The body of Christ

I Corinthians 12:12“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.”

This passage is one that I love to read and think about often. Working at a doctor’s office makes me more aware of the truth that the body needs each one of its members. Throughout the day we see patients that may have an imbalance in their body: their blood work is abnormal, or their hormones are not balanced, or maybe even they are not mentally stable. Then there are some who may have injured themselves in some way, or had a surgery that required incisions that cut through their skin and muscle layers, injuring them to heal them. Each person comes in with some complaint because their bodies are not whole. When there is something wrong with us we can tell. We feel pain and sometimes fatigue. But there are also those wonderful times when our bodies feel healthy and whole!

There is a spiritual application to this. Each one of us is a member of a body, the body of Christ. Each one of us has a special and unique role in that body. I Corinthians 12 goes on to say in verses 27-28 “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.” God gives each one of His members a place in the church. Some are pastors, some are teachers, some are good at public speaking, some are good at helping out those in need by making meals, some are musical, some are quiet, some have special needs, and the list could go on. There are times when we can be discouraged, seeing the gifts and talents of certain members and feeling like we don’t quite have those kinds of gifts, but passages like this and others in Scripture remind us that God has given us gifts, and even what we may call lesser are just as important.

Having gifts, we are called to use them for the benefit of the other members of the body. However, when we do not do so and draw attention to ourselves in pride or self-pity, we are hindering the health and wellbeing of the body. Just like our physical bodies, the body of Christ is very intricate and requires each member to be in balance for the body to be healthy. Therefore when one of our fellow brothers or sisters are hurting, the body hurts with him/her. When one is living in sin, there is an imbalance which can cause strain in the relationships the other members have with that one, bringing pain to the body. I’m sure you can all think of times when you hurt someone, whether by words or actions, and how it affected your relationship with them. Because we are all members of one body, it is important that we think more highly of others than of ourselves. When we live in disunity with other members, that’s when the body suffers, hurts, or becomes sick.

So take this truth and remember that just as each one of us has ears, eyes, hands, tongues, etc., and our ears can’t be our eyes, our hands can’t be our feet. Each child of God has a particular place and calling in this world, in the Church and in family life. God doesn’t judge our talents by the standards we like to use, but in His wisdom He gives us those talents to use for His glory. When we don’t do that, we sin, and He will judge us for that. So use your talents for Him and out of thankfulness to Him, never forgetting that we are not whole or complete without the other members of the Body.

LK