ONE BODY IN CHRIST

(A Sequel to My Article on First Corinthians Twelve)

By HERB EVANS, Ltt.D.

167 PATTIES PLACE

PORTERSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA 16051

Present your BODIES a living sacrifice [service] . . . For I say, through the grace given unto me, to EVERY MAN THAT IS AMONG YOU, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. -- Rom. 12:3

It is ironic that the two places in scripture, where we can find the most information on the body of Christ is 1 Corinthians twelve and Romans twelve. If we do not get it in these two places, we do not get it at all.

The theme of Romans twelve is to make your BODIES a living sacrifice IN SERVICE (Rom. 12:1) to and through the local body at Rome, the BODY being a METAPHOR (as in 1 Cor.12), much like the flock, sheep, and branch metaphors.

Invisible churchers are, by their view, rendered impotent to exegete 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 or other passages, which contain their own proof texts. Much like over-dispensationalists, they are unable to provide any continuity to their views. Jumping around and chopping up and removing verses out of context is far from proper biblical interpretation. Let us examine Romans 12 verse by verse, yea, word by word.

FOR

For AS WE have many MEMBERS in ONE BODY [the human body--Herb Evans], and all members have not the same OFFICE . . . -- Romans 12:4

And, but, for, nor -- see what they are there for is the wise old axiom for Bible study. Paul is discussing church members of the church of Rome. The word "FOR" (12:4) refers back to verse three, where Paul claims, whatever he is saying, he is saying to EVERY MAN THAT IS AMONG YOU.

He is not talking to some ethereal, mystical, invisible group out in space somewhere, who have no office or function. He is talking to EVERY man AMONG you in the local church of Rome. When the scriptures make plain sense, make no other sense.

Now who is verse four taking about? It will not shock invisible churchers that we insist that verse four is not talking about an invisible body of all believers. It may shock local church only brethren, when we say that it is not talking about the local body at Rome in this verse, although it is addressing everyone among that local body. Then who in the world is it talking about?

It is talking about each individual member of the Church at Rome. It is saying that each individual at the church of Rome has one physical body with many members in their physical body with various offices or functions.

Paul is laying the ground work here to compare the human body with the church body as he did in First Corinthians twelve (SO ALSO IS CHRIST) where Paul contrasts Christ's actual physical body with His representative body here on earth.

This little word "AS" is the key to verses 4 and 5. It is an integral part of a comparison and contrast, which blends into the "SO" of verse 5.

This is similar to the phrase SO ALSO IS CHRIST in 1 Cor. 12:12, which sets up the comparison and contrast of Christ's physical body in heaven with His representative body on earth, the local church/body.

What invisible churcher, who overephasizes the word "WE" in 1 Corinthians 12, can deny the use of the word "WE" by Paul, when talking about both his own physical body and the physical bodies of the folks at the local church of Rome?

This is a discussion in the vein of a common experience. Not only did Paul have a physical body with many members as did those at the church of Rome, but he also was a member of some local church body just as they were a member of the local body at Rome.

Have

The idea of a body "HAVING" members is possession. If your head and arms are chopped off, you are not a body, you are a torso, for to be a body your members cannot be all missing or absent. They must be TOGETHER in order to be a BODY.

Many Members

Paul had no problem reckoning the members of his own physical body as being "MANY MEMBERS." Unfortunately, invisible churches believe you have to have millions of believers in a mystical body to have many members in a body. Calvinists also have problems with the word "many."

In One Body

What invisible churcher can deny that his own physical body is ONE BODY? Can he deny that it is a TOGETHER body and not a body scattered all over the place? Some would say of the N.T. church that it is an organism and not an organization. That may sound good, but every organism that we know about is an organized organism and is together. It is not a body, if it is not together, for arms and legs and toes and fingers scattered all over the world is not a body.

All the Members

Paul is still talking about his own physical body and the physical bodies of folks at the local church of Rome each of them and all of them. He is about to show their unique relationship to one another in a together local Church/body.

Have Not the Same Office

Physical, body members in the local church of Rome have different offices or functions and may be compared to the church of Rome being a body with many members, just as the local church/body at Corinth, described in 1 Cor. 12. The hands do one thing and the toes do another. The arms do one thing the legs do another. But they work together to function as a body. This is the kind of church/body that is to be presented to the Lord for reasonable service as is each physical body (Romans 12:1). My wise old preacher once said to me, when you go soul winning, make sure that you get their bodies. You see, souls or spirits do not do anything.

