#10 of 12, in the series, 1 Corinthians: The Church Troubled and Triumphant
E Pluribus Unum was the original motto of our United States of America. E Pluribus Unum means ‘out of many, one.’ It seems that the Founding Fathers of our nation understood that in the establishment of a new nation many different people were coming together to form one new nation. While the cultural distinctions of the many were to be respected and appreciated yet there was a happy expectation of the oneness of the new nation. In the midst of cultural diversity there would be a new and powerful unity never before known.
E Pluribus Unum, ‘out of the many, one’ is a glimpse of the idea of diversity in unity that is to pervade the life of any local church. The local church is a group of people coming together with innumerable distinctions and yet with a powerful oneness. This unity among diversity is a vital truth which fuels true worship in the local church. We become a part of the body of Christ by submitting to the rule of Christ. When Christ becomes our King, we become His church.
When we are baptized into His body, the church, we are given spiritual giftedness by the Holy Spirit and we are called to serve the body with our gift. As each one of God’s people serve the greater body with spiritual giftedness, we become a manifestation of the Holy Spirit in our world. We show forth that we are more than little individuals who see each other on Sundays; rather we are one new people who live together with power in our worship.
Notice chapter 12.1. We must not be ignorant concerning spiritual gifts in the life of our local church. A proper understanding of the Spirit’s work among us, especially through the spiritual gifts of believers, is vital for our life together. This passage helps us to understand the Spirit’s work in our midst by teaching the truth of diversity in unity.
I. Many Gifts, One God. 12.1-11
Notice the diversity in unity in verse 4. There are many gifts, in the life of the church, but there is one Holy Spirit. This passage goes even further by noting there is one Lord (verse 5) and one God the Father (verse 6). So the fullness of the Godhead is the foundational unity, which binds the many and various expressions of spiritual gifts together. There is one God and this one God is the Fountainhead from which flows the many spiritual gifts by which this One God builds up His church.
If you are here today and you are not a believer. If your life has never been changed by the gospel. You must know this One God. God’s people were instructed to teach their children in Deuteronomy 6 “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Even in contemporary American culture, which celebrates diversity by which is meant that every path to ‘God’ is equal and valid, yet even in this culture the truth remains there is one God and you must know Him through faith in Jesus Christ alone. That is the creed of verse 3, “Jesus is Lord.” Does your life make this claim? Is Jesus your Lord? He must be.
There are many different gifts mentioned in verses that follow. Perhaps nine different categories of gifts including everything from wisdom, to faith, to tongues, are listed among the spiritual gifts, but verse 11 teaches that the same Spirit gives each particular gift as he wills. God gives the gifts and He gives them for the good of the church. Notice verse 7.
So, for those of us who are indeed believers, we are taught first that we do indeed have a spiritual gift and we are under obligation to employ our giftedness for the building up of God’s church. Herein is one of the secrets of a powerful church. The Holy Spirit of God is seen to be at work with power, He is made manifest, in a local church when the members of the church seek to build one another up spiritually. If we would see God work with power among us, then we each must serve spiritually to build one another up. We have many gifts, but only one God.
II. Many Members, One Body. 12.12-31
Notice verse 12. Now, along the same line of thinking here Paul uses the analogy of the human body to teach the unity among diversity of the local church. Believers are the many members of the one body of Christ, just as our physical bodies have many members. So, your body has feet, eyes, ears, nose, and many, many other organs or members and yet you have one body.
Now, there are members of our bodies, which seem to get more notice or recognition than others. Eyes are important to us. We take pictures and often notice how colorful, how pretty, are ones eyes. Seeing is an important function of our body, we would be quite limited if we were suddenly without our ability to see. How would you feel if you were stricken blind suddenly? We rightly value our eyes and should give God thanks regularly for our ability to see. With your eyes you have the ability to behold the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, the Atlantic Ocean, a hummingbird, a caterpillar, all of these and so many more you may behold with your eyes, if you are willing to get off the couch! Your feet must be employed to take you to the location where these sights may be found, so your eyes are dependant upon your feet.
That is the sum of Paul’s words in majority of chapter 12. Believers in the church are like members of the body. Some members are more noticeable, receive more honor, but even these are dependant upon the others. So, the preacher may have giftedness in teaching, but he needs the prayers of others, he needs the faith of others, he needs the help of others, the preaching preacher is made helpful by ministry of members, just as the seeing of the eye enjoyed by the walking of the feet.
Notice verse 26. When your tongue enjoys the taste of an apple chocolate your whole body benefits. (Chocolate?) When your head hurts, your whole body might have to lie down. In the same way, in the life of the church we are to rejoice with another and suffer with one another. When we live like this we give expression to the reality of our faith. We are many members, but one body. Who are you rejoicing with today? Who are you sorrowing with?
