Why Only Paul Uses the Term 'Body of Christ' — Bible Study

Hello and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick. Okay, now let's just go right back where we were in this series and just for a minute or two at least to I Corinthians chapter 15. And while you're doing that here in the studio, we'll just let our television folks understand that we've got all the past programs since Genesis 1-1 on up through where we've come to in Corinthians are available in videotapes, audiotapes, and books. And we've put 12 programs in one tape, and that tape has been transcribed into a corresponding little book as you see them on the screen. And there are now 28 of them, we are working on number 29. So we've come a long ways in the last few years. But if you're interested in any of this material, you write to us or call us and we'll get the information to you. Again, we're going to get right into the book because this 30 minutes goes too fast as it is. And we're talking about the resurrections in the great resurrection chapter of Scripture, I Corinthians 15. And we've been spending quite a little time now on that 23rd verse, not the verse per se, but what's building up to it. In other words, where does this particular company of people come from? They certainly are not Israel, they are not out of the Old Testament economy, and they certainly are not in reference to that which is still ahead, the tribulation. So who are these that are going to be coming when Christ comes? Well we've been pulling out the fact that Paul has now been raised up to go to the Gentile world with a whole different concept of salvation. And it's going to be based on that finished work of the cross, how Christ died for our sins. His blood was shed, He was buried, and He rose from the dead for our justification. You won't find that in Scripture until we get to the revelations given to the Apostle Paul. Now then, beginning with Romans chapter 12, and that's where we're going to turn next. I just started in I Corinthians for the sake of our television people so they'll know what book we're in. We are studying I Corinthians 15, but like I said we're building this whole concept of the Body of Christ, and it's this Body of Christ called out from among the Gentile world that will one day be resurrected in total. And for those that are alive and remain, we will be changed, and we'll be looking at all that probably not in this half hour, but in the next one. Now in Romans chapter 12, and if you'll drop down to verse 4, what I'm going to do now for the next few moments is look up all these verses that have a reference to this Body of Christ. Now I think I've put it on the board once before, and I've done it in my other classes. Always remember that back in Christ's earthly ministry and Peter and so forth, they were proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom. And that was the good news, that Christ was as the King in their midst, and He was ready to fulfill all the Old Testament promises concerning Israel and His Messiahship. And so it was the good news of the Kingdom. It was for Jew only. There was nothing in there for the Gentile. Now then, when Israel rejected the Gospel of the Kingdom and the King, and they crucified Him, God turned to this other Jew, the Saul of Tarsus, the Apostle Paul as we now understand him, and now he begins to proclaim the Gospel of Grace. And the Gospel of Grace means that nothing of law or legalism can be associated with it, and it is primarily, not exclusively, but primarily to the Gentiles. Now we'll put down here Jews, because we're not going to leave them out, but it is primarily the message of salvation now given to the Gentiles. But to the Jew it was the Gospel of the Kingdom, and when it was rejected, God turned with the Gospel of Grace. Now through the preaching of the Gospel of Grace, instead of calling out a covenant people such as Israel was, we are calling out what Paul refers to as the Body of Christ. If I had more room on the board I would also put that on. Now take this down. Never does Jesus or the Twelve ever use the term, the Body of Christ. Never! I've challenged people for years, and if you find it, you show it to me. No one ever has. They did not know about it, and they did not use the term. Jesus of course knew about it, but He never revealed it. Then on the other hand, you will never see Paul refer to the Gospel of the Kingdom. Why? Because he's not concerned with the Gospel of the Kingdom. That was Jewish. He is concerned with the Body of Christ, the Gospel of Grace, and it goes to Gentiles. And there's that big fork in the road, if I may put it that way. Now we're going to look at all these verses that make a reference to the Body of Christ, a Pauline term exclusively. Never is it used anywhere else in Scripture. Now all members have not the same office. All he's saying is, the fingers don't do the same thing as the toes. The eyes don't do the same thing as the ears. Every member of our body has an intrinsic purpose. Now look what the next verse is in verse 5. So we as believers of the Gospel of Grace, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." Now I had missionaries in our home the last couple of days, and we were sharing this. Here they have believers down in the jungles of Bolivia, and yet they are in the same body as we are up here in Oklahoma and the rest of America. We are all members of that same organism, that spiritual makeup of the believers from wherever they are, from whatever station in life, we are all members of this one body. Oh that's crucial to understand. Now let's go on to the next one that we've referred to in previous classes, and especially as we were teaching Corinthians chapter 12. First Corinthians chapter 12, and I've told you before, people will write, and they're glad that we wait until you find it, because then they've got time to find it in their living room. Now verse 12, "...for as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body," and again he's referring to our human makeup, the hands, the toes, the legs, the ears, the eyes, but we're under one central nervous system. The head controls the body. Verse 13, "...for by one Spirit, the Holy Spirit, are we all," and I always emphasize that word. It isn't just the most spiritual who get baptized into the body, but every believer of whatever station in life, when he becomes a believer, a child of God, then the Holy