let
us remember that Paul was addressing a divided church. This truth likely stands behind the words of
these first three verses. Let's read again
12:1-3...
Now
concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: 2 You
know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were
led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God
calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy
Spirit.
It is likely in verse 1 that your
translation has the word "gifts" in italics. Why is that?
It is because the word is not in the text. Down in verse 4 the word "gifts" (carisma) is used, but
not here. The word in verse 1 is built
on the Greek word for "spirit."
Perhaps the best translation would be "spirituals." It might refer to either spiritual things or
spiritual people, but here most likely refers to spiritual things. Concerning these spiritual things, Paul does
not want them to be ignorant, to be in the dark.
So why does Paul uses this
word? It seems clear from the rest of
the passage that he desires to write to them about the gifts, so why does he
not use that word in verse 1? Though we
are not told, it seems most likely that Paul is using the word they
preferred. "Now concerning" is
Paul's typical way of responding to their questions. Go back to 7:1, "Now concerning
the things of which you wrote to me..."
Then he proceeds to talk to them about marriage, divorce, etc. So here in chapter 12 Paul is responding to a
question they asked him. The question
must have concerned gifts, but Paul's use of the word "spiritual"
seems to indicate that it was a rather loaded question. Perhaps one group in the church was asking,
"Isn't it true that those who exercise the gifts of the Spirit are the
most spiritual?" From the oppos-ing
group the question was more along the lines, "Surely it isn't true that
the exercise of the gifts is the test of spirituality?" (See Showing
the Spirit, by D. A. Carson, p. 22-23).
This would account for his use of the word "spirituals"
instead of the word "gift." He
is using their word, which captures this controversy over who was the most
spiritual. This is exactly what they
were arguing about in chapters 1 and 3, though the particular issue was
different.
Verse 2 has caused much
speculation. Many have put it together
with verse 3 and then concluded that at least some of the Corinthian believers
were using pagan curses, but all of that is mere speculation. I think it is better to see verse 2 as a kind
of parenthesis. Paul does not want them
to be ignorant, as when they were still lost and in the world. Then what he wants to make known to them is
in verse 3. It is a reminder of the
unity they have in Christ and the Holy Spirit whom He has sent. Though they may differ in their opinions,
they must remember that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus
accursed, and no one can (truly) say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy
Spirit. Those who possess the Holy
Spirit are united in their central confession that Jesus is Lord.
So even in the introduction to this
subject of gifts, Paul finds it necessary and beneficial to remind them of
their unity in Christ. Remember Jesus'
prayer in John 17:20-21, "I do not pray for these alone, but also
for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be
one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us,
that the world may believe that You sent Me." Since the Father answered Jesus' prayer, all
true believers are one. Much of this
letter is built around Paul's exhortation that they live out the unity that is
theirs in Christ, and this passage is a prime demonstration of that.
II.
The Concept of Unity in Diversity
(4-6)
In verses 4-6 we have clearly stated
this concept of unity in diversity.
Let's read it again: 4-6...
There
are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of
ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but
it is the same God who works all in all.
Paul gives a mountain of truth in a
very few words. Notice the emphasis on
diversity. We find it in the first parts
of verses 4, 5, and 6. The New King
James doesn't use the same word each time, but in the original the same word is
used. The root meaning speaks of a
distinction made by dividing. As a
matter of fact, the verbal form of the word is found down in verse 11,
"But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing (KJV --
dividing) to each one individually as He wills." The NKJ renderings "diversities"
and "differences" are fine, but understand that the very same word is
used in all three verses -- differences of gifts, differences of ministries,
differences of activities. So here we
see the diversity.
At the end of each of these three
statements is a similar statement -- "but the same Spirit," "but
the same Lord," "but it is the same God who works all in
all." Different gifts, but the same
Spirit. Different ministries, but the
same Lord. Different activities, but the
same God. Now we see the unity. In each of these statements we find the
identical word "same." In the midst of all the differences, we find
the same Spirit, Lord, and God.
No matter how some may deny it, even
a child can see the truth of the Trinity in these verses. In these three consecutive verses we have
clear reference to the Holy Spirit, to the Lord Jesus, and to God the
Father. Even so, we cannot give a full explanation. Are they three? No, they are one. Then they are the same? No, they are clearly Spirit, Lord, and
God. As much as the three are unified in
one, so there is unity among those who bear the various gifts, perform the
different services, and go about the diverse activities. The gifting is of the Spirit; the ministries
lift up Jesus; the activities are empowered by God.
Brothers and sisters, may God give
us grace to celebrate both our unity and our diversity. The enemy would lead us to polarize these two
concepts and refuse to put them together.
