Body of Christ
That being said we need to understand the phrase "body of Christ". There is a great deal of doctrines created by men based on little more than a few places that we see the term in the Bible:
- Ro 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
- 1Co 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
- 1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
- Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
What makes a body a body?
The Greek term used to produce the word we see as body in the translation is 4983 σῶμα soma from the Greek verb σώζω~ sozo meaning "to save, keep safe and sound" and which is from the contraction for obsolete saos, "safe"
It is consistently translated body a 144 times but appears as slaves in Revelation 18:13 "And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves<σῶμα soma>, and souls of men."
The book is listing off items owned by the merchants of the earth[1]
While the Greek term soma σῶμα is defined as "the body both of men or animals" or even "the bodies of planets and of stars (heavenly bodies)" as a collective of independent bodies united in some invisible binding power or union such as gravity.
It is also used as a general term for a "number of men closely united into one society, or family as it were; a social, ethical, mystical body". It may be large or small corporate or incorporate and evidently may even be mystical.
The term mystical can be defined as concerned with the soul or the spirit, rather than with material things.
When Paul loosely uses the term is he talking about a specific "Body" or a general body of christian. Is he talking about something with a corporate nature.
When we talk about something like the "church" are we talking about a corporate body in the specific sense or in its most general sense.
The Church appointed by Christ, His little flock, was an actual corporate body much like the Levites before them. They served the people as a government that did not exercise authority one over the other. What was given to them by the people to be those benefactors and rightly divide the bread of their offerings from house to house was both freely given and completely given.
Congregations are not corporate.
== Footnotes ==
- ↑ Re 18:11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, 13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. 14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! 17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,