What the Bible says about Responsibility to Body
(From Forerunner Commentary)
These verses give the proper perspective of our relationship and responsibilities to Christ and our brothers and sisters in the church. Paul wrote this to confront a problem, judging and scorn, that was dividing the church. The counsel he gives fits our circumstances, and if used, it can go a long way toward solving many of our problems. He reminds us first to remember to whom we belong, why we belong to Him, and what responsibility this gives us. We belong to Christ because He died for us, rose from the grave, and now sits at the right hand of God, judging those the Father has called into His church.
We should be acutely aware of this, knowing we are being judged according to what we do. We are to strive with all our being to please Him by living as He lived, not to serve ourselves, but to serve Him and the church. Judging each other does not fall into our area of responsibility. Living according to the Sermon on the Mount does. If we do this, we will not cause any brother to fall. We appear not to be striving hard enough to please Christ, which is why we continue to split.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Beatitudes, Part One: The Sermon on the MountRelated Topics: Beatitudes, The | Division | Division, Causing | Judging | Judging Others | Judging our Brethren | Responsibility | Responsibility to Body | Scoffers | Scorn | Sermon on the Mount
This sin was not just a one-time affair but one that was continuously occurring, and the Corinthians were allowing it to go on. Did the fornicator think that he was affecting the whole church by what he was doing, by living this "little lie"? Not at all.
This is in the Book for us to understand that every one of us has a responsibility, not only to God, but also to the Body of Christ. What we do and what we say—God clearly shows—is going to affect the efficiency, the effectiveness, and the purity of the whole church! What occurred in Corinth was confusing and dividing the congregation, jeopardizing the spiritual health of the entire congregation.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Every Action Has a Reaction
Just because that part of the body says, "I'm not part of the body and have no responsibility toward it," it does not alter the fact that it is a part of the body. It seems to have slipped the minds of many that they do have a responsibility to the body.
John W. Ritenbaugh
What Is the Work of God Now? (Part Five)Related Topics: Body Analogy | Body Metaphor | Body of Christ | Responsibility | Responsibility to Body | Responsibility, Sense of