If we are very different, then we can't have unity. If we have real unity, then our differences
will disappear. No, this entire chapter
refutes those lies. We are not one in
spite of our differences, but the God who has made us one has created and
emphasizes our differences. Who is it
that has made us to differ, according to I Cor. 4:7? It is God who made us different. And why is it that we have different gifts? It is the Holy Spirit who has blessed us with
different gifts. This is the plan of
God. Celebrate it. Thank God that He didn't populate His kingdom
with ten million Ron Tysons or Joe Myers or Rita Lackeys.
Last week we looked at 1 Peter
4. Come back again to 4:10,
"As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as
good stewards of the manifold grace of God." Remember that the words "gift" and
"grace" are closely related, almost identical in the Greek
original. Because we have received gifts
from the Holy Spirit, we are stewards (managers) of the manifold grace of God,
the varied grace of God, the many-colored grace of God. As the grace of God comes in many varieties
and expressions, so those believers who receive that grace will have great
variety. This variety is the very work
of God; it is a good thing. You don't
need to be like someone else.
Now let me emphasize again how this
concept of unity in diversity cannot be separated from the concept of the
church as a body. Why does the human
body function so well? Why is it able to
see, hear, smell, touch, move, grasp, etc.?
It is not only because it has different parts and the parts look
different. It is because the various
parts have different abilities. The eye
sees; the ear hears; the feet move us; the toes help us balance. Because the members of the body have
different abilities, the body can do a great variety of things. But what if the ears decided they should be
like the eyes? Day after day the ears
work and work to develop the ability to see.
We know that would be a futile exercise, but just pretend for a moment
that the ears could learn to see almost as well as the eyes. I don't think the increased vision would be
of much benefit to the body. But because
the ears have become seers instead of hearers, the body will be greatly impaired. Do you see it? Ida, if you spend all your time trying to
learn to sing like Rita, who will send out those birthday cards? Just
as the body has many members, though it is one body, each member of the body is
gifted differently.
III.
The Purpose of Unity in Diversity
(7)
The basic purpose of this unity in
diversity is stated simply and concisely in verse 7, "But the
manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of
all." While we might expect Paul to
say that each gift of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all, he
doesn't use the word gift here. Instead,
he speaks of the manifestation of the Spirit.
One translation puts it like this:
"The evidence of the Spirit's presence is given to each person for
the common good of everyone" (God's Word Translation). Perhaps he wanted to emphasize that the
gifts, which he then lists, are evidence of the Spirit's presence.
What is absolutely clear is that the
manifestation of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, are not given primarily
for the benefit of the individual.
Rather, each one is given for the profit of all, for the common good. The "all" obviously refers to all
those who are part of the body of Christ.
While all mankind may ultimately benefit, that does not fit with the
context of this passage. As we have
seen, Paul is talking about Christ's body.
The Spirit gives gifts so that the body as a whole will benefit.
We can see this very easily by
looking again at the human body. Who
benefits from the ability of the eye to see?
I suppose the eye benefits, but we don't think of it that way. The entire body benefits. Because of the eye's ability to see, the foot
knows where to step and the hand knows where to reach. So let's be absolutely clear on this
issue. Whatever gift you have received
from the Spirit, it is not for you. You
have been entrusted with that gift so that you may be a blessing to the body as
a whole. And that is true of all your
brothers and sisters.
Isn't this what we found in I Peter
4? Of course, the ultimate purpose is
the glory of God, as we found in 4:11. That
is not spelled out here in I Corinthians 12.
I believe that Paul assumes that.
We find this statement at the end of chapter 10: "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or
whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (I Cor. 10:31). The theme of God's glory runs
throughout Paul's letters. But here he
is focusing on the welfare of the body of Christ. So we find the same truth in I
Pet. 4:10, "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one
another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." Use your gifts to minister to one
another. It isn't for you; it's for the
benefit of those brothers and sisters that you love, for whom you care and
pray. Praise God that He has blessed you
with a gift that will make you a blessing to others!
IV.
The Mechanism of Unity in Diversity -- The Gifts Themselves (8-10)
Now we come to verses 8-10. It is here that Paul gives us a list of gifts
from the Spirit. You will notice in
verses 8-9 the emphasis on the fact that these gifts are given by the Spirit,
even the same Spirit. Here again we find
the prominence of unity (same Spirit) in diversity (nine different gifts
listed). So here is Paul's list...
