One Body, Many Members
As we continue to look at the biblical analogy of the Church as a body, we not only focus on Christ as the head, but also on God’s people as the body. The analogy also compels us to give thought to the members who compose it — a portion of the body already is with Christ, while the rest is scattered throughout the earth and manifested in local congregations.
A major passage about the Church as the body of Christ is 1 Corinthians 12:12–27, which opens with the observation, “Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ” (v. 12).
One of the truths flowing from the body analogy is the unity of the local church. A healthy body functions as a unit. No part of the body can go its own way and do its own thing without affecting the whole body. A wayward gland or selfish organ that sought to detach itself and withhold its function would wreak havoc with physical health.
Church life works best and most fruitfully when every member chooses to function in harmony with all the others.
Collective unity
The Bible attaches importance to our collective unity and fellowship, which should eliminate a spirit of competition between local congregations. In the big picture, local churches are members of the same team.
This collective belonging to one another is not merely associating with other members. It has to do with how genuinely and practically we seek to help one another. We care about one another because we know that if any part of the body is missing or malfunctioning, the whole life of the body is affected.
We also are to share a mutuality of service. Here the focus is outward, having to do with how we together carry out Christ’s ministry and mission in the world. We do not live simply to maintain healthy bodies — we maintain healthy bodies so we can function and be of use in the world around us. Healthy churches attend to their health in order to be Christ’s instruments of compassion and caring in the world.
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