Literally "The Body"

I don’t know what comes to your mind when you think of the Church as the “Body of Christ”. Probably, like most people we have heard it said so many times “we are the body of Christ” that it became a thoughtless truism and you didn’t give it a second consideration. I know this is true of most by the way we Christians treat/respond/ other Christians---How I treat/respond to other Christians.

Before beginning the next paragraph, skip to the bottom and read the below bible verses very carefully then come back. While you read, try to take the term “Body of Christ” mentioned in the verses very literally, very seriously, and not as a metaphor or word picture.

I am beginning to understand “Body of Christ” in concrete terms instead of Sunday school colloquialism. In my reading and thinking on this, here is what I have come to understand so far. Christ “new” Body is “THE Church” if you find that troubling, take a deep breath, re-read the below verses again and come back.

So, what does that mean? Here is what I think it means; every time you meet a Christian the Resurrected, Jesus & Creator of the universe is standing before you, In that person, through the Holy Spirit. Try to see that for a moment, shake off the numbing familiarity of the verses below and think of “Body of Christ” in a literal sense.

I am beginning to understand that the Church (the Body), IS the presence of Jesus on earth. If this is true, then how does that change or not change the way we do Church? How is the Church supposed to mirror Jesus? What does that say about revelation (God revealing) through the Church?

Unless this is an isolated event occurring centrally around only one person “myself”, there is one thing I know for certain from the below verses’. That is, most of us church folk haven’t been behaving like Church folk (note caps). In the Church, Christ is present in the Body so when we meet, come together, we fundamentally are meeting our Lord as he stands in-between ALL relationships. So shouldn’t we meet our fellow Christians with joy, love, reverence, humility, you fill in the blank—resulting in putting the needs of others ahead of our own?


BIBLE VERSES

(Rom 7:4 ESV) Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

(Rom 8:10 ESV) But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

(Rom 12:5 ESV) so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

(1Co 10:16 ESV) The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?

(1Co 12:12 ESV) 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.

(1Co 12:27 ESV) Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

(Eph 3:6 ESV) This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

(Eph 4:12 ESV) to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

(Col 1:24 ESV) Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,

(Col 3:15 ESV) And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.


(1Th 5:23 ESV) Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mollie's Assessment

My loving wife reads my blog posts and then, emphasizing each word, says;
"Van you are a weirdo" HA!

Moral Inability

I am reading “Freedom of the Will” by Jonathan Edward. It is dry, but I recommend it as it is well worth persevering through-- if you have the time. Here is a quote I read tonight followed by some personal observations.

“Moral inability consists in the opposition or want of inclination. It is the same thing as being unable through the want of an inclination, or the prevalence of a contrary inclination in such circumstances and under the influence of such views.”

He gives several example, but I appreciated his final analysis

“… a strong habit of virtue, may cause a moral inability to love wickedness in general , and may render a man unable to take complacence in wicked persons or things; or to choose a wicked in preference to a virtuous life. And on the other hand, a great degree of habitual wickedness may lay a man under an inability to love and choose holiness, and render him utterly unable to love an infinitely holy being, or to choose and cleave to him as his chief good.”

He makes it plain that we are un-able to choose the right and good thing because we have prevalence or more inclined toward doing the wrong thing. Or, we would more choose to do the right deed or the good thing because we have less of an inclination to do the wrong thing. The above instances give an example of a lack in inclination and an example of a prevalent inclination ---in which case I have said the same thing. This follows a “moral inability “consists in the lack of inclination is the same thing as the need for an inclination.

The reason this interest me, is the Christian ought to have a God given inclination to do the right thing—ie a prevalent inclination toward good. The non-Christian, one would think, would be the opposite. However, we find that Christians are capable of doing and are doing heinous sins while non-Christians are capable of doing extremely good things. Why is this so?
Of course, I do not mean this universally. Christians do great things even Godly things.
However, based upon choosing the wrong action over the right, I am concerned why is it becoming harder to tell the Christian from the Non-Christian?

Pickle

Last night, Pickle (my four year old) was laying down with Mollie and began to squirm.
"Pickle, what is wrong sweetheart?" asked Mollie
"I itch Mommy, I itch"
"Where honey, where do you itch"
I ITCH MOMMY, I ITCH!!"
"Sweetheart, tell me where you itch!" replied Mollie
"On my Skin mommy, on my skin"