The Church: A Living Body of Christ

 

Summary

In our exploration of the church, we began by examining the profound question: who loves the church? This inquiry led us to delve into the etymology of the word "church" and its Greek origins, as well as the various metaphors used in the Bible to describe it. Among these, the image of the church as the "body of Christ" stands out prominently. This metaphor, while seemingly simple, holds deep significance as it illustrates the interconnectedness and interdependence of believers within the church.

Saint Augustine's assertion that "He who does not have the church as his mother does not have God as his Father" serves as a pivotal point in understanding the church's role. While interpretations of this statement vary, the essence lies in recognizing the church's nurturing function. Just as a mother nourishes her child, the church provides spiritual nourishment and growth for its members. This nurturing is essential, especially in a time when traditional institutions face widespread criticism and skepticism.

The notion of individualism in faith is challenged by the New Testament's portrayal of believers as part of a collective body. Redemption, while personal, places individuals within a community—the body of Christ. This community is not merely an organization but a living organism, vibrant and dynamic. Each member, with their unique gifts, contributes to the whole, emphasizing the necessity of unity and cooperation.

Paul's teachings in Corinthians highlight the diversity of gifts within the church and the importance of each member's role. The church, as the body of Christ, requires every individual's contribution to function effectively. This concept aligns with Martin Luther's "priesthood of all believers," which underscores that ministry is not exclusive to clergy but is a shared responsibility among all believers.

The church's role as the continuing incarnation of Christ is a powerful yet delicate concept. While believers are called to embody Christ's presence in the world, it is crucial to distinguish this from the redemptive work of Christ, which is complete and sufficient. Our participation in Christ's suffering is not meritorious but a testament to our identity as His body, called to witness and serve in His name.

Key Takeaways:

1. The church as the "body of Christ" emphasizes the interconnectedness of believers, highlighting the importance of community and mutual support in spiritual growth. This metaphor challenges the notion of individualism in faith, reminding us that we are part of a larger, living organism. [01:26]

2. Saint Augustine's statement about the church as a mother underscores the nurturing role of the church, providing spiritual nourishment and growth. This nurturing is vital, especially in a time of skepticism towards traditional institutions. [02:16]

3. Redemption places individuals within a community, emphasizing that while faith is personal, it is not meant to be isolated. The church, as a living organism, requires the unique contributions of each member to function effectively. [09:29]

4. The diversity of gifts within the church highlights the importance of each member's role, aligning with the concept of the "priesthood of all believers." Ministry is a shared responsibility, and every believer has a part to play in the body of Christ. [22:00]

5. The church's role as the continuing incarnation of Christ calls believers to embody His presence in the world. However, it is crucial to distinguish this from the redemptive work of Christ, which is complete and sufficient. Our participation in His suffering is a testament to our identity as His body. [25:31]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:34] - Introduction to the Church
- [01:26] - The Body of Christ
- [02:16] - Augustine's Insight
- [03:14] - The Church's Nurturing Role
- [04:06] - The Church as Midwife
- [05:05] - Nurturing Ministry
- [06:04] - Rebellion Against Institutions
- [06:45] - The Underground Church
- [07:38] - Individualism vs. Community
- [08:37] - The Necessity of Fellowship
- [09:29] - Loving Christ's Body
- [10:34] - The Importance of Companionship
- [12:12] - The Charcoal Illustration
- [13:26] - The Church as an Organism
- [14:22] - Paul's Teaching on the Body
- [16:12] - The Value of Diversity
- [17:21] - Organization and Life
- [18:35] - Unity and Suffering
- [19:29] - The Role of Spiritual Gifts
- [22:00] - The Priesthood of All Believers
- [25:31] - The Continuing Incarnation

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
2. Ephesians 4:11-16
3. Colossians 1:24

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Observation Questions:

1. How does Paul describe the church in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, and what does this imply about the role of each member? [14:22]

2. What is the significance of the church being referred to as the "body of Christ" in the sermon? [01:26]

3. According to the sermon, what role does the church play in the spiritual nourishment and growth of its members? [05:05]

4. How does the sermon explain the concept of the "priesthood of all believers," and what does it mean for individual members of the church? [22:00]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. In what ways does the metaphor of the church as the "body of Christ" challenge the notion of individualism in faith? [09:29]

