I think I have a handle on that.
So alas, I'll struggle through my migraines as they come and just hope I don't do anything like, I dunno, lose my mind and go postal or something.
Got home after that and had a nice nap, mid afternoon naps are really nice when you can get them. Those countries and put siestas in their national schedule are smart. Probably happier and healthier too.
Unfortunately, Canada isn't one of those countries.
Making Sense of the Body of Christ
Understanding our relationship with Christ is essential, and we cannot understand that until we wrap our minds around - What is the body of Christ?
Traditional church teaching is such that the "Body of Christ"and the "Bride of Christ" are interchangeable, that's a flat out lie. If you read the entire New Testament there is no reference to the Bride of Christ. The only Bride mentioned is Israel, the Bride of the Lambkin. What people often refer to, when they talk about the Bride of Christ, is the following passage;
Ephesians 5:22-32
22 Let the wives be subject to their own husbands, as to the Lord,
23 for the husband is head of the wife even as Christ is Head of the ecclesia, and He is the Saviour of the body.24 Nevertheless, as the ecclesia is subject to Christ, thus are the wives also to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, be loving your wives according as Christ also loves the ecclesia, and gives Himself up for its sake,
26 that He should be hallowing it, cleansing it in the bath of the water (with His declaration),
27 that He should be presenting to Himself a glorious ecclesia, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that it may be holy and flawless.
28 Thus, the husbands also ought to be loving their own wives as their own bodies. He who is loving his own wife is loving himself.
29 For no one at any time hates his own flesh, but is nurturing and cherishing it, according as Christ also the ecclesia,
30 for we are members of His body.
31 For this "a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh."
32 This secret is great: yet I am saying this as to Christ and as to the ecclesia. (CLNT)
This ties into what I wrote on yesterday. To understand where Paul is coming from in writing this, you have to understand the relationship between man and woman from creation.
Now, since Christ is the Head of the Church He is our body. We are in subjection to him. Paul elaborates in verse 29 "No one at any time hates his own flesh" ergo, wife and husband are one flesh.
Again in verse 30, in case we didn't get it - "We are members of his body"
The Church tries to twist this verse into a doctrine that makes us the Bride of Christ, but we are much more intimate than that. We are his BODY.
If Israel's relationship is that of the wife, the believers who make up Christ's Body share an even more intimate relationship. We make up the body of the groom himself.
One last time in case this doesn't across too clearly. In verse 26-27 it says "that he should be hallowing it, cleansing it in the bath of the water (with his declaration), that he should be presenting HIMSELF a glorious ecclesia, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that it may be holy and flawless"
Get it? He cleanses the Ecclesia, because we are his BODY and when he cleanses us, he cleanses himself.
This is even better than anything else I ever knew!!
And yet... There's more to come!! Until Tomorrow my friends!
Travis Penner
