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1 Corinthians 12:12, 14-15, 17-20, 13
Examining the 12 disciples of Jesus, one finds an astounding level of variety in their personalities, their skills, their habits, their goals. And Paul, in 1 Corinthians 12, says this is actually by design with the disciples and in the church today.
He writes,
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so also is Christ. Furthermore, the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not part of the body,” it does not on that account cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has arranged the members in the body, each and every one of them, as he desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But as it is, there are many members, yet one body. For by one Spirit we all were baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free people, and we were all caused to drink one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:12, 14-15, 17-20, 13)
We see the disciples sometimes using their personalities, their skills, their habits, their goals for sinful purposes, but brought into this service to Christ. Christ offered his body on the cross to pay for all of our sinful uses of the gifts and qualities God has given us. And Scripture says that Christ has taken away the reign of sin and death in our bodily members, and that includes everything we have, who we are, and instead has replaced it with a rule of righteousness over us. We belong to someone different now that we’ve been baptized into Jesus’ body. We have a different identity.
But my encouragement to you is just as Jesus used that variety of disciples to accomplish the purposes of his kingdom, whatever personality, skill, habit, goal you bring, God also calls you to repent of any sinful ways you’ve used that for your own personal ambition or in opposition to his Word. And instead, through Christ, he forgives those sins and he brings you under his reign and rule so those members and you as a member of the body of Christ would serve his purposes for righteousness. As varied as the disciples were, so varied is the church today, and yet each and every one of us Christ calls to use our individual gifts for his purpose.
