Unity in Diversity: Embracing Individual Gifts in Christ

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But to each one of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. So, Father, show us now crucial things as Paul shifts gears, it seems, from an entire focus on non-diverse unity to very diverse unity. I pray this in Jesus' name, amen. [00:00:30]

The emphasis in verses four through six falls very heavily, like seven times, on oneness. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. [00:01:26]

I have stressed that behind the unity of the body of Christ, Jew and Gentile on equal footing before one God through one Lord by one Spirit with one promise, now I'm going to show you that that does not mean there is not an amazing diversity through which this oneness will be experienced and displayed to the world. [00:02:40]

Grace was given so the first thing he says about us is that we are marked by grace, not desert, not merit, not anything that puffs up one against another. Was given everything you're gonna have that makes you different is a gift. He's gonna say later on in another letter what do you have that you did not receive? [00:03:56]

So he underlines the giftness of the differences and he says and by the way the one who's giving this grace is Christ and there is one Lord and that one Lord does not intend for his gifts to his people to shatter the oneness that's been established in chapter 4, verses 4 through 6. [00:05:14]

From Christ the whole body, joined and held together so now he's been talking about the parts and the diversity by every joint with which it is equipped according to the working of each part in measure, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. [00:06:06]

I think it underlines the fact that the gift of Christ here is varying measures of grace given to each one, and this grace is not saving grace, as if some are saved and some aren't or some are half-saved and some aren't, but rather this is grace upon grace by which we are able to be different in our gifting. [00:07:01]

For by the grace given to me, I say to every one of you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. So he's drawing attention again to the fact that he functions as an apostle by grace given to him, just like they have their graces he has the grace of an apostle. [00:08:06]

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace. You have the same cluster of ideas, God's grace in chapter 4 verse 7 mediated through Christ, is poured out on us in great variety. We are to be stewards of this varied grace. [00:09:09]

Unity in this diversity because gifts of grace don't puff up above another, they put us under another so that we serve each other. So the connection between verse 7 and verses 4 through 6 is that there the word one fell heavily on one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. [00:09:56]

What keeps this from blowing up with division and ruining the oneness of verses four through six is that it's grace that comes to us. It comes to us as a gift, the giver is Christ himself, and the measures that he gives are according to his great wisdom. [00:10:33]

Even though there's enormous diversity in various measures of grace that come to each one of us, it is grace, it is gift, it is Christ, and therefore there's going to be a great beautiful precious unity that he's going to describe in diversity. [00:11:01]

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