The Body of Christ

Each day, I like to share a verse or set of verses that really touch my heart as I do my daily readings.  This morning, the first chapter I read was Ephesians 4.  This is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible.  I can’t pick out just one verse or thought…there are too many!  So I decided to do a blog and discuss the ideas contained therein.

Ephesians 4:1-6   I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;  Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;  One Lord, one faith, one baptism,  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

This is such a beautiful passage!  We are called to walk in a way that is worthy of our vocation as Christians.  First off, it informs us that being a Christian is our “job”…it isn’t a hobby or pastime…it is our life’s work.  How do we walk worthily?  It is through meekness and humility and longsuffering and being peacemakers.  Then we are told that the Body of Christ is one, not divided into factions; just as our Lord is one, and we are called into one faith and one baptism, and our heavenly Father is one…and lives within us.  SO much contained in these six verses!

Ephesians 4:7-16  But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.  Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.   (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?  He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:  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.

One of my favorite topics in the New Testament is that of “the body”.  It is such a profound analogy that, I believe, would solve most of our problems in the church, if we truly understood and lived the concept.  We are told, first, that each of us are given gifts by Christ, for the working of the body.  We all have differing gifts (or talents) that, when put together, made a mature working body.  There is no room for “status” or pride because our gifts are given to us for a purpose…that being to use them to benefit the whole.  We shouldn’t covet the gifts of others or think ours are better than others, because they are all necessary for the work…and Jesus has given them to us as HE sees is best.  When we achieve this type of unity in the body, we won’t be children who can’t understand the difference between truth and error.

Ephesians 4:17-32  This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:  Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. [20] But ye have not so learned Christ;  If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.  Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.  Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:  Neither give place to the devil.  Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.  Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

These final 16 verses discuss how we should turn away from sin and walk as new creatures in Christ.  If we belong to Jesus, we should work diligently to stay away from the things that are not in Him.  Our minds are changed…we no longer yearn to do the things that are based on lust.  Several of these things are enumerated: 

Lying:  We are each a part of the same body.  A body must have true communication within itself to properly function.  There is NO room for lies.

Wrath:  We all get angry, but the lesson here is to not act upon that anger…and NOT to allow that anger to seethe (which gives Satan a foothold!). 

Stealing:  We don’t take from others…which is totally following after our lusts.  Instead, we give to others.  We labor FOR others.  We truly care about the needs of one another.

Corrupt communication:  If we could only master this!  It says let NO corrupt communication come from our mouths.  Rather that everything we say should build up others…should minister grace.  What a beautiful thing that would be!

Grieve the Holy Spirit:  Can you imagine anything more sad that causing grief to that Spirit that God sent to live within us?  We belong to God.  His Spirit lives within us.  What we do with our bodies, which are His temple, affects Him.  Let us be careful with our lives!

Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor (which I understand to mean something like arguing and debating), malice (wishing harm to others) and speaking evil of others:  Put these things away…don’t allow them to be a part of us!

These are all things which don’t belong in the Body of Christ.  What does? 

Kindness:  Does this really need any explanation?

Tenderheartedness:  When something is tender, it hurts when prodded.  Our hearts should be tender towards one another, so that we hurt for them.  Our care for others is the same as for ourselves.  After all, we are all members of the same body.  If I have a headache, my whole body feels bad.  That is the connection that the church should have among its members.

Forgiveness:  Without forgiveness one for another, we cannot receive forgiveness from God.  Since He forgave us, because of the sacrifice of His son Jesus, we must, in like manner, forgive one another.

Every time I read this chapter, it floods my heart and stimulates my mind.  So much contained within it!  Such a vital message for the Body of Christ!

Thanks for bearing with me as I explore this chapter.  I truly love it and couldn’t leave any of it out!