What is the body?
Many of us are familiar with Romans 12:1-2 and hear many messages preached on it, but how often do you hear the rest of the Romans 12 addressed? Verses 3-21 are the way we accomplish the command found in the first two verses. However, there is a brief break in verses 4 and 5 which says, "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually members one of another." The NIV words it this way: "so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."
What in the world is Paul talking about? The Church! We may be fairly familiar with Paul's metaphor of the Church as a body, but what does he mean that we are members of each other or that we belong to all the others? The same blood that flows in the hand flows in the legs, so with us the blood of Christ that flows in me is the same blood that flows in you, and the same Spirit that lives in me is the same Spirit that lives in you, just like the body is united by one spirit. We may not be literally physically linked to each other like the members of our bodies are, but Paul uses this picture to express how closely we are to share in the lives of one another. And when I say that we are to share in the lives of each other, I don't mean by talking about music or sports or anything else (although those are good things, they are not the primary thing), what I am talking about is sharing in the Life that we have together. When we as the Church come together, we discuss the greatness of our Creator, Savior, and King who not only became like us in every respect to suffer and die for our vilest sins, but was also raised to life so that we too may have life everlasting!
How does it work?
One of the last things Jesus prayed for was that we, the Church, would be one even as He and the Father are one. Talk about unity! And to show that in a different way, Ephesians tells us that "He (God the Father) put all things under His (Christ's) feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." God put all things under Christ's feet and then gave Him to us as our Head! We are all members of His body, which means that your King is my King and His blood flows through us both. How can a body, especially Christ's body, be divided against each other or work in a dysfunctional way? Yet this is exactly what we see happening in the Church today.
Why? I believe it's because we don't live out Romans 12:4-5. We don't truly believe that we are one body in Christ, and because of that we don't see ourselves as members of each other. What affects you will affect me and vice versa. The implications of that are extensive, but I think it's best for each of us to think on that individually. But how do we solve this issue? I believe it's a simple as abiding in Christ and truly loving one another. We are members of one another and whether or not we feel like others in the Church are treating us right, we are still to love genuinely. You must personally take up the responsibility of seeing others as members of you, like Romans 12:5 tells us, and I also must do the same. You are a member of me and a member of Christ with me. Because of that, I love you and will do anything for you. Let us meditate on Romans 12:3-21 and apply it to ourselves personally.
Many of us are familiar with Romans 12:1-2 and hear many messages preached on it, but how often do you hear the rest of the Romans 12 addressed? Verses 3-21 are the way we accomplish the command found in the first two verses. However, there is a brief break in verses 4 and 5 which says, "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually members one of another." The NIV words it this way: "so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."
What in the world is Paul talking about? The Church! We may be fairly familiar with Paul's metaphor of the Church as a body, but what does he mean that we are members of each other or that we belong to all the others? The same blood that flows in the hand flows in the legs, so with us the blood of Christ that flows in me is the same blood that flows in you, and the same Spirit that lives in me is the same Spirit that lives in you, just like the body is united by one spirit. We may not be literally physically linked to each other like the members of our bodies are, but Paul uses this picture to express how closely we are to share in the lives of one another. And when I say that we are to share in the lives of each other, I don't mean by talking about music or sports or anything else (although those are good things, they are not the primary thing), what I am talking about is sharing in the Life that we have together. When we as the Church come together, we discuss the greatness of our Creator, Savior, and King who not only became like us in every respect to suffer and die for our vilest sins, but was also raised to life so that we too may have life everlasting!
How does it work?
One of the last things Jesus prayed for was that we, the Church, would be one even as He and the Father are one. Talk about unity! And to show that in a different way, Ephesians tells us that "He (God the Father) put all things under His (Christ's) feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." God put all things under Christ's feet and then gave Him to us as our Head! We are all members of His body, which means that your King is my King and His blood flows through us both. How can a body, especially Christ's body, be divided against each other or work in a dysfunctional way? Yet this is exactly what we see happening in the Church today.
Why? I believe it's because we don't live out Romans 12:4-5. We don't truly believe that we are one body in Christ, and because of that we don't see ourselves as members of each other. What affects you will affect me and vice versa. The implications of that are extensive, but I think it's best for each of us to think on that individually. But how do we solve this issue? I believe it's a simple as abiding in Christ and truly loving one another. We are members of one another and whether or not we feel like others in the Church are treating us right, we are still to love genuinely. You must personally take up the responsibility of seeing others as members of you, like Romans 12:5 tells us, and I also must do the same. You are a member of me and a member of Christ with me. Because of that, I love you and will do anything for you. Let us meditate on Romans 12:3-21 and apply it to ourselves personally.