First, the goal of God’s dispensing is to build up the many members into the Body of Christ. In the Body of Christ, all the members coordinate together and function according to the measure of each one part (Rom. 12:3-8). Paul said in Romans 12:3, “For I say through the grace given to me to every one among you, not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think so as to be sober-minded, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” Sober-mindedness here means to not be careless or foolish, to consider things properly, without being too much or too little. In the coordination of the Body, we have to consider ourselves soberly. We must not only consider ourselves from our own standpoint, but must know ourselves as we are in the Body of Christ. If God has set you in the Body of Christ as a little finger, and if you have the view of the Body, you will accept it with gladness. This is to be sober-minded.
Following this, verses 4 and 5 say: “For as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and severally members one of another.” Hence, all of us have to know what part we are in the Body and what function we have (vv. 6-8). We must also be sober-minded, so that we can coordinate with others in the church and can be built up together. Many times, problems in the church arise because believers consider others and make judgments based on the natural view. For this reason, we have to be delivered from ourselves and from the natural man, so that our minds can be sober and can make judgments accurately. In this way, we can stand in the proper position and can happily coordinate to be built up with others. We will function according to our own measure, and we will neither overstep others nor underestimate ourselves. In this way, the Body will be built up.
Romans 12:9-11 shows us a life of the highest standard of virtues in the Body. This portion shows us that the life of the highest standard of virtues exceeds the requirement of human ethics and morality. This is the life that we Christians should live in the church before men. Only by this can we coordinate and be built up properly and suitably with others as one.
I believe many of you here are married. Can you tell me of one couple who never argues? If arguments are unavoidable even between husbands and wives, how can we avoid them among the brothers and sisters in the church? Paul said in Philippians 2:14, “Do all things without murmurings and reasonings.” Murmurings are from the emotion and come mainly from the sisters. Reasonings are from the mind and come mainly from the brothers. Both of these things frustrate us, so that we cannot fully experience and enjoy Christ. Whether it is the murmuring of the sisters or the reasoning of the brothers, both are the flesh that has not been dealt with and that has not passed through the cross. If we are persons who have passed through the cross, it will be no longer we who live, but Christ living in us. When we die and live with Christ in this way, we will be conformed to the image of the firstborn Son of God and will become persons who have passed through death and resurrection. In this way, the church life will be full of peace and joy.
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