Class Assignment: Reflection on 1 Corinthians

Ok, some of you may not like this one so much...

            In Paul’s letter to the believers in Corinth, he gently but sternly speaks to them about the importance of unity and diversity of the believers in Christ. This passage is often times viewed and preached for the importance of church wide participation, unity in the community, and understanding that spiritual gifts have an active and important role in the church. While the message appears to be very clear, what is not stated is destruction that happens in the deficiency of unity and diversity. The body becomes plagued; destroyed from the inside out with an autoimmune disease.

            An autoimmune disease happens when a body’s immune system begins to attack its own healthy organs or tissue with the intent of destroying them. While this description of an improperly functioning body is describing the physical body, the body of Christ can also suffer from this sickness. In 1 Corinthians, Paul describes one part of the body dismissing its need for another; an autoimmune disease is when the body’s statement of unneeded parts becomes an attack to destroy its own health.

            Paul recognizes that this view of unneeded parts is actually contrary and states “those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable” (1 Corinthians 12:22 NIV). It is the perception of the other body parts that need to be adjusted so that what seems to be unneeded is given its proper value; they are indispensable. Most often this type of autoimmune disease is seen in the damage of gossip and slander, and the offenders are not even aware of the harm they are inflicting on their own health.

            A very clear understanding of the body not recognizing it’s needs for others is why Paul wrote this before describing the how the gifts are to be used in the body of Christ. Without the understanding of each person’s importance, the importance of the gifts they bring will be lost. As leaders and followers of Christ, great care must be taken to insure that we are not attacking our own body because of a skewed perception. Rather, “the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty” (1 Corinthians 12:23 NIV). This consideration of each other will bring unity and diversity and remove the autoimmune disease among us.