Understanding the Church as a Living Organism: Unity in Diversity
The church is not an organization, although it requires structure and leadership. The church is a living organism, a living being whose divine life is fueled by the indwelling Spirit of Christ.[i] After the resurrection, Jesus ascended to the right hand of His Heavenly Father. Still, in a real tangible sense, He is continually manifested in the world through His body and, by which He fulfills His early mission. We read, “So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen” (Mark 16:19-20, NKJV).[ii]
Even though Jesus physically left the earth, He promised never to leave us orphaned, staying with us even to the end of the age. Jesus is the head, but we are His body—arms, legs, and mouth. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). And it is the Holy Spirit that connects each member of the body, sustaining us with the life-flowing sustenance of the Holy Spirit. As the blood nourishes the physical body, so is Christ's spiritual body fed by the Holy Spirit. We are the extension of Christ’s manifest presence on the earth, working even more powerfully than before.[iii] We generate fruit and good works for God’s Kingdom.
There are numerous metaphors in scripture, many of which we find comparably apply to the church and Israel. Each expresses the believer's relationship to Christ and adds meaning to our understanding of the church. Paul likens us to ambassadors for Christ, representatives of another Kingdom, but temporarily dwelling in every earthly nation, like grains of salt sprinkled throughout. Soon, Christ will call His ambassadors home, leaving the earth to Christ’s judgments. Until then, we share the Gospel “as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Metaphors in the prophets speak to future redeemed Israel as the Kingdom of God but also appear in the present as a partial fulfillment within the church. These promises are irrevocable. And yet, this comparison of New and Old Testament scripture affirms that the church is the partial fulfillment of Israel’s covenant promises—an assembly of natural branches of redeemed Israel and those of the nations, wild Olive branches who have been grafted into Israel to share in her covenant promises.
The metaphor of the church as a body signifies not only that we are all connected but that we are united as one. The church is not a collection of individuals who subscribe to the same philosophy about Jesus. Instead, we are a living organism whose members are interconnected, interdependent, and interrelated, depending on each other and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit personally within and corporately dwelling throughout the body of Christ. Individually and collectively, we are being transformed into the image of Christ and His body. Hence, the church is the physical and spiritual presence of Jesus and His Kingdom on earth. Paul said:
“But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body… But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Corinthians 12:18-20, 24-26).
There are numerous ministries, different methodologies, and various gifts of the spirit within the body of Christ. But all are to be exercised in harmony to accomplish one end: witnessing the Gospel in all the world and equipping, edifying, and discipling the saints for service.[xxxv] No member of the body is unimportant or unnecessary, and these works and ministries cannot be accomplished without the collective assistance of every man and woman.[xxxvi] There is no such thing as laity; every person has a God-given calling to serve in a church ministry in some capacity. Otherwise, parishioners become mere spectators rather than active participants in advancing God’s Kingdom.
God has provided spiritual leadership to equip and mature the saints and to edify the body, and He has given us the gifts of the Spirit to empower and provide direction and guidance.[xxxvii] But church growth cannot occur solely by the efforts of church leaders, pastors, evangelists, and missionaries. When the whole body ministers in love and unity, the church grows spiritually and in number.[xxxviii] We read, “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart” (1 Peter 1:22).[xxxix] Therefore, for the church to carry out and complete the great commission, there must be growth and discipleship of the visible church, cooperation, and fellowship amongst believers and local congregations, and the mutual work of local evangelism and worldwide missions to impact their cities and the world with the Gospel.[xl]
While there are many members, there is only one Head, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the members cannot function properly without total submission to Jesus, who, through the Holy Spirit, provides direction and guidance to the whole body.[xli] As Christians and members of Christ’s body, we must submit fully to Jesus, the head of His church, and be in a relationship with other believers.[xlii] We must submit to church leadership as God has appointed leaders, elders, and shepherds to guide and protect the church.[xliii] And since none are perfect, we must submit to one another in humility and receive correction from the body when necessary.[xliv] And we must submit to the rulers of our society as long as this does not require disobedience to the teachings of scripture.[xlv]
The universal body of Christ comprises the total number of born-again Christian believers of all ages, in heaven and on earth. Yet, all earthly members should be functioning members of some local church. There is no mystical body of Christ. God places and positions people within His church as He so desires.[xlvi] As such, Jesus instructed His disciples to be part of a local church, saying, “If he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector” (Matthew 18:17). It is clear that the local church has governing authority to arbitrate issues or disputes among believers. That model was initiated with Moses and the seventy elders of Israel, culminating in the Sanhedrin, Israel’s high council of ruling elders.
