While we have a physical body of many parts, we are still different in many ways. Some are short, and others are tall. Some are fat and others skinny, and there are a multitude of sizes in between. In Romans 12:4, Paul addresses the church as a body made up of many different members. “For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members have not the same office.” So, what about the body? Who makes it up? What is its function, and where does it fit in the grand scheme of life?
The Bible refers to Christians as the body of Christ. It is a common metaphor in the New Testament. It refers to anyone who is genuinely saved. In Romans 12:5, Paul teaches that we are one body with many members. In verse 6 we have different gifts and whatever our gifts are we are to use them to make the body function properly. Our physical bodies have many members. We are made up of visible parts that are obvious. Our hands, feet, legs, arms, eyes, ears, and mouth are all visible, but those parts are not the ones that keep us healthy and alive. The hidden parts, such as the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, etc., are unattractive parts that keep things going in the right direction. They work continuously while the outward parts take a rest. The body of Christ is much like this. Those prayer warriors who secretly pray and toil for the body’s needs are essential to the gospel’s progress. If the feet go and the mouth speaks, but God is not in it for lack of prayer, all is in vain.
Romans 12:5-6 “so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and everyone members one of another. And having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of our faith.”
In I Corinthians 10:17, Paul uses a loaf of bread to illustrate the body. The idea is that many ingredients make a loaf of bread, but when put together correctly, no one stands out. To be flavorful and enjoyable, the mix must have a proper balance. No one ingredient functions independently. Only when this happens will God get the glory!
I Corinthians 10:17 “For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.”
There is one part that every body must have functioning if the parts of the body are to do their designed job. This part is the head. This is the command center for everything that happens in the body. In Colossians 1:18, Jesus is the head of the body. “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” He is the command center. He has the power to make each part successful in doing its part. As long as the body acts according to the commands of the head, it will be fine. When a member of the body decides it can work on its own and the ego gets in the way of humble obedience, the body gets in trouble. When foreign properties that don’t belong to the body enter the body, disease sets in. It attaches to vital organs that we cannot see, and often, great damage is done before the rest of the body knows there is a problem. This is how Satan works in the church. He will influence a member to begin thinking on its own, then it seeks to please itself, and does not listen to the head. Sin is like a cancer. It quietly starts where no one will notice and eats away until it destroys the body. That is Satan’s design. He wishes to sift us like wheat, to devour us as a roaring lion tearing the body apart, therefore decreasing its effect on the lost world.
As a member of the body, I must not diminish its effectiveness because I am not following the commands and direction of the head. This will weaken the influence we have on the world that needs Jesus. When the world sees a Christian doing things that are inconsistent with what the Bible teaches, it assumes it is okay to live as we choose. This attitude promotes cheap, easy beliefs. This is a belief that all I need to do to be right with God is say a prayer and believe He is the Son of God and I am going to Heaven. While a sincere belief and a prayer of repentance save us, it does require a change. In II Corinthians 5:17, Paul addresses this issue of salvation without change. He says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” True salvation must exhibit itself in a changed life. Some bodies of believers are dysfunctional because some parts of the body are fake. They don’t belong yet. They are like artificial legs with proper clothing on them; you can’t tell the difference between the real leg and the artificial one. If you are the real deal, you are a vital part of the body and must do your part for the rest of the body to function to its capacity. James 2:17 clearly defines how an authentic member of the body of Christ should act. It says, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”
What is the body? It is all those who are truly born-again believers. What is its function? It is to glorify God by living in obedience to the Head. We are to win the lost and disciple them to repeat this process. We are to edify and exhort one another to be our best. When all parts are healthy, the entire body can thrive. In the grand scheme of life, the body represents the Head to the world. The parts work together. They love each other, and they love others. This is the body of Christ!
John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
Examine your life. Are you functioning in the body in obedience to the Head so that you contribute to the body’s health and success, or are you lazy and selfish doing your own thing?
