Biola Broadcaster - 1973-06

On the surface, there is only minor disagreement with Reich and his “new generation/' for he, too, is opposed to selfishness and ego trips. But a fundamental distinction is developing. Corporations and organizations focus on the group, and Reich has the focus in this new consciousness on the individual. The individual comes first. His interests, values and total life style are more important than the organization. It is a matter of honesty: it is being true to oneself. The Apostle Paul's concept of the body of Christ, however, is that the believer, though of individual significance and value (both eye and hand are essential, “the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee.. . . " I Corinthians 12:31), must be willing to control himself so that maximum benefit will come to the body. The distinction between Reich's "new generation" and the Scriptures becomes most obvious when Paul writes that individuals are to limit their freedom for the general welfare of the body. This third objective concerning the body that I have selected smacks of a phrase Reich does not like, "Ask what you can do for your country [the body]/' Further, a good many Christian young people are also hesitant to relinquish the "new generation's" emphasis upon "self" for the biblical theme of Christ and "others." For Paul, the Christian was to limit his freedom for the benefit of others in the body. His comments on personal rights and the body's needs reach a climax in I Corinthians 10:23ff. In fact, contrary to Reich's first commandment, "to thyself be true," Paul says in verses 28 and 29, to others be helpful—even if it asks a denial of self. In a similar passage in I Corinthians 6:12-20, Paul asks members of the body to live in such a way that they will protect the purity and impact of the body of Christ. The context, I believe, indicates that some believers at Corinth were living on virtually the same moral level as unbelievers. Paul says such should not be the case, for loose living is neither profitable or desirable (I Corinthians 6:12). He then states in verse 15, "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? Cod forbid." To me, the point is clear. When we become a believer in Christ, we automatically become a member of the body of Christ. From this spiritual union, it seems to follow that we are now obligated (1) to use our Cod-given abilities for the benefit of the body; (2) to humble self and uplift others; and (3) to restrict ourselves when harm may be done to the body by our personal conduct. Let's move on to consider another organization—the local church. How does the Christian relate to the church? First, we should note that

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