# All Members of One Body



## VirginiaHuguenot (May 18, 2006)

1 Corinthians 12

12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 
12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 
12:14 For the body is not one member, but many. 
12:15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 
12:16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 
12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? 
12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. 
12:19 And if they were all one member, where were the body? 
12:20 But now are they many members, yet but one body. 
12:21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 
12:22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 
12:23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. 
12:24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked. 
12:25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 
12:26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. 
12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 

In giving thought to this passage, I am reminded and encouraged how every one of us from the weakest to the strongest, from the youngest to the oldest, from the unlearned to the learned has an important place in the body of Christ. 

Here are a couple of examples of this from church history. Can anyone add others? 



> In 1559, Henry 2: king of France, coming into the parliament at Paris, there was one Anne du Bourg, (a noble counsellor, a man of singular understanding and knowledge, and bred up in the bosom of the church of Christ,) who made a bold speech before him, wherein he rendered thanks to Almighty GOD, for moving the king's heart to be present at the decision of so weighty a cause as that of religion was; humbly entreating him to conÂ­sider well thereof, seeing it was the cause of Christ himself, which of good right ought to be maintained by princes. But the king, instead of hearkening to this good advice, was so far incensed against him, that he caused him to be apprehended by the earl of Mongomcry, conÂ­stable of France, and to be carried to prison, protesting to him in these words, " These eyes of mine shall see thee burnt." Presently after he sent a commission to the judges to make his process. *During his imprisonÂ­ment, there was a godly woman, who was a prisoner in a chamber just over against his, who, at her window, sometimes by words, at other times by signs, did much encourage him to persevere constantly in the truth, whereby he was so comforted, that when some of his friends persuaded him to recant, he said, " God forbid! for a woman has taught me my lesson, how I ought to carry myself in this business."* He was often examined about sundry points of religion; and being once asked,. Whether he had conferred with any about them, he anÂ­swered, " That he had conferred with his books; espeÂ­cially with the holy Scriptures."
> 
> Source: _Supplement to Mr. Fox's Martyrology, Part III_ by Samuel Clarke





> The third event came during Kuyper's ministry.
> 
> After completing his doctorate (his thesis was a modification of his prize-winning work on Ã  Lasco and Calvin), he took the call to a congregation in Beesd and married Johanna Hendrika Schaay, a girl from Rotterdam.
> 
> ...


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## Ivan (May 18, 2006)

Great story, Andrew. Yes, we are all members of one Body, and that being Christ as the Head. Whether Baptists or Presbyterians (et al), we are one in Christ who trust in Him alone.

[Edited on 5-18-2006 by Ivan]


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## Peter (May 18, 2006)

"Real members formed not perfected yet. These are the saints on earth, even all of them on the face of the earth, whatever particular visible church they belong to: at whatever distance they are one from another, though they never saw, nor never will see one anothers face until they come to meet in glory, they are all one body, all members of that one body of Christ; 1 Cor 12:12... So there is a communion of Saints on earth and all the saints are members of it: wherever they dwell, whatever lesser points of doctrine, worship &c they differ in, they have communion with one another as being all conjoined into one body."

Thomas Boston, Church Communion, a book I highly recommend


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## Ivan (May 18, 2006)

> _Originally posted by Peter_
> "Real members formed not perfected yet. These are the saints on earth, even all of them on the face of the earth, whatever particular visible church they belong to: at whatever distance they are one from another, though they never saw, nor never will see one anothers face until they come to meet in glory, they are all one body, all members of that one body of Christ; 1 Cor 12:12... So there is a communion of Saints on earth and all the saints are members of it: wherever they dwell, whatever lesser points of doctrine, worship &c they differ in, they have communion with one another as being all conjoined into one body."
> 
> Thomas Boston, Church Communion, a book I highly recommend



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