Grace and Peace

Paul used the term "body of Christ" many times in his letters to the churches. In a few instances, he referred to the actual body of Jesus, but most of the time he employed this metaphor in referring to the local church.  This is the most prominent image in Paul's letters and the only one with no Old Testament equivalent.[1] Of all the images of the church, this is perhaps the most familiar. 

Paul often had to write the churches to call them to task over behavior that magnified the individual above the corporate body.  In Romans 12:4-21, he used the metaphor of the “body” to express the absurdity of one member exalting his function and importance over another.  Instead Paul argues that we “are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”[2]  He goes on to describe in detail the many ways we are to love and serve one another.

That Jesus Christ is the head of the body is made abundantly clear in Colossians 1:15-20 and Ephesians 5:19-32.  In the Colossian passage, Paul builds a multifaceted argument that establishes Christ as the head of the church due to his (Jesus’) deity, rights as Creator and death and resurrection.  The Ephesians passage uses that last point as its theme and builds the case for Christ’s headship on this ultimate act of love. Further, Paul affirms Christ as not only the head of the church, but also as “the head over all rule and authority.”[3]  From these two passages we can clearly see that there is no limit to the scope of the rule of Christ. 

As we move to consider the terms, “members” and “body,” we should note that within the New Testament, they are virtually synonymous in meaning and are used interchangeably by Paul.  Just as the head directs the human body and employs its members to get about and accomplish various tasks, “so the church from its inception has constituted the body of Christ, the means to the fulfillment of the purpose of him who fills all in all.”[4]

In letters to three separate churches ( Rome, Corinth and Ephesus); Paul used the "body" metaphor in discussing spiritual gifts.  The gifts were always given in the corporate context, no one individual being given all the gifts, but every member receiving at least one gift.  God knew this was best and gathered people into the local church so they could cooperate with each other and work together in order to discern and do God's will.  In this way, we learn to exercise our own gift(s), appreciate the gifts of other members and thank God for giving them to the body.  When the church functions in this manner, all the credit for its accomplishments goes to God.

Yet sometimes, selfishness and pride rears its ugly head even in the church.  Struggles can ensue over issues of position or prominence and individual members can refuse to exercise their giftedness.  Boatman suggests, “a non-functioning body may be occasioned by any one of three states—immaturity, injury or infirmity.”[5] 

This has tremendous significance for our individual-centered culture and warns us that we will not gain the full value of those gifts if we adopt the attitude that God should recognize and gift us as individuals so that we can each go out into the world and do great works with the Spirit's power thus claiming the credit for ourselves.  Neither will we prosper from selfishly withholding or stubbornly refusing to exercise our giftedness in service to others and for the glory of God.

From these passages, the image of the church as the “body of Christ” begins to come into focus so that we might better see its impact on evangelism and church growth. Let us first note that this image accents the church’s unity but recognizes its diversity.

The diversity is the result of the multiplicity of personality types, backgrounds, races and assortment of gifts that we are given by the Holy Spirit.  It might also be appropriate to mention here, that the picture of the church that emerges from the New Testament does not fit the homogenous unit principle so widely espoused in church growth circles.  The body of Christ certainly included Jews, Gentiles, rich, poor, male, female, old and young.  The unity of the body did not come from shared demographic similarities but rested wholly in the fact that all were members of Christ and each other.[6]  All born again believers in Christ have membership in the body of Christ.

This metaphor as discussed by Paul in Romans 12, demonstrates the foolishness of power struggles and church fights, which damage the public witness of the body of Christ.  On the last night of his earthly life, Jesus gathered with his disciples and prayed for the unity of the church:

I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.[7]

The integrity of our witness is predicated on our unity. Unity is only possible as we all acknowledge and follow the Lord Jesus as the Head of the body.