God has fashioned you to play your part in the Body of Christ. Join Dr. Marty Baker as we take the next step in our journey through our series I Surrender All: Serving Like The Savior.
Corinth Community Church, founded by Paul on his second missionary journey (March 51-September 52), was a sick, fractured, and ineffective church. Writing from Ephesus, where he ministered in another church he founded, Paul wrote in the early spring of 56 to help these saints in Corinth grow up in Christ and become the powerhouse of the gospel he desired them to be.
To achieve this, Pastor Paul addressed the fierce factions within the church (1 Cor. 1-4). Instead of working with one another, these saints worked against one another, arrogantly dividing themselves into snobbish groups centered on which spiritual leader they supported. Next, the wise leader minced no words as he addressed sexual sin that was being tolerated in the body (1 Cor. 5-6). In the rest of the book (1 Cor. 7-16), he addressed questions that troubled these saints, so their church could be healthy and holy.
In chapters 12-14, Paul turned and addressed the use, or should I say, misuse, of spiritual gifts in the church. The misuse of those God-given gifts created chaos in the body instead of calm, so the wise apostle gave them clear guidance on how these unique gifts should and should not be employed. His teaching is most beneficial to us as we consider the concept of serving Christ, as what he says here is both educational and motivational.
For our purposes in this study, I will not focus on the various spiritual gifts, but primarily on the concept of service, for service, or use of our gifts, is what we are supposed to be doing with them. I will say that we do need to realize the difference between a spiritual gift and a natural one. A spiritual gift is a unique gift or gifts given to you by Christ at the moment of conversion to be used in the advancement and maturation of His mystical body, the Church. A natural gift is one you pick up along the path of life, like playing the piano, working with wood, or baking with excellence. The former has a spiritual impact, while the latter primarily has a physical impact.
For instance, you can use the spiritual gift of discerning good from evil and wise living from unwise living to help yourself or others mature in Christ. You can also take a natural gift like your ability to decorate, and use it within the body to meet physical needs for, let’s say, a Father/Daughter dance. Those fathers and daughters who attend this special dance can also receive a spiritual blessing for how well you helped make the room look appealing and beautiful.
Now, with all that said, I want to focus on how gifts relate directly to the concept of continual service, both within and beyond the local body of believers. Paul addresses this in chapter 12:12-31. I’ve studied his argument here and determined that it contains four precise movements, movements I’ll build around an easy-to-remember acronym. T. A. L. K.
Teleology (1 Cor. 12:12-13)
What is teleology? Good question. Here’s one definition from Cambridge Dictionary: teleology (in philosophy) [is] the belief that everything has a special purpose or use. Put differently, things in our world are designed with a purpose or final effect. For instance:
- A cell phone is designed to let you make and receive calls, surf the NET to discover things, and capture moments of your life with a built-in camera.
- A microwave is designed to cut down the time you have to wait for your meal.
- An acorn from an oak tree is designed to fall from the tree, rest on or in the dirt, to develop roots, and eventually grow into another mighty oak tree, not a palm tree or a cactus.
Applied to you, as a follower of Jesus Christ, you are divinely designed, from your spiritual birth, with a divine purpose. That purpose is to benefit the body of Christ by means of using your gifting, be it spiritual or natural. Paul says this much in the opening two verses.
12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body. However, they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Cor. 12)
Different metaphors are used in the New Testament to describe the universal Church of Jesus Christ. In Revelation, John calls it the Bride (Rev. 19:7-8; 21:2, 9; 22:17). In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul calls it the Building of God (1 Cor. 3:9), and the Temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16-17). In Galatians 6:10, Paul calls it the Family of Believers. Of these snapshots, one of the most helpful is the one before us here: The Church is a divinely designed Body, or, more precisely, the Body of Christ. Read through the Apostle’s other writings, and you’ll readily discover he enjoyed and favored this description (Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 10:17; Eph. 1:23; 2:16; 4:4; Col. 1:18, 22). Why did Paul use this metaphor so often? I’m glad you asked.
What better way to teach saints, who are gifted in various ways, how they are to function in relationship to each other? What better way to show squealing saints how to fix their squeals? What better way to move saints with varied spiritual gifts from a state of dysfunction to function, from disunity to unity? A body illustration is the perfect way to show Christian, with varied gifts and personalities, how to operate to God’s glory and the advancement of the kingdom of God.
