| Paul's
usage of the term 'body' in the Epistles is a consistent
reference to the Universal Church, which is the Body of
Christ. It is never used in reference to a single local
church. Thus, the teaching found in Romans, 1
Corinthians, Ephesians and Colossians must be
interpreted as a commentary on the inter-personal
relationships which should exist between members of 'The
Church."
It is the theology of
the 'Body' which forms the basis for global ministry.
Each member of the Church has an obligation to their
localized manifestation of the 'Body' and then to other
localized manifestations of the 'Body', whether in their
own locality and country or around the world.
Ephesians
The Church - The Body
of Christ
Eph. 1:22-23 And
He put all [things] under His feet, and gave Him [to be]
head over all [things] to the church, 23 which is His
body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
One Body - Jews and
Gentiles
Eph. 2:14-16 For
He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has
broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having
abolished in His flesh the enmity, [that is,] the law of
commandments [contained] in ordinances, so as to create
in Himself one new man [from] the two, [thus] making
peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God
in one body through the cross, thereby putting to
death the enmity.
One Body - Unity of
the Church which is His body
Eph. 4:4-6 [There
is] one body and one Spirit, just as you
were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one
faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who
[is] above all, and through all, and in you all.
The Church - The Body
of Christ
Eph. 4:11-13 And
He Himself gave some [to be] apostles, some prophets,
some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for
the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till
we all come to the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
The Church - The Body
of Christ
Eph. 4:14-16 that
we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and
carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the
trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful
plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow
up in all things into Him who is the head -- Christ --
16 from whom the whole body, joined and
knit together by what every joint supplies, according to
the effective working by which every part does its
share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of
itself in love.
The Church - The Body
of Christ
Eph. 5:23 For the
husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of
the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
The Church - The Body
of Christ
Eph. 5:28-30 So
husbands ought to love their own wives as their own
bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no
one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and
cherishes it, just as the Lord [does] the church. 30 For
we are members of His body, of His flesh
and of His bones.
Colossians
The Church - The Body
of Christ
Col. 1:18 And He
is the head of the body, the church, who is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all
things He may have the preeminence.
The Church - The Body
of Christ
Col. 1:24 I now
rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my
flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for
the sake of His body, which is the church,
The Church - The Body
of Christ
Col. 2:18-19 Let
no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in
[false] humility and worship of angels, intruding into
those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by
his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head,
from whom all the body, nourished and knit
together by joints and ligaments, grows with the
increase [that is] from God.
The Church - The Body
of Christ
Col. 3:15-16 And
let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also
you were called in one body; and be
thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly
in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace
in your hearts to the Lord.
Rom. 12:3-16
3. For I say, through
the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not
to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to
think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each
one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members
in one body, but all the members do not have the
same function, 5 so we, [being] many, are one body in
Christ, and individually members of one another. 6
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that
is given to us, [let us use them:] if prophecy, [let us
prophesy] in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry,
[let us use it] in [our] ministering; he who teaches, in
teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who
gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he
who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. 9. [Let] love [be]
without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is
good. 10 [Be] kindly affectionate to one another with
brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one
another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit,
serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in
tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13
distributing to the needs of the saints, given to
hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and
do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and
weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward
one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but
associate with the humble.
1 Cor 12:12-27
12For as the body
is one and has many members, but all the members of that
one body, being many, are one body, so
also [is] Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all
baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks,
whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink
into one Spirit. 14 For in fact the body is not
one member but many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because
I am not a hand, I am not of the body," is it
therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear
should say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not of the
body," is it therefore not of the body? 17 If
the whole body [were] an eye, where [would] [be]
the hearing? If the whole [were] hearing, where [would]
[be] the smelling? 18 But now God has set the members,
each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
19 And if they [were] all one member, where [would] the
body [be]? 20 But now indeed [there] [are] many
members, yet one body. 21 And the eye cannot say
to the hand, "I have no need of you"; nor again the head
to the feet, "I have no need of you." 22 No, much
rather, those members of the body which seem to
be weaker are necessary. 23 And those [members] of the
body which we think to be less honorable, on
these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable
[parts] have greater modesty, 24 but our presentable
[parts] have no need. But God composed the body,
having given greater honor to that [part] which lacks
it, 25 that there should be no schism in the body,
but [that] the members should have the same care for one
another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members
suffer with [it]; or if one member is honored, all the
members rejoice with [it]. 27 Now you are the body of
Christ, and members individually. |
