Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
This verse is part of a passage about the use and abuse of spiritual gifts. It precedes Paul’s examination of the Christian Church and explanation of our membership in the Body of Christ. We are God’s representatives on earth during the Church sanction, and Paul began his teaching by explaining that each member is given their own distinctive gifts and unique ministry. Each manifestation of the Spirit in the life of a believer is for the common good of all Christians. Not everyone receives the same spiritual gifts, and each ministry is unique, yet varied. Spiritual gifts are given by the same Spirit for the glory of God and benefit of the entire Church. Paul is trying to convey an eternal principle; that the same Spirit works in the lives of all believers, but various gifts and spiritual manifestations are distributed to each individually, as He chooses. It is in this context that Paul goes on to explain that although we are individual members of His Body, we are one in Christ. Though we all have unique gifts, graces, and ministries, we are members of the same Body with one single purpose. The spiritual Body of Christ is an exact representation of a physical, human body. It contains many parts; bones and ligaments, organs and muscles, secret parts and exposed areas. Every member is vital to the whole. Each is equipped to carry out different functions with unique responsibilities, yet all combine to ensure the efficient, elegant, and smooth functioning of the whole. Although we all have different gifts, graces, ministries, and functions, there is no hierarchy of believers. In His eyes we all are equally important in the smooth functioning of the Body. What a privilege it is to have the freedom to be a member of Christ’s Body, for we all eat of the same Bread of Life, we all drink from the same Living Water, and we all partake of the same Spirit of God. We all have the same innate Holy Spirit, and we all partake of the same spiritual benefits. We all have the same heavenly inheritance, and we are all equally loved by the same Lord Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Steve 