What is the body of Christ? This thought is not being directed at the literal physical body of Jesus Christ, but rather the body of Christ that was established on the day of Pentecost. The body of Christ is the church as Paul explains to us in 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, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”
The body of Christ is the church of Christ which Jesus Christ bought with His blood. Knowing that there is a body means that there is also a head to the body. If the body is Christ’s body, then that means by process of elimination Jesus Christ is the head of the church. We can also make that deduction when we go to scripture and read Col. 1:18 KJV “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” It also says that fact in Eph. 1:22-23 as well as in Eph. 5:23 KJV “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.”
Now that we have an understanding of what the body of Christ is and who is over the church, what does it mean to be a part of the body of Christ? What does it mean to be a member of the church of Christ? It means that as a member of the body of Christ, we care for one another. (1 Cor. 12:25–26 KJV) “That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
The things that we go through in everyday life do not only affect us, but they should also affect other Christians. Whether someone triumphs or falls, we should be there beside them to show one another that we care; that they matter to us; that we are not alone in the things they are going through whether it is day-to-day struggles or temptations (Gal. 6:2, 1 Cor. 10:13). We are not the only ones that are going through those trials, and we can help one another through those things.
Being a part of the body of Christ does mean that we cannot live like the world and do what we want. It does mean that we need to serve God! We have rules we must follow, roles we must fill, people we must teach, and struggles we must endure! Being part of the body of Christ means that our lives will not be easy, but the reward will be much greater at the end of this life (Mat. 5:5-12). We get to love one another as God loves us (John 13:34; 15:12, 17). We get to strengthen one another to contend for the faith (Jude 3). We get to see each other grow as we strive to further the kingdom of God.
We get to teach others that Jesus did not die in vain for us, but that we are striving to do what He has commanded us to do which is serve God because of the hope we have in Him and the promises He has made to His people. Let’s ask this question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” If the answer is anything but a Christian, a change needs to happen. Let’s do our best to help the body of Christ grow!
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