"Christian Anatomy And Physiology”
Text: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
1-23-2022
In the name of Him who unites us as one body, dear friends in Christ. In High School, I wanted to be a veterinarian. So, my counselor strongly suggested that I take a college-prep class called, Anatomy and Physiology. Let me tell you, it was no cakewalk. Our major assignment was to methodically dissect a cat cadaver and as we did so, we had to identify and memorize every muscle, bone, nerve, tendon, ligament, organ, and blood vessel. Since the cat’s body is somewhat similar to the human body, this exercise helped us see how all the various parts are arranged and work together. The final exam was simple: reconstruct and glue back together all the bones in the proper order. Like I said, it was quite difficult but at the same time it was fascinating. {By the way, I did actually pass the class.}
Well, even though St. Paul was highly educated, I doubt that he ever took a class on Anatomy and Physiology. Even so, he was familiar with the basic knowledge of how our bodies function. And he does a masterful job of using that to illustrate how the Christian Church is supposed to operate as the body of Christ. He wrote to the Corinthians in response to the letter they had sent to him. If you read through all of 1 Corinthians you can tell that this group of believers was wrestling with some big problems that were disrupting their Christian fellowship. One of the major issues was that some of them were conceited and condescending towards the rest of the church members. That attitude was fueled by a variety of things like their financial situation, social status, and ethnic background. Also, their spiritual gifts and even their association with certain leaders in the Christian Church were used as reasons to look down their noses at fellow members. It was causing all kinds of disunity and the mission of the church was being hurt.
In response to that, Paul paints for them a picture of how the church is supposed to function properly and why their sinful attitudes were not only ridiculous but harmful. He did so by comparing the church to the human body. In other words, he gave them a class in Christian Anatomy and Physiology. Paul’s powerful illustration really hit home for them but there’s an important lesson in it for us too. So, let’s look at what he’s teaching us today. Now obviously, everything he says can be applied to the Christian Church at large but it’ll be more practical and helpful if we simply apply it here to our own congregation.
First of all, he reminds us of how we became part of the body of Christ. It was through Baptism. Considering the problems Paul was addressing this is an important point. Regardless of who you are, what your background or status is in life, we all were joined with the body in the same way. There are no exceptions. That excludes all boasting about how and why we were incorporated into the church. It was solely through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit who made that miracle happen. Paul then dives right into the problem. You don’t have to be a medical doctor to understand that out of necessity, the body has to consist of a variety of different parts with different functions. It’s almost comical how Paul explains this. Close your eyes and envision a whole body that only consisted of a foot, or a hand, or an eye, or an ear, or a nose. It would be hideous and laughable. Not only that, it would be impractical. There are specific functions for each and every part that the other parts can’t perform. My Dad used to tell me that my body was built upside down because my nose runs and my feet smell. Okay, that was a corny joke. But Paul was trying to get the point across that no one in the church should feel inferior based on the fact that they don’t have the talents and abilities of someone else. God has arranged each of us within the body of Christ to operate in perfect harmony and every single soul has an important function.
So, no one should feel inferior or not needed in the church. That’s one side of the coin. The other side is that no one should feel superior or conceited. Simply put, we all need each other in order for the body of Christ to function properly. Let Paul’s illustration sink in. The eye can see things it may want to have, but without the hand, it can’t grasp it. The head may think, “I want to go over there.” But without the feet it’s stuck right where it is. Then, Paul says that there are “less honorable” parts that deserve great honor. For example, your intestines literally have a dirty job but you couldn’t absorb the food you eat without them. Likewise with your kidneys. They filter the junk out of your blood. Another dirty job but you’d die without them. I won’t get graphic but Paul says we keep our private parts hidden, not because we’re ashamed of them and wish we could be rid of them. Rather, we cover them up to show them honor because they have a special, unique function especially when it comes to procreation.
