What does it mean that the church is one body in Christ (Romans 12:5)?

The Body of Christ. — The Christian not yet freed from the presence of indwelling sin, though taught in chap. 6 how to deal with it as being himself in Christ, needs the warning here given, "not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the (or, a) measure of faith." What creatures God's saints must be, that such a caution should be administered, accompanied as it is by a reason explanatory of the suitability of it! "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office; so we, being many, are one Body in Christ, and every one members one of another" (4, 5). Here the truth of the Body, called elsewhere the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12; Eph. 1; Col. 1), is just touched upon, not to unfold full teaching about it, but to remind all of it as an incentive to the maintenance of unity amongst them. For the reader may remark, that it is of the members only the apostle writes, not of the Head. Union with the Head is not his subject, but the relation of saints in the Body one to another — members one of another. Of all on earth in Christ it was and is true that they are members of the Body of Christ, though this membership is not contingent on being in Christ, for both — membership of the Body of Christ, and being in Christ — flow from the gift of the Holy Ghost. If, then, we are members one of another, since all the members have not the same office, there will be diversity in service, but combined with the spirit of unity. Hence self-seeking and self-exaltation will be discountenanced; and serving for the common good, labouring for others, and caring for others, these features of true Christian service will be displayed in the company, as indeed seems to have been the case in Rome (16).

Rom. 12:3-8. "For I say, through the grace that has been given to me, to every one that is among you, not to have high thoughts, above what he should think; but to think so as to be sober-minded, as God has dealt to each a measure of faith. For just as in one body we have many members, but all the members have not the same office; so we the many are one body in Christ, and severally members of each other. But having gifts different according to the grace given to us, whether prophecy, [let us prophesy] according to the proportion of faith; or service, [let us occupy ourselves] in service; or he that teacheth, in teaching; or he that exhorteth, in exhortation: he that giveth, in simplicity; he that leadeth, with earnestness; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness." Here the apostle looks at the Christian life in a narrower circle. To trace in all points the service of the gospel, he now looks at the body of Christ — this body in which each has to display conduct and activity which harmonises with the place he occupies in it. It is the only passage in the epistle where mention is made of the body, the Church, and that in reference to the duties of the members as individuals. The general subject is — man in his individual responsibility before God. But since there is one body, the service of the members should be in the common interest. We cannot have an isolated action, as if we had a tie with none on earth. And in the general interest, the first thing recommended to our attention is sobriety, which teaches one to abide in the measure of that which he has received, not to put one-self forward, etc. Each is exhorted to modest thoughts of himself and his gift, and therefore to confine himself to the kind and the measure of the gift bestowed by God. A humble, faithful use of whatever gift has been given is the object of the apostle's injunction. The gifts found in the members of the body are different, and that again makes the saints mutually dependent, for all the gifts are not in one individual nor for one. Thus, a certain need before our eyes demands perhaps a service for which we are not qualified. What then? We are compelled; if walking in humility and faith, to wait till the Lord sends the ministry which answers to it.

(Vv. 4, 5). To act rightly we must understand our relation to one another. For this reason the Apostle touches upon the truth of the Church comprised of many members but forming one body. Being formed into one body we are members one of another, and cannot rightly act independently of one another. All true service and conduct, of which the Apostle is about to speak, flows, not from our being members of a meeting, or from being members of some religious society, of which Scripture knows nothing, but from the fact that we are members one of another as forming one body in Christ. To carry out the service of the Lord we have not to band ourselves together into a society under some human head, but to recognise that we have already been formed into one body of which Christ is the Head.

For it is the wisdom of God that causes this diversity. What sort of a body should we have if the functions of every member were perfectly identical? Each member must be just what it is, keep its own place, and do its own work: if so there is normality and health. “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.” This is the sphere of service closest to us, of course. It is insisted that we are members one of another. This is plainly for practical purposes; the doctrine of the Church does not engage us here. But the Church is nevertheless the first field for the service of saints.

In the Epistle to the Romans, which regards the believer in his individual rather than in his corporate character, the same metaphor is used, not as a doctrinal exposition of the nature of the Church, but as enforcing the obligation of every Christian to act according to the gift bestowed upon him. This makes its use the more striking, because it shows how familiar the idea was to the early converts, even before the full unfolding which it received in the later Epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians. The apostle says to the Romans, "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office; so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another" (Rom. 12:4-5). In these passages it must be noted that the members are individual believers, not different local assemblies, much less different voluntary associations, self-styled "Churches," divided from each other on points of doctrine, discipline, and order. The idea of different sects being the different members, and forming the one body, is not found in these passages, and can only have originated in a culpable negligence as to their real import. Whether this division into sects and denominations is in harmony or in conflict with Scripture, is honouring or grieving to the Spirit of God, we shall inquire hereafter, but the slightest attention to the passages quoted will show that, at all events, it is not the state of things to which allusion is here made. These passages, on the contrary, teach that there is but one body; that this is the body of Christ, or even, in the words written to the Corinthians, Christ Himself; that each individual believer is a member of that single body; and that all believers, being thus united, are members one of another.