1. Word of wisdom
2. Word of knowledge
3. Faith
4. Gifts of healings
5. Workings of miracles
6. Prophecy
7. Discerning of spirits
8. (Different) Kinds of tongues
9. Interpretation of tongues
The first question we might ask is
this: "Are these all the gifts of
the Spirit?" The answer is an
unqualified "No." How do we
know? Because Paul lists more gifts
right here in this same chapter. At the
end of the chapter Paul makes it clear that no one has all the gifts. He does it by giving a list of gifts and then
asking some rhetorical questions, such as, "Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?" (12:29). Notice his list in verse 28, "And
God has appointed these in the church:
first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles,
then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues." Though Paul does not designate them as gifts,
we know they are because he lists some of the same ones that we find here in
verses 8-10 (such as gifts of healings and tongues). However, we find some here that we didn't
find before, such as apostles, teachers, helps, and administrations.
Furthermore, this is not the only
list of gifts. While I Peter 4 gives us
only two categories of gifts, Paul includes other gifts in Romans 6 and
Ephesians 4. If we combine all these
lists, we find over 20 gifts. No single
list has all the gifts, and only prophecy is included in each list. This indicates that there is no exhaustive
list of gifts. These are representative,
but they are not exhaustive. There can be
other gifts which are not listed in the New Testament.
While there are indeed specific
gifts of the Spirit, this term "gift" is not used exclusively of the
gifts of the Spirit. For example, Rom.
6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Eternal life itself is described as a gift of
God. In Rom. 1:11 Paul speaks of
imparting a spiritual gift, which seems to be spiritual encouragement. So the word "gift" (carisma) is not a word
that is used exclusively of these "spiritual gifts," but Paul (and
Peter) certainly uses it repeated in this way.
We are not going to have time to
explore these gifts individually this morning, but we can see that Paul gives a
definite list of gifts by which the entire body is to benefit. We will be talking more about these gifts,
especially the two to which Paul gives much attention in chapter 14. I will let you read chapter 14 and discover
which two, if you don't already know.
V.
Conclusion: The Spirit Is
Sovereign Over the Gifts (11)
Before launching into his teaching
on the body of Christ in verse 12, he concludes this phase of discussion on the
gifts with these words in verse 11, "But one and the same
Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He
wills." At first it may seem that
this is simply a repetition of what he has already said. It is one and the same Spirit who distributes
these gifts to various individuals within the body. However, notice those last three words --
"as He wills." To whom does He
refer? To the Spirit, who is mentioned
earlier in the verse. The Spirit
distributes all these gifts as He wills, as He chooses, as He desires.
Let's suppose someone, or a few
someones, decide to start a new church.
Well, if that church is going to do well, it will need someone to preach
and teach. So it is decided that Bob
will get training to preach and teach.
It would be helpful to have someone else who is good with finances. So Sally will take accounting classes. Some careful planning and efficient training
should lay the groundwork for the new church.
No, it doesn't work that way.
While training may be helpful, that is not the foundation of the body of
Christ. The Spirit distributes His gifts
as He sees fit. He has gifted people to
contribute to the good of all.
But how does the Spirit know how to
distribute the gifts? "For the
Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man,
save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no
man, but the Spirit of God" (I Cor. 2:10-11). No man could ever equip the body of Christ the
way the Spirit does. Praise God that He
who knows the mind of God distributes His gifts among the people of God, and He
does it for the glory of God. He knows
exactly what is needed in the body of Christ and works to fill those needs
through the gifting of the saints.
Conclusion
Let me wrap up with two brief
thoughts. Number one, let's be thankful
for the gifts, but let's never allow the gifts to eclipse the Giver. If the exercise of the gifts of the Spirit do
not bring glory to God, then something is desperately wrong. So we will not be afraid of the gifts, but
neither will we glory in them; we will glory in the Giver of all gifts, of whom
it is said, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and
comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow
of turning" (James 1:17).
Secondly, let's rejoice that we are
one and
that God has made us differently, that He has given us different gifts. Consider yet another illustration. Look at all the different races of people in
the world. Are they all one? Not in the spiritual sense we are talking
about in I Cor. 12, but they are all one in that they are part of the human
race. Nevertheless, what diversity
within that unity. There are Anglos,
blacks, Mexicans, Indians, Thais, Indonesians, Eskimos, and on and on. I don't know if you are like me, but I love
to go to places like Grand Canyon. Yes,
I marvel at God's natural creation, but I also marvel at all the different
kinds of people I can observe there. Not
only do I see the great variety in looks, but I get to hear them speaking all
kinds of different languages. It doesn't
matter that I can't understand any of them; I just like to listen to that
language that is so different from my own.
There is a distinct beauty in this diversity.
How much more so is it in the new
creation, the body of Christ. Let's take
time this week to consciously get with the Lord and give Him thanks for that
unity in diversity.
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