My Thoughts. . .

Thursday, 05-14-2020

“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. . . As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. . . Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:14, 27).

What is wrong with the left hand? The left hand does not want to help us with this job. Why not? Oh, the southpaw did not like it, so he voted to refuse to assisting the rest of the body in this work. He threw such a “hissy-fit” that we had to double up to do what he refused to do.

That is sad news! Now, what is wrong? The left arm decided to cooperate with the left hand, and both are refusing to help with the work. They are rebelling and there does not seem to be anything the rest of the body can do to get their assistance. Does it not upset them about what others think? No, they believe their actions are right and the rest of the body is wrong in its expectations. Well, if the left hand and arm will not work, do they think they have a right to participate in the food and drink taken in by the mouth and stomach? They believe it is their right to have it all! They don’t believe the rest of the body has that right.

Don’t they realize that the body has many parts and they are just two among the many? Oh, they know it, but they have distanced themselves from us mentally and condemn us because we will not believe all that they believe in. They believe they are special and have honored privileges which the rest of us have forfeited due to our practices. They want to cut us off from the nourishment which they believe is reserved only for them. If the rest of the body were separated from the left hand and arm, wouldn’t that remove them from the work the heart does? Yes, it would. But they believe they have the divine right to be separated even if it means having their flow of blood stopped. Isn’t that ridiculous?

Did Paul not make a comparison between the human body and the body of our Lord? Did Paul not teach that if two body parts are separated from the body it would be impossible for those parts to continue to live? Yes, he was showing that all parts need one another. If any is cut off, death happens to the severed parts.

Wasn’t the Corinthian assembly the one that received that illustration? Yes, they were. Did they not have multiple issues involving both doctrine and practice? Yes, they did. Did God withdraw his Spirit from them? No. God commanded them to withdraw one member only. So, the rest of the assembly continued to have God living in them? That is right. Dividing the assembly is unauthorized by God? So, why do folks who accept the 27 books of the New Testament divide with little or no fellowship between them? I do not know. You will have to ask the left hand and arm that question!