The truth of the body of Christ is here practically brought in to show the relative bearing of Christians one to another. All members have not the same office. We are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. The members of our bodies, though many, do not interfere with one another: so it is in the church of God. There are different gifts; let each one use his gift according to his faith, in responsibility to the Lord. Here perfect liberty of ministry is brought out. There is no such thing mentioned here as setting apart by man.* Every one, if he has a gift, is responsible to the Lord to use it. This is not the license of the flesh, but the liberty of the Spirit. Notice also, these gifts flow throughout the one body, and not many bodies: "We being many are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." Exhortations follow, which enter into the minutest concerns of daily life. Do I really love a person? let not shyness, conventional usages, or selfishness, hinder me from showing it. Do I love my brother? let me in honour prefer him. Have I an honest earthly calling? I am not to be slothful in it, serving the Lord in it all, for He is my Master. Is a saint in need? help him. Is a saint passing by the road? open thy house to him. Are you persecuted? bless them that curse you. Do any rejoice? rejoice with them; do any weep? weep with them, Do you love the company of the rich? walk with men of low estate. Everything is summed up in the little verse — "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." If I am insulted, trampled upon, spit upon, like the Lord, what matters it? He gives His power. "When he was reviled, he reviled not again, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." He overcame evil with good in life; He overcame it in death, and rose Conqueror out of it all. Let us be followers of Him.

Verses 4, 5. As there was one nation in the flesh in the past dispensation, and a covenant of commandments adapted to that dispensation, “so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.” What a contrast this is to Israel; and we must have intelligence as to this, or we cannot prove the excellent will of God to us now. In the past no person could be in Christ. Christ must die, and be raised from the dead, or remain alone; but now we are one body in Christ. And this truth must rule all our obedience to Christ. We are to act in union, like the various members of the human body, even as we are one body in Christ. It is not so much the doctrine of the one body here, as the practice of all the members of that one body.

Let us now turn to the first epistle which speaks of the Body. "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another" (Rom. 12:4-5). You have Assembly truth alluded to here, but it is not unfolded. Here is the first teaching in the New Testament as to the Body of Christ, and the youngest believer can take in its meaning. "As we have many members in one body" alludes to our arms, fingers, and feet, etc. — the many members in the human body, which is the figure Paul is going to use. "All members have not the same office." There is a great lesson in that. Each has its own function. "So we, being many, are one body in Christ." Who are the "we"? All Christians. You must not think of it as a society, a club, a mere organisation, as men would say. Take the thought of the members of the human body, and then ask who compose the one body? "Many," in fact all Christians on earth today are of it, and compose the Body of Christ in its time aspect. What body do you belong to? In Scripture we only read of the one Body of Christ. All Christians are of it. "And every one members one of another" — I think that means, I cannot get on without you, and you cannot get on without me. Therefore what you see all around you today — the universally consented-to distinctions, differences, and dissensions among the people of God who are split up into numberless so-called "bodies" — is only the work of the enemy, and you will find that what had produced these things is not that saints rally round the truth, but round some little difference. The uniting bond is some doctrine, or creed, or ordinance — it is not the glorious, wonderful truth of the unity of the Body of Christ, formed by the Holy Ghost here upon earth, and Christ, the risen ascended Man, the Head thereof in glory.

Romans 12:4, is illustration, Romans 12:5, is application of the illustration. Forgive me for saying that if Regiment or Corporation had been what the Spirit had intended to convey, the figure or illustration actually given might appear to be unfortunate and misleading. We have many members in one Body, but these are all organically united. Adapted marvellously as the many organs and members are for their various uses, they are essentially one, and together form one living entity. They are not units each having its independent life, even though all were united under the control of a commander or director.

Romans 12:5, is the application of the figure. With all the diversity to be found among Christians with individual exercises and activities. they are nevertheless an organic unity in Christ. That is. we are not thinking of a mere congregation of individuals, but of organs and members in a body. This is a wholly spiritual idea: it is not administration in a Corporation or Regiment, where all through training are unified, and as unified work together to a common end: but a body with differing members functioning with a common life. Hence this verse adds we are all "members of one another." Each is incomplete without all the rest, you cannot possibly say this of any aggregate of individuals even though unified.

But, although the main subject of the epistle to the Romans does not afford opportunity for teaching concerning the Church, the exhortations at the end of the epistle furnish us with an element which flows naturally from the revelation made on the way to Damascus. It is that, being members of the body of Christ, we are necessarily for that reason members one of another (chap. 12:4). "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office; so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing," etc.