Brains and bodies, part 2

For just as each of us has one body with many members,
and these members do not all have the same function,
so in Christ we, though many, form one body,
and each member belongs to all the others (Romans 12:4-5) 

In Monday’s blog we thought about how Jesus is the head of the church, and we are the body. Like our brains, Jesus is at work 24 hours a day, caring for us, protecting us, and helping us to make sense of the world around us; and He is intimately connected to us. So, how do we respond to that truth? What does it mean for us to be His body?
 
Our bodies have over 600 bones, 200 muscles and 80 organs, not to mention billions of nerve cells. Each part of our bodies has a purpose and function, and through the brain they are coordinated to work well together. The metaphor of the church being the body, with Christ as the head, clearly resonated with the apostle Paul, as he wrote about it in a number of his letters to the early church. He drew out three key things that we can do as the body of Christ:

1. Be who we were created to be: Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:18, “But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” I broke my right elbow a few years ago and since I’m right-handed this caused me all sorts of problems! My right arm has a specific and essential role to play, and my left arm really didn’t enjoy trying to fill that role while it healed! Paul reminds us that each of us has a specific and important role to play in the body, and it’s no accident that each one of us is unique
2. Work for unity: Paul writes in Ephesians 4:16, “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” We are one body! It doesn’t always feel like that, particularly at times of disagreement within the church, but Paul reminds us that we are called to grow and build each other up in love
3. Submit to Him: Paul writes in Ephesians 5:24, “Now as the church submits to Christ.” We want our body and brain to work together, with the body submitting to the instruction of the brain. But if you’ve ever tried to learn a new skill with your body (painting, basketball, walking even), there is always that frustrating point where your brain knows what your body needs to do, but your body doesn’t quite manage it! Getting our bodies to submit to the brain takes practice, and so it takes us practice to submit to Jesus. It takes practice to learn to listen to His voice and then make a habit of doing that every day, but He is there and ready to help us the moment we try! 

Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash