“For in fact the body is not one member but many.”
Verse 14 forms the theme for all that follows in the chapter – there is one body but many members of that body.
For in fact the body is not one member but many.
The human body consists of many parts, and the body of Christ consists of many gifts. We cannot equate one part of the body with the whole or one gift with the entire function of the church. A body is not simply a multiplicity of parts but symmetry in diversity. No one gift is perfect or complete in itself; we need the symmetry of the whole.
PRINCIPLE:
Every believer contributes to the total body.
APPLICATION:
As unity is important to the body, so diversity is important to the body. Each diverse member of the body is significant to the church. Some people say, “My gifts are not that important or significant, so what contribution can I make to the church?” The implication in that statement is that the Holy Spirit’s sovereign, supernatural decision making in giving those people their gifts was not adequate.
Every believer is important to the body of Christ, for no gift is more important than any other gift. As every part of the human body is essential to its function, so is every gift essential to the function of the body of Christ. Believers do not stand alone; we need each other. Every believer in the body depends on some other believer for a spiritual function. My head could not go anywhere without the cooperation of my legs. I could not say a word without the assistance of my voice box.
