Romans 12:3-8

"Just as each of us has one body with many parts, and the parts do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, who are many, form one body, and each of us belongs to all the others."

Paul's image of the church as the body of Christ implies that there are different roles within the church, but that all these are helpful for the functioning of the whole church. It seems clear that Paul created this metaphor to help settle conflicts within the church. There were arguments about the gifts of the Spirit that had to do with who had greater authority within the faith community. Paul's assertion that all the parts of the body are subject to the head, which is Christ, is a way of trying to quell the discord.

We often think of the early church as unified and harmonious and all the problems that have beset the church throughout history as a corruption of this first, perfect community. But Paul's letters reveal how much conflict there was in these early churches. The disciples in the church in Jerusalem, for instance, were Aramaic speaking Galileans who resisted Greek culture and language. Therefore, their church was closely tied to the Jewish tradition. In Roman cities, however, Christian communities were led by Jewish and Gentile Christians who spoke Greek, and in these places the church was far less "Jewish." Moreover, there were conflicts about speaking in tongues, and there were differences in the teachings of the various apostles. Perhaps acknowledging these differences will help us see that faith in Christ does not require agreement on Christian beliefs.

Grace and peace...Bob