The Tie That Binds

Ah the joy of having something revealed to you in the Word! A few weeks back I was reading in Ephesians about the Body of Christ (The Church). How we all are different parts, we are not all hands nor are we all feet. But we all come together to form the whole, which is the Body of Christ. The following verse stood out of the text and gave me joy.

Eph 4:16 "For because of Him the whole body (the church, in all its various parts), closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part (with power adapted functions), grows to full maturity, building itself up in love."

On reading it again I notice how it speaks of each part growing to full maturity and building itself up - which echoes so many other verses about individual growth and the growth of the Church being tied to each other.

But, what was giving me joy the last time I read it was how that which binds us together as one body is SUPPLIED. It does not come from us. We are held together by Christ! We can not fail to be brothers and sisters as (like everything else) that has nothing to do with US!

Col 3:14 makes this same point again. Colossians 3 is talking about wearing Christ as your new cloths now that you've stripped off the old self (the sinful flesh) and goes on to talk about traits of your personality you should "wear". The verse reads;

Col 3:14 "And above all these [put on]love and enfold yourselves with the bond of perfectness [which binds everything together completely in ideal harmony]."

Of course the perfectness being written of is Christ. Echoing the statement in Col 1:20 that all things are reconciled back to Him - whether it is done here on Earth or in Heaven. (I'd choose here on Earth by the way)

So I guess the point is, Christ is the Head of the Church (the Body) and it is by Him that we are built up together and individually so that we can all work together closely in harmony. Live in Christ, let Him be the life in you! It's much less work and it's what He wants of us!