Further Biblical evidence for the local church is provided in Paul’s epistles, as all were written to church bodies or leaders of those churches. God’s gifts and ministries are given to local bodies to equip the saints for service in the local church and beyond, and the gifts of the Spirit only function with a local body.[xlvii] All believers are encouraged to partake of holy communion together until Jesus returns.[xlviii] Although most Christians today belong to a local church or denomination and should continue to do so, the church is not a denomination or a building. Regardless of our theological belief, excepting those who reject the Orthodoxy of the Christian faith, we are all disciples, brethren, and members of one universal body.
Like Jesus, we also are taken as firstfruits from amongst all the nations, as it says, “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect” (Hebrews 12:22-23). And we will sing a new song unto the Lord, declaring, “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth [in Christ’s Kingdom forever, and ever]” (Revelation 5:9-10).
[i] Duffield, Guy P. and Van Cleave, Nathaniel M. Foundations of Pentecostal Theology. Foursquare Media. 1910.
[ii] All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Bible (NKJV) unless otherwise noted, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982.
[iii] John 14:12.
[iv] 1 Corinthians 9:7. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5. Ephesians 6:11-12, 6:10-17. 1 Timothy 1:18. 2 Timothy 2:3-4. Peter 2:11. Revelation 19:11-21, 20:7.
[v] 1 Corinthians 9:24-26. Galatians 2:2. Philippians 1:27, 2:16. 1 Timothy 6:12. 2 Timothy 2:5, 4:7. Hebrews 12:1.
[vi] John 3:29. 2 Corinthians 11:2. Ephesians 5:21-32. Revelation 19:7-9.
[vii] 1 Corinthians 3:9-15. Ephesians 2:20-22. Matthew 16:18, 21:42. Mark 12:10-11. 1 Peter 2:4-7. Luke 6:46-49, 20:17. Acts 4:11. Romans 9:32-33, 15:20.
[viii] Psalm 118:22. Isaiah 8:14, 28:16. Daniel 2:34-35.
[ix] 1 Peter 1:6-7, 4:12-17. James 1:3, 12. 1 Thessalonians 2:4. 2 Corinthians 10:18.
[x] Proverbs 17:3, 27:21.
[xi] 2 Corinthians 5:20. Luke 14:31-32. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.
[xii] Matthew 6:9. Luke 11:2. Hebrews 2:10-11, 17-18, 3:6, 10:21-23. Ephesians 3:14-15. 1 Timothy 3:15. 2 Timothy 4:19. 1 Corinthians 1:16, 16:15. Acts 2:46, 5:42, 12:12, 16:15, 33-34, 21:8-9.
[xiii] Numbers 7:2. Isaiah 5:7. Psalm 98:3.
[xiv] 1 John 1:3. 1 Corinthians 1:9, 10:16-17, 11:23-34. 2 Corinthians 8:4, 9:13. Ephesians 4:3-6, 13. Philippians 4:14. 1 Timothy 6:18. Hebrews 13:16. Galatians 2:10. Romans 12:13. Acts 2:42, 44-45.
[xv] 1 Corinthians 3:9. John 15:1-2. 2 Timothy 2:6. Matthew 13:3-8, 18-23.
