Unity in Diversity

Job 37-38; 1 Corinthians 12

“For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink…Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers…”

1 Corinthians 12:13, 27, 28

Why does Paul emphasize our unity in the body of Christ through one Spirit, even as he explains the diversity of spiritual gifts and functions in the Church?

Our identity comes from our relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, not from our spiritual gifts or functions. When God appoints apostolic-ally gifted leaders, they can claim no greater value to God than those serving faithfully with less visible gifts. Our new identity as sons and daughters of God is received as we are baptized by one Spirit into one body. The love and security we experience in God then give us the faith and confidence to risk serving and growing in spiritual gifts which build up the body of Christ.

“Father God, thank you for loving me and giving me a way of serving your body, for your glory.”