Ep 285 – 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

The church, the body of Christ, is NOT an organization. At least, not in a biblical sense. Sure, the local church has leadership, by-laws, terms of membership, a staff, a budget, operating procedures and a myriad of organizational attributes, but it is, first-and-foremost, an organism. The body of Christ, of which each local congregation is a part, is not an organization that people choose to join, but an organism which God has created and into which He has placed those whom He has called. For Paul, this distinction was essential. Within the local church at Corinth, the believers were losing sight of the true nature and function of the body of Christ. For them, it was no different than being a member of the local synagogue or attending a pagan temple. But for Paul, it was the mysterious and divinely ordained creation of an interdependent group of diverse individuals who shared a common belief in Jesus Christ as Savior, who each enjoyed the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, and who, together, formed a totally and radically unique entity called the body of Christ. In this episode, called "Unity and Diversity", we will be looking at what Paul has to say on this important topic as outlined in 1 Corinthians 12, verses 12-31.