What is the body of Christ?

The body of Christ is a great mystery which Christ revealed to the apostle Paul.  It consists of all who have heard and believed the gospel of our salvation for this age of grace, that Christ died for our sins, was buried and raised again the third day for our justification. 

Every believer is baptised by the holy Spirit into the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 KJV  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.  (13)  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.

Christ is the head of the church, which is his body.

• Ephesians 1:22-23 KJV  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,  (23)  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Unlike under the Old Testament, where the law of commandments contained in ordinances was specifically given to Israel, there is no national or other physical criteria for membership of the body of Christ.

• Galatians 3:28 KJV  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Each saved person is a member of the same, one body of Christ, and therefore members one of another.

• Romans 12:5 KJV  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

Purpose of the body of Christ

The purpose of the body of Christ is according to the mystery of God’s own will, which he purposed in himself before the world began.

• Ephesians 1:9-10 KJV  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:  (10)  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

Our hope of glory and eternal life is because we are in the body of Christ, and he is in us. This is our hope, the promise of God for the church which is Christ’s body.

• Titus 1:2 KJV  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

This inheritance of salvation and eternal life is entirely by God’s grace, freely available to all who will believe the gospel.  But it teaches us that while we look for that blessed hope, we should deny worldly lusts, because we have been redeemed to be purified as a people who are zealous of good works, not our works but the works of God that he has called each member of his body to perform.

• Titus 2:11-15 KJV  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,  (12)  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;  (13)  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  (14)  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.  (15)  These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

That call to good works is a holy calling, according to the purpose and grace of God, which he gave to the body of Christ before the world began.

• 2 Timothy 1:9 KJV  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

To walk according to the vocation to which we are called, to zealously desire and perform the works of God is nothing more than our reasonable service, bearing in mind that Christ paid for our sins by his own suffering and death on the cross, that we might have the gift of eternal life in him.  We should therefore choose to glorify God in our bodies and in our spirit, which are his.  We are bought with the price of his own blood. 

• 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 KJV  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  (20)  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Instruction for the body of Christ

As saved individuals who are trusting in Christ’s shed blood for salvation, we can learn from scripture about our position in the church, the body of Christ, and what this means for our daily lives as we seek to serve the Lord and walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called.  

It is essential to understand, not just our position as members of the church, which is Christ’s body, but also how we should relate to one another.  Paul wrote extensively about and to the church: about how to become a member of the body of Christ, the eternal security of that position, our relationship to Christ as our head and the responsibilities we have towards him and each other, maintaining the bond of perfectness to be perfectly knit together in love. 

Scripture teaches us about speaking the truth in love, that we might grow up into Christ who has fitly joined us together, and who provides nourishment for each and every part of his body, that the whole body might be edified together in love.

• Ephesians 4:15-16 KJV  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:  (16)  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, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Regarding the sealed position of a believer in the gospel, this is what Paul wrote to the Ephesians after he heard of their faith in Christ.

• Eph 1:13 KJV  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

If we believe the gospel of our salvation for this age of grace, then we too are sealed in Christ by that holy Spirit of promise.  In that spiritual transaction, we were baptised by the holy Spirit of God into the body of Christ.

• 1Co 12:13 KJV  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.

Christ the head of the body

Christ himself is our spiritual head and we are all members of the church, which is his body.

• Eph 1:22-23 KJV  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,  (23)  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

That is our position, members together in the one body of Christ, every one members one of another.

• Rom 12:5 KJV  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

The risen Christ is immortal and eternal, and we are in him.  Like every man since Adam, we were spiritually dead in our sins, yet because we have trusted in the death of Christ as payment for our sins, we have been quickened (made alive) together with him.  His holy Spirit dwells within us and just as Christ was raised from the dead, so too will we be raised by the same power of God.

• 1 Corinthians 6:14 KJV  And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

One body with many members

Understanding what it means to be members one of another, is vitally important. While all those who have heard and believed the gospel of Christ are baptised by his holy Spirit into one body, that one body has many members.

