The Body of Christ
Christ is the "head of the
church." Out of his love for the church, he gave his own life for her. So
the church must submit to Christ in everything. She must follow Christ's
command and do only what Christ would do and speak
what Christ would speak.
The church has a very intimate
relationship with Christ. It is "his body, the fulness
of him who fills all in all" (Ephesians ). In other words, Christ shines forth his wisdom,
power, and glory through the church.
Each believer is a member of this
body. Like a family, the church provides for the spiritual needs of her
members. The Holy Spirit distributes various gifts and abilities to the members
so that they may encourage and serve one another.
Despite the variety of jobs and
functions, we belong to one body. "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" (1 Corinthians ).
The spirit of unity and mutual support is the guiding principle of the church.
As members of this family, we need to work together using our God-given
abilities to help each other grow. Having the love and grace of our Lord as our
common bond, we can always have joy, peace, and strength in Christ.
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