New Testament Concepts Of The Church (III.)
The church is spoken of in the New Testament under the figure of a body — the body of Christ. The word "body" with reference to the church occurs in a very limited number of passages; 14 in all. I am excluding I Cor. 12:12, where the word does not mean the church, but rather the human body as an illustration of the church of Christ.
Five of the passages seem to refer to the local church, while nine of them would refer to the church everywhere.
This figure is employed to show the fact that the church is to function. It is in reality the means by which Christ acts in this world. Thus, the church as the body of Christ is actually Christ in motion. Upon us does the Lord depend to do His work of saving a lost world and supplying the worship-needs of men who love and serve God.
From the term "body" two concepts may be drawn. First, the necessity of the local church and membership in it leads us to conclude that the work of the congregation is the work of every member in it. Second, that individual Christians, as members of the body of Christ, must act on their own initiative, and in their relationship to Christ, to do His work. I shall develop these points more further on.
The word "member" with reference to the body of Christ, has the meaning of an organ or limb, just as in the physical body. It does not mean the same thing as being a member or unit in a club or society. So, in this term once again we get the idea of function or work. From this comes the same two concepts that we have in the word "body." Since members in a body are joined both to the head and to one another, it follows that there is a collective function (the work of the congregation is the work of every member in it); and there is a several function (individuals must act on their own, under Christ, to do His work. This is suggested by the manner in which the physical body works.
In the physical body there is collective activity. Where the body goes, every member of the body goes. It would be foolish to imagine the body making a trip, but leaving the leg at home! The parts of the body are mutually dependent, and all join together in the works of respiration, circulation, and certain neurological responses. If food is ingested in proper balance, all members benefit; if food is not available, all members starve. If this is a good illustration of the church, how is it that some members think of the work of congregation as "their" work? How is it that some feel themselves to be excused from assemblies of the church, from bearing a share in the support of the gospel, etc.?
But in the physical body there is also the several work of the members. Each organ and limb has its specialized purpose. While the whole body benefits from the action of the eye, the whole body does not see. The whole body benefits — and would die without — the action of the kidneys, but the whole body does not filter waste materials. So, in the church each member has his several responsibility. Paul uses this figure in I Cor. chapter 12 as an illustration of the separate spiritual gifts and their use, but it illustrates more than miraculous gifts; it illustrates the usual working of the church. The man or woman who is by training and experience a school teacher can use that talent to become an expert advisor in Bible class arrangements. He can familiarize himself with available literature, can advise of classroom decorations, teaching methodology for each age group, and so forth. A church with one such person using his talent for Christ could have a model Sunday school program. A carpenter can, without waiting for group action, see the need for improvements on the property, and can personally donate a portion of his time to do the work that needs to be done. A secretary or stenographer can give one half-day per week to work in the church office. Most small churches cannot afford secretarial help, yet with such part time help the preacher could probably double his output of work. She could type stencils for special lessons, take sermon series off tape and prepare them for distribution, help to index the preacher's library, keep the appointment book, and a dozen other things which would help to free the preacher to give more time to writing and sermon preparation. The whole church cannot do this work, but the whole church would benefit. A housewife can use her coffee-making ability to invite neighbors in for the purpose of just getting acquainted; for one who is really acquainted with a Christian will often want to become acquainted with Christ. Two or three women, during the hours their children are in school could do some visiting in the neighborhood of the church building, and if properly done, this would open doors of opportunity. On and on we can go, listing the ways in which members can function severally.
That is what the body of Christ is all about. If the body works smoothly both collectively and severally, it is Christ's instrument. To the extent that one member fails in either, the collective or several action, the other members have a heavier load to bear.
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