Unity in the Body of Christ: the Call to Oneness in Love

The Body of Christ and the Value of Every Member

Imagine if I told you my liver was going to leave my body and try to function on its own, you’d think I had lost my mind. Or if I said I wanted to get rid of my stomach because all it did was want to eat and make me gain weight, I know you would worry about me. And yet we frequently don't see the usefulness of a member of our church, or the real need for someone who seems to contribute very little (1 Corinthians 12:22–23).

Sometimes we don’t value the contributions others bring or we fail to understand them and quietly wish they would go elsewhere. But Scripture tells us we are all a necessary and needed part of the body of Christ. Just as no part of the human body can be dismissed without harm, no member of Christ’s body is without purpose. Only through unity in the body of Christ can we fulfill God's will (Ephesians 4:16).

Paul’s Teaching on Spiritual Gifts in Romans 12

As Paul tells us Romans 12:4-5,

"For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another."

Paul lists examples of God's good gifts given by His grace and tells us if we have them, use them (Romans 12:6-8). It's not complicated, it's obedience:

• If you have the gift of prophecy - then prophesy.

• If your gift is ministry - then minister.

• If teaching - then teach.

• If exhorting - then exhort.

• If giving - give generously.

• If leading - lead with diligence.

• If showing mercy - then do it cheerfully.

Why Every Gift Matters in the Church

Ah, but I can hear it now: "I have no gift. I'm not good at anything." Oh, but you do have a gift, Scripture affirms that (1 Peter 4:10). Maybe we need to grow and become better at using our gift. Perhaps fear has kept you from using it. But God calls us to obedience, not excuses. When each of us faithfully uses the gift God has given, the whole body grows stronger, and Christ is glorified.

Each gift we have is necessary for the body of Christ to function properly (Ephesians 4:16). No matter how small or how large of a gift all are equally necessary. If you have been blessed with a more prominent gift that others see don't despise the smaller gifts of others. The key here is that whatever we have to use to build up the body is just that, a gift. It is given to us out of God's mercy and graciousness.

The important thing to understand is that we are not Christians in isolation. We are the ultimate team, and yet more than that because we are one body "in Christ" and "members of one another". What one person does or does not do affects the entire body of Christ - his Church, his beloved bride on this Earth. But our gifts are not meant to be used in isolation—they bind us together into one body.

Unity in the Body of Christ: Unity Beyond Differences

In Acts 2:42 we are told, "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." The word fellowship in Greek is "koinōnia". It doesn't just mean to get together for a church potluck or dinner, or to socialize for a few moments before church begins, it has a deeper meaning.

Our shared values and beliefs and our joining together in doing God's work should lead to an active relationship with one another. Too often we barely know one another's name. We are to deeply trust and know one another so we can encourage each other and share our burdens. This fellowship is not shallow, but rooted in the Spirit’s work of uniting us into one body.

Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 12:13, "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit." and in Galatians 3:28,

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

There is no sexism in our oneness with Christ, there is no difference in social status, there is no difference in ethnic backgrounds, in Him there are no distinctions because we have all received the same Holy Spirit who lives within us. The importance of this is that we all have one purpose—to do good, give God glory, and spread the message of salvation to the world. Now how we work together to do this is different because of our different gifts.

This theme of oneness resonates throughout the Bible. We are married and become "one flesh" (Genesis 2:24). The Lord our God is one God. Even though we believe He is one being in three distinct persons, equal in glory and essence: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, yet carrying out different roles in creation and redemption. And His Church, His bride, is also one with Him, just as a husband and wife are. Each of us plays our role and each calling is important.

Love as the Bond of Unity in Christ

Just as our bodies can't operate successfully with missing parts, this oneness that Scripture talks about, implies that in marriage or in the Church, proper functioning means everything working together as one. In the same way, the perfect unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit shows us that wholeness is essential.

God is one, not because each Person is optional, but because each is eternally and inseparably part of His being. Likewise, the body of Christ cannot be whole if we dismiss the value of any member. The thing that binds us together is love, for God is love. This same idea of oneness is not just for the church, but also woven into the fabric of marriage itself.

The marriage covenant is based on love, "Husbands love your wives as Christ loves the church" ( Ephesians 5:25 ). We love God and each other as His sons and daughters. Jesus loves us so much He gave His life for us "while we were yet sinners" ( Romans 5:8 ). Love is what drives us to share Jesus with the world. Love unites us in purpose with God's will. It binds us together in harmony (Colossians 3:14). And God's love expressed through the Holy Spirit is what transforms us into new creations.

Paul speaks of us being "in Christ" 164 times, this is how important Paul deems this teaching. William Kynes in his article, "Union with Christ: the Sum of our Salvation" says:

"This union with Christ spans space and time— so that Paul can say that the Christian has died with Christ (Rm. 6:1-11; Gal. 2:20); the Christian has been resurrected with Christ (Eph. 2:5f; Col. 3:1f.), the Christian has ascended with Christ to share now in his reign in the heavenly places (Rm. 5:17; Eph. 2:6) and the Christian is destined to share Christ’s coming glory with him (Phil 3:20f; 1 Jn. 3:2).

When Paul discusses marriage he compares it to our union with Christ. In Him we find our identity and the meaning for our life. Ephesians 5:30 says,

"For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones."

We become one with Him as husbands and wives become one with each other. This is known sometimes as a mystical union. Paul himself calls it a "great mystery" (Ephesians 5:32). Words fail us when we try to describe being "in Him."

As husband and wives our joys and our sorrows are shared. We see this same thought when Paul (Saul) is converted on the road to Damascus, "Saul, Saul why do you persecute me?", Jesus says to him. Paul was persecuting the Church, which as Jesus notes, is the same as persecuting Him. In Philippians 2:2 Paul speaks of our shared joy,

"fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind."

Jesus prayed in the garden before His crucifixion for us, imploring God to make us one as He is one with His Father. "I in them, and you in me" Jesus prays (John 17:23). Please don't be confused. This doesn't mean that we become God, but in a spiritual sense we are united with Him through the Holy Spirit. This is why we can hope. Without God and this spiritual union with Him there is no hope.

The Bride of Christ in Song of Solomon

The Shunamite woman in Song of Solomon says to her beloved future spouse,

"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, jealousy as cruel as the grave; its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame" (Song of Solomon 8:6).

In Old Testament times, seals were highly valued symbols of ownership. Such seals were so valuable that they were kept close—near the heart or worn on the arm. She pledges herself in a love as permanent as death to her beloved.

Our Hope in Christ’s Return as His Bride

You and I belong to our Lord. Just as the Shunamite woman and her beloved were to become husband and wife, so we as the Church will one day be presented as the bride of Christ. Believers in Jesus Christ are the bride of Christ, and we eagerly wait for the time when we will be united with our Bridegroom. As we await His return, we remain faithful to Him and say with all who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

Even now we can say, "My beloved is mine, and I am his" (Song of Solomon 2:16). The two shall become one. Our unity in the body of Christ, our gifts, and the blessings we receive all flow from the eternal love He set on us before the foundation of the world. And this love, stronger than death and sealed by His Spirit, is the bond that makes us one with Him forever.