August 2026 (Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.)

Bible Passage: Corinthians 12:12-13

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptised by one Spirit so as to form one body - whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”

Reflection.

Our human body has many different parts but we still have one body. In the same way, the Church, with Christ as Head and all of us as members, form one body. Each of us has different gifts and talents, but each of us is useful and necessary to each other. Therefore, as Christians, we are dependent one upon another and should be closely united by the strongest bond of love. The good of the whole body, the Church, should be the object of all of us.

The bond that binds us together in the one body is unity, and this bond that unites us all together in the Church is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit functions in the Church just as He has functioned within the Holy Trinity. He is the infinite and mutual love of the Father and the Son and eternally unites them. In the same way, the Holy Spirit is the bond of mutual love within the Church. We are united because we are all baptised in one Spirit and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is a common bond that joins us together.

As Christians and members of the Church, we need to keep this unity and keep it intact. We need to make every effort, watch and keep guard over the unity of the Church. In order to do this, we need a deeper understanding of what unites us. Because while it is true that it is Christ who unites us, there are some foundational truths that unite us as members of the Church.

We are members of One Body – the universal Church. While it is represented in many ways among various people all over the world, it is still One Church. In spite of many disagreements, different preferences and practices for worship, we are all members of the same Church.

We were all baptised by One Spirit, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. And so we are all filled with the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit. This should produce a great intimacy of relationship among all of us as members of the Church.

We have One Hope.  We do not have an individual or personalised hope but a public and corporate kind of hope – a common hope that someday we will be as Christ is now, and that we will spend eternity with Him in uninterrupted and unhindered fellowship with Him in heaven.

We need to remind ourselves that one hundred pianos tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other – not by being tuned to each other but to another standard to which each one must be tuned in one accord. In the same way, we should strive for unity by being united in God. We have one Body, Spirit, and Hope, and all this unite us together as members of the Church.   

So, each of us must take seriously our responsibility to be diligent, eager and zealous to protect and guard the unity God has given us in His Holy Spirit. We may not always agree with one another, but we can choose to love one another, to have the right attitudes, actions and words with one another. Let us love and be kind to one another and focus on what unites us and enjoy our common privilege to love, enjoy and glorify the Lord.

Discussion Starters.

1. Am I aware that God has given me some unique gifts and talents that are useful and necessary for the proper functioning of the Church, the Body of Christ? How do I share them with others?

   
   

2. How do I help to preserve and keep the unity God has given us in our community?