God has a purpose and an important function for every single part of the human body. They depend upon one another to achieve the goals that the body was created for. So, it’s a ridiculous proposition for a part of the body to act as if it doesn’t need one of the other parts. In fact, Paul says all the parts are intricately woven together and connected. So much so that when one hurts, they all hurt. Think about when you’ve had a headache or the stomach flu. Your whole body suffers. And so, the various body parts take care of one another. When I was recovering from knee replacement the rest of my body had to compensate for that leg and take care of it while it healed. Paul then names off various duties and positions within the church. Different people have been given the various tasks that allow the church to function properly based upon their talents and abilities. He wants us to see that none of them are greater than the others. They’re all necessary and there’s a beautiful harmony when they work together for the common goal of serving Christ.
Christian friends, this is a timeless message for us. In all my years in the church I’ve witnessed the harmful affects of these sinful attitudes that Paul listed for us. And it shows up on all levels. Longer ago I knew a Pastor who had gotten a request for transfer from a member who had been a thorn in his side. His comment was “Good riddance!” I cringed when he said that. Our sinful nature wants to do this when dealing with a contentious person. But a better response would be to lovingly wish them well and extend forgiveness. So, you see, Pastors are not exempt from these harmful attitudes, myself included. Yes, God has a special calling for me that puts me up front publicly. But that doesn’t mean that I’m more important than any of you. I dare not ever look down my nose at anyone in this congregation. No one is dispensable. We need each other. I need all of you and you need me so that we can function properly as the body of Christ. I need to do my job to the best of my talents and abilities. And you need to do the same regardless of what task the Lord has given you. That applies to all who’ve been placed in leadership positions within the church.
But now comes a tough question. “Do you hurt when other members of this body hurt? Are you concerned about their well-being? Are you willing to reach out and help them?” Before you answer that, here’s a little test that will help you. If your leg falls asleep, it’s going to limit what you can accomplish. What will you do? You wouldn’t just cut it off! Instead, you’d carefully try to get the circulation going again and “wake it up.” Fine. So, what do you do when a fellow member of Christ’s body “falls asleep” spiritually and becomes inactive? Are you all too ready to say “We don’t need you, so good riddance?” Do you expect the Pastor and Elders just to address it? Paul says that’s foolishness because when one part of the body hurts, we all hurt. Therefore, we should all be concerned with trying to reach out to our inactive and missing members.
I need to add something else here and I’ll use another illustration from the body. If you were to find out that there was cancer in part of your body, what would you do? I’m certainly hope you wouldn’t ignore it. No, you’d seek treatment for it. If the cancer is at risk of spreading, that body part may have to be removed in order to keep the rest of the body healthy. Sure, you would mourn the loss but it would be necessary. Well, unchecked sin and false doctrine can be like cancer in the body of Christ. That’s why, out of Christian love, we have to exercise church discipline in these circumstances. The hope is that the offending member will repent and receive Christ’s healing forgiveness. If not, then we have to sever our connection with them. We mourn the loss but we know it was necessary.
Okay, but how about when a member is hurting emotionally or physically. Do you offer a sympathetic ear or a shoulder to cry on? Do you offer to let them lean on you for help? Do you “feel their pain” and reach out? When I was on the Police Department, they taught us how to use pressure point tactics to control unruly people. There’s a really cool pressure point right above your knee on the outside of your thigh. If you manage to hit it there’s a sympathetic response in the other leg also. Both of the legs go limp and down you go! Well, when one person in the body of Christ is hurting there should be an automatic “sympathetic response” by the other members because we’re all connected. We’re in this together.
With shame we must admit that we’ve harbored many of these harmful attitudes towards the other members of Christ’s body. The cure is to humbly confess it to God. Confess that you have been envious of the more noticeable positions in the church. Confess your conceited feelings as you looked down on others who didn’t seem to be very important to you. Confess your lack of sympathy and care when others are hurting. Confess your failure to be concerned when a member has stayed away from worship and you’ve been perfectly content to write them off. Ask God to forgive you for Jesus’ sake. He will because He loves each and every member of Christ’s body. Jesus sacrificed His own body on the cross so that He could redeem His people and make them one body in the holy Christian Church. May the Holy Spirit lead us to care for one another with Christ-like love and compassion. And may He unite us so that we can work together in perfect harmony to fulfill our Father’s perfect will. To Him be the glory now and forever. Amen!
Soli Deo Gloria!