Spirit baptizes that person into the Body of Christ. Verse 14, "...whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, we have been all made to drink, or partake of that same Spirit, which is a part and parcel of the Body of Christ." Now this is something that I don't think Peter ever got the whole story, and most people today do not comprehend the position that you and I as believers of the Gospel have in Christ. We are already seated in the heavenlies, and we are waiting for the day when we will be taken up into the heavenlies, and to be in union with Christ Himself. Now let's look at verse 27 of chapter 12. Now he says, "...you are the Body of Christ in total, but members in particular." So do we lose our identity? No, no way. This is the beauty of it. You and I can go to the Lord in prayer, and does Peter come and say, Hey Lord, number 5-5-6-7-8 is calling? No, but what? God knows every one of us by name. Not by a number, not by a group, but by an individual by name. And so he says, we are members in particular of the Body of Christ. Now let's turn over to Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians 1 is the last verse of the chapter, and here again Christ is being presented as the Head of the Body. Now let's start down at verse 20 where Paul writes, "...which he wrought in Christ, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenlies." That's our position, when He's in heaven, we're in heaven. Now verse 21, "...far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named." That's where Christ is. He is above everything that is named, not only in this world, but also that which is to come. Now verse 22, "...and God hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the Head over all things to the church, the Ecclesia, which is now the Body of Christ." It says in verse 23, "...the Church which is his Body, and the fullness of him that filleth all anon." Remember what the word fullness meant? Compliment. That's right. The compliment which means that when Christ will finally have the Body in His presence, then He Himself considers Himself complete. We went back to Genesis, and when poor old Adam was alone, and was naming all the animals, and they all had their mate, what did God say? He said, "...I will make a helpmeet for him." And what was the other word for helpmeet? Compliment again. So as Eve was the completion of Adam, so also will the Body of Christ be the completion of Christ Himself. Now let's turn the page to Ephesians chapter 3, and come down to verse 6. One of the verses we read in our last program. Ephesians 3, verse 6, and let's come back up to verse 5 so we can pick up the thought. Ephesians 3. Ephesians 3. Holy Spirit, and that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ." How? By works? By a baptism? By some other phenomenon? By what? The Gospel. See that's the only way. Now let's come across to Ephesians chapter 4, verse 4. Now this is an interesting series of verses, and I haven't got time to pick them apart. We'll do that ten years from now when we get to Ephesians. Chapter 4, verse 4. Ephesians 4. Ephesians 4. Now you don't see that in Peter's preaching, you don't see that in Christ's earthly ministry, but all through Paul's writings, here comes this term. The Body. Ephesians 4. There is one Body, one Spirit, even as you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, absolutely there is only one Name given among men, whereby we must be saved. One Faith. I always have to smile when people say, I�m of the Catholic faith, I�m of the Methodist faith, I�m of the Baptist faith, I�m of this faith. What do they do with a verse like this? There aren�t all that many faiths, but there�s one faith, and only one. It�s what the Book says. One God, one Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. And yes I missed the word baptism in verse 5, not intentionally, but accidentally. There is one faith, one baptism, one God, and He is above all, and through all. Now come on down to verse 12 in this same chapter. Now why do you suppose we�re seeing all these references to the Body now all of a sudden in the Book of Ephesians? More than we did in Romans, and more than we did in Corinthians. Remember what I put on the board several weeks ago, that Paul�s writings are a progressive revelation just like the Bible as a whole? Now when Paul first begins his letters, he does not make that big a deal over the Body of Christ. In Romans just that one mention, and in I Corinthians one or two mentions. But now as you come into the Book of Ephesians and Paul has had further revelations, this is one of the prison epistles remember, and he has now been sitting in prison in Caesarea for a year and a half, and all of these deeper things come. Now that�s why you see more about the Body in Ephesians than you did in Romans and Corinthians. It�s part of this greater revelation of our position in the Body, which is in Christ. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 12. Ephesians 4. Ephesians 4. For the perfecting, the maturing of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ. Now let me make a point. Not every church member across the world is a member of the Body of Christ. In fact I�m going to stick my neck out a small percentage on it. I don�t care what church you belong to, mine included. Yes I�m a member of a local church, some people call and ask. Yes I am, absolutely I love my pastor, and I think it�s mutual. But listen, there are members of my church that are as lost as lost can be, and they are not in the Body of Christ. Now I don�t know who they are, and I�m not judging, and I�m not looking at somebody and saying, �Well you�re not in the Body.� In fact I told somebody the other day, and I�ll tell my whole television audience. Don�t ever, ever look at anybody. I don�t care how far down the tube they are, you don�t look at them and say, �Hey you�re going to hell.� Because you don�t know that. Salvation may come to that person yet at some future date, and you don�t know that. So please don�t ever tell somebody, �Hey you�re going to hell.