Devotionals for August 17, 2023
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READ
1 Corinthians 12:12-18
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many.
15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?
18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many.
15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?
18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
REFLECT
The above passage emphasizes unity and distinction. Each member of the body of Christ is unique and serves a distinct purpose. But, like our bodies, this distinctiveness is no excuse for disunity. In the same way, it would be silly to treat each physical body part as some independent thing, treating ourselves (and others) as independent people who do not really need the church is foolish. We may have different functions, like hands and feet, but we are to regard our differences as something which should promote unity. The fact that Paul presents the church as the body of Christ means that each person in it has a purpose to fulfill (difference), but this purpose cannot be fulfilled disconnected from the church (unity).
We are not only unified toward a goal, however. Our unity comes from our equal status in the kingdom (v. 13). We are all one in the Spirit, and thus should never regard anyone in the church as more or less important. God has made it so that each part of His body is necessary or the kingdom to advance.
We are not only unified toward a goal, however. Our unity comes from our equal status in the kingdom (v. 13). We are all one in the Spirit, and thus should never regard anyone in the church as more or less important. God has made it so that each part of His body is necessary or the kingdom to advance.
APPLY
Q: Why does Paul compare the church to a physical body?
Q: Where do you find yourselves operating independently from the church?
Q: What does this verse imply about those who claim faith in Christ but do not attend church?
Q: Where do you find yourselves operating independently from the church?
Q: What does this verse imply about those who claim faith in Christ but do not attend church?
SING
PRAY
"Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us."
Lord, help us to see the value of community. Help us to never think we do not need each other. Amen.
Lord, help us to see the value of community. Help us to never think we do not need each other. Amen.