In a bible study I was having this week, I came across this verse in Ephesians 4. It said, “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” (Ephesians 4:25). All members of one body. Now, I grew up in the church. I have heard this metaphor my entire life. I know that the Sunday school answer is that we are all supposed to love, encourage, and lift each other up, and that is true. But this image of being the same body became new to me when I read this passage again.
I think all Christians can agree that we are at war. As followers of Christ, we are in an ongoing battle with sin and evil. My question is, isn’t that exhausting enough? Isn’t that taking up enough of our energy? Why would we spend time fighting within the body?
I thought, maybe this is because I attend a Christian University. Although I am not naïve enough to think that all of my classmates and peers are Christians, I do know that that is the environment that we are constantly submerged in. Chapel, bible studies, prayer groups, and worship nights fill the schedules. That is a wonderful thing, and I love going to school here because of it. But I also think that we as students, are somewhat sheltered to the challenges outside of our little safety bubble. As a result, we forget to keep our eyes on the prize.
It can be easy to forget where the enemy lies, and the result can be conflict and quarreling with the “allies”. The battle is hard enough when we’re fighting the enemy; we don’t need to make it any harder by fighting with our fellow soldiers.
Ephesians 4:31-32 says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
We are called to live together, brothers and sisters, and lift each other up. None of us can finish the race on our own. Be active in your fight and invested in building the body of Christ.