[SO in conclusion -- Herb Evans] we, being many, are ONE BODY IN CHRIST, and every one members one of another. -- Rom. 12:5

Again, the wise old axiom must needs also include the word "SO." What is it doing in this passage? It is referring to what Paul just said about his own body and these church of Rome folks' physical bodies and is comparing them with another kind of body, a church body.

Again, Paul as having a physical body in common with the folks at the local church of Rome, Paul also had the common experience with them of being one body in Christ regarding his local church membership, wherever it was. We anticipate that at this point, they will stumble over the word "WE." Yet, do the invisible church brethren deny that he was a member of some church/body some where?

Being Many

Again, since it was no problem for a physical body to have many members, it should be no problem for a local body of believers to have many members even if they only have as many members as a physical body has. But invisible body advocates require millions of members just as evolutionists require millions of years.

Are

The church of Rome was a reality not a mystical fantasy. It was not ethereal but corporal. It was not invisible; it was visible. It was not scattered all over; it was together. It existed in a real tangible way.

One Body

The local church at Rome was an ENTIRE or WHOLE church body, not "part" of "A" body nor part of "THE" body, just as their physical bodies were. They too, like the church of Corinth, were members IN PARTICULAR as opposed to intangible members. They were a together body. One ENTIRE body! One WHOLE body.

In Christ

And was unknown by face unto the CHURCHES of Judaea which were IN CHRIST . . .

-- Gal 1:22

For ye, brethren, became followers of the CHURCHES of God which in Judaea are IN CHRIST JESUS for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: -- 1 Thess. 2:14

Abuse of the term "IN CHRIST" is run rampant in invisible church circles. Being IN CHRIST does not necessitate being in an invisible, mystical body. All that is necessary is for one to be positionally in Christ or to have a standing in Christ. The one human body is what is being compared to the one body in Christ. Now, invisible church brethren view the concept of the local church being the one body in Christ in sheer horror. But consider the fact that even local churches are "IN CHRIST."

And Everyone

These were real people not ethereal spirits gone to heaven. They had a special member relationship to their own church body, everyone of them as also do the members of EACH physical body.

Members one of Another

These local church members complimented one another, benefitted from one another, worked with one another, and were members of one another being of the SAME LOCAL body, just as it was so with the physical bodies of Paul and the others. Now, as with first Corinthians twelve, if the passage is taken out of its contexts, it can be forced to mean what the invisible body brethren say it means but never in context can they accomplish or distort that meaning.

Prophecy in the

Invisible Body?

Having then gifts DIFFERING according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith . . . -- Rom. 12:6

Just as the physical body had different offices or function, so to the local body has differing offices. The mystical body of the smpty air needs no gifts nor does it have any. Imagine an invisible body with the gift of prophecy. Who needs gifts in the big church up in the sky? Nonsense!

The Teaching and Ministry in the Invisible Body?

Or MINISTRY, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on TEACHING . . . -- Rom. 12:7

If the truth be known, invisible body brethren are ecumenical in thinking if not in practice. Perhaps, they are not ecumenical, when it involves believers and unbelievers, but they are in the same body as those, who are in doctrinal error.

How can you MINISTER or TEACH or have teachers in such a body. What do they teach in the church in the sky? What is the ministry of the invisible, mystical, church of all believers, whether Charismatics or baby sprinklers or lose your salvationists. Who do they minister to? It is at this point that the church in the sky must come down to earth.

Exhorting an Invisible Body?

Or he that EXHORTETH, on exhortation: -- Rom. 12:8a

Now this ought to be real fun in the invisible body, especially for those, who no one listens to anyway. How do you exhort an invisible body, an invisible church in the sky. Oh, you do it via your radio or TV pastor. I see. You just exhort PART of the invisible body.

Giving to an Invisible Body?

. . . he that GIVETH, let him do it with simplicity . . . -- Rom. 12:b

How do you give to an invisible body or the big church in the sky? Aha! We wondered where some folks’ tithes have been going. Do you think they send it directly to the other part of the body in heaven? By carrier pigeon? Seems to us that would be giving with complexity and not with simplicity.

Ruling the invisible Body?

. . . he that RULETH, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. -- Rom. 12:8c

Now, this is the one that really interests us. Does the Charismatic part of the body rule this invisible church or is it some radio or T.V. pastor? The Pope? Some local, Independent, Baptist churches would really resent such a rule. And how do they RULE the part of the invisible body that is in heaven?

We could go on, but I think the point is overwhelmingly clear. This is a local body of Rome that is being discussed and not some invisible monstrosity that Martin Luther dreamed up to avoid the situation he was in by breaking away, as was supposed, from the true church of Rome and being 14 centuries to late to be a true church. What is the real shame is that Baptist brethren have fallen for such a thing.