In the previous message we have considered the matters of transformation for the Body life, presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice for God’s satisfaction, and the renewing of our mind that we may prove the will of God, which is to have the church life. In this message we shall consider some other aspects of transformation in practicing the Body life.
Romans 12:3 says, “For I say through the grace given to me to everyone 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.” In this verse we come to a very practical point. Everyone of us thinks highly of himself. Outwardly you may appear to be humble, but inwardly you think quite highly of yourself. This is a problem to the church life. If we are to have the proper church life, the first thing that must be torn down is the high opinion that we have of ourselves. We need “to think so as to be sober-minded.” If you think highly of yourself, your mind is not sober or normal. It means that you have an abnormal element in your mind. Your mind needs to be adjusted and renewed, and all the negative elements in it need to be swallowed up by the life of Christ. Then your mind will be renewed and sobered.
Furthermore, we need to think “as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” It is not difficult to understand the meaning of “a measure of faith.” How much God has transfused and infused Himself into you constitutes your measure of faith. Your measure of faith equals the amount of God’s element which has been transfused into you. That is the faith which God has allotted to you, and you need to consider yourself soberly according to that measure.
“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” (vv. 4-5). We need to realize that the many members of the one Body have different functions. Two young sisters may be very close to one another in age, but still have different functions. What one sister can do the other sister cannot do. If we would all realize this, we would not think so highly of ourselves, but would respect others. I hope that so many of the young brothers could say to one another, “Brother, what I can do, you cannot do, and what you can do, I cannot do.” We all have different functions.
The different functions of the members of the Body are illustrated by the human face. Look at your face: you have eyes, ears, a nose, and lips. The eye may say to Brother Nose, “Do you know that I cannot do what you can do and that you cannot do what I can do?” Brother Nose would reply, “Yes, Brother Eye. That is wonderful. And we all must understand that neither of us can do what Brother Ear can do.” Then perhaps Brother Ear would respond, “Brothers, you are right. But Brother Lips can do what none of us are able to do.” The face illustrates what is true of the entire body: we have many members and each has a different function. This is the way it should be in the church life. As I see the members functioning in the meetings, I am very happy because they can do what I cannot do. Of course, it is also true that I can do what they cannot do.
Verse 5 says, “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and severally members of one another.” This means that though we are many yet we are one Body. We are many members, not many separate units. As members, we have to coordinate with each other that we may be a living, functioning Body. If we do not cooperate with each other, then we are detached members, and the Body life cannot be practically realized. When it says in verse 5 that we “are severally members one of another,” the word “severally” does not mean separately; it means differently. It means that you are one kind of member and that I am another. Perhaps you are a nose, I am an eye, and another sister is an ear. Hence, we are severally members one of another. This needs a full cooperation.
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