“For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” (Romans 12:4-5)
Paul not only proclaimed the message about Christ and brought people into an intimate relationship with God, but drew the consequences of that message for the life of his converts and led them into a personal relationship with one another. For Paul the gospel bound believers to one another as well as to God. Acceptance by Christ necessitated acceptance of those He had already welcomed (Romans 15:7); reconciliation with God entailed reconciliation with others that exhibited the character of the gospel preaching (Philippians 4:2-3); union in the Spirit involved union with one another, for the Spirit was primarily a shared, not an individual experience (2 Corinthians 13:14). The gospel is not a purely personal matter. It has a social dimension. It is a communal affair.
-- Robert Banks in “Paul’s Idea of Community: The Early House Churches”
#5387
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for sharing your comments about a quote or about this ministry. Please include your name and what state or country you live in. If you do not have a registered profile, you can login using the "Anonymous" tag in the "Comment as:" box below.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.