The church is the body of Christ, meaning every believer has been placed by the Holy Spirit into one spiritual body with Christ as its head.
Scripture says all believers—Jew or Gentile, bond or free—are baptized into that one body. Les Feldick explains that the Holy Spirit does this placing, that the body is a Pauline doctrine, and that even imperfect believers cannot be removed from it. Christ is the head, and the church is His fullness or complement.
1 Corinthians 12:13 — It directly states that all believers, regardless of background, are baptized into one body by the Spirit.
Ephesians 1:22-23 — It identifies the church as Christ's body and His fullness.
In 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Paul compares the church to a human body: many members, yet one body. He says, "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." Ephesians 1:22-23 says God gave Christ to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that fills all in all. Ephesians 5:23 adds that Christ is the head of the church and the saviour of the body. Ephesians 4:12 also speaks of the edifying of the body of Christ, showing that the ministry of the saints builds up this body.
Les Feldick emphasizes that "the body of Christ" is exclusively a Pauline term and doctrine. He notes that Jesus never referred to believers as His body, and Peter did not use the term either. From 1 Corinthians 12:13, Les explains that the Holy Spirit places every believer into that one body—not just the spiritual elite, but all believers from the least to the greatest. Using the illustration of an injured pinky, he says a believer may be imperfect or unspiritual, but is still part of the body; that membership cannot be taken away. He also pictures the body as connected to the Head, Christ, just as a human body's members are directed by the mind. Les also teaches that not every church member is in the Body of Christ, and he does not believe Old Testament believers are part of it. The body is a unique relationship, especially relating to the Gentiles, although some Jewish believers are included. In Ephesians 1, he says "fullness" means complement: when Christ finally has His body with Him, He considers Himself complete, just as Eve completed Adam.
1 Corinthians 12:13 says all believers, whether Jews or Gentiles, bond or free, are baptized into one body by one Spirit. Les Feldick stresses that this includes every believer, not just a spiritual elite. The Spirit places us into the body at the moment we believe, and even those who are unspiritual remain in it—just as a damaged finger is still part of a person's body.
Les points out that the term "body of Christ" cannot be found in the Gospels, and Peter never used it. It is strictly a Pauline term and a Pauline revelation. This makes the body-of-Christ teaching unique to Paul's presentation of the church.
Paul uses the human body as a type, showing many members functioning as one body. Les explains that our fingers, toes, ears, and eyes all operate under one center—the head—and so it is with Christ and His body. Every believer is connected to the Head and responds to His control.
In Ephesians 1:22-23, the church is called Christ's body, "the fulness of him that filleth all in all." Les says fullness means complement. When Christ finally has His body in His presence, He considers Himself complete. He points back to Genesis, where Adam was alone among animals that all had mates, showing that God intended a complement for him.
All believers baptized into one body
Les teaches that by one Spirit every believer—not just the spiritual elite—has been placed into the body of Christ, and even imperfect believers remain part of it.
Body of Christ is Pauline, not from Jesus
Les points out that Jesus never used the term 'body of Christ'; it is strictly a Pauline term describing the believers' relationship to Christ as head and savior of the body.
Christ's fullness is the church's complement
Les explains that 'fullness' means complement; Christ considers Himself complete when His body is with Him, as Eve was Adam's complement.
Every believer connected to the Head
Les says the body of Christ is like the human body: every believer is connected to the Head, and all experiences and actions come under its control.
Not every church member is in the body
Les warns that even in a local church, not every member is a member of the body of Christ; only true believers placed by the Spirit are.
Old Testament believers not in the body
Les states his belief that Old Testament believers are not members of the body; the body is especially related to Gentiles in this dispensation, with some Jewish believers included.
Body members controlled by the Head
Les reiterates that the body of Christ is a Pauline revelation and uses the human body to show that all members are directed by the head.
Human body as a type of the body of Christ
Les uses Paul's illustration of the human body—fingers, toes, ears, eyes—to show that every member functions under one center of operation, the mind.
1 Corinthians 12:12: For 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.
This provides the human-body analogy Paul uses to explain the body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 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; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
This shows all believers are placed into one body by the Spirit regardless of background.
Ephesians 1:22-23: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
This identifies the church as Christ's body and His fullness.
Ephesians 4:12: For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
This demonstrates that ministry work is for building up the body of Christ.
Ephesians 5:23: For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
This uses marriage to picture Christ's headship over the church, His body.
No. Les Feldick says that not every church member across the world is a member of the Body of Christ; some in his own local church are as lost as can be. Membership in the body comes from the Spirit's placing, not from belonging to a local church.
Les emphasizes that this is strictly a Pauline term and a Pauline revelation. Jesus never used it in the Gospels, and Peter did not use it. The teaching that believers are members of the body of Christ comes through Paul.
Les states that he does not believe Old Testament believers will be members of the body. The body is a unique relationship that belongs especially to the Gentile, though it also includes some Jewish believers.
Les says that even believers who are far more unspiritual than others are still members of the body, just as an injured or incomplete finger is still part of a person. That membership cannot be taken away because of imperfection.
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