Chapter 29 - The Body of Christ
Rom 12:4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
Rom 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
1Co 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.
1Co 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.
1Co 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Col 2:19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
Bonhoeffer- 'When we have recognized the unity between Christ and his Body, the Church, we must also hold fast to the complementary truth of Christ's Lordship over the Body. That is why St. Paul, as he comes to develop the theme of the Body of Christ, calls him the Head of the Body.
This assertion symbolizes and preserves the truth that Christ stands over against his Church. The historical fact in the story of our redemption which makes this truth essential, and rules out any idea of a mystical fusion between Christ and his Church, is the Ascension of Christ (and his Second Coming). The same Christ who is present in his Church will also come again. It is the same Lord and the same Church in both places, and it is one and the same Body, whether we think of his presence on earth or of his coming again on the clouds of heaven. But it makes a great deal of difference whether we are here or there. So it is necessary to give due weight both to the unity of Christ and his Church and to their distinction.
The Church is one man; it is the Body of Christ. But it is also many, a fellowship of members.
Since the Church is a body made up of many members, no separate member, such as hand or eye or foot, can transcend its own individuality. That is the meaning of St. Paul's analogy of the body. The hand can never take the place of the eye, or the eye the place of the ear. Each preserves its separate identity and function. On the other hand, they all preserve that identity and function only as members of the one body, as a fellowship united in service. It is the unity of the whole Church which makes each member what he is and the fellowship what it is, just as it is Christ and his Body which make the Church what it is.'
My thoughts- Again I have to stress that I do not believe there is any one organized Church that is truly following Christ and all His truth. I do believe there are many small organized groups that are doing so, some with the name Such and Such Church, but they are not joined with any large organized group. We know Biblically that FEW will find the narrow path and that alone should sound off warning bells in our minds about large groups claiming to be 'THE CHURCH'.
I'm not sure where Bonhoeffer is going with all this. I know I don't agree with all his insights, not by a long shot, but it could be simply He was not subjected to the truth to follow, but followed all the truth He did encounter. We are only accountable for the truth presented to us, and whether or not we accept or reject it. No one will be accountable for rejecting any truth that was never presented to them to make that decision.
We cannot judge any one's eternal life, we dare not even begin to try to do so.
I believe Bonhoeffer has a tremendous insight in to a lot of things of Christ, and so I continue on with the study.
--
Truthfully, Christ is the Head of the Body- the Church- His people. There is no doubt at all that our Lord and Savior is our God and we worship HIM as being supreme in all things! Our Creator! Can there be any more reason to worship, than the truth of HIS being our CREATOR?! People will dispute this, they do it all the time, but there is no disputing the facts. The truth of God's Holy Word as it has been given to us and proven time and time again to predict our future. Truth! Yet so many choose blindness over truth, so called science over faith, theories and traditions over reality. Clinging to falsehoods many are going to be lost, they will NOT be a part of the Church- God's people, the Body.
Medically if we cut off the head of a person they have NO chance of living, none, it's over. And yet many people cut of the Head of the Church- JESUS CHRIST. They put in its place another head and like Frankenstein's monster they believe the head is alive and giving their body life. They've put up so many different heads and often times people will try to replace the Head, Christ, with their own head believing they know best. They create all sorts of things distorting the truth to suit them and then they get their followers to listen to them, all the while telling those followers they are following Christ. They are liars, self-deceived even, but allowing themselves to be so. NO ONE is deceived without their consent to the deception! Taking their eyes off Christ and all His truth, they choose to listen to the fables of man, and they take their easy religion, their feel-good worship, their lies the multitudes call truth, and they believe.
Do we WANT truth?
It is ONLY FOUND IN CHRIST!
And the truth is that CHRIST must be the Head of our fellowship in Him, or we are caught up in a fabrication of Satan's, skillfully, artfully, woven fallacy that soothes the conscience, eases the nerves.
Christ and all the TRUTH of Christ must be examined. We cannot pick and choose which parts of the truth we want to follow. Any truths we discard become the building blocks of lies we erect building our own body that has Satan as its head, not Christ.
Please, LORD, please help us to keep YOU as the Head of the Body we belong to as YOUR followers, Your church!
Keep us in YOU LORD in all things!
Satan would have us, save us, LORD! Save us from ourselves! We have no power of our own, none!
By Your GRACE Lord! In Your LOVE and MERCY Lord! Know us! Save us!