A body, by design, is unified, yet diverse. A body has various parts designed to serve different functions, no matter how insignificant they may appear; yet, in the final analysis, the body is one self-contained organism designed to work with, not against, itself. Think of a golfer like Scottie Scheffler, and you’ll see a fine-tuned body that knows how, through the minutest movements, to guide the hands and arms toward a small dimpled ball, sending it hundreds of yards downfield in the desired direction. Such is the beauty of a complex yet highly organized and functional body. All gifted parts are supposed to, by nature, work in constant unison to accomplish the desire and direction of the head. No wonder Paul chose the body concept to speak about the Church of Jesus Christ.
Of course, Paul speaks figuratively about Christ’s body, the Church, and you, as a saint, are a part of that body. When did this occur? Verse 13 tells you. Good question. At the moment of your conversion. Galatians 3:27 supports this conclusion:
“27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Gal. 3)
Clothing yourself with Christ is but a code phrase denoting salvation. When Christ became your Savior, you were baptized by the Spirit into the mystical body of Christ. And please note, every Christian, as Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 12, is baptized this way. None are excluded.
What does baptism mean? The Greek word has a primary and a secondary meaning (cf. Bibliotheca Sacra: Vol. 109:435:1952). The primary meaning stresses the submersion of an object into something. Think of placing an egg in a bowl of water, and you have the concept. The secondary view, which is the one in most New Testament passages, speaks of being brought under the transforming power of the baptism in question. Again, take the egg analogy as a case in point. Should I submerge it in colored water, it immediately and permanently takes on the color of the water. Hence one could say it is radically and continually changed.
So it is with the baptism by the Holy Spirit into the mystical body of Christ. The baptized are transformed positionally before God forever by the baptismal process directed by the Spirit and culminated in Christ. Or put differently, the repentant non-Christian, who was once outside the body of Christ, is, at the moment of faith, submerged or united with the mystical body of Christ, the Church.
As such, this divine placement within the body is with divine design. Stated another way, as we shall see in the ensuing verses (namely, verse 18, But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired), the Lord and the Spirit make you part of this mystical and local body so you will function as He designed you. They didn’t place you in this unique body to coast into heaven by doing as little as you could, but for the purpose of fulfilling your designed role and function, be what it may.
So, T stands for theology, and this word underscores how Christ and the Spirit have sovereignly and lovingly placed us in the Church so we can carry out our assigned design. Question: How are you doing with the divine design the second and third members of the Holy Trinity have given to you?
What’s next? Here it is:
Attitude (1 Cor. 12:14-17)
As we all know, a person’s attitude can be positive or negative. That attitude can, in turn, enable or disable the body, just as it can on a sports team.
A negative case in point: Ketel Marte, star second baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He recently didn’t show up for a game at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. Prior to game time, manager Torey Lovullo had no clue where his gifted player was, as he hadn’t been contacted. And this wasn’t the first time their key man hasn’t been there for the team, and he is only in the second year of his $116 million contract. Woa. I’d say it appears the young man has a bad attitude about playing and participating. If he had a good attitude, he’d show up consistently and play hard, and communicate well with team leadership.
A positive case in point: Brook Robinson, on the other hand, dripped with a positive spirit and used that spirit, along with his gifting, to become the greatest defensive third baseman in baseball from 1955-1977. They called him The Human Vacuum Cleaner. Or there is Cal Ripken, nicknamed “the Iron Man, ” who played shortstop and third base for his 21-year career with the Baltimore Orioles. He played 2,632 consecutive games, more than anyone else ever. Talk about a great attitude. He became part of the team, which meant he could play and use his gifts on the field.
Corinth, the site of the Isthmian Games every two years, understood the importance of attitude for winners. The only problem was that not every Corinthian believer brought that can-do attitude into the church. That’s why Paul made the following statement:
14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? (1 Cor. 12)
The Corinthians erred insofar as they loved to compare themselves with others. Those who enjoyed several spiritual and natural gifts compared themselves to the less gifted and thought, “Wow, I really am all that and a bag of chips.” Those, on the other hand, who struggled with self-esteem and self-worth, looked at the truly gifted in the church and concluded: “I guess I really am a loser and a nobody. They don’t really need me because I don’t bring that much to the proverbial table.”
Granted, there were great orators and teachers in Corinth Community Church, as well as saints who possessed the gift of helps or service. One gift was upfront and noticeable, while the other was more behind-the-scenes and obscure. One, therefore, could wrongly conclude that the more noticeable service gifts meant the people in question were more important, while those with less flashy gifts were not as crucial to the overall functioning of the body.
