A Healthy Body
This past month, after a bout with appendicitis, I had my appendix removed. Thankfully, the doctors got to it early before the pain worsened or the appendix burst and caused other problems. The situation reminded me of some spiritual lessons regarding the body of Christ.
The Lord’s body is called His church (Colossians 1:18). When one acts in faith and is baptized into Christ, they enter the Lord’s body (see 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Galatians 3:26-27).
The Lord is the “head of the body” (Ephesians 1:22-23). This body, contrary to denominational ideas, is not made up of many churches but of individual members. 1 Corinthians 12:27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”
Thus, each of us as Christians, has a role in the Lord’s body. Yet, what happens when someone gets out of line? In other words, what happens when one refuses to be led by the head of the body, Jesus Christ? Or, to go back to our illustration, what happens when that appendix gets out of control and causes havoc?
First of all, we must try to fix the problem immediately. In Scriptures, the healthy members are to go to the weak or erring members to try and correct the problem (Matthew 18:15-17; Galatians 6:1).
If treatment does not work, that erring member must be cut off. If not, the diseased body part will affect the rest of the members of the body of Christ. This is the purpose of church discipline and disassociation (1 Corinthians 5:1-13; Romans 16:17).
Better get rid of that appendix before it infects the rest of the body.
Think about it.
January 2008