One body in Christ our Lord
Please read 1 Corinthians 12: 12-31a and Romans 12: 4-5: then pray; Heavenly Father, help me to put your word into practice, just like the wise man who built his house upon rock. In the name of the Eternal Rock, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
In our series on Romans 12 we come now to verses 4 & 5 where the practical challenges from the apostle Paul become all too apparent.
Just has each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
We know that Romans 12 starts the practical part of Paul’s greatest letter to the Church. In previous messages (3 up to now) I have brought to your attention 3 important issues that deeply affect, influence, and guide the practical outworking of our precious faith in Jesus Christ.
Firstly, we have considered the why question. Why do we seek to live out our holy faith? We do so entirely because of God’s incredible mercy to us in Jesus. In view of God’s mercy. This is opening point Paul makes. Our Christian lives are a worshipful response to the mercy and grace of God. As one simple song puts it; May my life be a thank you for what you have done, praising you for your kindness in sending your Son; being filled the Spirit, the comforting One; may my life be a thank you to you; may my life be a thank you to you.
Secondly, Paul deals with the how question. How do we live out the Christian life which is this grateful response to God’s mercy. Paul supplies the answer in v2. We offer our bodies, minds, and wills to God so that everything we are and all that we have are now in His hands and under His control. Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will.
Thirdly, if we respond to amazing grace and mercy by offering our bodies, minds, and wills to God, in what spirit do we then seek to live within Christ’s Church and God’s world? Paul gives us the plain answer in verse 3. For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone of you. Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of your yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Humility is the guiding principle in all Christian living and serving. This is why Jesus began his famous and great practical Sermon on the Mount by stating that it is the “poor in spirit” who possess the kingdom of heaven, and “the meek” who will inherit the earth.
So, in these first three verses we have the motive for Christian service, the why! We have the how, and we have the spirit and the attitude in which all Christian living and service should be pursued. (See also Philippians 2: 3-8). We are to clothe ourselves with a spirit of humility. (Colossians 3:12) Other key items in our wardrobe include compassion, kindness, gentleness, and patience, along with forgiveness and the cloak of love.
We are now ready for action! Great! So where do we start? Where does Christian commitment and active service begin? What is first on Paul’s list? This may surprise you. The Church! Or as Paul describes the Church here – the body of Christ! Paul calls and urges the Roman Christians (and us) to start our thinking and practice by working within the Church which is the body of Christ. Start in the Church – not out in the world. It is important to live your faith in the world, in your work places, on your front lines of engagement, but start to understand Christian living through your commitment to the Church, through the lens of your personal participation in the local Church. I will say why the Church comes first later, but we must first understand what the Church is and why it is very important for every Christian believer to be part of a Christian fellowship. Let us read verses 4 & 5 again and do some dissecting.
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
What is the Church? Can it be compared to anything? Paul’s favourite description of the Church comes to us through his use of the term “body of Christ.” This is an analogy, a comparison he loves to use, and one which he uses in all his major letters, not just Romans, but Corinthians as we have seen today, Ephesians, which is a letter all about the Church, and Colossians, which is the twin sister of Ephesians. The Church is likened to a physical human body.
Just as each physical human body has many parts, many members, so the body of Christ has many parts – or many people. Just as the parts of the human body are distinct and do not all have the same function, so it is in the body of Christ; those people who belong to it are different and all have different functions, different jobs to do. But there is only ONE body, and all the parts are organically joined together and work together to secure the bodies proper functioning, health, wellbeing, and mobility. The parts are joined together and they work together.
The Church is a body of people. It is a unique body of people. It is a local body people which may gather in smaller units as in 4-6 house groupings in Rome or Ephesus or Abbeydale. It is also an international body – which finds itself located and scattered throughout the world thanks to the spread of the gospel. There is only ONE Church, and this is emphasised here and throughout the NT. One is the key word. So in Christ we who are many, form ONE body. Or as Paul puts in in Ephesians 4: 4-6;
There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to one hope when you were called – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Who is “in” the Church? I ask this question because the NT teaches clearly on the subject. It is those who are “in Christ” who are “in” the Church – this spiritually organic body of people throughout the world. So in Christ we who are many, form one body. What does “in Christ” mean? It means those who are in union with Christ; those who are united to Christ; those who are personally and intimately related to Christ; those who are one with Christ. Paul loves to use this term “in Christ” to describe the reality of the Christian. There is a real mystical, spiritual organic union to Jesus Christ. So, let me ask you a question? Are you “in Christ?” Are you in relationship with the Son of God? Are you one of the sheep of His pasture? Are you one of the branches in the True Vine?
Now if the answer to that is “yes” – I am united to Christ – I do know, love, and serve Him, then you are according to our teaching today also “in” His body – the Church. If you are in Christ, you are in his body. If you are united to Jesus you are united to all the others who are united to Jesus. You are part of the one company of people who have repented of sin, received full and free forgiveness, been made right with God (justified) and have peace with God; you have been separated for God and for his purposes, and received the Holy Spirit. You have fellowship with Christ, but through the gift of the Spirit, you also have real fellowship with all other believers.
