Woven Together as the Body of Christ

“I don’t belong here.” That is what I relentlessly told myself Friday afternoon through Sunday morning. I was the least experienced participant. All I really desired was to make the three-hour trip from Iowa State back home. That humbling weekend at a field goal kicking camp over twenty years ago left an indelible mark on me. I thought the camp was for novices, when in reality it was designed for those with NFL aspirations.

Have you ever felt like a high school athlete competing among professionals? Has it ever crossed your mind that you’re not cut out for the team, equipped for the job, or gifted with the same academic fortitude as your peers? Imposter syndrome is real, and if you have experienced it, you’re not alone. It is the feeling that you don’t belong, on the verge of being found out.

I wish I could say that my weekend brush with professional-caliber players was my only experience as an imposter. But I continue to stumble on the path of life with a sense of inadequacy. When I was in seminary, I felt that everyone else had more intellectual firepower. In my first pastoral role out of seminary, I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. During those first several months at River City, I wondered if I really was the right person for the role. Certainly, there are others more gifted, more qualified to pastor.

I contend that imposter syndrome is one of the main factors driving loneliness and isolation in our city. When we try to fit in, we hide behind the personas that we want others to see. But in doing so, we sacrifice the opportunity to be truly loved. In this cultural milieu, the church is the countercultural community of Christ where imposter syndrome goes to die. The body imagery in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 is a reminder that for those united to Jesus, every member belongs, every member is needed, and every member is important.

You Belong

Paul says, “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” (1 Cor 12:13 ESV). Your baptism symbolizes your death—death to sin, death to your rebellion. To be baptized into one body is to receive a new identity in Christ (Gal 2:20), to receive life from the same source. Paul says every member of the body of Christ “drink(s) of one Spirit.” Just consider that no one in the church has a greater or lesser identity because everyone is a member of the same body (see also John 1:12). We are part of this body, not because of anything that we did to earn a welcome; it is solely by God’s grace, an unmerited welcome in Christ (Rom 15:7).

This truth is incredibly freeing. To know that your identity is received from God in Christ breaks the ideological stranglehold of our culture that says you have to create your identity. If God has woven us together as one body, our identity is secure, and we can be truly known [1]. The church is a place where we can be found out and still be loved. In Christ, you can belong. In Christ, you do belong.

You are Needed

Recently, I hyperextended my knee. No, not because I am some high-performance athlete with a story to share—kicking camp already shattered that mirage—the real story is actually quite embarrassing. I hyperextended my knee by having my feet up on the couch for too long. Anyone who has had joint pain knows how difficult it is even to walk up a flight of stairs. When one part of our body is not working, it reminds us that our bodies are made up of many parts, and every part is needed. As Paul says, “For the body does not consist of one member but of many” (1 Cor 12:14). And, “If all were a single member, where would the body be?” (1 Cor 12:19). Every member of Christ’s body is needed.

Paul’s words caution us against thinking everyone should have the same gifts in the body of Christ. At the church where I grew up, our missions pastor could strike up a conversation with a stranger on a plane. Before the landing gear dropped, he was already walking through the four spiritual laws. For many years, I carried a sense of guilt that I didn’t have the same evangelistic gifts and grit. But what if it isn’t a matter of passion? What if, instead, it is a matter of gifting? My gifts can contribute to the Great Commission even if they look different. At the risk of stating the obvious, consider this: you are not the body of Christ, but you belong to the body of Christ. In other words, you, on your own, are not going to be a full reflection of Jesus, but you, as a member of the body of Christ, can grow in your reflection of Jesus. In the words of Kelly Kapic, “It takes an entire community to reflect the one Messiah” [2]. I am not going to have the same gift as another member, and that is exactly how God wants it to be (1 Cor 12:18). Together, we can more fully reflect the love of Jesus. So, rather than envying another’s gift, consider the gift the Holy Spirit has given you for the building up of Christ’s body and furthering the Great Commission. If you don’t know your gifts, I would love to meet with you to help you explore your gifts and how you can use them for the building up of the body of Christ.

You are Honored

I played football through my junior year of high school, well, more accurately, I was part of the team. One Friday night, we were playing a team we beat heavily. The score was so lopsided that the coach actually called my name and sent me on the field for the final 30 seconds. We were that good; I was that bad. But here is what is important to note: after the game, as we gathered under the bleachers to hear from our coach, we said, “We won.” All of us. I could just as truthfully say “we won” as the starting quarterback could say the same.

“But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together, if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Cor 12:24-26).

You belong to the same body as the missionary in Kenya who is using her gifts to see others come to faith in Jesus. And you know what, that missionary belongs to the same body as you, who can use the gifts God has given you for the building up of the body of Christ. Whether you are serving overseas, expounding the Scriptures from the pulpit, on your knees in the privacy of your home, faithfully doing the work God has called you to Monday through Friday, leading a Bible study at your school, or serving the poor in your neighborhood, your calling is significant. God has done a marvelous thing by weaving together people with a rich diversity of gifts. Your gift is vital, and you belong.

Works Cited

[1] Timothy Keller, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexity of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (New York, Dutton, 2011), 95.

[2] Kelly Kapic, You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2022), 177.

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