Christ at the Head of One Body
Scripture Passage: Romans 12:1-13 (NASB)
1 Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 4 For just as we have many parts in one body and all the body’s parts do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually parts of one another. 6 However, since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them properly: if prophecy, in proportion to one’s faith; 7 if service, in the act of serving; or the one who teaches, in the act of teaching; 8 or the one who exhorts, in the work of exhortation; the one who gives, with generosity; the one who is in leadership, with diligence; the one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Love must be free of hypocrisy. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor, 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
SUMMARY
Paul urges believers to give their bodies to God as a living sacrifice, and to discern God’s will by renewing their minds. He also tells them not to think of themselves highly than others, but to serve each other as one body in Christ. He uses a metaphor of body and body parts to describe the church and how the members are connected to one another. Just as different parts of the body have different functions, God given gifts differ in everyone--such as prophesying, serving, teaching, exhorting, giving, leading and showing mercy. He advises believers to use these spiritual gifts properly to build the church community as one body.
REFLECTION AND MEDITATION
Paul uses such a strong word, “I urge you brothers and sisters,” to imply how important it is for believers to keep oneself holy as a spiritual service of worship to God. He understands how immense God’s love and grace is toward us to send His only son to take our place in cross for us. “Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” (Romans 11:33)
Because he knows what we have received from Him is so great, he is also so passionate to let all believers realize the kind of attitude and discernment that we should have carrying out our everyday life.
Today’s passage made me think a lot about what it means to “not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of mind.” (from verse Romans 12:2) I guess conforming to this world means that one may be adapting to the world’s secular values and its practices. So, where do I stand? Am I conforming to the world just as the rest is doing, or am I standing firm in faith, knowing what I ought to and not to do as a Christian? I realized that I fail miserably in this question because I often find myself seeking more of the world's approval and acceptance than to seek to please God. I guess the only remedy to overcome this is to “renew” my mind daily, obeying the will of God in my life. I ought to live my life worthy of Christ’s sacrifice.
APPLICATION
Today’s passage was also a very apt word for our church.
How will we, as a church, be able to carry out His ministry when we are not one in Christ? I realized that one thing that God seeks in His community of believers is oneness. Jesus prayed, “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (John 17:20-21) As many ministries start serving again as church reopens, I need to always remember to work with my brothers and sisters humbly using any gift that I can offer to them. We all have differences in our gifts, and even in our opinions. I pray everyone will be able to serve one another in love and humility.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing all the different gifts in our community of believers. We pray that our church will be united as one body, being able to overcome the differences and embrace one another in love and humility. The pandemic and recent leadership changes have been so hard for so many people. We pray for a revival in our hearts and our church, by turning our minds and bodies back to you. Father, help us be one minded under the leadership of Jesus Christ who is the head of the church. We ask for forgiveness and healing to take place in our congregation. In Jesus’ name I prayed. Amen.
Please share your personal meditations on this Scripture passage with the HolyWave community in the comments section below. (We reserve the right to moderate comments.)