Karl Cassel

09/27/2014

AHS101

Theology/Biblical Perspectives Paper

Learning From the Body of Christ

Since the beginning of this Health and Wellness course, I have

been challenged to reevaluate my views and goals in regards to my

own personal image and maintenance of the body God has given me.

Hearing from my classmates about the concept of imago dei, how we

are created in Gods image or how our bodies are temples of Jesus

Christ and we are to preserve and maintain them in worship to God has

been such encouragement and a wonderful source of new knowledge.

As I begin to tie all these detailed concepts of what it means to live and

learn in a community centered in Christ, it is hard to ignore Pauls

teachings on the body of Christ.

To start, it is important to understand the context of 1

Corinthians 12:12-31 so we can be sure we are truly grasping the

purpose of Pauls message to the church in Corinth. During the time

this passage was written, there was some division in the church

regarding spiritual gifts and the process of discerning them (ESV Bible).

Paul is writing the Church in Corinth to explain their roles in service to

Christ through the illustration of a human body. Paul displays the

vitality of every part of the body, stressing that the body needs variety
by saying if the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of

hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of

smell be? (ESV Bible). Paul then goes on to say, but in fact God has

placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted

them to be so we, as Christians, should learn from one another so that

we can function together in the body of Christ. Martin Luther said that

all believers as members of Christ's body would better know God and

His work through learning and the desire to learn (Dr. Faber). This

should be our goal as Christians in an educational setting.

To apply this back to my life and my experience in the Health and

Wellness course, I have observed my classmates, who are unique

members of the body of Christ, share their different observations of

what it looks like to follow Christ in a health minded sense. I have the

privilege of concluding these theology papers and bringing these

thoughts into conclusion. As I observe all that has been learned and

discussed, it can be compared to the different facets and parts that

make up a community that reflects the body of Christ. Each individual

in the class brings their character and opinions, which shape the

community of the class into one that imitates the body of Christ.

As Christians, it should be our prayer to maintain and preserve

our bodies in a physical sense through nutrition and exercise. At the

same time, we are communal beings and are in constant desire of

community and companionship. With this being said, we need to take

full advantage of the communities we have been placed in and

maintain them for the purpose of reflecting the body of Christ with its

unique and vital parts all serving their own unique functions.

Citations/References:

The English Standard Version Bible. New York: Oxford University Press,
2009. Print.

Fountain,Daniel.(1989).Health,theBibleandtheChurch.BGCMonograph.

Williams,Bud,(1987).AnIntegrationoftheBiblicalDataWithCurrent
UnderstandingsofWellness

Dr.R.Faber.MartinLutheronReformedEducation.ClarionVol.47,No.16
(1998)