"Christ's Body"

We live in a day and time where individualism is promoted. It's all around us especially in religion. It has affected the church. While recently on a campaign I met up with a lady who once was an active member of Christ's body. I asked her why she stopped assembling with the saints. She simply said, "I've never left the Lord. He's in my heart and always near!" That was her answer from her heart. 

When we read I Cor. 12 carefully (and other places) we seem to just dismiss the word "body." While it is true there must be a personal relationship with the Lord, a personal conviction of faith there is something greater involved. Too many have taken the "personal faith" to a point where they act as if they are 'free-standing individual units.' The Scriptures acknowledges the individual and personal faith but no-where does it teach that individual as a primary unit! God's word does not encourage or teach 'free-standing.'

As Paul teaches us in I Cor. 12 about the body, he shows that there are individual parts: the foot, the eye or the ears. These individual parts are all part of the body, not standing alone! Division was a problem at Corinth and Paul was showing that it takes the whole to make the whole. Each individual part was dependent upon another. Each part has its purpose but must blend with the whole. The church is the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23) The body, Christ's body! ONE BODY! Christ didn't promote individualism. The body at Corinth did! Those elite felt themselves superior to the rest. The spiritual gifts were being abused and Paul taught it was for the body as a whole the gifts were to be used. The Lord's Supper was abused by abusing others in their love feasts. It was Jesus Paul pointed to that showed even Christ was including His own disciples the very night He was betrayed. Paul placed Jesus before them and showed them they are all part of the whole and not to be their own person apart from the whole.

We see much of the same today. People treat the church like some social club or social activity. They can do away with it if it doesn't fit their independent life-style. Aren't we each baptized into the body of Christ (I Cor. 12:13)? We are called the body, not the individuals of Christ. Our attachment to Jesus brings an attachment to one another. Without the many there is no ONE! What makes us what we are is Christ and no one can be a part of Him and independent of those attached. If we do, we are not part of Christ as He has a body!