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Christ's Spiritual Body |
Dear Brethren,
We have been given the
inestimable blessing of being a part of God’s true Church. We
have grown accustomed to referring to the Church of God as the
Spiritual Body of Christ. What does that mean? What are we to
understand concerning the body of Jesus Christ?
Jesus came in a physical, flesh and blood body (1 John 4:2,
Romans 9:5). But, how do we get from Christ having a physical
body to the concept of the Church brethren being the spiritual
body of Christ? How did the name, "Church of God," come to be
synonymous with the spiritual body of Christ?
I suppose most people think, “I have a
body, everybody has a body – Jesus Christ had a body, too… What
significance does it have? The spiritual significance of the
Scriptures is always deeper and broader than the physical
meaning. Let’s not let the subtleties of the Scriptures go over
our heads – we have to put all the deeper meanings together in
order to grow in grace and knowledge. Jesus dwells in those who
have received God's Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "He that eats
my flesh, and drinks my blood, dwells in me, and I in him."
(John 6:56) The true Church of God is the body (group) of true
believers that God the Father has called to the spiritual
body of Christ.
We see that the goal of our existence is to
come unto the Father, and to be in His Kingdom. Jesus said,
"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the
Father, but by me." (John 14:6) But to be able to come to
the Father, we must go through Jesus Christ because He is the
only way, He has the only truth, and He is life.
In other words we must “Put on Christ.”
When Christ lives in us through His Spirit, we begin to put on
His ways, His faith, His attitude, His sacrifice, His character,
His mercy – all of His attributes and characteristics
like forgiveness, and love [not hate towards others] – we must
become just like Him! Every characteristic of Jesus must be
in our minds and in our hearts – replacing all the sinful
and wrong thought patterns which once defined us. That is “Christ
in us – the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)
Jesus must replace the "old man of sin," and be in our hearts
and minds for us to have eternal God-life in the resurrection.
"Hereby know we that we dwell
in [Jesus Christ], and He in us, because He
hath given us of His Spirit." (1 John 4:13) "Even the
Spirit of truth; which the world cannot receive, because it
seeth it not, neither knoweth it: but ye know it; for it
dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." (John
14:17) Jesus answered, "If a man love me, he will keep my
words: [that means to begin to do absolutely everything that
Jesus taught] and my Father will love him, and we
[both the Father and Jesus Christ]
will come unto him, and make our abode with him."
(John 14:23)
We, all the Spirit-led brethren, are the
body of Christ. Paul explains that though we
suffer, Jesus lives in us. “Always bearing
about in the body [carrying in our body] the dying of
the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus
might be made manifest in our body. For we
which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that
the life also of Jesus might
be made manifest in our mortal flesh.” (2
Corinthians 4:10-11) Paul is speaking of Jesus living His life
in us so that His life becomes apparent in the way we live –
laying down our lives for each other and sacrificing for others.
We need to ask ourselves what the Will of
God is with regard to Christ's spiritual body?
What will be the result if we fail to do everything possible to
become the unified Christian body that God intends us to be? We
are supposed to be integrated into a common bond of fellowship
that knows no bounds! Our very salvation depends on our caring
for one another with a Godly love.
“Is Christ divided?” Absolutely
not! (1 Corinthians 1:13) The Scriptures are clear –
Christ’s body is supposed to operate as an integral
whole. Each member of the body of Christ has a
responsibility to live according to the rules of the Kingdom of
God – now – at this time. We are not waiting for Jesus to
return and force us to recognize and love one another. If we
are not now behaving as Christians should, we will not be in the
first resurrection, nor the Kingdom of God.
It could not be said more clearly. Paul
ties our being in the spiritual body of Christ
with our deep spiritual unity with all Church members. “As
we have many members in one body, and all members have not the
same talents: So we, being many, are one body in Christ,
and every one members one of another.” (Romans
12:4-5)
We are to put into practice the way of life
that Jesus taught. As individual members of His body, we are to
live as He lived. We are to follow in the steps of our Lord and
Master. Who He is, what He is, and what He has promised us is
of no consequence, if we do not apply it in our daily lives.
What has happened to the Church of God? We have come to a time
when we claim to be aware of other members of the spiritual body
of Christ, but we will have nothing to do with one another. We
are obligated by God, to extend our realm of fellowship and
service to include all who have the earnest of God's Holy
Spirit.
Jesus Christ has only one spiritual
body with many members. They possess the Spirit of God
and they are scattered all over the face of the earth. “As
the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of
that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
[Christ has only one body of believers – that is one Church
– the Church of God.] For by one Spirit are we all baptized
into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we
be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one
Spirit. [That is God's Holy Spirit.] For the
body is not one member, but many [brethren]… But now
hath God set the members every one of them in the body [the
spiritual body of Christ], as it has pleased Him... But
now are they many members, yet but one body
[the ONE spiritual body of Christ]... Now you are the
body of Christ, and members in particular.”
(1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 18, 20, 27)
We cannot hate, despise, neglect, or reject
any of the saints [Church members], as that behavior will
disqualify us from the Kingdom of God. Those who are only
interested in preparing themselves, while neglecting the
spiritual welfare of their brethren, have fallen for the
deception of Cain, who asked in Genesis 4:9, "Am I my
brother's keeper?" The truth is: "Yes, we are our
brother's keeper."
Who is my brother? Who is a member of the
spiritual body of Christ? Jesus said that He
would build or construct His own ‘ekklesia,’
assembly or congregation. Today, we find ourselves in a world
of divisive confusion. There are so many groups, organizations,
corporations, individuals and churches that claim to represent
Christ’s spiritual body, but they shun others
of the very same background, beliefs, practices, and
Spirit of God.
Jesus is the head of His Church. And
converted Christians are individuals in His spiritual body.
Paul wrote: "[God the Father] has put all things under
[Jesus’] feet, and gave Him to be the head over
all things to the church, which is His body" [the spiritual
body of Christ] (Ephesians 1:22-23)
"He that eats and drinks [the
Lord's Passover] unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to
himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For
this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep."
(1 Corinthians 11:29-30)
Jesus Christ has only one body – thus, He
has only one Church. “There is one body, and one
Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling… For
the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ… From whom the
whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which
every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the
measure of every part, makes increase of the body unto
the edifying of itself in love. (Compare Colossians 2:19)
For we are members of His body, of His flesh,
and of His bones. [An obvious reference to the new
covenant marriage of Christ and His Bride, the Church]
(Ephesians 4:4, 12, 16, 5:30, Genesis 2:23)
"...You are the temple of the living
God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them,
and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they
shall be my people." (2 Corinthians 6:16)
Again, the Bible reveals that the one
spiritual body of Christ is composed of Church brethren. "[Christ]
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… Who now rejoice in my sufferings for
you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of
Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church.”
(Colossians 1:18, 24)
Jesus prayed for the unity of the Church
just before He died (John 17). He inspired Paul to send us
these words of 1 Corinthians 1:10: “Now I beg of you,
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all
speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you;
but that ye be perfectly joined together in the
same mind and in the same judgment.”
***
| Sermon: |
"Christ's Spiritual Body" |
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