1 Corinthians 12:27 (MSG): “You are Christ's body - that's who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your "part" mean anything.”
(CEV): “Together you are the body of Christ. Each one of you is part of His body.”
(NLT2): “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.”
(GW): “You are Christ's body and each of you is an individual part of it.”
In the New Testament, Paul the apostle of Jesus Christ, referred to the church as the body of Christ. He used this metaphor to relay significant truths about the church and to help us - believers better understand the value of variety within the church. Paul wrote this to the church of Corinth: “The body of Christ has many different parts, just as any other body does. Some of us are Jews, and others are Gentiles. Some of us are slaves, and others are free. But God's Spirit baptized each of us and made us part of the body of Christ. Now we each drink from that same Spirit. Our bodies don't have just one part. They have many parts” {1 Corinthians 12:12-14}.
So, the church is called the body of Christ because Jesus Christ is the head of the church, and we are called to do the work of Christ, each like members of a body. We have different skills, purposes, and spiritual gifts, yet every believer is equally important to the full functioning, mission, and effectiveness of the church. The term “body of Christ” is significant for the church and a good way to understand the church. Why? Because it affirms that Jesus Christ is the head of the church.
We as believers follow Jesus Christ, listen to Him, and let Him guide our steps, just as the head of the body does. Likewise, this term for the church acknowledges diversity within the body of Christ and how good this is for the church. The body needs many parts - many gifts, talents, and skills - to function. We as believers need to work together to accomplish the mission Jesus Christ gave us. Rather than trying to do the same thing, each of us can contribute that which God has called us to do and be.
Paul explained it best this way in 1 Corinthians 12:15-18: “Suppose a foot says, “I'm not a hand, and so I'm not part of the body.” Wouldn't the foot still belong to the body? Or suppose an ear says, “I'm not an eye, and so I'm not part of the body.” Wouldn't the ear still belong to the body? If our bodies were only an eye, we couldn't hear a thing. And if they were only an ear, we couldn't smell a thing. But God has put all parts of our body together in the way that he decided is best.” Each of us - every believer is valuable to the church and each of us is a needed part of the body of Christ. This diversity is something to be celebrated and recognized as part of God’s great design for the church.
I shared this doctrinal truth in last week’s lesson, and I want to reiterate: God the Father prepared a human body for Jesus Christ {Hebrews 10:5}, through which He - Jesus Christ demonstrated God’s love clearly, tangibly, and boldly - especially through His sacrificial death on the cross. After His bodily ascension, Jesus Christ continues His work in the world through those He has redeemed - the Church that now demonstrates the love of God clearly, tangibly, and boldly. In this way, the Church functions as “the body of Christ.”
Romans 12:4-5 (GW): “Our bodies have many parts, but these parts don’t all do the same thing. In the same way, even though we are many individuals, Christ makes us one body and individuals who are connected to each other.
Ephesians 4:12 (ERV): “Christ gave these gifts (the five-fold ministry gifts) to prepare God’s holy people for the work of serving, to make the body of Christ stronger.”
Ephesians 5:23 (GW): “The husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the Head of the church. It is His body, and He is its Savior.”
Colossians 1:24 (GW): “I am happy to suffer for you now. In my body I am completing whatever remains of Christ’s sufferings. I am doing this on behalf of His body, the church.”
Hebrews 10:5 (ERV): “So when Christ came into the world He said, “You don’t want sacrifices and offerings, but you have prepared a body for Me.”
The Church is called the body of Christ because:
1) Members of the body of Christ are joined to Jesus Christ in love.
Ephesians 4:15-16: “Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love.”
2) Members of the body of Christ are under the authority of Jesus Christ as their Head.
Ephesians 1:22-23: “God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made Him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is His body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with Himself.”
3) Members of the body of Christ are the physical representation of Jesus Christ in this world. The Church is the organism – the body through which He manifests His life to the world today.
a) We represent Jesus Christ by demonstrating God’s love.
b) We represent Jesus Christ in the way we love other believers.
c) We represent Jesus Christ by living in godly fellowship.
d) We represent Jesus Christ by bringing glory to Him.
4) Members of the body of Christ are indwelt by the Spirit of Christ - Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:9: “But if God's Spirit lives in you, you are under the control of your spiritual nature, not your corrupt nature. Whoever doesn't have the Spirit of Christ doesn't belong to Him.”
5) Members of the body of Christ possess a diversity of gifts suited to particular functions {1 Corinthians 12:4-31}.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7: “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the Holy Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.”
6) Members of the body of Christ share a common bond with all other believers, regardless of culture, ethnicity - nationality, or ministry.
1 Corinthians 12:25-26: “God's purpose was that the body should not be divided but rather that all of its parts should feel the same concern for each other. If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts share its suffering. If one part is praised, all the others share in its happiness.”
7) Members of the body of Christ vicariously partake in Jesus Christ’s burial and resurrection. Colossians 2:12: “For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.”
8) Members of the body of Christ share Jesus Christ’s inheritance. Romans 8:17: “For His Spirit - God’s Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are His children. And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering.”
9) Members of the body of Christ receive the gift of Jesus Christ’s righteousness.
Romans 5:17: “For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.”
10) Members of the body of Christ will be given a glorified body just like Jesus Christ when He returns. Philippians 3:20-21: “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under His control.”
Just as every part of our body is important, every believer is vital to the body of Christ. God has specially designed, determined, and placed you as part of His body. By virtue of our salvation, we’ve been adopted into an intimate relationship with Him and brought into a deep spiritual connection with other members of Christ’s body. Therefore, there's no need to struggle through this new life in Jesus Christ alone when God has surrounded and connected us to other believers. Regardless of our abilities, gifts, or position in life, we each have an important role to play in the body of Christ where we’re all members.
No comments:
Post a Comment