One Body In Christ
Romans 11:33-12:8
Whether you are
new to the church or you have been a member of the church all your life, it’s
good to, once in while, ask the question, “What is the church?” We may think we know the answer to that
question because we have certain preconceived ideas about what the church is
but we also live under the influence of our sinful nature and the world around
us and the devil who is trying to destroy the church. It’s good to hear what Scripture has to say
about the church and how it should function in the world. As we look at Paul’s words to the church in Rome , may we be given the
wisdom to apply his words to our life in the church today.
When your human
nature tries to influence you, the strategy usually makes you turn inward. You start asking the question, “What is in
this for me?” “How can I benefit the
most from my association with the church.”
“Does this church fit into my concept of what the church should
be?” Sometimes you see churches
marketing themselves as a place to make friends or a place where you can fit
in. While that may make you feel more
welcome, is that really what the church is to be? Sometimes you hear about a church that has a
great youth program or a great music program.
Those things are great but is that the main function of a church?
When you look
at what St. Paul
says in our Epistle lesson for today, you will begin to get a clearer picture
of the real function of the church. The
reading starts at the end of chapter 11.
There we hear a great song of praise.
“Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how
inscrutable his ways! For who has known
the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might
be repaid? For from him and through him
and to him are all things. To him be
glory forever. Amen.” This is a profound expression of praise to
God. When we consider how far beyond our
human understanding God is, when we consider the depth of God’s love for us,
when we acknowledge that we could never understand his ways completely, we are
in awe of our wonderful God. Therefore
we praise Him and give Him the glory with our whole heart. That, then is the first purpose of our life
in the church, to give praise and honor to God.
In His mercy, our
God has revealed to us His goodness and love.
He has revealed to us through the sacred writers of the Scriptures that
we are sinners who deserve nothing but punishment. He also has revealed to us that He loves us
so much that He sent His only Son into the world to do for us what we could
never do for ourselves. Jesus came into
the world and lived a perfect life in our place. He died on the cross to pay the price for our
sins. He rose again from the dead to win
the victory for us over sin, death and the power of the devil. He sent the Holy Spirit to bring us to faith
and keep us in the faith through the Word and the Sacraments. There we find the second important function
of the church: to proclaim the message of salvation through the proclamation of
the Law and the Gospel. As people of God
we need to hear that life-giving message often in order to overcome the
temptations of the devil, the world and our sinful nature that would try and
turn us away from the will of God and convince us that we are the ones
responsible for our place in God’s kingdom.
The second part
of our reading then helps us to understand a third purpose of our life in the
church. In verse one of chapter twelve
we hear: “By the mercies of God, present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Along with the praise that I mentioned
earlier and the hearing of the Word, you are to present yourself as a living
sacrifice to God, holy and acceptable.
This is a part of your spiritual worship. Think about some of the words that are used
in this appeal. Present your body. That is not just talking about a good
feeling. He’s talking about the whole
thing, mind, body, eyes, ears, hands, feet.
He is talking about action.
Another word that is significant is sacrifice. A true sacrifice is not what is left over
after you have done all you wanted to do.
A sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to God is one that recognizes
God’s amazing love and responds with the best that you have. Another word in this verse is worship. Presenting yourself as a living sacrifice is
a part of a life of worship.
About this time,
the human nature is ready to push back and say you’re asking too much of
me. I have a busy life and I don’t have
time for anything else right now. Maybe
when things slow down I can try a few things.
That is the way our human minds usually work. Paul had something to say about that as
well. In chapter 12, verse 2 we hear,
“Do not be conformed to the this world, but be transformed by the renewal of
your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is
good and acceptable and perfect.” Your
human nature wants you to conform to the ways of the world. It is a constant struggle that we all
face. Left to yourself, you tend toward
the ways of the world because that is what is familiar. That is what makes you feel comfortable. You need a transformation. That can only happen by the grace of God and
the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit
works through the Means of Grace, the Word and the Sacraments. In Holy Baptism, the Spirit began His work in
you and that work continues through the proclamation of Word, the Law and the
Gospel. The Law convicts you of your sin
and brings you to repentance and the Gospel reminds you of God’s great love in
Christ. Your sins are forgiven and in
Christ, you can be that living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.
That brings us
back then to your life in the church.
There you have the opportunity to follow the example of Jesus and give
your life in humble service to the Lord and to one another. The church is compared to a body. A body has many parts and each part has an
important function. In the same way we
are one body in Christ. Each individual
in the body works for the good of the whole body which has Christ as its
head. In this passage from Romans 12 we
are given several examples of the kinds of gifts that God gives to the parts of
the body, the people in the church. This
is not a complete list of the gifts.
There are others mentioned in I Corinthians 12 and in other sections of
Paul’s letters to churches. Here he
mentions the gift of prophecy, being able to speak for God. Also mentioned are the gifts of service,
teaching, exhorting, generosity, and acts of mercy. You don’t have to think too hard before you
see how these gifts are used all the time in the church. Not everyone has every gift, but everyone has
some gift to be used for the efficient functioning of the body.
It is then that
we hear the key statement that expresses another purpose of the church. In verse 6 we hear, “Having gifts that differ
according to the grace given to us let us use them.” The church is the place where we have the
opportunity to use the unique gifts that God has given to each of us. Those gifts then are used to carry out the
primary purpose of the church which is to make disciples of all nations. The church is to be a witness for Christ to
the world around us beginning in our own community and then branching out
eventually to the whole world. It sounds
like a big job and it is for one person or even a small group of people. But we are one body in Christ, the whole body
working together, each one using its own God-given gifts to do the work that
God has given us to do.
When you look at
a text like this you can see clearly that life in the church is not a spectator
sport. You don’t just buy your ticket
and watch the show. Life in the church
is praise, hearing and studying the Word in order to be equipped for service, then
using the gifts that God has given to each one to carry out the work of the one
body in Christ. That is what we truly are.
We are one body in Christ, doing the work that He has planned ahead of
time for us to do. May God bless this
One Body in Christ as we work together to further His kingdom. Amen.
Rev. Gerald Matzke
Zion Lutheran Church
Painesville, Ohio
11th Sunday after Pentecost
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