Studies in anatomy occupy the attention of every medical student in the world. If they hope to understand how to help people with physical needs, they must know how the body is put together, how it functions, and what causes it to malfunction. Christians would do well to emulate students of medicine. Since we are members of His Body, over which Christ serves as Head, understanding the Body would give us a better understanding of the Church—how it’s put together, how it functions, and how to respond when it malfunctions.

Just as the human body is fearfully and wonderfully made, so is Christ’s universal Body. It is full of variety and diversity, yet harmony can exist. It is designed to be active, healthy, and productive, yet disease can invade, bringing aches and pains, causing crippling results and leading to a breakdown and even a paralysis of certain parts of the Body. As we seek a better understanding of this third analogy of the Church (the others were family and flock), let’s keep the mental picture of a body uppermost in our thinking.

1 Corinthians 12:4-27

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