“For as the body is one, and hath many members, so also is Christ” (1 Cor. 12:12).
Because of the entrance of sin through Adam’s disobedience, he brought so much loss to himself and all
mankind. Now all that is being recovered by the Lord Jesus Christ. In this great work of recovery God wants
us to be His co-workers, just as the members of a human body help to fulfil all the purposes, plans and
desires of the head. That is why we are called the Body of Christ. God has exalted His Son, “And hath put
all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the
fulness of him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:22, 23). In other words, the Church is called the Body of Christ
because it has to contain the fullness of God.
Those who are not born again will never understand this mystery, even though they may read many books
and hear many sermons. The heavenly mystery of the Body of Christ cannot be understood with human
wisdom because we need spiritual wisdom to understand spiritual matters. A carpenter knows all about
carpentry, a goldsmith about gold, a blacksmith about iron, and a farmer about fields. We require human
wisdom for all these matters. In the same manner we need divine wisdom to understand divine things.
How can we receive this divine wisdom? It is written that Christ “is made unto us wisdom” (1 Cor. 1:30).
The living presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in us, is our wisdom. You should not think that Bible knowledge
is wisdom. Many people have learnt several portions of the Bible by heart and yet are not familiar with
divine truths. Let me say it again, unless the life of the Lord Jesus Christ flows into you, you can never
know the mystery of the Body of Christ.
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In some cases babies are still born. The body is there, but there is no life in it. Without life the body is
useless, and is fit only for burial. Even though you love a person very much, you will not keep his lifeless
body. It will be of no use, so it has to be buried. In Eph. 1:23 saved children of God are called “The Body
of Christ”. This means they have received the life of Christ. It is therefore evident that only those who
have received the gift of eternal life can become members in the Body of Christ.