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God's great will is to have the believers in Christ practice the Body life, that is, to have the living of the Body of Christ—Rom. 12:1-21:
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We are "one Body in Christ," having an organic union with Him; this union makes us one in life with Him and with all the other members of His Body—vv. 4-5:
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Two words from Romans 12:5 indicate the organic union—in Christ; in Christ always implies the thought or the fact that we are organically one with Christ.
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The actuality of the Body is the remaining in the organic union with Christ; this is why John 15 charges us to abide in Him; to abide in Him simply means to remain in the organic union.
Morning Nourishment
Rom. 12:4-5 For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.The third aspect of God’s great will is to have the believers in Christ practice the Body life (Rom. 12). For this we must first present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice to do the will of God, that is, to practice the Body life (v. 1), not being conformed to this age but being transformed by the renewing of the mind that we may prove the will of God, which is that we practice the Body life (vv. 2-3)….Then we must exercise our gifts in the Body life (vv. 4-8). We have to preach the gospel, have home meetings to nourish the new believers, have small group meetings to perfect the saints, and learn to prophesy.
The saints who are practicing the Body life should live a life of the highest virtues, not of their human life or love but of the divine life and love by being burning in their spirit (vv. 9-21). Our body should be presented, our soul should be renewed, and our spirit should be burning. If we are such persons, we will have the practice of the Body life and a life of the highest virtues by God’s divine life and love. (CWWL, 1989, vol. 1, “The Practical and Organic Building Up of the Church,” p. 277)
Today’s Reading
Two words from Romans 12:5 indicate the organic union—in Christ….“We who are many are one Body in Christ.” Just this one little phrase tells us from which angle Romans 12 speaks of the Body. It speaks from the angle of the life union, from the angle of the organic union. How then could we get into Christ? We were not born in Christ; we were born in Adam, but by being reborn we have been transplanted into Christ…. Whenever you read in Christ, you must remember that this indicates the organic union with Christ. In Christ always implies…the fact that you are organically one with Christ.Why does Romans 12 talk about the function of the Body? Because it talks about the Body based upon the organic union we have in Christ. In this union with Christ there is life. Dentures may be put into my mouth, but there is no organic union….We have to see that Romans 12 talks about the Body of Christ from the angle of the organic union, from the uniting life, from a life that unites us together not only with Christ but also with all the other members of Christ…. Romans 12 talks about the Body from the angle of the organic union.
We all have to realize that the Body of Christ is altogether a matter of life that keeps us in an organic union with Christ. When we remain in this organic union, we are in the Body. When we do not remain in this organic union, we are out of the Body. You need to check yourself for one day to see how much time you remain in this organic union. You will have to admit that you do not remain very much in this organic union. Occasionally we get there, but quite often we get out of there, so we are not in the Body. The actuality of the Body is the remaining in the organic union with Christ. If we are going to be actually living in the Body life, we must remain in the organic union with Christ. In other words, we must be remaining in Christ. So John 15 charges us to abide in Him. To abide in Him simply means to remain in this organic union. When we remain in this organic union, we are actually living in the Body. If we do not remain in this organic union with Christ, we have left the Body. As long as you say something by yourself, you have left the Body. This means that your gossip, your free talk, your loose conversation, is a strong sign that you have left the Body.
The Body is not an organization or a society. The Body is not just a bunch of Christians coming together. The Body is something that is held together by the organic union with Christ. When we remain in the organic union with Christ, we are just living in the Body….We are many yet one Body in Christ (Rom. 12:5). In Christ implies an organic union. (CWWL, 1980, vol. 1, “Perfecting Training,” pp. 253-255)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1980, vol. 1, “Perfecting Training,” chs. 23-24; Life-study of Romans, msg. 25