Honoring All Gifts

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; ⁶and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. ⁷To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7

The early Christian church, like the church today, was filled with division. This is not particularly surprising given the rapid growth of the church and the diversity of backgrounds people came from. The biggest division stemmed from the cultural and class collision of the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians. Whether the issue was circumcision, food sacrificed to idols, or simple table fellowship, these groups were in conflict. This is why Paul writes so extensively to the Corinthian church. He argues and encourages the church to look beyond their differences and see their fundamental unity their share in Christ.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13

The differences within the early church were not reasons to divide or separate, rather the church should see itself as the Body of Christ with a variety of needed and necessary parts. Not all parts of the body can be hands, or feet, or eyes as Paul so poetically demonstrates. Some people are needed to be gallbladders and splines and hearts which are needed but unseen. All parts are needed and all parts are valuable.


Paul's intended audience are the Jewish Christians who were more powerful in the early church. All of the apostles came to faith in Christ as Jews. They carried with them different worldviews and values than the Gentiles. The Jewish Christians could also see their group most prominently represented in the leadership of the early church. How easy it must have been to look down upon the Gentile converts. How quick they may have been to diminish or marginalize their gifts and contributions. Because of this, Paul argues, those who are in more powerful and high profile leadership positions must humbly include and honor those with less power.

On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; ²⁴whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, ²⁵that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 1 Corinthians 12:22-25

In this passage Paul is prescribing behavior for the church rather than describing. The wisdom for the Corinthian church still applies today as we seek to honor and affirm each person's gifts. All of us are created by God, all are given gifts by the Spirit, and all are needed for the Body of Christ to develop fully. For those in positions of power and leadership, like pastors or elected officers, the challenge is to humbly remember that as important as your position is all people have a role to play. For those who are behind the scenes the challenge is to remember your gifts and use them. The church cannot realize its potential when leaders do all the work and other members sit on the sidelines. We need all parts of the body, working together, to God's work.