"I Don't Need the Church"   
 

by Doy Moyer

A Christian saying, “I don't need the church,” would be like a member of the body saying, “I don’t need a body” (1 Cor. 12:12-27). Does that sound silly? It is. Yet Christians who say they don’t need the church, or who act like they don’t need the church because they care not to be a part of group activities, are effectively saying just that (and this isn’t just about attending formal assemblies). They are part of the body, yet don’t believe they need the body. It betrays a grave misconception of the body of Christ, both locally and universally.

God has composed the body. We are a part of it, not a separate, disconnected piece of something else. We need each other. Yet when we say or act as if we don’t need the church, we are saying that other Christians whom God has set in the body are not so important. We can be the lone part in the body and do just fine. What does such an attitude betray about our own self-importance? What does it say about our own view of serving others? What does it say about our view of God’s purposes in establishing “one another” relationships?

Think it through. Without the “one another” part, there is no encouragement, no stimulation to love and good works, and no opportunity to serve. God has better things in store for His people. Cherish the times we have in our “one another” relationships in Christ.

 

   

 Other Articles by Doy Moyer

Moralizing Over the Gospel
Alcohol and Wisdom
Brotherly Love
The Logic of Authority
Was Jesus Literally Forsaken?
Baptism and the Blood
The Problem With Creeds