Body of Christ

1 Corinthians 12:12–14 CSB

12 For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink. 14 Indeed, the body is not one part but many.

One People, Many Individuals

What does it mean to be part of the body of Christ? It means that you, being now saved and brought near by the blood of Christ are part of a covenant people. It means that by the blood of Jesus and your faith in him you have come into a covenant relationship with Him and his people. You cannot possibly belong to something greater.

The old covenant was reserved for the people of Israel (the Jews). Under the new covenant, this invitation and relationship has been opened up to all people. there is no more categories of Jews, greeks, slaves and free. We are all now one people in Christ. Anyone who has faith in Christ is now God’s chosen people, its not about being part of the nation of Israel like in the old covenant. It is about being under the blood of Jesus.

The body of Christ is by far the most diverse group of people in the world. For many years the United States was considered the great melting pot of cultures and backgrounds but I believe that the body of Christ is even greater. How many people groups do you know that have a greater variety of races, languages, locations, economic status and heritages, all while being one people? Before you are anything else you are a follower of Christ. That is what makes us so unique. We are all so different yet the same all at once. Paul talks about it in the context of our gifts and talents and roles in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

1 Corinthians 12:4–6 CSB

4 Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are different activities, but the same God works all of them in each person.

This applies to every other area of each of our lives as well.

Enemies of a Healthy Body

Comparison

1 Corinthians 12:15–16 CSB

15 If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body.

Comparison looks at the other people that have something you wish that you had. It excludes yourself from being part of the body because it makes you say “If i am not _______” then I am nothing and should not be here. Many people have stepped into a church to never step back in because they did no fee that they measured up to other members of the body. Just because you do not feel that you are as great as someone else does not mean that is true. You do not have to be a specific personality or have a certain gift to be a part of the body of christ. In fact, what you have might just actually be the missing piece that the body needed to be complete.

Pride and Exclusion

On the flip side, this can go the other way. Where certain members will push others out because they don’t see the value in what someone has to offer.

1 Corinthians 12:21–22 CSB

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable.

You are not the judge of whether or not someone belongs to the body of christ or to this church. Paul tells us here that the things we view as weakness are actually a strength to the church and the body of Christ. So just like not excluding yourself because you might just be the missing piece that the body needs. You should never exclude somebody else Just because of your opinion of what they bring to the table.

keep the body healthy

need for a Healthy Body

Desire is not just for the existence of the body of Christ before the body to be a healthy body for us to be a healthy body. It takes work. It takes care. It takes dedication. It takes consistency. But if we are ever going to be what God intends us and the church and the body that exist worldwide to be that we must take these steps for it to become reality. We see in the book of Ephesians as well as among us Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians, how we can do this.

Ephesians 4:15–16 CSB

15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. 16 From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.

Truth in love

We must be able both to speak and to receive the truth in love. Truth in love is how the body stays properly nourished. Truth comes from his word and we know that his word is called “daily Bread”. If we don’t eat the truth and share the truth within the body, it will become unhealthy. Truth gives the ability for growth. somebody who does not eat right, will not grow right. Not only are we supposed to share the truth in a spirit of love, but you need to understand that truth is love in itself. Jesus said when you know the truth, the truth sets you free. The most loving thing you can do for somebody is tell them the truth the most freeing thing you can do for somebody is to tell them the truth.The truth will free you the truth. Will shower love upon you. Sometimes the truth isn’t what you want to hear. But it should always be told in a spirit of love and compassion. Never from a place of anger or bitterness. I can tell somebody the truth in a way to cut them down. Or I can share the truth with them in a way that will build them up. We have a responsibility to tell the truth in such a way that it will build, and grow our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Working properly

According to ephesians 4, the only way the body grows is if each individual part is doing its job. God has given each of us a responsibility within the body of Christ and the only way the Body becomes what it is supposed to be is if we each do our part the way God intended us to. The best thing you can do as part of the body of Christ is to do your part. For the body to be at its best everything must be in good working order. For the body to be healthy all of the organs, the tendons, the ligaments all of the things must be in good shape. If we do not do our part, there will be an area of the body that will not function, and the body won’t be able to do all that it is supposed to do and all that God has intended it to do. It’s really not a suggestion that you work as part of the body of Christ, but it is an expectation that God has for us that we all play our part within the body, according to our gifts, abilities, and resources.God has uniquely, gifted each one of us to do, and to be an important part of the body of Christ.

Care for the Body

Not only does every part have to do its part, but it must maintain its health. That’s why Paul tells us:

1 Corinthians 12:24–27 CSB

24 which our respectable parts do not need. Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, 25 so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. 26 So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.

We should all share concern for each other. Helping the members that suffer to the point that we suffer alongside them to make sure they are taken care of. We should rejoice with those who are honored and Are being blessed. If we don’t rejoice, we can quickly and easily fall into the trap of comparison that we talked about already. But we can also fall into envy and jealousy, and it leads us to backbiting, and it leads us to tearing that person down. James 4 tells us that the source of all the fighting and the division within the church is because we desire what is not ours and what belongs to others. And we should choose to help those who are suffering by even going to the length of suffering alongside them, helping them to carry their cross, and to carry their burdens because it builds the body of Christ and it may even save that person From falling off the body of Christ. We need each other more than we ever knew. And as this world gets closer to the return of Jesus and the times get tougher and the world gets crazier, we will need to lean on each other more and more. If we start this practice now, there is hope that we can carry on through the worst of time that lie ahead of us.