According to Paul, the Body of Christ is the one body of all believers, of which Christ is the Head.
Paul pictures the Body of Christ like a human body: one body with many members, such as hands, feet, eyes, and ears, all functioning together under the Head. Every believer is baptized or placed into that one Body by the Holy Spirit. Les Feldick emphasizes that this is a Pauline revelation and that Christ gives gifted men to mature and edify the Body.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 — Paul directly defines the Body of Christ by comparing it to the human body and says all believers are baptized into that one Body.
In 1 Corinthians 12:12, Paul writes, "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." He then adds in verse 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." Scripture therefore describes the Body of Christ as a single body made up of many distinct members, all joined through the one Spirit. Ephesians 4:11-12 shows that Christ gave "some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers" for "the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." In Romans 12:4 Paul uses the same bodily image: "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office."
Les emphasizes that the phrase "Body of Christ" is a Pauline revelation. He notes that Jesus never spoke of it and Peter never spoke of it; only Paul did. Paul uses the human body as an illustration: one body with many members, all controlled by the Head. In the same way, every believer, rich or poor, black or white, from all over the world, is part of the Body of Christ. Les teaches that the Holy Spirit places every believer into this Body at salvation. There are no unbelievers in the Body. Some believers may be like a little pinky or a little toe that few people see, but every member has a function, whether small or great. The Body of Christ is called out from among the Gentile world and will one day be resurrected and changed. Les also applies the Body truth to the church: evangelists, pastors, and teachers are given for the maturing of the saints and the edifying of the Body. The primary purpose of a local church is to feed its members from the Word so they can go out and become soul winners.
Les points out that in Christ's earthly ministry and in Peter's preaching, the Gospel of the Kingdom was proclaimed, and the phrase "Body of Christ" is not found there. Only the Apostle Paul uses the expression. Paul refers to the Body of Christ in passages such as Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 and uses the human body as the illustration of how many believers form one Body with Christ as Head.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:13, "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body." Les explains that baptism here does not mean water baptism but the Holy Spirit placing a person into the Body of Christ at the moment they become a child of God. It is all believers, not just a chosen few, who are placed into that one Body. Unbelievers are not in the Body.
Les teaches that God gave the church evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the perfecting and maturing of the saints. These gifts are not for the benefit of the ministers themselves but for the edifying of the Body of Christ. The church's primary purpose is to feed its members so that they can go out and be effective witnesses and soul winners.
Les links the Body of Christ to the resurrection. He says the Body of Christ called out from among the Gentile world will one day be resurrected in total, and those who are alive and remain will be changed.
The Body of Christ is the invisible whole made up of all believers. It includes every genuine child of God, wherever that person lives on the planet and whatever his or her background may be. Each true believer becomes a member of this Body. This Body is not presented as limited to one particular local group or to people of only one background. Its membership reaches to all believers, even though they may be separated by location and differing circumstances. The emphasis is on their shared place as members of the one Body of Christ. This understanding is described as a revelation especially associated with Paul. Teaching about the Body of Christ does not appear until Paul comes with the revelations he received from the ascended Lord. Paul explains this truth while addressing the Corinthians, a church that had many problems and had not matured spiritually. Their divisions and disorder stood in contrast to the unity implied by believers belonging together in the Body of Christ.
Gifts That Edify the Body
Les says evangelists, pastors, and teachers are given to mature the saints and build up the Body of Christ, so the local church can send members out as soul winners.
Every Believer Joined to the Head
All believers are baptized into the Body of Christ, and every believer is connected to the Head, just as the human mind controls every part of the body.
Only Paul Speaks of the Body
Jesus and Peter never spoke of the Body of Christ; Paul uses the human body to show that believers of every background are one body.
The Example of the Human Body
Paul compares the Body of Christ to the human body where all the different members operate under one center of operation.
One Spirit Places All Believers into One Body
Every believer, not just a chosen few, is placed into the one Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit.
Pauline Revelation in the Body
The Body of Christ is a Pauline revelation not found in the Gospels; believers around the world are members of one Body.
The Holy Spirit Places Believers at Salvation
When a person becomes a child of God, the Holy Spirit places them into the Body of Christ; every member has a function, even a little pinky or toe.
The Resurrected Body of Christ
The Body of Christ is called out from among the Gentile world and will one day be resurrected in total, with living believers changed.
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 is the key verse where Paul identifies the Body of Christ with the human body and its many members.
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 that by one Spirit all believers are baptized into the one Body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11: And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Christ gave gifted men to the church for the building up of His Body.
Ephesians 4:12: For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
The purpose of these gifts is the maturing of the saints and the edifying of the Body of Christ.
Romans 12:4: For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
Paul reminds believers that one Body has many members with different offices.
According to Les Feldick, Jesus never spoke of the Body of Christ and Peter never spoke of it; only the Apostle Paul did. The expression is a Pauline revelation that Paul develops using the human body as an illustration.
When a person becomes a child of God, the Holy Spirit immediately places them into the Body of Christ. This is what Paul means in 1 Corinthians 12:13 when he says all believers are baptized into one body. No unbelievers are part of that Body.
Paul uses the human body because it has many members, hands, feet, eyes, ears, yet functions as one body under one Head. In the same way, believers of every background are many members but are one Body joined under the Head, Christ.
Les says God gave evangelists, pastors, and teachers to mature the saints and edify the Body. The primary purpose of the local church is to feed its members so they can go out and become soul winners and witnesses.
Watch the Teaching: How the Holy Spirit Gives Spiritual Gifts — 1 Corinthians 12 Explained