Here in his letter to the Corinthians, Paul wants the Christians there to know the importance of the members there being one body. It is not good for them to be divided or jealous of one another. Instead they need to work together. Paul wants them to understand that, just as in the human body each part is interdependent on the others, in the church, each Christian is interdependent on all the others as well. We were created to work together, so it is dangerous for us to neglect our role within the body.

The first problem he addresses is that each Christian is an important part of the body. Some may think that just because they are not the preacher or the song leader, then it does not matter if they are even there or not. If they are not a leader or social butterfly, does the church really need them? Paul wants them to know that other Christians need them. If everyone is a leader, who is a supporter? If everyone is the “idea guy”, who actually makes the ideas happen? These are just a couple of examples. There are so many roles to fill in a church that we should not minimize our importance in helping our brothers.

We also need to acknowledge that we need our fellow bondservants as well. Even the heart, as amazing and powerful as it is, can not survive outside the body. No matter how important or self-sufficient we may think we are, we need to remember that we still need help. Each and every one of us have weaknesses. That is the beauty of the church. Even when we are weak, there is someone else who is strong. The can support us when we need, and we can do so for them. By realizing our need for one other, we can help each person grow into the fullness of Christ.