***Grace to Each (Ephesians 4:7)

An urbana.org column by Bob Morris

“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

What we have in common, in community (4: 4-6), never trumps who we are as individuals. As Margaret Mead nicely put it, “Each one of you is unique – just like everyone else”. Or, if you prefer Dr. Seuss, “No one is you-er than you”. The church epitomizes unity in diversity.

One of our individual distinctives is the particular shape of grace God gives to our lives. In Corinthians, Paul refers to the gifts of the Spirit as charismata. Here he says charis (grace) has been given to each one of us. In this context, he has the grace-gifts in mind (see verses 8, 11). We are not clones; we are individuals with distinctive personalities and giftedness. There is none who can say, “I have nothing to contribute to the whole”. It is not too strong to say we as God’s people will not be complete or mature if even one person opts out and keeps their gift to themselves (see 4: 16).

In 1 Corinthians 12:4 Paul gives a Triune twist to the apportionment of gifts: the Spirit distributes gifts, all serve in the name of the Lord Jesus, and God the Father works in our “working.” In that same passage (12:7) Paul says that individual giftedness is for the common good. Peter makes the same point (1 Pet. 4: 10). So our gifts are ours uniquely, but all are given for the common good – in the context of our unity in Christ.

Have you ever wished you had the giftedness of someone else? A missionary friend of mine had the gift of discernment – a somewhat startling ability to call a spade a spade and in some cases to commend what others condemn. I commented to her once that I wished God had distributed her gift more widely, since it is so essential to a healthy church. “Ah, but it is,” she replied, “but people are too afraid to exercise it”.

Be thankful for the grace Christ has apportioned to you, and “fan into flame” the gift of God (2 Tim. 1: 6-7) for the sake of the rest of us. It often takes real courage and self-sacrifice, especially in church contexts where the spiritual gifts are not given their rightful place. Seldom does it lead to the self-aggrandizement that plagues too many charismatic fellowships.

Gracious Father, we acknowledge that all good gifts come from you, and you have given us exactly the grace we need to serve you and your church. May we in turn give our gift to others, and not look for our own benefits.