2. How does Saint Augustine's statement about the church as a mother relate to the nurturing role of the church, and why is this important in today's context? [02:16]

3. What does the sermon suggest about the relationship between individual spiritual gifts and the overall health of the church community? [20:29]

4. How does the sermon distinguish between the church's role as the continuing incarnation of Christ and the completed redemptive work of Christ? [25:31]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your own involvement in the church. How can you contribute your unique gifts to support the body of Christ more effectively? [20:29]

2. In what ways can you help foster a nurturing environment within your church community, similar to the role of a mother as described in the sermon? [05:05]

3. How can you balance your personal faith journey with the need for community and fellowship within the church? What steps can you take to engage more deeply with your church family? [09:29]

4. Consider the diversity of gifts within your church. How can you encourage and support others in using their gifts, even if they differ from your own? [22:00]

5. How can you embody the presence of Christ in your daily interactions, while recognizing the distinction between your role and the completed work of Christ? [25:31]

6. Reflect on a time when you felt disconnected from the church community. What actions can you take to prevent this from happening again and to stay connected? [12:12]

7. How can you actively participate in the "priesthood of all believers" and take responsibility for the ministry of the church in your own context? [22:00]

Devotional

Day 1: Interconnectedness in the Body of Christ
The church is often described as the "body of Christ," a metaphor that emphasizes the interconnectedness and interdependence of believers. This image challenges the notion of individualism in faith, reminding us that we are part of a larger, living organism. Each member of the church has a unique role and gift, contributing to the spiritual growth and support of the entire community. In a world that often values independence, the church calls us to embrace community and mutual support as essential components of our spiritual journey. [01:26]

"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:12-13, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you actively contribute to the interconnectedness of your church community this week?


Day 2: The Church as a Nurturing Mother
Saint Augustine's statement that "He who does not have the church as his mother does not have God as his Father" highlights the nurturing role of the church. Just as a mother nourishes her child, the church provides spiritual nourishment and growth for its members. This nurturing is especially vital in a time when traditional institutions face skepticism and criticism. The church offers a place of refuge and growth, where believers can find support and encouragement in their faith journey. [02:16]

"But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us." (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8, ESV)

Reflection: How can you allow the church to nurture your spiritual growth, and how can you contribute to nurturing others within your community?


Day 3: Redemption in Community
Redemption places individuals within a community, emphasizing that while faith is personal, it is not meant to be isolated. The church, as a living organism, requires the unique contributions of each member to function effectively. This collective aspect of faith challenges the idea of solitary spirituality and calls believers to engage with one another in meaningful ways. By participating in the life of the church, individuals find a sense of belonging and purpose, contributing to the greater mission of the body of Christ. [09:29]

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV)

Reflection: What steps can you take to deepen your involvement in your church community and support others in their faith journey?


Day 4: The Diversity of Gifts in the Church
The diversity of gifts within the church highlights the importance of each member's role, aligning with the concept of the "priesthood of all believers." Ministry is a shared responsibility, and every believer has a part to play in the body of Christ. This diversity enriches the church, allowing it to function effectively and fulfill its mission. By recognizing and utilizing their unique gifts, believers contribute to the vibrancy and health of the church community. [22:00]

"Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness." (Romans 12:6-8, ESV)

Reflection: What unique gifts has God given you, and how can you use them to serve your church community?


Day 5: Embodying Christ's Presence
The church's role as the continuing incarnation of Christ calls believers to embody His presence in the world. While the redemptive work of Christ is complete and sufficient, believers are called to witness and serve in His name. This participation in Christ's suffering is not meritorious but a testament to our identity as His body. By embodying Christ's presence, believers become a living testimony of His love and grace to the world around them. [25:31]

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20, ESV)

Reflection: How can you embody the presence of Christ in your daily interactions and relationships this week?

