… members together of one body,
Summary: Paul takes us on a short tour of the Body of Christ, pointing out that we are all part of something much bigger than any one person.
When I was in my twenties, I took a job in Alaska as a tour guide. It was a great job for the most part, and I learned a lot about the great state of Alaska. I learned to do tours for the City of Anchorage, half-day tours to the Matanuska Valley and Portage Glacier, and highway tours that ranged from Anchorage to Valdez to Whitehorse, in the Yukon Territory.
Whether driving around town or traveling down the highway, giving a tour involved pointing out things to people that they might otherwise not have noticed. Once noticed, a good tour guide provides a story that helps the person understand what they are looking at.
In today’s passage, Paul is pointing us to the Body of Christ. He wants us to notice that this collection of people who claim to be Christ’s followers are bound together. He wants us to see something that is not apparent to the naked eye.
We are members of one body.
Obviously, we have to have a body to understand what he is saying. Until we die, each of us has a physical body that is the same as every other body in some ways, and totally unique in others. The things that are the same, that mark as being of the same species, have to do with the parts of the body that make it possible for us to live.
The part of the body that doesn’t die, the part that is invisible to the eye, is our spirit. This is the part that joins with other spirits to form the spiritual body Paul is talking about.
Like our physical bodies, the Body of Christ is comprised of different parts. Some parts function like the heart, others like the brain. Just like there are all kinds of different parts in our physical bodies, there are all kinds of different parts in the spiritual body.
Sometimes as Christians, we forget this. If we are a spiritual kidney, we want everyone else to be a spiritual kidney as well. Perhaps this is why there are so many different kinds of churches. Yet Christians, like body parts, have different functions. In his letter to the Corinthians Paul mentions some of these:
“And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.” (1 Corinthians 12:28)
It is important for us who believe in Jesus to remember that Jesus made us all the same, and at the same time, all different. As members of Christ’s body, we are all subordinate to Christ. As Christ served us, we are to serve him and others. (Matthew 20:26-28) Our job isn’t to tell others what to do but to do what God has put before us and encourage others in whatever God has put before them.
Application: Remember that the Body of Christ is spirit.
Food for Thought: How does the Spirit help us recognize other members of Christ’s body?
This week i was blessed to share my faith with my ex-wife. She said something to me that also was a blessing: “I (She) thought something had changed because the tone of your emails changed.”
I know what she means though, as i meet people and recognize a Christ-like presence in their words and actions. Something different and not self-edifying. A good litmus test is just to have a conversation, share your testimony, listen to theirs. You quickly learn what Spirit or spirit them act under.
Galatians 22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Nicely put, CH! Thank you for sharing this personal example!
I am not sure we are to recognize other parts of the body as much as we are to serve them by using our gifts to benefit others. Maybe that is a little bit of the same thing? We are to serve one another in love rather than hurting the other person in some way (Galatians 5: 13 – 15). In this, we encourage others to use their gifts as we serve others with our gifts with the goal of edifying the entire church body. In Paul’s Holy Spirit inspired teaching on the gifts, the goal is clearly the edification or building up of the church body (1 Corinthians 14: 1 – 5).
As we serve, our gifts are made clear to others. As others serve, their gifts are made clear to us. We acknowledge those gifts and encourage others in using their gifts. But without serving others to edify others, it becomes kind of pointless to identify gifts that are placed on the shelf.
Rich,
You make two important points. A “gift on the shelf,” that is, a gift that isn’t being used in the service of the Body, is not really a gift at all. Second, we are to serve others as Christ served us. (Mark 9:35)
I agree.
05-13-2023, How does the Spirit help us recognize other members of Christ’s body?
Often, people describe the Holy Spirit as a presence or an “it.” But the Holy Spirit is a person, not a thing. The Holy Spirit has thoughts, a will and power.
The Holy Spirit is God Himself.
We need oxygen to live in our human bodies, When we trust in Christ, we are born again in a spiritual sense and the Holy Spirit becomes the source of new life God places within us. God transforms each from within so we become more like Jesus.
He is the source or our spiritual life.
He teaches truth, producing lasting change in our character.
He reveals what the Father tells Him.
He is the power of believers to share our faith.
He produces God’s love in human hearts.
He is our promise of great things to come.
He is the skill and ability needed to share God’s love, “spiritual gifts.”
By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Matthew 7:16
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
Ron,
Great point! It is God himself who inhabits us and is with us. He is indeed the oxygen we breathe spiritually. The only thing I would add is that at some point, when we are born into the body of Christ, we are spiritual babies. It is as we mature in Christ that we start to bear fruit. Recognizing the mature believer is different than recognizing a baby in the faith.
Jeff,
Excellent Point! Keep up the good work!