THE KING’S BUSINESS
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all compose is Christ, and each -of us is a part of Him (v. 20; cf. v. 12). Let us give praise to His great and holy name that in His infinite condescension he has been led to make us a part of His body at all. Tuesday, December 4 . 1 Corinthians 12 : 2 1 - 27 . No member of the human body can get along without the other members; and just so it is with the body of Christ. “The eyes,” the man of spiritual vision, cannot say to the humble hand, “I have no need of thee,” so also “The head,” the man of thought and rule, cannot say to “the feet,” the plodders, “I have no need of you.” Jesus Christ, Himself, is the real head of the body (Eph. 5:23) and the clear implica tion is that even He needs us.. The Chris tian who thinks his is the higher gift must not despise those whose gifts seem smaller and more humble than their own; each of us needs the other. Even those parts “which seem to be more feeble are neces sary.” Nothing in the human body seems to be more feeble or more easily injured than the brain and eye, yet nothing is more needful. Not only so, but even “those parts of the body, which we think to be less honorable” and are less to be spoken of are very needful and “upon these we bestow more abundant honor” (by cover ing them with apparel, oftentimes at much cost). These are “uncomely (or, unseem ly) parts” obtaining “more abundant come liness (or, seemliness).” Just so in the church those members,of the church, the body of Christ, which in themselves are least attractive should have the most abun dant, care and protection, instead of being, as is so often the case, neglected and left exposed. God in His consideration of the physical body has so put us together that the “part which lacketh (in grace and beauty)” has had the more abundant honor given to it. Those parts of the body that must lack in grace, have been put in the center of the body and covered from the gaze of a contemptuous world. So also in the church, the spiritual body, we should
put the more abundant honor upon the member which lacks. God’s object in thus constructing the body was that there might “be no schism (division, the word is so translated in ch. 14:18) in the body,” and “that the members should have the same care one for another.” No member of the body' suffers alone in the physical body, nor does any member in the church suffer alone; when “one member suffereth all the members suffer with it.” . Chrysostom has said, “When a thorn enters the heel, the whole body feels it, and is concerned; the back bends, the belly and thigh contract themselves, the hands come forward and draw out the thorn, the head stoops, and the eyes -regard the affected member with intense gaze.” He might have added, the eyes weep and the mouth cries out with pain. Just so it is in the church, the body of Christ, an injury to the most insignifi cant member is an injury to the whole body; the whole body feels it. On the other hand when “one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” - On this Chrysostom says, again, “When the head is crowned, the whole man feels honored, the mouth expresses, and the eyes look gladness.” So let us never forget that we “are the body of Christ, and severally mem bers thereof.” God has set each person in his place in the church. In the first place come “apos tles.” These were the twelve who were appointed to receive fjom God by inspira tion a complete revelation of the truth (John 16:12-14) to give the same to the church for all time. The work of these was complete and they have ncr successors. There are “apostles of the church” besides these, but not “apostles of Christ.” Of course a minister is in a sense an apostle of Christ, but he is not an apostle in the literal sense in which the word is' here used. Of the apostles, there were and could be twelve only (Rev. 21:14). In the second place come “prophets;” those were unlim ited in number. A prophet means one who Wednesday, December 5 . 1 Corinthians 12 : 28 - 3 1 .
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