WE ARE MEMBERS OF HIS BODY

By Gary McDade

The privilege of being a member of the church of Christ is one of the highest order and most beneficial to our wellbeing. The apostle affirmed, “For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones” (Ephesians 5:30). Just a few verses earlier he said, “We are members one of another” (Ephesians 4:25). What a real sense of belonging members of the church of Christ enjoy!

Even in the medical field it is recognized that belonging to a cause greater than one’s self carries tangible benefits. For example, Dr. Angela Theisen who works in psychiatry and psychology at the famous Mayo Clinic wrote,

We cannot separate the importance of a sense of belonging from our physical and mental health. The social ties that accompany a sense of belonging are a protective factor helping manage stress and other behavioral issues. When we feel we have support and are not alone, we are more resilient, often coping more effectively with difficult times in our lives. Coping well with hardships decreases the physical and mental effects of these situations. Mayo Clinic article on having a sense of belonging.

1 Corinthians 12, provides one of the most extensive discussions of the harmonious interworking of the members of the church of Christ which is the body of Christ. For example, in this chapter Paul said, “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. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many…That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular” (vv. 12-14; 25-27).

Christians not only belong to a cause greater than themselves where “we are members one of another,” each member is a living part of the body of Christ! Paul exclaimed, “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:21).