� That�s God�s prerogative, not ours. And the same way with judging whether a person is a believer. I can�t, you can�t, only God can see the heart. But I do know from the Scripture and from everything else that bombards us, that there are a lot of bonafide church members who are not members of the Body of Christ. Because only the Lord Himself places a person into the Body of Christ. Some denomination can�t do it, your preacher can�t do it, or a priest can�t do it. This is something that only the Spirit of God can do. So what is the purpose of all the things that God has been doing on behalf of the church? To edify the Body of Christ, the true believers. Then we pick up the whole thought. All this that�s been going on in this earthly sojourn, going up to verse 11. Ephesians 2.11a 5. Prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, all of this is to edify the Body of Christ. Ephesians 2.11a Till we all come in the unity of the faith, in the Body, and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect or mature man, unto the measure of the satchre of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 2.11b Verse 14, my if this isn�t apropos I have to feel that the people I teach can look at this verse and say, �Yep I know what it means.� Because if we�re taught then we will not be tossed to and fro. And look what it says. Ephesians 4. If we have grown in our faith, and in our stature in the body, then we should henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the slight or the cunningness and the craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to do what? To deceive. And listen there�s more deception today than the world has ever seen. How are we going to confront it? With a knowledge of the Word, and a realization of what your position is in the body. Now here it comes in verse 15. Ephesians 4. But speaking the truth in love, that we may grow up into him that is in that position in Christ in all things, who is the head, and that�s whom? Christ. Now Paul is always using the human body as an illustration. Where does everything originate in the operation of our fingers, and legs, and toes, and everything else? The brain, the mind. The head, that�s what Christ is. Christ is the head of the body, and as the body functions even in this world, where does its marching orders come from? The head. Not some denominational hierarchy, but all I�m saying is that�s not where you get your marching orders. You get your orders from the head, and He is going to speak through the Word. Now if your pastor is preaching the Word, great. But if he isn�t, then you better come back to the Book, because here is where you�re going to be held accountable. Well we�re not even close to the end of these, I don�t believe. Now let�s go on into Colossians chapter 1. Let�s jump in at verse 15, and again this is simply showing the preeminence of the position of Christ, who is the head of the body. Verse 15. Colossians 1. He is the image of the invisible God. Now I had a letter from a lady the other day, and she said, �I�ve enjoyed your teaching, but when I heard you say that Jesus was God, I had to shut you off, and I don�t want to ever listen to you again Well that�s her privilege, but what is the poor girl doing? She is closing her eyes to all of the truth of Scripture, that Jesus Christ is very, very God. And you can see it all the way through the Scriptures. Not just an offspring of God, not something created by God, but He is God. Here is one of the verses that made me think of it. He is the visible manifestation of the true God. Verse 16. Colossians 1. For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, in earth, visible, invisible, thrones, dominions, principalities, or powers. All things were created by Him, and for Him. Now here it comes, and He is the Head of the Body. Are you beginning to see it? That He in His position in the heavenlies is the Head, and we are functioning as the Body. We move like Paul said to the Athenians in the book of Acts. Everything we do, we breathe, we eat, we move, all because of Him. And so He is the Head of the Body. Verse 18. For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, in earth, visible, invisible, thrones, All things were created by Him, and for Him. Now verse 18 again. For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, in earth, visible, invisible, thrones, All things were created by Him, and for Him were all things created, that are in heaven, Now let�s come over to chapter 2. Colossians 2. Oh my goodness, I think I�ve got time, let�s hit it all the way from verse 14 on down. You know I just hate to leave some of these verses out. Colossians 2. Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, it was contrary to us, and He took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross. And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. That is in His work of the cross. Now then verse 16. Colossians 2. Since the law is satisfied, we�re no longer under it, let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or the sabbath days. What does that all flash back to? It�s Judaism, the Law, that�s all behind us, and it�s all been nailed to His cross. Verse 17. And they�re all a shadow, those things back there were just a preview of things to come, but the Body is of Christ. Now I don�t think the Body of Christ even had the preview in the types in the Old Testament. The cross did, His resurrection, but I don�t think the Body. There�s one more I want to get here in Colossians if at all possible before we have to shut it down. Colossians 3. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also you are called in one body, and be ye thankful. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom. See God doesn�t want a bunch of ignorant believers in the Body. He wants every child of His to be well taught, to be well instructed, to be grounded, and to enjoy our faith. There�s no room for miserable Christians. If they�re miserable they�re out of fellowship with the Lord, they�re out there in the world where they shouldn�t be, but it�s a joyous life, and God wants it to be that way. Then verse 17. And whatsoever ye do in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, and as you do it, give thanks to God, and to the Father by Him, the Lord Jesus. Thank you for watching Through the Bible with Les Feldick, a weekly Bible study. If you would like more information about the Les Feldick Ministries, a Bible study in your area, or about this program, write to Les Feldick Ministries, Route 1, Box 760, Kenta, OK, 74552. That�s Route 1, Box 760, Kenta, OK, 74552. Through the Bible with Les Feldick is viewer supported, and your gift is appreciated. Thank you, and be sure to tune in next time, for Through the Bible with Les Feldick.