The Apostle Paul uses the metaphor of a body to describe the church. In the Roman world, this metaphor reinforced hierarchy—some parts were “more important” than others. Paul flips this: every member is indispensable, and the “weaker” members are given special honor.

The church, Bonhoeffer reminds us, is “Christ existing as community.” We represent Christ to one another (through forgiveness, prayer, burden-bearing) and to the world (as Yoder said, the church is the “hermeneutic of the gospel”).

We are not called to unhealthy codependence (“I can’t be okay unless you are okay”) or counterdependence (“I don’t need anyone”), but to godly interdependence: “I need you, and you need me.”