• 1 Corinthians 12:12 KJV  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

Just as our own physical body has many members, such the head, eye, hand, or foot, each needing each other and working together for the benefit of the whole body, so too with the body of Christ.

• 1 Corinthians 12:18-21 KJV  But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.  (19)  And if they were all one member, where were the body?  (20)  But now are they many members, yet but one body.  (21)  And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

There should be no schisms in the body of Christ, but each member should have care one for another.  They should all be of the same mind and same judgment, nourished up in the word of God.

Holy Communion in sincerity and truth

The bible describes our membership of the body of Christ as our communion in the body, a feast in which we celebrate our common union through the blood of Christ and partake of that one true bread, Christ’s own body, the church of which he is the head.

• 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 KJV  The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?  (17)  For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

This holy communion in the body of Christ, this feast by which we are edified together in love, must be kept with sincerity and truth.

• 1 Corinthians 5:8 KJV  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Why is sincerity and truth so important?

Sincerity and truth are similar but different. The word of God, and common sense, teaches that both sincerity and truth are essential ingredients for our communion with one another in the body of Christ.  

The unleavened bread of sincerity and truth is vital for the church to grow strong and hold together in one mind and judgment concerning the truth, and to be perfectly joined together in love.

Truth versus lies

Truth in the body is about accurately communicating the word of God, which itself is truth.  For this, we must love the truth, study and rightly divide it, and be willing to defend it.  

As we grow in knowledge of the truth, so too will our wisdom and spiritual understanding, enabling us to exhort, rebuke and instruct one another in righteousness, to the benefit of the whole body. 

Sincerity versus hypocrisy

Sincerity is the other vital ingredient for our communion in the body. This is about being open, honest and sincere with each other, communicating and behaving in ways that reflect our true thoughts, intentions and emotions.  This is something we need and should expect from each other, as any lack of sincerity would soon undermine the unity of the body.

In so much of so-called Christianity people put on a façade of pretending to love God and desiring to please him, yet the true motives and desires of their heart are easily seen in how they spend their time, effort and money.

Sincerity means “the absence of pretence, deceit, or hypocrisy”.  There is no place in the body of Christ for the leaven of insincerity which claims a love of the truth and a desire to serve God, yet is set upon pleasing the flesh, the old man, rather than pleasing God.  

Purging out the old leaven

We need to believe and act upon the word of God, and therefore recognize the damage that such leaven will cause, not just to ourselves, but to our brothers and sisters in the whole body of Christ. We need to act, therefore, to purge out any false doctrine, or any leaven of insincerity and hypocrisy, so that our communion in Christ remains underpinned by the unleavened bread of truth and sincerity.

• Galatians 5:9 KJV  A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
• 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 KJV  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:  (8)  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

To purge out is simply to cleanse by eliminating and getting rid of impurity, this leaven of insinserity and hypocrisy, which, if not removed, will leaven and destroy the whole lump. This is an individual and collective responsibility in the body of Christ, to be exercised according to the wisdom which God’s word teaches, in meekness and out of love for Christ our head and for one another.

Sincere self-reflection

Are we truly allowing the word of God to work effectually in us, or are we resisting?  What is our honest answer? What do we think about all the scriptures we’ve studied: about putting off the old man and putting on the new; about putting on the mind of Christ and being transformed by the renewing of our minds; about yielding to the spirit and not the flesh; about setting our affections on things above and not on things on the earth; about the motives of our heart and what it means to serve the Lord Jesus Christ?  Is it truly our desire to serve the Lord, or is our heart set on serving our flesh and its desires?

Keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace

By understanding the impact which the leaven of false doctrine or insincerity has on the whole lump, these issues cannot be treated as simply the private choices each of us make about what to believe, or how open and honest we should be with each other about the true desires of our heart.  Instead, we have a duty of care for one another because we now understand how connected we are, as members of the same body; we now understand how our individual spiritual wellbeing affects our brothers and sisters in Christ, with whom scripture teaches that we should be perfectly joined together in love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 

• Ephesians 4:1-6 KJV  I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,  (2)  With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;  (3)  Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  (4)  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are 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.

