Church Overview: Christ’s Body, Christ’s Bride

Luke 6:46-49 – if you only hear this Bible study, it is WORTHLESS

Genesis 2:21-25 – Symbol of Christ and His Bride

God’s purpose before the Fall (event happens before Genesis 3)
- Romans 1 – 11 deals with redemption from the Fall, Romans 12 deals with the Church (God’s purpose after redeeming)
Sleep is symbol of temporary death when no sin is involved (i.e. 1 Cor. 15; 1 Thes. 4; etc.)
- principle: death is mentioned in connection with sin (i.e. 1 Cor. 15)
Adam’s side pierced during sleep = Christ’s side pierced on cross (John 19:34)
Bride is distinct, yet made from the man’s body
Bride is brought to the husband
They are seen as one flesh
Intimacy of this scene: both were naked and not ashamed

Paul was the man entrusted to deliver God’s revelation of the Church (Eph. 3:1-7)
- All Paul’s epistle mention the church.
Jesus says “why are you persecuting Me?”
- Paul and Jesus never met, at least not recorded in Scripture
- “Me” = Church…Jesus sees no difference between Himself and His Bride (He could have said “my people”, or “my church”, etc.)
- Just as Jesus walked in his physical body to Galilee or Jerusalem around AD 30, He has been walking by His body (the church that formed after His death) for the last 2,000 years
Paul saw in vision that he could only be healed by another member of the Church (9:12)
- God didn’t heal Paul directly, but through another believer – Ananias.
  - Paul had to be healed by Christ’s body (believers) on earth

Romans 12 comes after Romans 1-11 – functions of the body come after redemption
“so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” (12:5)
- many members, yet one body
Romans 12:6-8 – how the body functions in light of 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” (12:15)
- As Paul visited the churches where they were, we must be where other believers are emotionally
  - Stop being strong when your brother/sister is weeping!
  - Start rejoicing when your brother/sister is rejoicing!
- If you move your arm up, all members of arm move with it; if you move your arm down, all members of arm move with it – same principle with the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:26)
- “be of same mind toward one another.” (12:16)

12:12-13 – many members, yet ONE BODY
12:26-27 – see Romans 12:15; we must suffer if another member is suffering, and rejoice if another member rejoices…we must go to where they are at
12:28-31 – Body = Church…every member has task assigned
3 GREAT SINS OF THE BODY

“God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.” (12:18)
It is sin to say, I don’t have the gifts that brother so-and-so has, therefore, I am less useful within the body.

“And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’” (12:21)
It is sin to say, I am strong enough, I can make it without the help of other believers.

“there should be no schism in the body” (12:25)
Division among Christians is a sin (1 Corinthians 11:17-19; Galatians 5:20; 1 Timothy 2:8; John 17)
God sees churches as locations/cities, not different factions (i.e. church of Corinth, Ephesus, Rome, etc.)

Ephesians 2:19-22 – Christians compose a spiritual temple
- The lowest member is Christ
- The next lowest are the apostles and prophets
- Temple is God’s dwelling place
- Like Solomon’s temple, measurement is precise; every stone is necessary and in the exact place it needs to be (1 Peter 2:5)
Ephesians 4:7-16 – Gives specifics for the Body of Christ, the Temple of God
- From one man (2:15), to a perfect man (4:13)
- Specific parts of temple: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers
- “effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth to the body” (4:16)
Ephesians 5:22-33 – the bride of Christ
- 5:23 – Husband/Wife = Head/Body = Christ/Church
- 5:24 – Church must be subject to Christ
- 5:25 – Christ loved church and gave Himself FOR THE CHURCH
- 5:26 – Church will be cleansed by the Bible (see John 17:17)
- 5:27 – just as wife is already wife, but she is expected to act a certain way, the Church is already spotless and perfect, but needs to realize it and act on it
- 5:28-29 – Christ loves Church as his own Body (Church is called “Body”), views them as one and the same thing
- 5:30-32 – shows the mystery of Genesis 2…bride = body…Christ sees church as His body on earth (do we realize what that means?)
- 5:33 – this mystery is to be acted out through your marriage relationships on earth

17:9-11 – Since Jesus has died, the Church is how He lives in the world
- THERE MUST BE UNITY WITHIN THE CHURCH
17:15 – Church will stay in the world, has power against Satan (Matt. 16:18)
17:17 – Word is what sanctifies the church (Eph. 5:26)
17:20 – His prayer is for us today as well.
17:21-23 – Church must be united, just as Jesus and Father are united
- 17:22 – Jesus’ glory (John 1:14) is to now be the church’s glory
- “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (17:23)…The church’s unity is the church’s perfection. The church’s unity is the church’s evangelization. The church’s unity is the church’s love message….EVERYTHING CENTERS AROUND THE CHURCH’S UNITY!!!

Jesus only mentions the word “church” twice in His entire ministry – once in terms of the universal church (see Matt. 16), and once in terms of the local church body. This account in Matthew 18 is the only time Jesus ever mentions the local church.
- Since Jesus is Head and Husband of Body and Bride, we better listen to what He has to say about the local church.
18:15-17 – first command to local church: get rid of sin.
18:18-20 – second command to local church: pray.