Ecclesiology Through Imagery
By Jerry Batson, Th.D.
Special to The Alabama Baptist
The Bible uses more than a dozen common images by which to speak of the church. From these images we can glean deeper understanding about the church’s formation, function and future. In thinking about spiritual insights from some of the images, one of the most meaningful images is that of a body, specifically, the body of Christ.
The idea of a body conveys the thought of variety within unity. This truth is expressed in 1 Corinthians 12:20, “Now indeed there are many members, yet one body.” This variety within unity is evident in the human physical body in that a singular body is composed of many and diverse parts — head, hands, feet, eyes, ears, etc. A logical question then is, “If they were all one member, where would the body be?” (1 Cor. 12:19).
The image of the church as a body has immediate application to a local congregation. Many members comprise a local church, but no two members are exactly alike. We bring varying talents and gifts to our church. Not all sing well nor can all teach well. Nonetheless, together our variety contributes to the distinct characteristics and ministries of our church. The declaration of 1 Corinthians 12:4 emphasizes this diversity: “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.” If everyone possessed the fine ability of singing, but none were effective teachers of the Bible, where would we all learn what God has revealed to us and about us in His word?
This diversity within unity is the underlying truth that should keep any of us from discounting or belittling any others of us. We cannot comprise a healthy, functioning local church if we do not honor and make a place for the diverse gifting and functioning of a variety of believers. The Bible makes the point that all are needed and none are dispensable: “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you’” (1 Cor. 12:21).
This image of the church as a body not only has local church application but also has universal application. The Baptist Faith and Message statement about the Church ends with this paragraph: “The New Testament speaks also of the Church as the body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.” The key is “all of the redeemed,” not necessarily all individual members of every denomination. Someone once captured this caution by saying that some will be in heaven that we did not suspect would be there, while others will be absent who we thought were genuine members of the body of Christ.
Head of the body
The image of the Church as Christ’s body carries the additional truth that He alone is the head of this body. Ephesians 1:20–23 declares that by virtue of the resurrection and ascension of Christ, God “put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
Denominations have revered human leaders, such as presidents, bishops, superintendents, directors, cardinals, popes and patriarchs, but none of these occupy the exalted, God-installed head of Christ’s body, the Church. All human church leaders serve the body as one taken from among the body and function under Christ’s authority and headship.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Jerry Batson is a retired Alabama Baptist pastor who also has served as associate dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University and professor of several schools of religion during his career.
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