The Body of Christ

Part 2

I shared in my previous blog about all the different parts of the body that there is. To not just think external parts, but all and every one in between. As I continued to think about what I was learning in this, I ended up learning so much more. 

 

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself that he ought to think. But to think so as to have sound judgement, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For jut as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function. So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly.”

~ Romans 12:1-6a

In other words, the Christ life is built on the mercy of God. We are not a people trying to earn the favor of God. We are people who are stunned that we have been shown utterly undeserved favor mercifully because of Christ. We are all to live a merciful life because we have been shown this mercy.

This is what chapter twelve begins to describe and Paul is calling us to live in this way. First Paul deals with our life as worship toward God and then he deals with humility and lowliness in relation to ourselves. Then, he deals with our relation to each other in the church. 

Paul tells us how we are to live in relation to many other things and it is what life looks like when you know that you have peace with God by faith alone and Christ as become the foundation and summation of all your hopes. 

 

I want to make three points about the church as the body of Christ. The first is that the unity of the body of Christ is created in Jesus Christ. 

“For as one body we have many members, and the members do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ.”

This not only refers to the universal body of believers, but our local body as well. The phrase I want to point out though, is the phrase “In Christ.” 

This means that if the body is in Christ, each individual is in relationship with Christ and with each other. What it means to be in Christ is far more profound than an analogy of family relations suggests. What it means is that when you trust Christ as your Savior and Lord, a union is established between Christ and you in such a way that everything in Christ that can be shared will be shared. 

We find this true through other passages of Scripture where it is said that our grace is in Christ; our redemption is in Christ; we are justified in Christ; and we are a new creation in Christ. Paul’s aim here is so that we stand in awe of Christ.

You belong to Christ and you are IN Him.

And the wonderful thing is that we experience all of this together in one body.

 

My second point is that individuality is valued in Christ. 

“So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

Verse 6 goes on to say “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.” That is a conscious effort on Paul’s part to make explicitly clear our individual differences, created and willed by God’s grace. Paul is saying that our true individuality is found in relation to the body of Christ. 

I am part of you. You are part of me.

I am like your eye or your ear or your stomach. You are like my heart, or my brain or my feet. Each individual is part of the other individuals in the body of Christ.

This means that my individual identity as God has created me to be cannot be known except in serving you as I rely upon Christ.

That’s what the parts of the body do. They serve. It’s why we have gifts.

 

This brings me to my third point: God’s grace sustains all ministry in Christ. 

“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.”

What we are in our differing individuality we are by grace. You may not approve of what God has made of you for the sake of His body. You may think He made a mistake. But it is a matter of trusting God that He has gifted you in this way through grace for a purpose. Sometimes we don’t like our gifting(s) because we don’t get noticed or appreciated for it. We aren’t seen as essential or vital in the church body. 

This is why verses 2-4 of Romans 12 is so important. We need to remember that God has positioned us where we are at to steadily serve the church how He wills whether we are noticed and appreciated or not. 

The church would not function properly without you, just as the body would not function without it’s stomach, or live or spine. These parts are not often seen or noticed, but without them the functions of every other part would become weak and futile. 

The biblical picture in this chapter is clear: To be a Christian, to belong to Jesus Christ, is to be part of His body and individually members of one another.

It is an amazing calling and an amazing identity being the body of Christ and individually members of one another. There is more to be discovered about yourself in Christ than you ever dreamed. And Christ will be more and more honored by every discovery you make. 

 

Till Next Time,

Kara Faber