Looking at 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, the Lord showed us yesterday that every believer is baptised into Christ and into His Body, the Church. Through faith in Christ the believer becomes part of God ("vertical" relationship) and part of His people ("horizontal" relationship). The cross symbolises both aspects of what Christ has accomplished through His death and resurrection: reconciliation with God (2 Cor. 5:18) and reconciliation with man (Eph. 2:16). In this portion of his letter to the Corinthian church, Paul explains that:
- Every believer is baptised into the Church. 1 Cor. 12:12,13
- Every believer is part of the Church regardless of whether s/he thinks s/he is part of it.1 Cor. 12:14-16
- Every believer is divinely placed in the Church. 1 Cor. 12:17-20; Rom. 12:4-8
- Every believer is significant in the Church. 1 Cor. 12:21-27
Following God's Word to us, we celebrated new life in Christ as we baptised 2 new believers in Christ. Baptism symbolises the believer's death to self - a life lived independently and separated from God and His people - and becoming a new creation in Christ - a life lived in union with Christ and His Body, the Church. Hallelujah!
Quote of the week:
"Now you are the body of Christ and every one of you is part of it." 1 Cor. 12:27
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