Look to verse 31. One of the primary problems in the church at Corinth was that they began to place an over emphasis on certain flamboyant spiritual gifts like tongues. We’ll talk more about that in a moment, but as for now we find the excellent way, which is to govern the use of spiritual gifts.
III. Many Works, One Excellent Way. 13.1-13
Notice verses 1-3 of chapter 13. The use of spiritual gifts in church enable God’s people to do many and mighty works. Through spiritual gifts we have knowledge to understand deep mysteries. Through spiritual gifts we have faith to move mountains. Through spiritual gifts we have mercy to give away all our possessions. Through spiritual gifts we have faith to sacrifice our very lives in the fires of martyrdom. Yet, Paul says that if we do even these great and mighty works without love we gain nothing! Love is the more excellent way that Paul shows the Corinthians and us.
In the Old Testament one of the most profound characters is that of King Saul. King Saul was a man of great potential. He stood physically head and shoulders above the other men of his day. He received the very anointing of God to become Israel’s first king. He was able to rally the people the fight the Ammonites. One verse says, ‘the very Spirit of God rushed upon him’ and he led the people to crush the Ammonites. He won the affections of God’s people and yet, even though he accomplished these many great works Saul’s life on earth is a chronicle of sin and rebellion. He spent his days in active opposition of God’s will to place David on the throne. He was a, would be, murderer of the true King David whose life was a reflection of the coming King Jesus. Saul ultimately took his own life in humiliating defeat on the battle field and no doubt his soul knows the tortures of hell this very moment and forever, all this for a man endowed the grandest of abilities for the accomplishing of greatest of works, because he failed the test of love to God and love to men.
Brothers and sisters it is good for us to long to see our church accomplish great and mighty works. We should aim to feed every hungry child in Jefferson County. We should aim to teach every aimless young man how to work and take care of a family. We should aim to save every unborn baby in Madison. We should give our blood for every transfusion. We should try to send a shoebox for every poverty stricken child in the world. We should fill as many rice bowls as we possibly can to eradicate hunger from the planet, but it is entirely possible to do all this and more and gain nothing.
God would have not only our hands, but also our hearts. We must do all that we do for the love of man definitely, recognizing that the image of God in every man; woman, boy and girl make them fitting objects of our concern. And we must do all that we do for the love of God ultimately knowing that God’s glory is our highest and most holy aim. There are glories to be found for us when we indeed do many great works, by one excellent way, the way of love.
IV. Many Notes, One Worship. 14.1-40
One final important comparison is made in verses 7-8. As Paul returns expressly to the discussion of speaking in tongues in the congregational worship of the church at Corinth, he makes mention of musical instruments. The flute and harp are different instruments, which can play the same music, yet with a different sound. This is a beautiful truth. God gave us the gift of music to be enjoyed and the variety of musical instruments only enhances our appreciation for the notes and sound of music.
On another note, Paul mentions the bugle, which was sounded on the battlefield. This one instrument had the potential to sound off different notes for useful purposes. It was vital on the battlefield to know the difference between the bugle sound for ‘charge’ or ‘retreat’. It was of utmost importance to be able to hear the different sounds, so the bugler was charged with the duty of playing with clarity.
This drives Paul’s instruction about tongues in verses 19. Paul’s point here is that speaking in tongues is not instructive for people and what is most important is for people to hear the truth of the word of God with clarity. Spiritual gifts in the life of a local church are not to be used for the glory of gifted but for the good of greater body. Our speaking should be done to build others up in the faith once for all delivered to the saints, just as our helping, praying, giving mercy, and all other spiritual gifts are to be employed.
Our spiritual gifts represent many notes, but there is one great aim notice verses 24-25. When the members of a local church give themselves to each other. When we love one another in a spiritual way. When we employ our various gifts for each others good, our congregational life together will be like a symphony of holy love, which when observed by unbelievers will cause them fall down with us and worship our great God! We sound off many different notes, but as believers we have no higher aim than the worship of our great God.
Out of many, one can be a reminder for us this morning that our church life together is to be a reflection of the worship that will one day fill the New Heavens and the New Earth.
The Bible tells us what the New Earth will look like. This is the picture John gives us in Revelation 7:9-12 of the consummation of all human history.
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
This is where all human history is headed. From the many nations, tribes, peoples, and languages there will be saved one new nation who will unite with one voice to worship the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. All blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might will be given the One True God forever. People of every different ethnicity and voice join together there in perfect holy love to proclaim the praise of our God as one perfect chorus of praise forever. Then we will be the worshipping church forever!
The Holy Spirit of God will be manifest in that perfect expression of worship and the Holy Spirit of God gives us little glimpses of that great day in our church when we perform even the smallest act of service for the building up of one another in love to the glory of God. All of this becomes reality when we unite underneath the cross of Jesus and give our lives to Him as Lord!
