Flesh and Bone

Among the many miracles of construction of the human body, is the wonderful structure of bones, muscles, flesh and skin. Without bones, we would be mere blobs of flesh, unable to stand or move. Without flesh and muscles, the bones would collapse into a heap. Although each individual bone is rigid, the skeleton being a jointed structure, is not rigid. It relies on pairs of muscles and sinews connecting pairs of jointed bones, with opposing muscles maintaining perfectly balanced tension. Further, the flesh and skin cover the harsh, hard bones, with the soft, flexible, cuddly exterior to the world.

Paul's analogy of the body to the church, in many ways also applies to our individual spiritual "bodies". We must have a skeleton of doctrine, rigid in part, but jointed and movable, kept strong and in balance by the paradoxes of Righteousness and Mercy. Then our doctrine must be clothed with the warm, soft, tender "flesh" of love as our face to the external world.

----xxxXxxx----
Lk.2:52 "Jesus grew in wisdom and stature"
1 Th.5:8 "Put on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of salvation"
Eph.4:15 "Speak the truth in love: grow up into Him in all things"
Heb.6:1 "Go on past elementary doctrine, advancing toward perfect spiritual maturity"
Ez.37:4,6 "Tell these dry bones to listen to the word of the Lord...I will give you sinew and muscle and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you"
Ps.103:17 "The mercy of the Lord is everlasting; His righteousness endures for all generations"
2 Ptr.1:5 "Add to your faith virtue; to virtue, knowledge; to knowledge, temperance; to temperance, patience; to patience, godliness"

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