Dear Church Member, Don’t Amputate Yourself from the Body of Christ
I’ve never been the type of person who enjoys horror-thriller movies. If I am going to use what little free time I have enjoying a film, I can assure you it will not be one riddled with gory images of people screaming and writhing in pain.
However, there is one horror movie I can vaguely recall moments from: Saw. I specifically remember a scene where a shackled man was forced to amputate his foot in order to hopefully save his family. The brutal nature of the scene has a way of forcing the viewer to wrestle with what they might do in the same situation.
The Importance of Every Member in the Body of Christ
Of all the different parts of creation the Lord has blessed us to see and study, the human body might be the most glorious. The body works like a well-oiled machine, delivering blood to the right places at the right time, delivering sweat when we are overheating, and even sensing pressure changes in a room when a door opens. But of all the mind-blowing things our bodies can do, I find most fascinating the body’s ability to heal. Even a deep cut, if properly treated, may months later appear as only a tiny scar.
But an amputation is quite different than a cut, even a bad cut. That man in the movie Saw won’t grow back his foot.
In 1 Corinthians, it is no coincidence that Paul precedes his well-known remarks on love with a discussion of the value of each member of the body of Christ. For the sake of unity and diversity in the church, Paul extols the value of every single person in a local body. In 1 Corinthians 12:21 he begins by showing how absurd it is for one part of the body to say it doesn’t need another part. This is why amputation from the body of Christ has such tragic consequences. Needed limbs don’t grow back.
Sometimes, however, a church situation might get so bad that a member could be tempted to think that amputating themselves from the body might be the best (or only) solution—to just cut away and be done. Perhaps in a terrible abuse situation, this is what should happen.
“What if you just felt your role in the church is so insignificant that no one would even know you left? ”
But what if you’ve experienced hurt or disappointment to the degree that you considered walking away from the church the Lord called you to love and serve? Or what if you just felt your role in the church is so insignificant that no one would even know you left?
What makes 1 Corinthians 12:21–26 so wonderful is the way Paul reminds us of our need for each other, going so far as to say “the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty” (12:23).
The Gospel That Saves Us Also Helps Us Heal
Just as our physical bodies have been fearfully and wonderfully made, so has the local body of believers! Much like the blood that flows through the circulatory system and the hormones that surge through the endocrine system, God created the local body to steward spiritual purposes in order that the body might function properly.
Furthermore, the gospel impulse toward forgiveness that Christians seek to cultivate should help heal the body when we get “cuts.” A cut in the local church might look like not being selected for a desired Sunday school teacher role. A cut could look like having your efforts in deacon ministry overlooked and under-appreciated. Whether you are a member of the congregation or even another elder, a disagreement with church leadership may lead to a laceration deep enough for stitches which may require more precision and intentionality. These cuts matter because they hurt. And yet, with the proper nurturing and time, and the application of Christian love, humility, and forgiveness, cuts will heal, and the body of Christ will be edified.
If, however, even a small cut is not tended to properly, an infection may set in, and the thought of amputation could look more understandable.
Your Church Needs Your Presence
In the heat of the moment, making the choice to leave the local body because of an untreated wound might seem like the only choice. But does it accomplish what God has shown us in the life of Christ? If we leave, does it show the world the unity of the body of Christ? Does it show that the gospel is not only something we believe, but also something we experience through reconciliation and love?
“The love and reconciliation we experience in the Son, reconciling sinners to the Holy and Perfect Father, is displayed to the watching world when we love and seek to be reconciled with each other.”
The love and reconciliation we experience in the Son, reconciling sinners to the Holy and Perfect Father, is displayed to the watching world when we love and seek to be reconciled with each other (John 13:35). The Lord, in his sovereignty, can certainly move his people from one local church to another, but in my experience the benefits of leaving a local body disgruntled are never worth it.
Friends, in the context of your local body, you matter!
Simply being consistently present can be a huge blessing to your church. Your faithfulness to show up may stir others to commit to do the same. Participating in Sunday school class by answering questions and having sanctifying dialogue may encourage the teacher to prepare lessons to facilitate more meaningful conversations. Hugging an elderly brother or sister may give them a sense of purpose and meaning they don’t experience elsewhere. Bringing your children may lead to lasting relationships and abiding appreciation for gathered corporate worship. Talking to a mom or dad who is struggling in their parenting may lead a couple to pray for their kids together. Having necessary conversations with elders and deacons about things going on in the church may cause them to personally examine themselves in order to better shepherd and serve the flock. Simply making people feel welcome could cause them to be reminded that they are in that gathering for a reason.
We can never discount the small Christ-like ways we serve the local body. And amputating ourselves from the body will only be detrimental to them and to ourselves; a body needs feet just as much as feet need a body.
May we never forget that God is building us together as we are joined in Christ to become a beacon of hope to a world that feels abandoned and mistreated. It is our service to the Lord to love the unloving and be reconciled to each other. May we minister to the cuts in our churches in unity and transparency so that when “one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Cor. 12:26).
Aaron Warner is married with five children and a manufacturing operator. He is a member of New Hope Baptist Church in Moreland, Kentucky. He is the cohost of The Punctually Late Show podcast and a blogger at Stewardship In All Things.