TWELVE LETTERS
Letter One
The Body of
Christ
My Dear ______:
There is another question, now
demanding your attention, connected with the body of Christ. On the day of
Pentecost, an entirely new thing - in the unfolding of the counsels of God -
took place; viz., the coming of the Holy Ghost. Up to that period, He had
wrought upon the earth; for in every past dispensation there had been quickened
souls, and "holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2
Peter 1: 2 1) ; but until the Lord Jesus was glorified at the right hand of
God, the Holy Ghost as a Person was not on the earth. This is no new theory,
but is a matter of distinct statement in the Scriptures. Thus when Jesus stood
and cried, on the great day of the feast of Tabernacles, "If any man thirst,
let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath
said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water," it is explained,
that He spake this "of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should
receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet [given]; because that Jesus was not yet
glorified" (John 7: 37-39). The Lord Himself spake to the same effect: "It is
expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not
come unto you," etc. (John 16: 7. Compare John 14: 16, 17, 26; 15: 26, etc.)
Passing now onward to Acts 2, we find there the historical record of the
descent of the Spirit of God: "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come,
they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound
from heaven as of a mighty rushing migh wind, and it filled all the house where
they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire,
and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and
began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (vv.
1-4). Thus was fulfilled the words which the Lord spake to His disciples after
His resurrection, "Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days
hence." And again, "Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come
upon you" (Acts 1: 5, 8).
Now it was by the descent of the Spirit that
the Church - the Church of God as found in the New Testatnent - was formed; and
it was formed in two aspects; viz., as the house of God, and as the body of
Christ. (See 1 Timothy 3: 15, and Ephesians 1: 22, 23). It is the latter of
these two aspects which I desire to bring before you in this letter. Two
scriptures will clear our way. In Col. 1: 18 we read, "And He is the head of
the body, the Church": in 1 Cor. 12: 13, "For by one Spirit are we all baptized
into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free,"
etc. It thus appears that, on the day of Pentecost, by the descent of the Holy
Spirit, believers were baptized into one body, and that thus the body of Christ
was formed. Let me, then, now inquire of what or of whom the body of Christ is
composed. "As the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of
that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ" (1 Cor. 12: 12).
The term Christ, as here used, includes Christ Himself and all the members of
the body, looked at as a complete whole. Hence the body of Christ includes
Himself as the Head, and all believers on earth who have received the
indwelling Spirit; and consequently every child of God who can cry, "Abba,
Father," is a member of the body of Christ. The apostle thus says, "We are
members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones" (Eph. 5: 30).
This is the point I would press upon your attention; for vast numbers of God's
beloved children are in ignorance of this wonderful place and privilege. Thus,
in a visit I made some time ago to a dying believer, I said, "Do you know that
you are a member of the body of Christ?" The answer was, "No; I never heard of
that"; and I shall not soon forget the joy that overspread that dying
countenance as I unfolded the scriptures bearing upon this subject. Let me,
then, ask you to consider what being a member of the body of Christ
involves.
First, and foremost, it teaches us that we
are united to Christ - to Christ as a glorified man, at the right hand of God.
For inasmuch as He is the Head of the body, every member is vitally and (may we
not say?) organically united to Him. He that is joined to the Lord is one
spirit (1 Cor. 6: 17). See then the vast extent of the grace of our God! It is
not only that our sins are forgiven, that we are justified by faith, that we
are brought into the perfect unclouded favor of God, that we are risen with
Christ, that we are seated in Him in the heavenlies; but even, as down here
upon the earth, encompassed by weakness and infirinity, it is given us to know
that we are united to Christ in glory. We can look up to Him where He is, and
say, "We are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones." How could
there be discussions upon the question, whether we may know our safety now, if
this truth were known in power? And what strength it would give us all, in the
presence of trials or dangers, never so great, if we had this thought before
our souls, We are united to Christ. And oh, what a revelation it gives us of
the nearness and the intimacy into which we are brought with Him! for we are
made to know that we are one with Himself, that whatever touches us touches Him
(see Acts 9: 4) ; and therefore that we are inseparably, indissolubly,
connected with Himself for ever.
Secondly, we are taught that
being members of the body of Christ, we are also members one of another; and it
is essential for us to apprehend this truth, if we would understand the
character of our relationships with all the children of God. The same bond,
then, that unites us to Christ, unites us also to all believers; for the same
Spirit that unites us to Christ has united us also one to another. This is what
is meant by "the unity of the Spirit" (Eph. 4: 3); i.e., the unity of all the
members of Christ which has been formed on the earth by the Spirit of God.
If you will now turn with me to 1 Cor. 12, you will see the wonderful
character of our mutual relationships, arising out of our being members one of
another. You can read the passage from the 12th to the 27th verse, at your
leisure; in the meantime I will point out several distinctive points in its
teaching.
First, it is carefully insisted upon that "the body is not
one member, but many"; and that every member has its own place in the body.
Hence the apostle asks, "If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am
not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?" And he is careful to show
that the peculiar place which each has in the body is the result of the
sovereign act of God; and he is also careful to guard us from forgetting, that
while there are many members, it is yet but one body (vv. 14-20). If we had no
further instruction, what a fruitful theme for amplification. But I will only
call your attention here to two points; viz., our obligation or responsibility
to maintain the diversity of the members (v. 14), and secondly, the unity of
the whole (v. 29); and I venture to add that it is impossible to maintain
either the one or the other, excepting you are gathered, apart from all
denominations and human systems, to the name of Christ outside the camp.
The second thing is, that every member of the body needs all the
other members; for "the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee:
nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you"; and he tells us that
God hath thus "tempered the body together," etc., "that there should be no
schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for
another" (vv. 21-25). He then reminds us that the relationship between the
members is so intimate that if "one member suffer, all the members suffer with
it"; and that if "one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it" (v.
26).
You will see from this scripture, that the term "the body of
Christ" is no mere figure of speech, as is so often alleged; but that it
expresses a realitythe reality indeed of our union with Christ, as also of our
union with one another. And I am sure that you will see that our
responsibilities to Christ as the Head of the body, and our responsibilities to
our fellow-members, cannot even be understood, much less discharged, if this
truth is overlooked or ignored. But, on the other hand, when it is known, not
only have we the joy of conscious union with Christ; but we can also rejoice in
our union, our indissoluble union, with all the members of His body in all
parts of the world. It leads moreover to very practical results. For example,
if I am asked to connect myself with any of the denominations around, I
instantly reply that I cannot do that which denies, plainly denies, this
blessed truth. "You ask me," I should say, "to join a certain number of
Christians who agree upon certain things; but I am united to all believers, and
I need them all, and I cannot therefore accept a ground of union which excludes
any." Again, if it is proposed to me to unite with a number of Christians
irrespective of denominations, I should answer, "I am a member of the body of
Christ; and I cannot therefore make any ground of union apart from that of the
body. I must be on God's ground or upon none at all." Until therefore I know
the truth of the body of Christ, I cannot understand the place which the Lord
would have me to occupy upon the earth.
But I will now leave the
subject for your own consideration; for I am sure that if you search the
Scriptures, in dependence on the Lord, He will guide you by His Spirit into His
own mind respecting it. In my next letter, God willing, I shall bring before
you another subject, closely related to this; viz., that of the Lord's
table.
Believe me, dear ______,
Yours affectionately in Christ,
E.D.
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