One Body: Understanding Your Role in the Body of Christ
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are the components that make up the body of Christ. The Bible has made us understand that Christ is the head of the church. Science has been in existence for centuries, and as knowledgeable as scientists are, they have not been able to replace a human head. A surgeon can successfully remove the human arm, return it to its place, and even replace internal organs. However, the human head is an exception.
No surgeon has been able to replace a person’s head with another’s. Once a human head becomes damaged, there is little or no hope for the individual. This illustration depicts the importance of Christ to believers. Jesus is the head; he is indispensable to the body; that is, he is indispensable to Christians. Without Jesus, the church cannot function properly, nor can a believer. A single believer is not indispensable to the church. The church will function as always without a single believer.
1 Corinthians 12:7 (KJV); “7. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”. This passage emphasizes that the gifts are not intended for personal gain or to make one person seem more significant. They are provided to help others around us. These spiritual abilities that we’ve been granted by God have been given to us are for others to profit others in the body of Christ to build the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit strengthens Christians, giving us a special ability to assist the church. The church celebrates diversity by offering a variety of spiritual talents, each of which contributes to its overall well-being. These contributions are intended to strengthen the church and praise God, not for our own gain.
What a believer will become or achieve is connected to the spiritual gifts that God has deposited in us. The way and extent to which a person utilizes his or her spiritual gifts will determine how much the individual will excel in life.
There are numerous gifts of the spirit, but the Bible lists nine major ones, namely: the gift of wisdom, the gift of knowledge, faith, the gift of healing, performing miracles, the gift of prophecy, discerning spirits, speaking in tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. There are also other gifts, like the gift of giving, the gift of helping, and so on.
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12:1 (KJV), “12. Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.” This Bible text talks about the importance of spiritual gifts and their usage. These gifts can also be referred to as special abilities. These abilities are bestowed on Christians to exceed those of an ordinary person outside of Christendom.
In this text, the apostle Paul highlights the role of spiritual gifts in the functioning of the church, correcting uncertainty and inspiring wisdom. He wants to explain the subject inside the Corinthian church and encourage Christians to be well-informed about these talents so that they might be used successfully for the church’s benefit.
Also read: Acknowledging spiritual gifts and power for kingdom exploits
Verse: 1 Corinthians 2:14 (KJV); “14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” This passage discusses the gap between those who have embraced Jesus Christ and received the Holy Spirit and those who have not. This Bible verse makes it clear that you can never receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit unless you cherish the Holy Spirit.
Understanding God’s purpose and spiritual concerns requires trust and guidance from the Holy Spirit, as they are beyond the reach of human intellect. Those who receive the Holy Spirit get another source of insight, allowing them to understand spiritual realities. There are many people in the church today who love to imitate the people. They use gimmicks and copy traits of people of God, but they are godless. These imitators fail to realize that there’s no way you can have what other people have if you can do what other people do. Lastly, when they realize they can’t do what a true believer can do, it leads them into debauchery.
Hence, to receive the gifts of the spirit, we must be born again. As Christians, we have to look inward and ask ourselves, Are we truly born again? Does the Holy Spirit reside in us? These are the questions we need to ask ourselves. If we cannot find the answer to these, then we cannot be receivers of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says only those with the spirit of God can be called the children of God.
Furthermore, just as each part of the human body is important for the whole body to function properly, that is how important it is for a Christian to realize his or her importance to the body of Christ. We must never think of ourselves as insignificant, nor must we think of ourselves as the most important. In addition, to be in union with Christ, we must always be in constant contact with the body of Christ, which is the church.
Pentecost signifies the birth of the church, and the Holy Spirit is the agent of governance in the church. Jesus himself is the head of the church and directs the church through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, to become a member of the body of Christ requires the work of the spirit. Thus, as Christians, we have to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us to become a genuine part of the body of Christ.
Content Credit/ Ajibola Emmanuel Adebayo
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