This is My Body

Article Index

Teachings of Alister John Lowe, Th.D., Ph.D.

Issue 5, February 1995

This is My Body


THIS IS MY BODY

1 Corinthians 12:12-27
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we allo baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye can not say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Throughout His entire earthly ministry, the Lord Jesus never performed one miracle outside His physical body.

Rumors of the boyhood miracles of Jesus are completely unfounded.

One such rumor has Jesus modelling a pigeon from clay, applying spittle to its head, thereupon becoming a real bird which is released into the heavens.

The Bible record does not show Jesus operating in His public ministry until He is baptised in the Holy Ghost at thirty years of age. He never performed any miracle, he never preached any message, he never healed any sick person until His maturity for ministry. He began that ministry by declaring, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me....

Would to God modern day preachers would follow His example.

In the isolated example of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, a member of the body is immediately directed to him as the instrument through which God effects healing for his eyes and the bapitism of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 9:17,18 And Anaias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

God has limited Himself to the body of Christ! With all its imperfections God has chosen the church. He could have created a glorious bride for His Son by fiat. He could have used angels. He could have used cherubim. He could have used seraphim. He has chosen us. In this sense, God has no hands but our hands. He has no feet but our feet. He has no heart but our heart. Think of it. The Almighty God has limited Himself to the weakness of the human frame.

But this is no marvel, for He has already set the precedent of limiting His Son in a human body!


THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES

Ezekiel 37:1-10 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, Can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these dry bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then he said unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

Thank God for the wonderful regathering of Israel natural to the land of promise. As surely as there is a natural application to this vision, so also is there an application to Israel spiritual, the church.

1 Corinthians 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

Galatians 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

Ephesians 2:4-6 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

Ephesians 2:15,16 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.

There is a gathering together today of bone to his bone. The breath of God has yet to resurrect this vast graveyard. The bones will stand on their feet an exceeding great army.


HUSBANDS AND WIVES

Ephesians 5:22-32
Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

We are now members of his body, his flesh and his bones.

There are many mysteries in the Word of God. The greatest of all mysteries is the union of Christ and His Church!


THE LORD'S SUPPER

1 Corinthians 11:23-30
For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, Take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in rembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he has supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lords death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lords body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.


DIVORCE

Matthew 19:3-9
The Pharisees also came unto him, , tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.


ADAM AND EVE

Genesis 1:26,27
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Genesis 2:7,18,21-24 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.


CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST

John 19:34
But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

Adam was a perfect man. In a state of sleep, a perfect woman was extracted from his side.

Jesus was put to sleep (died) on the cross of Calvary. When the Roman spear pierced his side, there flowed out blood and water: but there was more that that.

A perfect woman came from His side, the place of co-equality.

Like the first Adam, the last Adam will look upon his body (perfect woman) and declare, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken from the side of the perfect Man. He shall cleave to his wife: they shall be one flesh. Everything the first Adam lost, is to be completely restored by the last Adam.


WHERE THE BODY IS, THERE WILL THE EAGLES GATHER TOGETHER!

Luke 17:37
And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

The question, "Where, Lord?", requires amplification. The context reveals, "Where shall they be taken?"

vs. 32-36 Remember Lot's Wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall loose it; and whosoever shall loose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken , and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

The context is preservation of life.

The preservation will take place where eagles gather. The eagles will gather at only one place: the body.

The Greek word used for body here is soma. It has reference to the body as a sound, pulsating whole; a body possessing life. It is the word Jesus uses in reference to His body.

Matthew 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

Eagles with gather where the body is!