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As to the fourth, this is his body spiritually. It is the body in which he expresses Himself here now that he is not here personally. In Ephesians 4:12 we have the body of Christ spoken of. No one in their right mind would think that this means Christ's physical body for Paul speaks of the body being edified (built up). Does Christ's body, whether that in which he walked on earth or has now as glorified, need to be edified ? The body of Christ as spoken of by Paul clearly refers to the Christian assembly, so that we have: "the body, the assembly" (Colossians 1:18). Christ is the head as it says in the same verse. The body is so connected to Christ and identified with him that it is on one occasion called "the Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:12). |
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What the foregoing shows is that Christ had a body (a vessel) in which he moved about when here on earth and that he now has one in which He lives in heaven. The loaf of bread which Christ gave to his disciples at the last supper and that which is now eaten in Christian companies as a memorial is emblematical of the body in which he moved about on earth and which He gave up in death (Hebrews 10:10). The body of Christ as spoken of by Paul is the assembly which is the vehicle in which Christ is expressed now that he is no longer on earth. It may be noted that Christ's body was the temple of the Holy Spirit when He was here on earth (John 2:18-22; compare 1 Corinthians 6:19 where our body is called a temple, being the residence of the Holy Spirit) and the assembly is the temple in which the Holy Spirit is now (Acts 2:1-4; Ephesians 2:21/22). There is nothing about the Holy Spirit being in the emblems. |
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Many would say that they accept Scripture, believing what it says. However we need to see that we understand what Scripture says which may not be what we always thought it was. Christ said to one who came to him: "How readest thou" (Luke 10:26). We have to ensure that we do not force Scripture to our view and make it mean to us what we want it to mean. Such treatment of Scripture may well lead to conflict with those who read it in an unbiased way. |
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July 2001 |
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