15 … but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Coming full circle back to the idea of Ephesians 4:1-3, the focus on unity is encompassed in love. It is “in love” that we are to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. And it is “in love” that we are to speak the truth that enables the fitting of everyone together in the body of Christ. At its most basic understanding, love is sacrificing oneself for another. The ultimate statement of this, of course, is, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Every effort in serving people is to be a self-sacrificing act of love, even to the point of what we speak to others.
Now, this is a difficult thing to do. Maybe on occasion, one could act in love. But, to act in love in everything? Yes, it may sound extreme in our narcissistic culture, but this is key to body life in the Church. We need to keep the metaphor in focus to help us see the big picture here: we Christians are like a body, whose head is Jesus Christ. The body grows under the direction of the Head. Each believer is considered a part of the body.
The apostle points out one particular part of the body for special mention, the joints. This emphasizes that which holds things together, a subtle reference to the importance of love, which is the adhesive that keeps Christians of widely disparate likes, preferences, personalities and temperaments in fellowship with one another. But notice that every person (“every joint”) is needed for the growth of the whole body (see 1 Corinthians 12).
God fits us all together, He knows what each individual local church needs and can provide. Outside the church, we can choose our friendships, neighbors and work environment. But in the church God makes the choices for us. He has brought together just the ones He wants in the local church. If left to myself, I might not have chosen the one who has a personality clash with me, but that person’s presence forces me to grow in my ability to love. I learn not to flee difficulties with people, but to work through them in a manner worthy of my calling (Eph 4:1). In the local church I learn the sufficiency of God’s grace and the perfection of His power (2 Cor 12:9) to change me and to mature me in Christ. And in the process I grow to be more like Him.
Lord, thank You for the exact composition of the people in my church. You are using each one of us to bring maturity to the whole church.
0 Comments