The Doctrine of the Body of Christ and Sanctification

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Lesson #12

The Doctrine of the Body of Christ and Sanctification

• • The church is called “the body of Christ” and means “the New Testament people of God.”
    • This illustration is related to the authority of Jesus Christ and His kingdom.
    • Read Col 1:18
      • Christ is the head of the church.
      • The church is a new community that should exemplify the character of Christ to a lost world.
      • The believer should be part of the church and reflect the character of Christ to other believers and to the non-believer.
    • The illustration of the church as the body of Christ is overtly expressed in only 4 of the New Testament books: Romans, 1Corinthians, Ephesians, and Colossians.
  • The two aspects of the illustration:
    • The phrase, body of Christ, has a double aspect: a horizontal aspect, and a vertical aspect.
      • The horizontal aspect is the unity of the members, one with another in spiritual and physical fellowship.
        • This aspect demonstrates diversity in unity.
        • In other words each believer comes from a different background, experience, race, culture, etc. but he becomes one with other believers in Christ Jesus.
        • Read 1Cor 12:13 This is the baptism of regeneration that makes the born again believer a part of the body of Christ.
      • The vertical aspect is the unity of the members as a whole and individually with Christ as the head.
        • This aspect demonstrates unity in diversity.
        • In other words, the body of Christ as a whole consists of believers serving Christ in love with diverse gifts and talents.
        • The vertical aspect is the basis and foundation of the horizontal aspect.

Read Rom 12:5

Read 1Cor 10:16-17

The Holy Communion service is to demonstrate this vertical foundation of the body of Christ.

The Holy Communion is to link every believer with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (the vertical aspect) and with other believers in the congregation (the horizontal aspect).

• • • The characteristics necessary for these two aspects to function effectively and to overcome racial and social barriers.
      • Believers are to maintain a spirit of humility so that all in the body are encouraged to participate effectively. Pride destroys the unity in the body of Christ.
      • Believers are to maintain a spirit of interdependence.
        • No one person knows it all, and no one person can do it all.
        • We all need each other to become more complete and more effective.
      • Believers must maintain a spirit of love for the body of Christ to function smoothly.
        • Love covers a multitude of sins.
        • Love is the basis of forgiveness that we must be willing to continually extend to others.
        • Read Eph 2:16 Christ died to put away hatred between races and nationalities.
  • The two distinct congregations of the body of Christ:
    • =1= There is the universal congregation of the body of Christ of which all local congregations are a part.
      • Read 1Cor 12:12-27
      • Because the body of Christ is more than just the local congregation, the believer can find a unique fellowship anywhere in the world.
      • The Holy Spirit in each believer enables and makes possible this universal fellowship.
        • Unfortunately, some local churches, pastors, and Christians become too inclusive and restrict or even deny the universal aspect of the body of Christ.
        • This type of pride and/ or jealousy denies an important cohesiveness of unity for which Christ died and for which He prayed.
        • Read Gal 3:28
    • =2= We are all familiar with the local church. This is the local congregation of the body of Christ.
      • Read 1Cor 12:27
      • The local congregation is one small part of the whole and is a manifestation of the universal body of Christ in any one place.
      • Read 2Cor 1:1
  • Vertical Unity of the church with Christ:
    • It is the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit in believers that creates the unity with Christ. Without the indwelling Holy Spirit, there is no unity.
    • The working of the Holy Spirit is the glue that causes the body of Christ to function smoothly in spite of distance, language, or culture.
    • Read Eph 4:3-5
    • Read Col 2:19
  • Organic Unity of the church members with other members:
    • Read Eph 4:15-16
    • The local congregation works like a physical body with every part doing its job and unified in purpose with all the other parts of the physical body.
    • This organic unity causes the body of Christ to grow larger in the world.
  • The power and life of the unity of the body of Christ:
    • Read Col 1:17-18
    • Read Eph 1:19-23
    • Read Eph 2:6
      • Christ is given authority and supremacy.
      • Christ gives this authority and supremacy to His church when functioning in unity with Him.
      • Christ causes his believers to sit in heavenly places.
    • Read Eph 5:26-27, 30
    • Read Eph 1:23
      • The unity of the body of Christ causes spiritual growth of its individual members.
      • Christ fits all members together one with the other for His purposes.
  • Christ’s prayer for His church
    • Read Joh 17:11, 17-22
      • Christ prayed for unity of His church just before the crucifixion.
        • Unity of His believer with himself.
        • Unity of His believers with each other.
      • At the rapture of the Church Christ will present His body of believers to God, the Father, as His bride.
    • Read Eph 5:27
    • Read 2Pet 3:14
  • Redemption and sanctification of the body of Christ establishes unity:
    • Read Col 1:18-24
      • Believers in the body of Christ are to rejoice with each other in the victories won.
      • Believers in the body of Christ are to cry with each other when one suffers.
      • Believers in the body of Christ are to forbear with each other for the purposes of unity.
  • God’s program for the body of Christ is sanctification:
    • What is sanctification? The word has several meanings.
      • =1= It means to set apart for special treatment or for use by the creator.
      • =2 = It means to make holy.
      • =3= It means to bring to a condition of proper function.
    • Other related words are consecration (set apart), saint (which means = use).
    • In the Old Testament God set apart utensils for His use:
      • There was the Ark of the Covenant, the golden lampstand, the silver trumpets, etc.
      • These were all objects that were used in worship of God.
      • These objects became holy or sanctified by the use that God ordained for them.
    • In the New Testament God sets apart people for His use.
      • God sets the believer apart from the world.
      • God controls events in his life that bring spiritual growth and change in his character and in his life.
      • This is the process of sanctification that begins with new birth and ends when the believer goes to be with the Lord.
      • Gradually like the Old Testament objects, the believer becomes holy or sanctified by permitting God to use him for God’s purpose in serving Christ.
    • The Holy Trinity is involved in the process of sanctification:
      • =1= Read 1Cor 1:30 God, the Father.
      • =2= Read 2The 2:13 and 1Pet 1:2 The Holy Spirit.
        • The Holy Spirit is the dynamic of sanctification.

