How Do You Like Your Body?

 

This is not a post about your physical body or an advertisement for a weight loss or exercise program. Rather, in Ephesians 4 Paul writes about the condition and function of a spiritual body. Here is a part of what he writes: 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Paul is writing about a spiritual body, composed of believers in Jesus who have been individually and sometimes uniquely gifted for the ministry and benefit of the body. Each of us is an important part of the body being able to carry out its purpose. Like the parts of a human body are connected together, sometimes in unseen ways, so is the body of Christ connected together. When one part of the body is hurting, the body is hampered and not as effective.

One of the greatest threats to the body of Christ is disunity and I think verse 14 identifies the primary reason for this, a lack of understanding of basic Christian teaching. When we understand what the bible teaches, we will be less likely to squabble and argue with one another, even when we disagree about what the bible teaches. I know that sounds counter-intuitive but it’s not. I hope you are part of a church body that is productive and helpful to you and that you are also a part of that body.

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