Former M.V.C.W.C. - HERALD ARTICLE ARCHIVE

"THE Body"
by Kelly Purvis

"There is one body..." Ephesians 4:4

"For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ, for by one spirit we were all baptized into one body." 1 Cor 12:12

Apostle Paul wrote to impart to the early church (and to us) an expanded vision ~ the bigger picture ~ an understanding of the greater dimensions of the eternal purpose of God. He uses beautiful word pictures! The human body describes the mysterious workings of The Church and the high goals God has for us.

As a nursing student and even as a nurse, my favorite subject was "The Anatomy and Physiology of the Human Body". It is no wonder that I love these particular comparisons and analogies that Paul used. The most vivid of which is divinely created INTEGRATION ~ the bringing together of parts to complete a whole. Primary and fundamental to the success of this "completion" is that each part is necessary and vital to the combination! INTERDEPENDENCE ~ or mutual reliance, confidence, and subjection is the hallmark of this successful integration.

Unity of the body of Christ ~ it is such an awesome picture! Fully integrated, complete, every integral part contributing unto the full stature of Jesus Christ! Perfect, divine functioning of Jesus on the earth, can you imagine that!? Paul had a vision of it... As enormous and grand as the vision is, it's simplest and most basic building blocks are individual members each doing his or her part. Grand integration ~ divine interdependence implies each part, each person to be "dependable" ... reliable and trustworthy.

Barbara Wentroble writes, "God does not want us to lose our uniqueness, but He does want us to discover the power of togetherness." "For many today, a realization has come that as God puts teams of people together, a greater power is released."

Paul calls us a "body", so let's see what he is talking about. Knowing a bit about the "anatomy and physiology" of the human body can impart confidence to fulfill one's own unique divine purpose. It may also give us a greater appreciation of the worth and value of every other fellow member that serves within this same "body".

Anatomy and Physiology 101

The human body is a single structure but it is made up of billions of smaller structures of four major kinds: systems, organs, tissues, and cells. The smallest of these and the most numerous are cells. One average sized adult body consists of an estimated 100,000,000,000,000 ~ 100 million millions cells! These smallest structures are complex but they are the simplest units of living matter that can maintain life and reproduce themselves. A tissue is an organization of a great many similar cells. Organs are an organization of several different kind of tissues so arranged that together they can perform a special function. Systems are the most complex of the component units of the body ~ an organization of varying number and kinds of organs so arranged that together they can perform complex functions of the body. A body has 9 major systems: nervous and endocrine (control, communication, and integration); skeletal and muscular (support and movement); respiratory, digestive and urinary (energy supply and waste); circulatory (transportation, defense and adaptation); and reproductive (procreation).

Notice one recurring word? ORGANIZATION is an outstanding and, in fact, a vital characteristic of body structure. Every one of its component units ~ every system, every organ, every tissue, and even every cell consists of smaller parts arranged in an orderly and precise manner. Organization is surely one of the most important characteristics of life. Even the name, organism, used to denote a living thing, implies organization.

"... to the building up of the body of Christ... we are to grow up in all respects into Him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body... according to the proper working of each part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love."

Ephesians 4:12

It takes ALL of the parts of The Body helping The Body to grow unto maturity! It serves the sovereign purpose of God to diversify these parts of the body. It is this very DIVERSITY that accomplishes God's unified purpose. We will not all be "alike". We will not all be doing the "same thing".

In a human body, all of the diverse activities of the millions of smaller structures working together accomplish the one big, all encompassing function of the body. How can many parts of any kind, whether they be cells, people, or parts of a machine, be made to accomplish any one big function? How can many be made one? How can unification be achieved?

"... the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with His glorious body, by the exertion of the power that He has...

even to subject all things to Himself." Phil 3:21

"He who began a good work in you, the same will complete it"

The head of THE Body is Jesus Christ. The head is where the Central Nervous System is found-the brain. The human brain claims two distinctions not shared by any other organ. It is the top executive of the world's most complex organization ~ the body. It also provides the functions that endow us with our uniquely human qualities. It is one of the largest of adult organs. (interesting sidenote: the human brain multiplies brain cells only in the prenatal period and shortly after birth. The cells grow after birth, but do not increase in number!) It is the brain that regulates and integrates the multitudinous activities of the entire body's working parts ~ to maintain HOMEOSTASIS.

Homeostasis comes from two Greek words-homoios, meaning same, and stasis, meaning standing. Standing or staying the same, then is the literal meaning of the word. Homeostasis describes the steady states maintained by the body. However, a steady state does not mean something set and immobile that stays exactly the same all the time. It means a condition which may vary, but which is relatively constant. Remember, it is the brain, the head who regulates this activity... however the parts have a vital part to play also! To maintain homeostasis or a constant favorable condition for life, numerous complex processes must operate. They involve the FUNCTIONING of virtually ALL of the body's organs and systems! They enable the body to adapt to changes in its environment in ways that tend to maintain homeostasis and promote a healthy survival ~ making it possible for the body to thrive as well as survive. It involves even the smallest of the body structures on the cellular level.

"if the foot says, "Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But GOD has placed the members, EACH ONE OF THEM, in the body, just as He desired. The eye can not say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;

And those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it.

But God has so composed the body giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. If one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it."

1 Cor 12:15-27

There is a wealth of understanding found in the above verses... maybe Paul was speaking to those who feel their giftings are superior and more important or maybe he was speaking to those that feel they are insignificant to the purposes of God... or maybe he was speaking to both. Nonetheless, he addresses the fact that each of us is no more important nor less important than each other. The reality is ~ the whole body lives through an interdependence of each part... each is indispensable... not one is discardable... there are no lone rangers, none living on an island unto themselves... but ALL together, mutually dependent on one another... communicating... each functioning... each uniquely individual... each given divine giftings and specialized talents...combined with others... organized... ruled by The Head. So He said to His Father:

"I IN THEM AND YOU IN ME, THAT THEY MAY BE PERFECTED IN UNITY" Jn 17:23

"FOR THERE THE LORD HAS COMMANDED THE BLESSING" Ps 133:3

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