CHURCH LIFE CLASS
THE BODY OF CHRIST AND RELATIONSHIPS
PREFACE: The New Testament gives us several symbolic expressions of the Church. The New
Testament describes the Church as the , Spiritual House, God’s Dwelling
Place, The Building or House of God, etc. One of the most prominent descriptions of the
Church in the New Testament is the Body of Christ. As we look at the Church as the Body of
Christ we will see that just like a human body, it takes relationships between the body parts
for it to work as it was designed. This is an obvious expression of the relational nature of the
Church.
I. PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH
A. The main purpose of the Church (Body of Christ) is to express the truth and life of Christ (the Head) within it.
1 Peter 2:9 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (NASB)
1 Timothy 3:15 15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. (NASB)
Philippians 2:15-16 15 that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may have cause to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. (NASB)
Eph 2:19-22, 3:10-11
In the same way we are concerned about the appearance of our human body because we want the real
us on the inside to be favorably received by others. We want a good representation of ourselves to
others.
II. PAUL’S REVELATION OF THE CHURCH AS THE BODY OF CHRIST
A. Paul carried revelation of the Church as the Body of Christ.
1. Eph 4:12-16
2. Eph 3:3-6
3. 1 Cor 12:12-13
4. 1:18; 2:18-19
B. Biblical truths about the Body of Christ.
1. Each believer was born again to be a functioning part of Christ’s Body.
1 Corinthians 10:17 17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. (NASB)
Romans 12:4-5 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. (NASB)
1 Corinthians 12:27 27 Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. (NASB)
“Now you are Christ’s Body and each of you a limb or organ of it.” ()
2. The purpose of the body is to present the life within it.
Ephesians 3:10-11 10 in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, (NASB)
3. Each member is equipped with giftings and talents to be used in building up the Body.
As in the human body every part is to actively contribute toward the welfare/well-being of the
body. 1 Cor 12:14-27, Rom 12:4-10
1 Peter 4:10 10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (NASB)
1 Cor 12:12,26 “So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church…What is the outcome then brethren? When you assemble…let all things be done for edification.”
4. With the awareness of God’s design of the Body of Christ we are to be practically joined or built
together in the Church.
Eph 2:21-22
1 Pet 2:4-6
This means being built together in relationships.
III. RELATIONSHIPS AND THE BODY OF CHRIST
A. As in the human body it takes relationships between the members for it to work.
Eph 4:16, 2:18-19
If our body parts weren’t connected and interacting we would cease to exist.
As in the human body the relationships between the members of the body is a everyday way of life.
If our human body only functioned for an hour on Sunday mornings we would die. Church is more than just a meeting with superficial relationships but is a way of life.
B. It is a mistake for Christians to think that they only need a relationship with the Head (Christ) and not the Body (Church).
This is a wrong mentality that is foreign to the New Testament picture of Salvation in which you
are brought into a new relationship with Christ and His Body.
C. The picture of the human body gives us insight into the relational nature of the Church.
“The human body has systems made up of organs, made up of numerous groups of specialized cells
all working together for the homeostasis or effectively balanced system of operations for the
efficient maintenance of the body as a whole. Only in a diseased or pathological organ do the
cells or systems work for their own benefit; and when they do the body cannot last long. Malignancy,
when it occurs, must either be eradicated or the body as a whole will suffer doom. Never in a healthy
situation do the components of the body work outside of the best interest of the body as a whole.
The brain, in conjunction with the nervous system effectively communicates the best use of limited
resources and where the best expenditures of energy and effort, should be allocated, to benefit the
needs of the body most. Christ as the head does the same for His body and only He has perfect
knowledge in determining who should do what, and when, not us in our limited and finite scope of
information and mind set.”
To be or not to be a community is not an option for the church. By nature the church is a community and experiences communion. The question before the people of God is: what kind of community will we be?
The New Testament invites us to formulate a theology and practice of communion based on the nature of the Body of Christ. John Driver, Community and Commitment, Herald Press