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Scripture Reading : 1 Corinthians 12:25

That there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

1 Corinthians 12, like Romans 12, speaks of the body of Christ¹ and looks upon it as on the earth. The apostle first says there should be no schism in the body. Sometimes Christians allow little things to divide them. But those who are spiritual should always seek to draw the people of God together, avoiding things that cause separation.

Same care for one another

As we have noticed thus far in our study, sometimes the early Christians did not care for one another as they should. Nevertheless, on the whole their relationships were immensely improved over those of the lost. There was some care for the poor, sick, and aged, whereas among the lost there was no provision for the indigent, ill and old. We see how the hard jailor of Philippi , who had no care whatsoever for Paul and Silas, was suddenly changed (Acts 16:23-34). Before he became a Christian he put Paul and Silas in the innermost prison, making their feet fast in the stocks. But once he became a Christian, he took them out of the prison and into his house where he washed their stripes and gave them food.

Love—the key

We should be the kind of Christian who has care for one another at heart. We are suppose to love fellow Christians as much as ourselves, and if we do, we will certainly not speak evil of them or do them harm, but rather do all we can to help them. When Christians grow cold in love toward one another they will manifest no concern or care for one another. And this lack of love tends to cause separation or schism, as our verse says.

Support the weak

In 1 Thessalonians 5:14 we are told to support the weak. There are many weak Christians who need special care. Some do not mean to be unruly, but they are naturally weak morally. They seem to be easily swallowed up when tempted. Some are weak intellectually. They do not understand and need to be taught patiently. Such are easily led into false doctrine and need special attention. Some are weak emotionally, easily offended or angered. They need a strong arm to support them.

The human body

Our chapter (1 Cor. 12) likens the body of Christ to a human body. What a care for its various members the human body has. When we have a sore finger we do not say, "Let that finger take care of itself." The whole body is immediately concerned and does everything it can to help it. The story is told of an aged grandmother who had a fall and broke her hip. She seemed well on the road to recovery, but suddenly turned ill and died of pneumonia. The doctor said that it often went that way. When asked why? The doctor said that her whole body was so concerned about the injured member and worked so hard to relieve it, that other parts weaken under the strain and she passed away. How wonderful it would be if all members of Christ's body were so concerned about the welfare of each member that they would be willing to die for their welfare. 1 John 3:16 suggests that this should be the case.

Footnote:

¹ For more information on the body of Christ, see God’s Church in A Religion Library section of StudyJesus.com.