Not so, says Paul. Illogical too. How could an ear complain about not being front and center and highly complex like an eye? If an ear could speak, it couldn’t, and shouldn’t, make this statement because both gifted body parts are highly important to the proper and effective functioning of the body. Who says Paul didn’t teach with some powerful humor?
He follows this observation up by saying how crazy it would be if a body were merely composed of one giant eye. If that were the case, the body wouldn’t be effective at all. Without ears, it couldn’t hear. Without feet, it could only roll around if someone pushed it in a given direction. As such, this type of body would be somewhat worthless. If the body were just one giant ear, then it would miss all the wonderful smells of all the great cooking in Corinth in the Agora, not to mention all of the smells from the flowers that grew in the region. How limiting would this be?
Pastor Paul goes to extremes here to lay to rest the bad attitudes that floated around this immature local version of the mystical body of Christ. A healthy, sound attitude says, “Hey, who I am and how God has created me is vitally important to the body of Christ. I may not be gifted at teaching spiritual truths up front. Still, my service of leading a small table group of young high school men or women is crucial; my serving as a buddy to some special-needs children in our important special-needs ministry is impactful and helpful; or my directing traffic in the parking lot so others can find a parking stall for worship, or driving a shuttle van. Hence, having more room in our parking lot for newcomers is indispensable, even though it may not look so.
So, how is your attitude? Are you ready to be a spiritual Cal Ripken? Are you mentally ready to give this team, this body, all you got, regardless of your gifting? That’s what the Lord is looking for. He’s not looking for spiritual players who complain they are batting ninth instead of clean-up, or number for. He’s looking for spiritual players who show up, serve, and sizzle while they’re doing it.
Linked (1 Cor. 12:18-19)
How Paul develops this point is ingenious.
18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. 19 If they were all one member, where would the body be? (1 Cor. 12)
Ah, this is most enlightening. God has given you the gifts you possess. You may need to read that statement again. This time, let it sink deep into your heart, soul, and mind.
In Ephesians 4, Paul speaks about how God, like a fine chef preparing a perfect meal, measures them out to each of us.
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. (Eph. 4)
He then provides a short list of what some of those measured spiritual gifts are:
11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; (Eph. 4)
In the next verse, Paul explains what he means by the purpose-driven phrase “to the building up of the body of Christ.”
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. (Eph. 4)
God specifically gives us spiritual gifts for the collective goal of bringing unity to the body and ensuring the body becomes spiritually mature. The flipside of this is true, unfortunately. When we don’t use our gifts, the body’s unity is threatened because they aren’t being used properly, resulting in the body not growing in maturity but evidencing spiritual immaturity.
God, therefore, is the one who gifts us, and according to verse 19 of 1 Corinthians 12, He divinely links us together, as one member, into His mystical body. We are, therefore, in this together. We are, therefore, dependent, each body part pulling its weight and doing what they are divinely designed to do.
During the final World Cup soccer game, Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez, a key player, received two yellow cards for field infractions, resulting in a red card. This, in turn, led to his removal from the field. When this occurred, his team was down one man, putting them at a disadvantage. Spain went on to win the championship game. I guess it matters that all players are linked and needed to secure their chances of winning. You don’t want to be down a player, right? What’s true on the soccer field is also true at church. You don’t want to be down a man during intense play. Every player is needed.
If you don’t relate to the sports analogies, then switch to cooking. Think about your favorite meatloaf recipe. Here’s a tasty recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen:
Ingredients for Meatloaf
- Lean Ground Beef – use 80% or 85% lean meat. Just like with making Hamburgers, the fat content will make the meatloaf moist and juicy. Avoid super lean ground beef. You could also substitute half of the ground beef with turkey, pork, or Italian sausage.
- Onions and Garlic – aromatics that add flavor to the meatloaf
- Breadcrumbs and Eggs – act as binders to hold the meatloaf together. You could substitute panko breadcrumbs with Italian breadcrumbs or even gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Ketchup – adds flavor and tenderizes the ground beef. You could substitute with 1 Tbsp of Worcestershire sauce if needed.
- Milk – Hydrates the breadcrumbs to add moisture and also helps tenderize the beef for a softer and juicier meatloaf.
- Seasonings – Fresh parsley adds freshness to the meatloaf. The Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper enhance the natural flavors of the beef.