But this unity with Christ and with others must manifest itself in practical concrete ways. You must be committed to a local Church, a local body of believers, so that you can fulfil the calling God has placed upon you, which includes, your calling to grow and mature as a Christian, your calling and requirement to use the gifts God has given you among a specific local body of believers, your calling to be ready to serve Christ in the big wide world. Just as you must be firmly and resolutely committed to Jesus because He is your Lord and Saviour, so you must be committed to his body, his people who He has called to travel alongside with you. Think of the body analogy again. You cannot just be committed to the Head, who is Christ. You also must be committed and to the rest of the body. Let me share Romans 12: 4-5 again, but this time using The Message paraphrase of the bible and the words of Eugene Peterson:
The body we are talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us find our meaning and function as part of his body. But as a chopped off finger or a cut off toe we wouldn’t amount to much would we?
This teaching puts pay to the erroneous but quite common belief that you can somehow be a good Christian without being part of the Church, a local Church. You cannot. That is not an option. If you are in Christ, you are also in the Church. And if you are not in a local body of believers, then you are a misguided and disobedient Christian.
Romans 12 is all about practically applying and following the Christian faith – and the practical application starts with a practical, solid, and secure connection with a local Church. You may be familiar with the Hammer Horror movies of the 1960’ and 1970’ most of which had Christopher Lee or Peter Cushing starring in them. There is one of these movies which is all about a severed hand that crawls around by itself attacking people. It is scary! The whole thing is of course impossible. Hands must be connected to arms and arms must be connected to the body. And yet today we have people claiming to walk with the Lord Jesus, who go around as a solitary hand, or finger, or foot or ear.
This is ridiculous and people who separate themselves from the reality of the local Church will not survive – even if they think they will. We all need Christ, and we all need the rest of the body. John Wesley was strong on this point;
There is nothing more unchristian than a solitary Christian.
Or listen to these wise words from the excellent biblical and writer – Arthur Skevington-Wood;
No new Christian is born in a vacuum. He is delivered into the fellowship of the Church. He is baptised by the one Spirit into the body of Christ. He joins the society of saints.
And the following words come from the saintly Matthew Henry – much loved bible teacher/commentator;
When we take God for our God, we take his people for our people.
This is no casual connection. This is not some loose and inconsistent connection. This is joining a family and playing an active part in the family, regularly being ready to serve others, alongside others. pray with others, sing with others, sacrifice with others, suffer with others, pastorally be present for others. This involves a bond, a strong bond and Sarah Walker has bonded herself to Christchurch today. This involves a concrete personal commitment of time, gifts, money, and energy. This involves a true belonging. Notice again what our key verse teaches. Each member belongs to all the others. This is not dissimilar the language the bible uses of the great and sacred institution of marriage. The husband belongs to the wife through a one flesh covenanted relationship and the wife belongs to the husband. And so likewise – the Christian belongs to Christ for you have been bought at a price – the price of his blood – but you also belong to his body, his chosen and beloved people – the people of God. You are in Christ but you are also in the bride of Christ, the family of God, knowing God as Father, Jesus as brother and friend, but you also have lots of other brothers and sisters – and they are from all ethnicities, all backgrounds and cultures, all walks of life. (1 Corinthians 12:13, Colossians 3:11) A local Church like Christchurch is a diverse group indeed, but we form one body and come under one Head – Jesus Christ our Lord!
Now let me press on to share with you why Paul starts with the Church when it comes to practically living out this amazing and glorious Christian life and faith.
Paul starts with the Church because he knows that believers will need a Church to be true and effective in their family life and in the world of work – whatever they do in Christ’s name. The Church, the local body of believers is the place where Christians are equipped to be the people of God in the world. Let me share with you some important words from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. (Read Ephesians 4: 11-13) Notice the emphasis of “being equipped.” You are part of a Church so that you might be equipped to practise Christianity in the world, in the work place, in the home, in the community. How are you equipped? We are equipped through the preaching and teaching of the Word; through Spirit-filled fellowship, sharing and caring; through prayer; through being strengthened by the Holy Spirit; through regularly receiving the sacraments, especially the Lord’s Supper, and through using your gifts, the gifts that God has given you; through being blessed by the gifts of others and the ministry of the body, through hearing God’s blessing pronounced upon you at the climax of a service of worship. (12: 6-8)
When you come to worship here on a Sunday, and there is a challenge and a need to come as regularly as you possibly can, I hope and pray with all my heart that when you leave, you leave feeling blessed, empowered and equipped to go out and have a good week serving the Lord out in the world. That is one of the main purposes of our gatherings. We come principally to worship and glorify God! We come for personal ministry and receive it through prayer. But we come to be strengthened through our meeting together so that we are ready to get out there and serve our God in the world! Go in peace to love and serve the Lord – and the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you!
Personal testimony – my first job
Paul knew the Church of Jesus needed to be a body of people, with everyone lovingly exercising their gifts according to the measure of faith given to them, if the saints were going to be properly equipped to be salt and light in the world. And in the community of love (which the church should be), Christians can learn and grow in the gifts and graces that they will need out in the world. As Bishop J C Ryle maintains; We should always regard communion with other believers as an eminent means of grace.
My greatest hope and prayer is this. May Christchurch and our precious fellowship here, be an eminent means of grace to you personally as you go out into the world to love and serve the Head of the Church – the ascended and reigning Jesus Christ our King. Romans 12: 4-5. Remember – you belong to all the others. We belong to each other because we belong to Jesus. Amen!
Revd Peter J Clarkson (3.7.25)