THE BODY OF CHRIST

1 Cor.12:12 – NKJV – For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.

I can remember as a young Christian beginning to glimpse the significance of this verse, through this word I began to see the supernatural nature of the church. The church is not like Whole Foods or Rouse’s where we decide the store that we prefer. The church is a living, supernatural organism and is called the body of Christ. Was Paul being literal in this passage, absolutely. Christ dwells in His people individually and also corporately. As a result we are joined to a supernatural being when we are born again, the body of Christ. We truly are spiritually and organically connected to Christ and His church.

Paul also taught that we were specifically placed in the body of Christ. This is how he says this in 1 Cor.12:18 – NKJV – “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased”. What does Paul mean in this verse? It is also quite literal, the Lord places us specifically in His church as He desires for our benefit and for His glory. Going back to the grocery store comparison, church is not something we choose because of the trends of the day or the new hot church that we heard about. We are joined together in His body by His Spirit to advance the kingdom of God.

Also each and every member is vital in the local church. Paul describes this in 1 Cor.12:18 – TPT – “But God has carefully designed each member and placed it in the body to function as he desires”. Apparently we are gifted specifically for the benefit of the local church that the Lord plants us in. Paul explained this in this chapter as he talked about the importance of each member of the human body functioning properly in order for that whole person to be effective in their life. We need all the parts of our body; without a nose we can’t smell, without eyes we can’t see, and without ears we can’t hear. Each part of the human body is essential or that person will be handicapped in their ability to function. In the same way each one of the members of His church is critical for that church to accomplish its dedicated purpose. This is why unity in the church is essential; its not by accident that the Lord made note of the believers being in one accord when the Spirit fell on the day of Pentecost. We desperately need the unity of the Spirit in His church in order to touch our world.