We have often noticed those Scriptures which set forth the church as the body of Christ, and the members of the church as members of the body of Christ, and therefore members one of another, as they by "joints and bonds" are "knit together in love." As the members of the church are members of the body of Christ, and also members one of another, how can it be but that there shall be unity in the church. If I am a member of the body of Christ, and you are a member of the body of Christ, then if we have any respect for Christ how can it be that we shall have any disrespect for one another? If we love Christ how can we have anything but love for one another? But more than this, we are also members one of another, and as "no man has ever yet hated his own flesh," how then can it ever be that we should not love one another.
This is the very test of our love for Christ:
"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is
a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen,
how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" 1 John 4:20.
No man can appreciate the love of Christ while he is cross and
spiteful and cruel to his brother, for whom Christ died.
Church members cannot expect to honor Christ
while they dishonor one another. In dishonoring one another
they do dishonor Christ, because "we are
members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones." But
when each
one sees in his brother one for whom the Saviour
died, and one who is a member of the body of Christ, then each
one will treat his brother tenderly, lovingly,
as the Saviour is tender and loving. When each one sees in his
brother a soul so precious as that Christ died
for him, he is not going to treat him slightingly, nor needlessly
cause him pain. To cause a brother pain cannot
be without causing Christ pain, for we are members of His body,
and He is the Head of the body, and it is the head always which
is really conscious of any pain in the body. The Scripture would
have us realize the closeness, the intricacy, of the relationship
between Christ and the church, and between the members one with
another in the church.
Paul sets this forth as follows:--
"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. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I
am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And
if the ear shall say, Because I am not the
eye, I am not of the body; it is therefore not of the body? If
the whole
body were an eye, where were the hearing? If
the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath
God set the members every one of them in the
body, as it hath pleased Him.
And if they were all one member, where were
the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And
the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no
need of thee; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of
you.
Nay, much more those members of the body which
seem to be more feeble are necessary; and those members of
the body, which we think to be less honorable,
upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely
parts have more abundant comeliness. For our
comely parts have no need; but God hath tempered the body
together, having given more abundant honor
to that part which lacked; 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." 1 Cor. 12:12-27.
In this it is shown that in the church--the
body--of Christ, the members make up the body, as in the human
body
the eyes, the hands, the feet, etc., form the
body. As in the human body the different members are joined one
to
another, each in its proper place, to form
the perfect body, so also is the body of Christ. And God hath
"set the
members every one in the body as it hath pleased
Him." And as in the human body one dislocated member
disconcerts and deforms the whole body, so
also is it in the body of Christ. As in the human body, each member
can properly fulfill its function only by working
in the place in which it belongs, so also is it in the body of
Christ. For each member to know his place, and keep it, in the
church, is just as essential to the efficient working of the church
as that each member of the human body shall properly be set in
its proper place, in order to the easy, comfortable working of
the human body. But "all members have not the same office:"
all cannot be hands, all cannot be eyes, all cannot be feet.
Let the eye and the hand change places,
and the good of both would be destroyed, and each would be an
evil to
the whole body. Let the hands and the feet
change places, and the efficiency of all would be destroyed. But
with
all the members--eyes, hands, and feet--in
their proper places, each can be efficient in its own place, and
all
working together can do that which the hand
finds to do. The eye sees that which is to be done, the feet carry
us
within reach, and the hands perform the task,
and each is essential to the working of the other. Except they
all
work together no task can be efficiently executed.
"The eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee;
nor, again, the head to the feet, I have no
need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem
to be more feeble, are necessary." To
no part of the body can any other part of the body say, "I
have no need of
you."
Thus it is with the human body, as everybody
knows; and thus it is with the body of Christ--the church--as
everybody ought to know. Each member of the
church, in his place, is necessary to every other member of the
church. Yea, even "those members of the
body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary," and those
members of the body which we think to be less
honorable, upon these we should bestow more abundant honor.
Christ has honored them with a place in the
church, shall we despise them? "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." Or as
it is said in another place: "Remember them that are in bonds,
as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being
yourselves also in the body." Heb. 13:3. "Now ye are
the body of Christ, and members in particular." And, oh,
that everyone who is a member of the church would realize how
sacred is the relationship into which he has entered! Then, indeed,
would the disciples of Christ be one, and the world would believe
that God sent Him.
For the edifying--the building up--of the
church, the Lord has placed certain gifts in the church. "When
He
ascended up on high, He led captivity captive,
and gave gifts unto men." "And He gave some, apostles;
and
some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and
some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints,
for the
work of the ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and
of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect
man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."
Eph.
4:8, 11-13. In another place it is written
of these gifts, "God hath set some in the church, first apostles,
secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then
gifts of healings, helps, government, diversities of tongues."
1 Cor. 12:28. Thus we see that the gift of teaching the Word of
God is only third in importance of the gifts of the Spirit of
God to members of the church. It is second only to the gift of
prophecy, and is before miracles, or gifts of healings, or diversities
of tongues.
Paul expressed the matter thus: "I
thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all; yet in the
church I had
rather speak five words with my understanding,
that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand
words in an unknown tongue." 1 Cor. 14:18,
19.
But though all could speak with the tongues
of men and of angels, if they have not charity--the love of God--they
are but as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.
Though all had the gift of prophecy, and the gift of wisdom to
the
understanding of all mysteries and all knowledge;
and though all had faith that could remove mountains, if they
have not charity they are nothing. And though
all were so benevolent as that they would bestow all their goods
to feed the poor; and though they were all
so perfectly assured of what they believe that they would die
at the
stake as witnesses to it, if they have not
charity it will profit nothing. Charity is love. It is the love
of God shed
abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost. It is
that love which keeps the commandments of God, "for this
is the love of God, that we keep His commandments;" and "love
is the fulfilling of the law." Therefore, though all have
all
these wondrous powers, and have not the keeping
of the commandments of God, they are nothing. "To the law
and to the testimony; if they speak not according
to this word, it is because there is no light in them."
But if there be in the church the love of
God, keeping the commandments of God, then all these gifts, working
together with charity, build up the body of
Christ, make increase of the body unto the edifying of itself
in love,
and increase it with the increase of God.
How long shall it be ere the church of the living God comes up to the fullness of its high privilege?