[xvi] Matthew 4:18-20, 13:47. Mark 1:17. Luke 5:10. 2 Timothy 2:25-26.
[xvii] Acts 20:28. 1 Peter 5:2-4. John 21:15-17. Mark 6:34. Ephesians 4:11. Hebrews 13:20. Revelation 7:17.
[xviii] Psalm 23:1, 80:1, 100:3. 2 Samuel 7:7. Jeremiah 31:10.
[xix] Ephesians 1:11, 14, 18. 1 Peter 2:9-10.
[xx] Deuteronomy 14:2, 32:9. Exodus 19:5-6. Malachi 3:17.
[xxi] Matthew 5:14-16. John 8:12. Revelation 1:20. Matthew 5:16. 1 Peter 2:12.
[xxii] Ephesians 2:10, 3:10. 1 John 3:2. Philippians 1:6, 2:13. Colossians 1:28-29. Hebrews 13:21. 2 Corinthians 5:17.
[xxiii] Ephesians 3:3-6. Colossians 1:25-27.
[xxiv] Romans 11:16-24.
[xxv] Jeremiah 11:16-17.
[xxvi] Romans 12:2. Philippians 3:20. Hebrews 11:13. 1 Peter 2:11-12. Colossians 1:12-14. Acts 1:8.
[xxvii] 1 Timothy 3:15-16.
[xxviii] 1 Peter 2:5, 9. Hebrews 4:14-16, 13:15-16. 1 Timothy 2:1-4. Ephesians 2:18, 5:1-2. 2 Corinthians 5:18-20. Romans 12:1. Philippians 2:17.
[xxix] Matthew 5:13. Mark 9:49-50. Luke 14:34. Colossians 4:6.
[xxx] Acts 17:24-25. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17. 1 Kings 8:27. Matthew 18:20. Ephesians 2:21-22. 1 Peter 2:4-5.
[xxxi] 1 Kings 8:27. Isaiah 66:1-2.
[xxxii] Matthew 28:19-20. Mark 3:13-15, 8:34. Acts 11:26. John 1:43, 13:35, 21:19-22. Luke 5:11, 27-28. 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7. 1 Peter 2:21, 5:3. 1 Timothy 1:16, 4:12. Titus 2:7.
[xxxiii] John 12:26. Matthew 20:27-28, 24:45, 25:14, 21. Mark 10:42-45. Luke 12:42. Galatians 5:13. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2. Titus 1:7. 1 Peter 4:10, 5:2-3. Acts 13:5, 20:28. Romans 1:1, 15:16. Ephesians 4:12, 5:21. 1 Thessalonians 5:12. Hebrews 13:7, 17, 24.
[xxxiv] Acts 9:2, 19:9, 23, 22:4. John 14:6.
[xxxv] Ephesians 4:12. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 14:5, 12, 26. Matthew 24:14, 28:19-20.
[xxxvi] 1 Corinthians 12:21-22, 25.
[xxxvii] Ephesians 4:12. 1 Peter 4:10.
[xxxviii] Ephesians 4:16.
[xxxix] 1 Corinthians 13. Galatians 5:13. Ephesians 3:17-19, 4:2-3. Philippians 2:1-5. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13.
[xl] Acts 2:41-47, 11:26-30, 13:1-3.
[xli] Ephesians 1:22.
[xlii] Ephesians 5:24. Hebrews 2:8, 12:9. James 4:7. Romans 12:5. 1 Corinthians 12:14-17.
[xliii] Hebrews 13:17. 1 Corinthians 16:16. Philippians 2:12. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13.
[xliv] Ephesians 5:21-6:9. 1 Peter 5:5.
[xlv] Acts 4:19-20, 5:29. Romans 13:1-7. 1 Peter 2:13-17.
[xlvi] 1 Corinthians 12:18.
[xlvii] Ephesians 4:11-16. 1 Corinthians 14:12.
[xlviii] 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.