HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 102
page A100
Diversity continued
Diversity is everywhere—in government, neighborhoods, business, and families. We
are diverse in skin color, nationality, religion, looks, skills, abilities, interests, personalities. Our differences cause us to work well together as a team. They take pressure off
the individual to be responsible for everything. Maybe most important, our differences
demonstrate God’s creativity in making us. He didn’t want us to be the same. Too often,
however, diversity causes prejudice and hatred; we tend to want others to be just like
us. But the Bible tells us that diversity should be celebrated and embraced because God
created each of us different in order to accomplish the variety of work that needs to be
done. God created us different, but he created us all in his image. Men and women, rich
and poor, black and white—all have equal value in God’s eyes, although all have different roles and gifts. The tragedy is when we don’t see others as equally important. We
are unique in our individuality but equal in our value. This is diversity at its best, welding
differing backgrounds, racial origins, and educational and social levels into one team to
accomplish the work God has given us. In Christ, a diversity of backgrounds can harmonize into a unity of ministry and purpose.
Is diversity consistent with equality?
• E PH E S I A NS 3 :6 | And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News
share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children.
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• 1 C O R I NT H I A NS 1 2 :4 -6 | There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit
is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord.
God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.
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Being equal is not synonymous with being identical. Diversity is a part of God’s plan for
today and for eternity. In God’s eyes we are not all alike, but we are all equal.
With all the diversity in our culture, how is unity possible in anything but a very
small group?
• R O MA NS 1 2 :5 | So it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all
belong to each other.
• J O H N 1 0 :1 6 | “I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them
also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.”
• E PH E S I A NS 4 :4 -6 | For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to
one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and
Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.
God is the creator of true unity. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the church can bring
unity and peace to any group of people, small or large.
Why is it a waste of time to compare ourselves to others?
• 1 C O R I NT H I A NS 1 2 :1 2-1 8 | The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up
one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. . . . Yes, the body has many different parts,
not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,”
that does not make it any less a part of the body. . . . But our bodies have many parts, and
God has put each part just where he wants it.
The church is called the “body of Christ” or the “body of believers” and is often likened
to a person’s physical body where every part has its specific function. It is foolish to try to
determine whether your hand or your foot is more important—you need both. You were
created by God to serve a key role in his Kingdom, and that is true of every other believer.
Only when you work together will God’s Kingdom grow and flourish! The more you appreciate diversity, the more you will be able to work well together.
• R O MA NS 1 2 :4 -5 | Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function,
so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
In his grace, God has given each of us different gifts for doing certain things well. Diversity
is essential for productivity. God has given each of us gifts—some of us are great organizers and administrators, while others are gifted musicians, teachers, and dishwashers! When