The Church as the Body of Christ

The Bible describes the Church as the body of Christ: one body composed of many members, united under one head, the Lord Jesus. This striking image expresses both the profound unity of the people of God and the diversity of the gifts that make it up. Every believer has a place, a function, and a usefulness; no member is superfluous, and none can claim to be self-sufficient. The apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:27: "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular." Throughout that chapter he develops the comparison: the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of thee," nor the head to the feet. All the members support and complete one another, and when one suffers, all suffer with it; when one is honored, all rejoice with it. This interdependence is the genius of the Christian community. Christ himself is the head of this body. Ephesians 4:15-16 teaches that we are to "grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body... maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." The unity of the body therefore does not come from human organization, but from the life that flows from the head into each member. This truth has concrete consequences. Romans 12:4-5 reminds us that, "as we have many members in one body... so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." To live as a member of the body of Christ is to put one's gift at the service of others, to honor each brother and sister, to seek unity, and to grow in love, thus reflecting the very life of Christ among his people.