"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one spirit we were all baptized into one body---Jews or Greeks, slaves or free---and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, "because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body."
-1 Corinthians 12:12-15
For most of my life I can see from a ministry specific viewpoint that this body analogy that Paul speaks of is vital to the church for a church to be functional. For the body. Not for me, but for the body.
For the body.
But what about us as individuals?
Ever heard of someone losing a limb or digit and their body adapts, or rather they have to adapt because they are missing an integral part of their body that used to make life easier? Yes, the body can limp along and in some cases is even more successful without that member of their body.
In turn you never hear about that leg they lost, or that finger that went missing. In most cases it's not even sitting on a shelf in a jar, it didn't have a funeral, there's no memorial set up in its honor, it's just gone...it's dead.
I think there is something deeper that Paul wanted us to grasp about this body idea than we realize at first or even 52nd glance. That, specifically, is that we need the body. It's not just a nice option for you as a Christian, it's not to fill seats every weekend in our local church, it's not even for the success of the church and it's ministries, it is vital to our life. It's for us.
For us.
The author of Hebrews (more than likely Paul if not, one of his pupils) talks about the importance of the individual to be in community:
"Let us hold fast the confesssion of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
- Hebrews 10:23-25
We can see that the importance of us being a part of the body for the body's sake is not mentioned here, but is for the intentionality of being in relationship with Christ and the hope we have in Him as well as the encouragement we find from our fellow brothers and sisters.
Our society is becoming more and more removed. With social media, and the rapid and frantic race we are all running it's easy to be disconnected. Ever thought, "wow, I'm just too tired to go to church, I'll just watch online"? Technology and life is getting in the way of what God intended for us. To reach our full God given potential we must be intentional in our connectivity of the life force which is the body.
Otherwise we are just an organ or a finger sitting on ice. And let's just face it people.
Ice melts.
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