The Holy Spirit is the Sprit of life.

The Holy Spirit causes change to occur in the character of the born-again believer.

The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to sanctify the believer.

• • • • • Read Joh 17:17
      • =3= Read 1Cor 6:11 Jesus Christ, the Son.
    • Sanctification is accomplished in the body of Christ by grace through faith in the same way as redemption.
      • • Christ supplies the grace for sanctification through his death of the cross.
        • Man must take advantage of that which Christ supplied by using his faith to believe.
  • Jesus Christ, the sanctifier and the model for sanctification.
    • Read Heb 10:10
    • Read Heb 2:10-11
    • Read 1Joh 3:2
      • Jesus Christ was sanctified through his sufferings.
        • Having been set apart, Jesus Christ fulfilled the moral purpose of God and did not commit any type of sin.
        • Having been set apart, Jesus Christ fulfilled His vocational purpose by doing what God called him to do.
      • By Christ’s death He sanctified His believers.
        • The believer also becomes holy (sanctified) through the sufferings that must be endured in his own life.
        • The believer becomes more and more like Christ through faith.
  • The three phases of sanctification:
    • =1= The Initial phase = New Birth
      • The believer is forgiven of all sin.
      • The believer receives a new life.
      • The believer receives the Holy Spirit that will work sanctification in him.
    • =2= The progressive phase = The daily trials of life.
      • Through suffering and trials the believer learns to trust Christ by faith.
      • Through suffering the consequences of sin, the believer learns holiness and obedience.
    • =3= The final phase = The coming of Christ
      • Christ will return at the event of the second coming to perfect His bride, the church.
      • In a new glorified body, the believer will be free from the flesh nature to live his life in fulfillment of God’s purpose for him.
  • The results of sanctification is glory.
    • The new glorified body that the believer receives in the rapture of the church.
    • The new glorified body without the sin nature present in it.
    • Where the presence of God is there is glory.