Why Do We Call the Church the “Body of Christ”?
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In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul referred to the church as the body of Christ. He used this metaphor to relay significant truths about the church and to help believers better understand the value of diversity within the church.
Paul wrote this to the church of Corinth: “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many” (1 Corinthians 12:12-14).
The church is called the body of Christ because Christ is the head of the church and we are called to do the work of Christ, each like members of a body. We have different skills, purposes, and spiritual gifts, yet every believer is equally important to the full functioning, mission, and efficacy of the church.
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What Does "Body of Christ" Mean?
“Body of Christ” is a significant term for the church and a good way to understand the church. It affirms that Jesus is the head of the church. We as believers follow Christ, listen to Christ, and let Christ guide our steps, just as the head of the body does. Likewise, this term for the church acknowledges diversity within the body of Christ and how good this is for the church. The body needs many parts—many gifts, talents, and skills—to function. We as believers need to work together to accomplish the mission Jesus gave us. Rather than trying to do the same thing, each of us can contribute that which God has called us to do and be.
The Apostle Paul explained it best this way in 1 Corinthians 12:16-18, “And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.”
Each believer is valuable to the church and each of us is a needed part of the body of Christ. This diversity is something to be celebrated and recognized as part of God’s great design for the church.
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What Does the Bible Say about Being the Body of Christ?
The term Body of Christ is used in various books in the New Testament. From these references, we learn what it means to be the Body of Christ and why this term was used to help us understand the role of the church.
Believers have different roles, but all are necessary to the body of Christ.
“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another” (Romans 12:4-5).
Though we are individuals, we as believers are called to be one—in unity, in Spirit, in Christ. We are called to be united in faith through the grace of Jesus.
“There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift” (Ephesians 4:12).
When the church, or the body of Christ, works together and is joined together in faith, we can function properly in the role that Jesus has given to the church. When there is disharmony in the church, it will be difficult to fulfill its mission.
“From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:16).
Most importantly, we understand from this metaphor of the church that Jesus is the head of the church. We look to Jesus for wisdom and guidance. It is Christ that leads the church in all it does for his kingdom.
“And Jesus is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent” (Colossians 1:18).
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What Are Some Other Terms for the Church?
We find the term Body of Christ referenced throughout the New Testament. There are other metaphors used to describe the church, as well. Each of these descriptions of the church help give us a clearer picture of God’s relation to the church and who we are in Christ Jesus.
Flock
“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).
Household of God and Pillar of Truth
“If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).
Holy Temple and Dwelling Place for the Lord
“Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:20-22).
Holy Nation and Royal Priesthood
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10).
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What Is the Church's Role on Earth?
Before Jesus left this earth, he commanded his followers to go out into the world and make disciples in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to teach them to obey all that Jesus had taught (see: Matthew 28:19-20). This is the primary role of the church. Believers have been commissioned by Jesus himself to share the Gospel message and teach others about his saving grace.
When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he answered that we are to love God and to love one another (see: Matthew 22:36-40). This, too, is an important role of the church. Believers must love God and they must love others. All that we do must be done in love. When we read about the life of Jesus, we see the perfect example he set of doing everything out of love for others, including giving up his life on the cross to save the whole world.
These two powerful instructions from Jesus serve as a foundation to the primary role of the church. From this understanding of the church, it becomes clear that it is only the church that could fulfill these things which Jesus commanded and taught.
How Can We Be a Functioning, Helpful Member of the Body of Christ?
As members of the body of Christ, we have been given spiritual gifts. Using these spiritual gifts is a key part of how we go about being a faithful member of the church. Christians have different skills and personalities, and have been designed by God in a purposeful way, so that we can love God, love others, and share the Gospel.
As the body of Christ, we should embrace the diversity within, affirming and celebrating the spiritual gifts each contributes, rather than ranking spiritual gifts. We know that all are equally important according to God’s word. As a member of the body of Christ, we are called to serve, to take care of each other, and bear the fruit of the Spirit.
To be part of the body of Christ is to have found hope and salvation in Jesus. It is an honor to receive the gift of salvation, which we cannot earn ourselves, but that was freely given to us when Jesus died on the cross for the world. This term, body of Christ, helps us understand what it means to be part of the church. Jesus is the head of the church, and we as believers make up the church, and therefore, are deeply connected to the work and mission of Jesus. Every believer has been given certain spiritual gifts and skills to contribute to the church and is valuable and important to furthering God’s kingdom.
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