- For the Glaze – combining ketchup, white vinegar, brown sugar, garlic powder, and onion powder creates a sweet and tangy glaze. In a pinch, you can substitute it with your favorite BBQ Sauce.[1]
I ask you: Are all of these ingredients linked? Are they all necessary? The answer to both questions is “yes.” Hence, just as you need all these key ingredients to make this great dish, you likewise need all the saints to make a tasty dish called the Church.
Kaleidoscope (1 Cor. 12:20-31)
What is a kaleidoscope? Another good question. AI defines it this way:
A kaleidoscope is an optical toy tube. You look inside and turn it. Mirrors and loose colored pieces inside make bright, changing, and repeated shapes. Scottish physicist Sir David Brewster invented it in 1816. Its name comes from Greek words meaning “watcher of beautiful forms”
It is, interestingly, a Greek word comprising three roots: kalos (beautiful), eidos (form), and scopos (watcher). Translated: A watcher of beautiful forms.
I’m sure you’ve looked into a kaleidoscope tube before, especially as a kid. As you turn the large cardboard endpiece while holding it up to the light, you instantly see all kinds of amazing, beautiful colors in various shapes and sizes. Is this not a great description of the body of Christ, to employ another metaphor beyond that of a body? Indeed.
Applied to the local church body, the kaleidoscope motif merely underscores how beautiful the body is, as all the colored pieces work together to reflect the light of the Lord of light. Imagine what would occur if various pieces in the kaleidoscope lens chose not to be used as they were designed? The beauty would be curtailed, or, at the most, diminished. Conversely, as all the pieces align to reflect light, the beauty of the body (to mix metaphors) is showcased for all the world to see.
Paul talks about this beauty when he finishes out this teaching section:
20 But now there are many members, but one body. 21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; 23 and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, 24 whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, 25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. (1 Cor. 12)
Once again, Paul highlights that God has created this beautiful body with all its varied parts (v. 24). As such, we really do need each other. We really do rely on each other because we are all beautiful in our own way as we serve the Lord of light. And there really is unity as the various pieces work together, allowing the Lord of light to shine in and through them to the community. From God’s vantage point, there is nothing more stunning to lay your eyes on on earth than a group of believers who realize they are designed for a spiritual purpose and they fulfill it, who have the attitude that each person is important and needs to serve the body, and that we are linked together to form a spiritual kaleidoscope of colors for all the world to see how Jesus changes people.
What are some of those pieces that potentially form the kaleidoscope? Once more, Paul mentions a few:
28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. 29 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they?30 All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? 31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way. (1 Cor. 12)
It’s not my purpose today to dive into whether all of the gifts are viable for today, nor to define and describe each one. That is another lengthy series in and of itself. For our purposes today, let us stay focused on the fact that God has appointed each of us to use our spiritual and natural gifts, of course, to help the body mature, while also showcasing the beauty of the Church to those who are still lost in spiritual darkness (Col. 1:13; Eph. 4:17-18).
The question in light of Paul’s teaching can’t be missed, and all saints should answer it: Will you be an active part of the beauty of our God-given kaleidoscope?
Do you remember the original Dream Team? I do. Talk about a team. The original 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream Team consisted of Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, and John Stockton. No wonder they were called the Dream Team. What coach wouldn’t want to coach this team?
To watch them play was to watch poetry in motion. They toyed with their opponents. In fact, they were so good that, in one game, a player from another team shouted to a camera-wielding teammate on the sidelines to take a picture of him guarding Magic Johnson. Amazing, huh?
Regardless of how gifted this Dream Team was, they still had to play as a team, recognizing each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Each player had to see himself as part of a unit. Each player had to make up his mind before he hit the hardwood that he was not playing solo. And because they used all their talents and played hard, they won the 1992 Barcelona Olympics by defeating Croatia 117-85 in the final. They finished the tournament with an 8-0 record. Amazing. Afterward, Michael Jordan commented on the emotion of the players, and he said, “You saw a lot of tears from the players. It was a very proud moment for me because anytime you represent your country, that is a prideful thing.”
So it is with the Body of Christ. Our local Body is, in my estimation, a Dream Team and we play for the living Lord of a heavenly country. Why do I say this? Because we are all important based on our gifting from God. My prayer is simple: “May you, Lord, find us doing our part to have a winning season. And as God gives us a winning season, I’m sure there will be tears of joy along the way because we love to see spiritual victories, and because maturing disciples love nothing more than to play hard for their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
[1]Natasha Kravchuk, The Best Meatloaf Recipe, accessed August 20, 2026, https://natashaskitchen.com /meatloaf-recipe/.
