How can our communities and nation build unity out of remarkable diversity, while still allowing diversity to flourish? There is no greater question or challenge in America today.
For those of us who turn to the Bible for guidance, we have a well-documented model close at hand.
As pictured in the New Testament, the early church was extremely diverse: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28)
All these segregations are more dramatic than what we see in America today. Slaves vs. free is obvious. Jews vs. gentiles separated people in ways beyond political polarization. (I have yet to hear Republicans claim that merely touching Democrats makes them “unclean,” or vice versa.) Men vs. women was a distinction of being (women were morally inferior), not simply role or status.
Paul does not mention rich vs. poor, but this was another wide gulf in the early church; everyone assumed the rich were wealthy because God favored them. Note the disciples’ amazement at Jesus’ often pointed condemnations of the rich: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Mark 10:25-26
What is God’s plan to meld this great diversity into unity, while refusing a cookie cutter church where everyone thinks and acts the same? The answer is spiritual gifts. The apostle Paul describes spiritual gifts in three significant places: I Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4.
Diversity in Unity
Paul begins I Cor 12 with these words: “Now concerning spiritual gifts I do not want you to be uninformed.”
Yet spiritual gifts are not a priority for many churches—or if they are, it might be a narrow focus on the more demonstrative “charismatic” gifts. Others think spiritual gifts are a fad or gimmick, or, in my tradition’s case, the word conjures up too much emotion that is “just not Presbyterian.”
Paul is quick to answer these concerns. He says: “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (I Cor 12:7) Let’s break that sentence down.
“To EACH…” Each and every person who follows Jesus as Lord receives supernatural gifts of the Spirit. In my experience, many of us filter out this obvious and clear statement of fact for one of two reasons.
- By far the dominant reason is FEAR…fear of seeing how gifts like speaking in tongues have been used to divide Christians or just fear of the unknown.
- The other filter to denying these gifts is INFERIORITY: “I’m just an ordinary person and could not possibly have a spiritual gift—these must be for pastors or other super-Christians, not me!”
“MANIFESTATION OF THE SPIRIT…” How can the church, like a well-practiced crew, pull together within this diversity of gifts instead of each individual oar flailing in water? Here are two reasons found in v. 11.
- First, “all these gifts are inspired by one and the same Spirit.” There is built-in unity because all gifts originate in same place, with the Spirit. Like a finely tuned engine, the gifts fit together because all the parts come from same manufacturer.
- Second, “the Spirit apportions to each one individually as he wills.” Like a Master Composer, God’s Spirit gives out these special supernatural abilities like different instruments in an orchestral arrangement. When baton comes down, there is beautiful harmony.
The New Testament lists at least 20 such “manifestations of the Spirit,” including
exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy, prophecy, service, teaching, administration, apostle, discernment, faith, healing, helps, knowledge, miracles speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, wisdom, evangelism, pastor.
This all seems so straightforward. Why then are many unwilling to discover, develop, use the gifts God says he’s given to each of us? How could so many of us spend our whole lives attending church—yet never about spiritual gifts?
When I was in seminary, my preaching professor (who was an astute observer of communication in American culture), talked about the American worldview including the “Expectation of a Messiah.” His point was that down through history we’ve had leaders at crucial moments—George Washington during the revolution, Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, FDR during the depression—so we are always waiting (in the church as in political life) for the next Messiah to come along and solve all the problems.
In Old Testament era, a few individuals filled with Holy Spirit became the leaders of their generation—leaders like Moses, then Joshua—Kings like David, then Solomon—prophets like Elijah, then Elisha.
But on the day of Pentecost, God’s leadership model changed radically. Now the Holy Spirit was given to ALL God’s people—not just a chosen few. All of a sudden, the boy in the mailroom is on par with the CEO—“To EACH is given a manifestation of the Spirit…”
Unity in Diversity
All these diverse and unique spiritual gifts have a unified purpose: “To each is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the COMMON GOOD.”
In I Corinthians 12, Paul shows us how all these gifts contribute to the unity of the Body. He begins with those who say “I’M not needed.”
Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being 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 in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. (I Cor 12:15-19)
The Bible is abundantly clear that the church functions like a physical organism—a body—not like an organization. ALL parts of organism are needed—feet as well as hands, ears as well as eyes. To have the church really function as God intends, we need to start thinking like an organism and not an organization.
After addressing those who maintain “I’m not needed,” Paul speaks bluntly to those who say to others in the Body of Christ: “YOU’RE not needed!”
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. (I Cor 12:21-25)
Again, it’s impossible to miss the point. If the church is a spiritual organism, it cannot reject ANY of its members’ gifts and expect to remain healthy. We certainly wouldn’t do that to our physical bodies (i.e. reject our hands or feet) so why do we so easily do so in the church?
In my experience the “You’re not needed” attitude stems from not taking seriously how many different gifts actually are needed for the Body of Christ to be healthy. (As seen above, the New Testament lists many!)
Pastors and church leaders must accept much of this blame. It’s so easy for pastors to sideline many “ordinary” gifts while feeling indispensable by highlighting our own gifts (whether pastoral care and preaching in mainline denominations or healing and miracles in charismatic traditions).
So What’s the Answer?
Looking at the New Testament teaching on spiritual gifts, one might draw some bleak conclusions.
The diversity and unity of spiritual gifts is a manifestation of the Spirit. Yet even with the Spirit, our churches in America often exclude those different from us, whether racially, socio-economically, or politically. Yes, we say we want to be inclusive, then operate in subtle exclusionary ways.
One might argue: if we Christians can’t pull off this diversity in unity even though the Spirit of God makes us “one in Christ,” what can we possibly offer others?
I offer four small do-able suggestions:
1) Start with ourselves. If you have not yet done so, discover and begin using your spiritual gifts. See your local congregation as an organism, not an organization. Ask your pastor to preach and teach about spiritual gifts and cast a vision of the Spirit’s gift of diversity in unity.
2) Every Sunday morning (yes, every week), make it your personal mission to seek out and welcome one person you don’t know, especially if they look different from you.
3) In your conversations, remember our country’s motto: E pluribus unum: “out of many, one.” Seek the unity that is underneath the diversity of policies and opinions.
4) In your own thinking, reject the allure of the Messiah complex. The Bible is clear: any politician, pastor or church leader who talks, acts or presents himself or herself as a messiah is never from God. There has ever been only one Messiah, Jesus the Christ.
Right on, Rich!
Thank you Dr. Rich, As you know, Ethiopians have many ethnic people groups. As you move in streets, the one thing that you expect from others is greetings.
The second point to ask questions about your situation and get direction in which you are heading.
Besides all these, the people will give you advise freely.
I would use your comment for Christian relationships.