When
a person trusts Jesus Christ for salvation, he or she is made a member of the
body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:27 - Now you are the body of
Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
For a
church body to function properly, all of its “body parts” need to be present.
1
Corinthians 12:14-20 - Even so the body is
not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because
I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason
stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not
an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being
part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of
hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he
wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body
be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
A believer will never reach full spiritual
maturity without the assistance and encouragement of other believers.
1
Corinthians 12:21-26 - The eye cannot say to the hand, “I
don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need
you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are
indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with
special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special
modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put
the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that
there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal
concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one
part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Going
to church and being around other believers doesn’t make you a Christian but if
you are a true believer in Jesus Christ, you will want to go to church and have
a desire to be around other believers on a regular basis.
What
is your part in "the body"? Are you active or atrophied?
