For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. – 1 Cor. 12:13
A car is made up of many distinct parts but it is still one car.
A rainbow is made up of seven colors but it is still one rainbow.
A song is made up of many notes but it is still one song.
The church is made up of many different kinds of people—people of different races, different shapes and sizes, different family backgrounds, social status, interests and hobbies, talents and skills, etc., but IT IS STILL ONE BODY. We can no more look at another person in the church with disdain or contempt based on who they are or what they can do than the color blue can with red in a rainbow, or a wing to an engine on an airplane. All are valuable and function as they should when working together. Just as there is perfect union and harmony within the Trinity God desires His church, the body of Christ, to be united. That means no strife, no infighting, no arguments, but rather an uplifting of each other. We are to care for one another in such a way that “if one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” (1 Cor. 12:26)
Now as for the gifts of the Spirit, was that just for the first century church or do they still exist today? Paul opens this chapter by saying quite explicitly “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.” That means he wants us to understand, with clarity, about spiritual gifts. So then what does he wish us to understand?
- They are a gift from the Holy Spirit
- They affirm and never contradict Scripture
- They glorify Jesus as Lord
- They are given for the common good, for the uplifting of the church
- Different gifts are given to different people, in different quantities, but all are important.
It is difficult to believe that gifts of the Holy Spirit that are for the building up of the church would stop with the first century Christians. There is so much evidence in the universal church around the world that those gifts are still in operation today. Therefore, let us never presume to know the mind of God or put a limit on what He can do. As Jesus said, “The wind (or Spirit: it is the same word in Greek) blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)