Members One of Another

Bobby Gums   12.06.2023

 

Romans 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

 

It is interesting to me that in the Bible I am using today, the heading for the first eight verses of Romans chapter twelve is “Living Sacrifices”. Now we know the first two verses famously instruct the believer to offer our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God. Hence, the title. The interesting thing to me is that

included under that heading, the next few verses begin to inform us, as individual members of the body of Christ, how we are to treat and interact with each other, as members one of another.

 

Ro 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. If we confess in ourself that God has indeed “dealt” us “the measure of faith”, and yet we walk around continually “thinking” of ourself more highly than we should, when according to 1 Cor 4:7, we do not have anything that we did not receive from God, then one will begin to wonder if we really ever received “the measure of faith” to begin with.

 

Ro 12:4-5 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

We are one in Christ! Do we have a problem with that? We should rejoice in that the Lord has designed His “body” so, that we all complement each other as to constitute the spiritual health and well-being of the whole. Hallelujah!

 

Ro 12:6-8 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. 1 Corinthians chapter 12 also speaks of spiritual gifts being bestowed upon the many membered body of Christ. The text unfolds a beautiful analogy between the individual members of the human body in relation to the spiritual body of Christ. Verse 17 ask, If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? We should find great blessing and joy in the fact that we do not have to do ‘everything’, but God has perfectly designed this thing in a way that we are uniquely spiritually fit to be a certain part of His body and to contribute to the whole out from those gifts. But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will (1 Cor 12:11). We have nothing that we did not receive. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's (1 Cor 6:19-20).

 

It is so important for us to consider our own ‘offering’ in relation to the members of the body of Christ, that we are that living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable unto God.  Please be encouraged that you are greatly significant to the spiritual well-being of the entire body. Your mere presence in the midst of the assembly is an awesome blessing to someone! We need each other! 

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For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ (Eph 4:12)

Bobby Gums