Can you please explain this phrase, “You are the body of Christ”?
Let’s begin by reading 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, “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. 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. For the body is not one member, but many.” In this chapter, the ‘body’ is mentioned 18 times, so we can see the Lord is directing us to consider this word, its meaning and importance.
We understand that the body mentioned here is the spiritual body of Christ. We, as believers on the Lord Jesus Christ, are His body, of which He is the head. We read of Christ in Colossians 1:17-18, “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 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.” We learn here that the “body of Christ” is synonymous with the “church of Christ” and Christ is the head.
In 1 Corinthians 12:27 we read, “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” The Apostle Paul is assuring the Corinthian believers that they, in a local setting, make up the body of Christ in their area. This means there are NO UNSAVED people in the body of Christ…only believers. In Acts 2:47 we see that “…the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” The Lord, who knows the heart of men, put those in the church (the body) who are truly saved.
While all believers belong to the body of Christ, we all have been given different gifts to fulfill our function in the body. In Romans 12:5 we read, “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.” We learn here that there is only ONE BODY, all believers are in that one body, and all believers are members one of another. Together, all believers form that one body of Christ. We read in 1 Corinthians 12:20, “But now are they many members, yet but one body.” Even as the human body is made up of many parts (foot, hand, eye, knee, ribs, etc.), so the body of Christ is made up of many members, each one different but each one endowed of the Lord to fill his/her place in the body of Christ. There is no one in the body of Christ who is useless or has no function in the body. 1 Corinthians 12:22 says, “Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary. Every member is an essential part of the body. (432.2)