by Timothy W. Burnett
There are many examples in today's life that can be applied to the above scripture. I would like to bring up one area in particular. That involves government officials in a country of free people like the united States of America. Within the body of Christ there may be people who serve in government positions whether elected or appointed.
Christians in government positions may lose track of their underlying responsibilities and authorities. Soon they make decisions and pass laws that are unconstitutional and against the law of the land. More often than not, they do it for what seems to be good causes. Among the masses of people in Texas and the united States there are many who stand firmly against government officials who break the law of the land. In the end, the government officials start to feel as if they are being attacked and persecuted.
In this area there are members of the body of Christ who serve in government positions and others who serve to question, scrutinize and even squash unlawful legislation and enforcement practices. In the end, Christian government officials are seen to be suffering. What typically happens is the church will act on God's word and help them endure their suffering, while at the same time rally around the officials' unlawful decisions. This is not necessarily the best option.
You see, the suffering government officials often bring the suffering upon themselves because of their own unlawful actions or legislative decisions. It is possible for the other members to suffer with the suffering officials, while at the same time not condone their actions or decisions.
In all areas of life, the members of the body of Christ can make wrong or hazardous decisions that result in others standing against them and even seeking to punish them. Yes, this can happen to Christians. It is especially tempting to make mistakes when given the power of State and local government. With good intentions, they believe a good cause is served by using the power of the State to egislate and enforce rules for areas that may or may not even be against God's will in general. While there are many people who like the codes that regulate underlying constitutional rights, there are many other Christians who stand and speak out against the same regulations.
This puts the body of Christ in an interesting situation. Christians in government positions can become targets of heavy scrutiny and even law suits. They become the suffering party. Yet spiritually there is not a conflict when applying 1Corinthians 12:14-27. In the body of Christ it is possible for the members to suffer with the suffering officials and help them to endure the suffering, while at the same time help them to see their error as well as learn and grow more and more in the Lord.
Athough we focused on the area of government officials, this is true for all areas of life. God's people can easily make decisions and do things that result in their own suffering. With God's love, grace and mercy, we can still suffer with them with out condoning their actions that lead to the suffering.
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