Rom 12:4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
Rom 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
1Co 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.
1Co 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.
1Co 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Col 2:19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
Bonhoeffer- 'When we have recognized the unity between Christ and his Body, the Church, we must also hold fast to the complementary truth of Christ's Lordship over the Body. That is why St. Paul, as he comes to develop the theme of the Body of Christ, calls him the Head of the Body.
This assertion symbolizes and preserves the truth that Christ stands over against his Church. The historical fact in the story of our redemption which makes this truth essential, and rules out any idea of a mystical fusion between Christ and his Church, is the Ascension of Christ (and his Second Coming). The same Christ who is present in his Church will also come again. It is the same Lord and the same Church in both places, and it is one and the same Body, whether we think of his presence on earth or of his coming again on the clouds of heaven. But it makes a great deal of difference whether we are here or there. So it is necessary to give due weight both to the unity of Christ and his Church and to their distinction.
The Church is one man; it is the Body of Christ. But it is also many, a fellowship of members.
Since the Church is a body made up of many members, no separate member, such as hand or eye or foot, can transcend its own individuality. That is the meaning of St. Paul's analogy of the body. The hand can never take the place of the eye, or the eye the place of the ear. Each preserves its separate identity and function. On the other hand, they all preserve that identity and function only as members of the one body, as a fellowship united in service. It is the unity of the whole Church which makes each member what he is and the fellowship what it is, just as it is Christ and his Body which make the Church what it is.'
My thoughts- Again I have to stress that I do not believe there is any one organized Church that is truly following Christ and all His truth. I do believe there are many small organized groups that are doing so, some with the name Such and Such Church, but they are not joined with any large organized group. We know Biblically that FEW will find the narrow path and that alone should sound off warning bells in our minds about large groups claiming to be 'THE CHURCH'.
I'm not sure where Bonhoeffer is going with all this. I know I don't agree with all his insights, not by a long shot, but it could be simply He was not subjected to the truth to follow, but followed all the truth He did encounter. We are only accountable for the truth presented to us, and whether or not we accept or reject it. No one will be accountable for rejecting any truth that was never presented to them to make that decision.
We cannot judge any one's eternal life, we dare not even begin to try to do so.
I believe Bonhoeffer has a tremendous insight in to a lot of things of Christ, and so I continue on with the study.
--
Truthfully, Christ is the Head of the Body- the Church- His people. There is no doubt at all that our Lord and Savior is our God and we worship HIM as being supreme in all things! Our Creator! Can there be any more reason to worship, than the truth of HIS being our CREATOR?! People will dispute this, they do it all the time, but there is no disputing the facts. The truth of God's Holy Word as it has been given to us and proven time and time again to predict our future. Truth! Yet so many choose blindness over truth, so called science over faith, theories and traditions over reality. Clinging to falsehoods many are going to be lost, they will NOT be a part of the Church- God's people, the Body.
Medically if we cut off the head of a person they have NO chance of living, none, it's over. And yet many people cut of the Head of the Church- JESUS CHRIST. They put in its place another head and like Frankenstein's monster they believe the head is alive and giving their body life. They've put up so many different heads and often times people will try to replace the Head, Christ, with their own head believing they know best. They create all sorts of things distorting the truth to suit them and then they get their followers to listen to them, all the while telling those followers they are following Christ. They are liars, self-deceived even, but allowing themselves to be so. NO ONE is deceived without their consent to the deception! Taking their eyes off Christ and all His truth, they choose to listen to the fables of man, and they take their easy religion, their feel-good worship, their lies the multitudes call truth, and they believe.
Do we WANT truth?
It is ONLY FOUND IN CHRIST!
And the truth is that CHRIST must be the Head of our fellowship in Him, or we are caught up in a fabrication of Satan's, skillfully, artfully, woven fallacy that soothes the conscience, eases the nerves.
Christ and all the TRUTH of Christ must be examined. We cannot pick and choose which parts of the truth we want to follow. Any truths we discard become the building blocks of lies we erect building our own body that has Satan as its head, not Christ.
Please, LORD, please help us to keep YOU as the Head of the Body we belong to as YOUR followers, Your church!
Keep us in YOU LORD in all things!
Satan would have us, save us, LORD! Save us from ourselves! We have no power of our own, none!
By Your GRACE Lord! In Your LOVE and MERCY Lord! Know us! Save us!
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