So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Romans 12:5
When the telephone rang and I answered it, I heard the gruff and friendly voice of a dear friend: ‘Good morning, Brother!’ And for several minutes I engaged in some good natured and warm hearted banter with him. His call was most welcome, and his greeting was much appreciated. But I am not his brother, at least not in terms of blood and marriage connections. And yet, he called me Brother. And so we are, brothers in a far more enduring relationship than any of the family ties of earth, eternally bound together in a brotherhood that is based on our being members of the body of Christ. Our text today refers to this relationship, in fact to at least three aspects of that relationship.
Firstly, each of us who are saved are individual members of the body of Christ. We have been brought into the body by virtue of our salvation. Whether we are profitable members or not, we are eternally bound to the One Who has saved us. And just like a member of a physical body, we are at our best when we are under the total direction of our Head. And we are at our worst when we fail to take our direction from Him.
Secondly, each of us, combined together, make up the body of Christ. This refers to the universal aspect of the body that is composed of every person who has trusted Christ as Saviour during this dispensation of grace. And it also refers to each member of the local Assembly, the local representation of the body of Christ. It is in the Assembly that we live and function as a body functioning under the headship and lordship of Christ. It is here where we see the beauty to which David was referring when he declared ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in unity!’ Psalm 133:1. This is like a well-trained athlete, whose body through the coordination of all of its members is able to excel. When we as members of God’s Assembly function in harmony of action and purpose, we are able to excel at building up the testimony and spreading the Gospel.
Finally, we come to the relationship that Paul refers to in the last part of our text: ‘every one members one of another’. We are not only members of the Assembly WITH each other, but we are also members OF one another. Think of the example of yourself if I were to throw a snowball at you. As the snowball was about to strike, up would come your hands, to take the impact and protect the face. The hands act instinctively to become members of the face in terms of protection. As members of one another, Christians also have responsibilities toward one another, motivated by our love for each other and for our Lord. As such, we will pray for each other, take an interest in each other, offer help and support to each other, defend each other, work willingly and in harmony with each other, and so on.
Our relationships with our fellow Christians are very important to our Lord. Are they just as important to us? – Jim MacIntosh