… from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
Summary: The body Paul describes can seem elusive in a world marked by divisions in the church. Exploring the concept in more detail leads us to a place of hope and introspection.
Paul raises a very interesting question in this passage: Does the body grow from the head?
It seems like a silly thought, but then I’ve never seen how the body of a human (or anything else) begins life. The miracle of life always begins hidden away from sight.
However, if we use the body as a metaphor for an organization, then yes, it begins with the head. Jesus is not only the “head” of the church, he is also the heart and the soul.
Those of us who are blessed to know Jesus personally understand what this means. To be connected to Christ is to be united to the source of life itself, which brings us to another question …
If the body of Christ is defined by “complete unity” (John 17: 22-23), what does the body of Jesus look like?
The New Testament wrestles with this question in a variety of ways. As we confront the truth of God’s Word, it falls on each of us to answer the question, “What is the church?”
Jesus taught, “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:16-20).
Paul gives us a list of “fruit” to look for in his letter to the Galatians. He writes, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
John, Jesus’ disciple, tells us, “do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1-3).
It seems like the burden of discerning the Body of Christ falls on each of us individually. The first place to look is in the mirror! (Matthew 7:3)
Oddly, this brings us back to Paul’s statement that the body of Christ grows from the head.
If Jesus calls us and our soul answers, we know deep inside that we are his (John 10:14). We have become connected to the “head,” Jesus. Being drawn into the Body of Christ is an organic process.
Those who love Jesus put God above all else (Matthew 22: 27-40). Our “self,” is subordinated to the will of God.
Or is it?
In our search for the Body of Christ, we have to be connected to the head, Jesus. If we are connected to the head, we have to put Jesus first. If we put Jesus first, we love God above all else. In return, we bathe in the love of the Father’s forgiveness and his grace and mercy. Love begets love, mercy begets mercy, and grace begets grace.
Eventually, we put aside our differences, and when that happens, unity takes root.
Application: Wash in the blood of Jesus, receiving his forgiveness and love.
Food for Thought: How does unity in the church impact the church’s mission in the world?
In reading your question, it is difficult not to let my mind wander into things that are secondary to the unity of Christ: doctrines, denominations, and religious practice. These things can be and are important, and the difference often bring confusion to the world, but they are meaningless if we as individuals do not have unity with Christ and with each other through Christ.
So when I think of unity with Christ and each other through Christ, I think of this:
Ephesians 4:2-7 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Unity such as this with Christ and each other impacts the world because it shows that Christ lives in us. It also shines light on the fallenness of the world. It shows that humanism is a dead end, but life in Christ is life everlasting.
Thank you, Chris!
I appreciate your struggle with the “secondary” things, and yes, unity adds a power to the Gospel message that is weakened when we are in conflict within the church.
How does unity in the church impact the church’s mission in the world?
As believers, we are to bloom where we are planted. turning from all we have known as we seek more of what we have found. Matthew 13:44-46.
In John17:22-23 Jesus prays for the unity of His people as we remain on earth as His body, in submission to His power as He ministers to this world around each of us.
I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one “ I in them and You in Me “ that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me.
This is a process which begins with our families, finding, joining, supporting and ministering with others in the local church God has called us to, and expanding outward into this world as God moves in our lives.
We receive our power from Jesus who called each to utilize their gift, or gifts as part of the body of Christ on earth.
Thank you, Ron!
I like the “bloom where we are planted” message. So true! We can also encourage unity where we are planted.
Good devotion and responses. I think CH and R2T2 covered this well.
As Americans, I think we tend to view our faith through the lens of the individual rather than the corporate. Yet our mission to make disciples of all nations takes a united effort. Similarly, if we grow together and help each other mature in the faith, we will become mature as His body as each part does its work.
Paul put it this way (or maybe I should say the Holy Spirit through Paul):
Ephesians 4: 11 – 16: So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Thank you, Rich!
Yes, as Americans we have special challenges. We live in a fluid society that seems to be constantly in a state of flux. This puts demands on the church body that are forcing the Body of Christ into a shape that is different than what we are used to.