Originally a 'member' was a limb or part of a body, and Paul uses this idea in some of his letters, He sees the church as the body of Christ, and each person as a member of that body (Rom. 12:4,5). Everyone has a part to play, working together in a living relationship with Christ who is the head of the body and the source of its life (Eph. 4:15,16). Read 1 Cor. 12:12-27 to see how Paul stresses the fact that just as members or parts of a body operate in a coordinated way for the well-being of the body, so Christians as members of Christ's body, the church, should work together as a unity- 'Now you are the body of Christ, and individually members of it' (v.27).