Scripture clearly teaches how the leaven of our old nature impacts the whole body, and therefore how our communion, or fellowship in the body, needs to be with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.  Sincerity and truth are a fundamental requirement and basis upon which we are able to edify one another in love. Without it, the body cannot grow and edify itself in love. 

• Ephesians 4:15-16 KJV  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:  (16)  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, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Speaking the truth in love is not optional, or to be mixed with lies or insincerity in the body of Christ, because we are members one of another. If such admonition to purge the old leaven, or put away lying, were not required in the body of Christ, then God would not have had Paul write to the Ephesians, as follows: 

• Ephesians 4:25 KJV  Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

Conclusions

The majority of studies on this site are about understanding the gospel, the benefits of our position in Christ, and the work in which he has called us to preach the gospel to others.  We’ve seen God's instruction about where our affections should and should not be set, and the requirement to put on the mind of Christ, and mortify our members which are upon the earth.  

• Colossians 3:1-5 KJV  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  (2)  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.  (3)  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.  (4)  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.  (5)  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

We understand from Romans chapter 7, how sin still dwells in our flesh, and that there is a war between the flesh and spirit, which wages in our members.  Thank God, we also understand that because Christ died for our sins, we can stand secure in that life-saving truth, in the assurance that we have been forgiven, made alive in Christ and that we will be raised again with a new, incorruptible, glorious body.  

However, while believers can understand and experience the shared joy of being able to meet and be edified together in love, as members of the body of Christ, it's possible to overlook how vitally important is the unity of the Spirit in God’s purpose for the local church, which is part of his body. 

Since Paul, every person who has placed their trust in Christ, having heard and believed the gospel of our salvation, has been baptized by the holy Spirit into the one body of Christ.  We have never met the vast majority of them nor will we, until we meet in heaven, yet so much of the doctrine for the church is about how its members should relate to one another and function together in ministry.  This is because God created the church to perform a role on this earth, for a heavenly purpose, and it is a purpose which Satan seeks to oppose.  Satan does this by subtly trying to introduce hypocrisy and lies to a local church, attempting to erode those two things upon which a functioning body of believers relies for unity of the Spirit, to be equipped for ministry together, according to God’s purpose.  

Scripture describes those two things, upon which the function and very existence of a local church relies, as being the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.  Because they are essential elements of our communion together as a local body of Christ,  Satan seeks to undermine them both.  He seeks to introduce lies and insincerity to the church, the body of Christ, as he knows how success in either of these would thwart the will of God. By acceptance of another gospel, the church could not preach the simplicity of the cross, and so no one could be saved by their corrupted message.  In that sense, they would have been taken captive by Satan, at his will.

Our defence and responsibility to God, and to one another within the local body of Christ, is to be firmly established in sound doctrine, without which the truth of the gospel would soon be undermined by the cunning craftiness and subtly of those who lie in wait to deceive.  We should not consider ourselves exempt from the biblical warning that some will, indeed, give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.  If we think we stand, let us not resist the word of God, nor be complacent, but rather, study diligently and yield to the truth with all readiness of mind, praying to God for our protection, and taking heed lest we fall.  

• 1 Corinthians 10:10-12 KJV  Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.  (11)  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.  (12)  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

As far as sincerity goes, even the world knows that if someone acts differently to what they say, this erodes trust, which is the foundation for any healthy relationship. Without sincerity, emotional connections are weakened, the authenticity of bonds are lost, and friendships break down.  Christ would have us know, and put on, charity, the bond of perfectness within the church, which is his body.  (For details on the biblical meaning and application of charity, see the study article: Faith, Hope and Charity).

Believers have the word of God, and are part of the same body, so we have no need to fear being honest and open with each other, even if we know we are falling short of our calling in Christ.  This is one of the benefits of being in the body, where we can help one another in patience and meekness, out of love for one another.  There is no room or need for any pretence, feigning emotions, or presenting a false appearance to hide true thoughts or feelings.   Let us all keep the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.