1 Corinthians 12:12-13
For 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. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
The Bible uses various various analogies to describe the church. It is described as a spiritual house while the members are living stones (1 Peter 2:4-5). It is also described as a household with the idea of a family in mind (1 Timothy 3:15). In our passage today, it is described as a body with the individuals being the different members that make up the body. With all these metaphors of the church, it is clear that there is a sense of interconnectedness.
A church is as great as its membership. The more interconnected the members are, the stronger the church. Therefore, every church must encourage commitment to the local church. Not only that, but the members must realise that they are somehow responsible for each other. Since we are each members of one body, when one member suffers, then we all suffer. That is why we must labour to live out the one another passages littered throughout the New Testament:
– Love one another (John 13:34)
– Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)
– Honor one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10)
– Build up one another (Romans 14:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:11)
– Accept one another (Romans 15:7)
– Care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25)
– Serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
– Bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)
– Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:2, 32; Colossians 3:13)
– Be patient with one another (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13)
– Confess your sins to one another (James 5:16)
– Do not lie to one another (Colossians 3:9)
– Do not slander one
another (James 4:11)
– Etc
Reflections
1. How faithful are you as a member of your church?
