p. 7 | All the Members Suffer by C. M. S.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 7, 1914

All the Members Suffer

By C. M. S.

THE unity of the whole family of heaven as well as of the household of faith on earth is beautifully expressed by many scriptures, but perhaps by none more distinctly than by this: "And whether one member suffereth, all the members suffer with it; or one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and severally members thereof." 1 Cor. 12: 26, 27.

Paul uses the illustration of the human body to impress more strikingly the vital connection between the several members of the household of faith. The hand is hurt, and in that hurt the body is injured. A limb is crushed, and in that crushing the whole physical organism suffers. An internal organ ceases to function properly, and at once the body is sick.

So with the body of Christ on earth, and so with the family of God in heaven and throughout the universe. When one of our physical members is injured, we do all we can to restore it. If it is a vital organ, we may even expend all our substance to bring it back to the condition it was in before the injury took place.

When the human race, members of God's household, fell into the pit of sin and received the fearful injury which came therewith, the whole family of heaven suffered. This race was a member of God's household; and as this member suffered, all the members suffered with it. At once Heaven set about it to do all that even Heaven could do to bring about restoration. How close home it came to the divine Head of the heavenly family must be judged by what was done to restore the injured member and "heal the wound that sin had made." And "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."

And did not Heaven suffer?—Heaven not only suffered in the injury to the race, but gave life—the life of God's own Son—to mollify the wound and heal the hurt. God could have said, Cut off that rebellious race and cast their world out into the blackness of nothingness. Or he could have spoken the word, and man and the world that was given him for his abode would have been consumed in the fires of his vengeance. But no; he preferred restoration rather than destruction. It is to the eternal glory of his name that he chose to win man back rather than cut him off in his folly and blot him out of existence.

This effort of the Almighty to save his universe from disruption and to save man from the consequences of his own unwise choosing ought to fill our hearts with love; ought to make us feel that heaven is near; that God has not turned his face away from us, but instead is reaching out after us to encircle us in the arms of his love.

And that is why Inspiration beseeches us "by the mercies of God" that we present our bodies a "living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God," which is our "reasonable service." That is why Inspiration urges that we "be not conformed to this world" but be "transformed" by the renewing of our mind, and "prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Rom. 12: 1, 2.

The mind of him who has been "sold under sin" must needs be transformed if it would express in any degree the purpose of the sinless and sin-hating but sin-pardoning God. To be conformed to this world means either to love the ways of the world and walk in them, or to walk in the ways of the world because of a desire in our hearts to stand well in the eyes of the world.

But being transformed is something entirely different. That takes hold of

the very life of an individual. It means such a change in the individual that he will hate what once he loved, and love what once he hated. It is accomplished by the renewing of the mind through the work of the Holy Spirit. It means letting "this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus," who humbled himself; who made his life a sacrifice; who took our sins upon him that we might take his righteousness upon us; who was formed in the image of man that we might be re-formed in the image of God.

When that work has been wrought in us, then we prove what is "that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God," by expressing that will in our lives. We do what God would have us do, because our will is surrendered to God's will, and God's will is operating our members to accomplish his purpose, instead of our own will operating our members to oppose and thwart his purpose.

When we are in that condition, there is no breach between us and God; the injured member has been restored, and Heaven ceases to suffer on account of the injury of that member. That puts us in the channel of God's purpose, and he can use us to his glory.

When all have been saved who will accept the salvation offered by the Saviour of men, the wound that sin has made will be healed. And when this world has been purified by fire, and, in all the splendor of its restoration, has become the eternal home of the redeemed, the wounded race will have been restored, and the injured world itself will have been healed of its hurt. The open sore of sin will be healed forever. No member of the body of Christ, no member of the family of heaven, no member of God's household of inhabited worlds, will be suffering or causing others to suffer with it. That is the glorious prospect that looms bright before the faithful follower of our God. In the hope of that healing we find hope and peace and comfort which the world cannot give and cannot take away.

C. M. S.