Monday 29 April 2024
- Bible Book:
- Romans
For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. (vs 4-5)
Background
We are back with Paul’s letter to the churches of Rome and to his closing chapters, where he combines acute theological insight with practical advice for Christian living. This passage is often read at ordination services. This is perhaps because ordained ministry carries with it a temptation to ‘think of yourself more highly than you ought’. We all know of examples of Christian leadership that has been overbearing and arrogant.
Although it’s not part of our passage today, it’s worth looking at verses 1 and 2, in which Paul appeals to his readers to offer themselves totally and sacrificially to God and to be transformed by the renewal of their minds. This is because the opening word of verse 3 (‘For’) is a continuation of that argument. The aim is a Christ-shaped community, one in which our different gifts are shared with mutual love and respect. Paul’s argument is based on the metaphor of the human body: it only works because the many different organs and parts need each other if they are to fulfil their function. He spells this out in more detail in I Corinthians 12, but even here his message is clear: no one should rate their own gifts or ministry more highly than other people's gifts. Instead, everyone should exercise their God-given gifts in a Christ-like way.
Paul presents a vision of what Christian community (the Church, in other words) can be if we allow Christ to act through us in this way. It’s remarkable, given how poor most early Christians were and how oppressed they must have felt. But, says Paul, Christian love is expressed through actions that are both simple and costly. .
To Ponder:
- Make an audit of the gifts God has given you. How might you use them in a Christ-like way?
- What gifts do you not have, but need to find in other people?
- How might 'love in action' be expressed where you are right now?
Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Richard Clutterbuck
Richard is a supernumerary presbyter, living in Gloucestershire after a ministry that has taken him to Tonga, London, Gloucester and Belfast. He was formerly principal of the West of England Ministerial Training Course and of Edgehill Theological College.