Quotes


Well that idea of the church’s being the body of Christ is a concept that, on one hand, is very simple in the New Testament; but yet, when we begin to probe its significance and turn over the layers of meaning that the apostle invests in it, we see that, indeed, it becomes a profound and profoundly important idea for us. [00:01:26]

Augustine has a famous quote that goes like this: “He who does not have the church as his mother does not have God as his Father. Let me say it again: that “He who does not have the church as his mother does not have God as his Father. Now for shorthand sake, let me just skip lightly over this dimension in a moment, that there have been a host of difficult theological controversies down through church history in an effort to interpret precisely and completely what St. Augustine meant by that phrase. [00:02:16]

But another crucial function of a mother in this world is the function of nurture. The mother not only bears the child, but the mother nourishes and nurtures the child. In our culture, traditionally, the mother cares for and nurtures; the father disciplines. Well when we see this image of the church as the body of Christ, we see in that image one of the most important elements of it being the nurturing ministry of the church to its members. [00:04:06]

Though redemption is not a group activity – Karl Barth once said that we’re members of many different groups – we’re members of a family, we’re members of a school, we’re members of a community; we may be members of a club or members of a state or members of a nation. In the final analysis, when you stand before Almighty God, you stand alone; your brother, your sister, your mother, your father, your friends, your club, your nation’s, your church’s faith will not avail you when you stand before God. [00:08:37]

Now how in the world can a person love Christ and hate His own body? How can a person embrace Christ for any period of time and continuously absent himself from fellowship and involvement with the company of God’s people, the family of God? That’s another image in the Bible, the family of God. We know that when babies are born, if once they are delivered, they are simply set on the table in the delivery room, and if they’re given no nourishment – no water, no food – they will quickly die; and yet, modern studies have indicated that if they are given food and water, but no human companionship, no fellowship, even though they have all of the physical nutrients necessary to maintain life, they will perish. [00:09:29]

Well again, let’s look now then at this image, the body of Christ. For those who find it unpleasant to think of the church as an organization, you think of a body not so much as an organization as an organism. An organism is something that is alive. It’s vital, it can move, it’s exciting, it’s not inert or lifeless or inanimate, and when we talk about that body, we’re not talking about a corpse but a living, vital thing; and people usually respond to that idea of the body of Christ. [00:13:26]

Let me just direct your attention for a moment to Paul’s discussion of this concept of the body of Christ that he gives in his first letter to the Corinthians. He says in chapter twelve, verse twelve, “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body. So also is Christ, for by one spirit we were all baptized into one body,” and so on, “For, in fact, the body is not one member, but many. [00:14:22]

The body’s not whole without eyes; it’s not whole without ears or without hands, but God composed the body, He said, “having given greater honor to that part which lacks it that there be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another, so that if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it, or if one member is honored, all members rejoice with it.” Oh, what a magnificent model. [00:18:35]

Every person has a supernatural endowment from God as a part of the body of Christ, and the body, to be healthy, needs your gift, whatever it is. For the body to be complete, it needs you. Martin Luther spoke in the sixteenth century about the “priesthood of all believers,” and many of us are familiar with the concept or at least the words, but there’s great misunderstanding that associates with that. [00:22:00]

The concept of the “priesthood of all believers” is that the ministry of Christ, the priestly ministry of Christ, is not given exclusively to the clergy – that the mission and the ministry is given to every person in the church to play their part. We are all responsible for the ministry of the body of Christ – not that I am resp--you may do evangelism, you may do administration, and you may not be called to be an evangelist and he may not be called to be an administrator; but you, in your evangelism, are to support his administration and he, in his administration, is to support him in his evangelism. [00:25:31]

Now there is a concept that has been linked with this idea of the body of Christ and that is the church has been called in some circles as the continuing incarnation. That is, since the body of Jesus refers to His physical nature, to His human nature, the human manifestation of the second person of the Trinity, and now the human body of Jesus has been removed from the world by ascending into heaven and being seated at the right hand of God, now the incarnation continues through the church. [00:25:31]

I have ambivalent feelings about that concept. On the one hand, I can say for – with – Luther that, yes, the church, the people of God are to be Christ to their neighbor. You are to put flesh and blood on Jesus to your neighbor, Luther says, not in the sense that you actually become Christ – of course not – but as His ambassador. You may be the only thing that person sees to learn anything of Jesus. You are His presence as His ambassador to your neighbor. [00:25:31]

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Transcript
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