<p>12:5 <i>So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and although different, still members one of another</i>- We are to live according to our status; if we are baptized into the body of Christ and counted as Him, according to the theology of imputed righteousness explained earlier in Romans, then we are to act as part of the body. The Greek here could bear a retranslation, hinging around <i>kata heis</i>, AV &quot;every one&quot;, to the effect that we are &quot;one body in Christ, and on account of <i>kata</i> the one Christ, members one of another&quot;. He is the unique bond between persons in Him. In another figure, He is the yoke who binds others together so that the burden is lighter. Human relationships are almost impossible to maintain on any intimate level- without the binding influence of the Lord Jesus. This is why He could reason in John 17 that Christian unity would be the supreme witness to Him.</p>